2016 Lexus GS F First Drive Review

The pavement crowns a bit where the banking levels off as you exit Turn 13 at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. If you walked up to it and took a look, you’d probably wonder what the heck I’m talking about. However, if you’re behind the wheel of the new 2016 Lexus GS F, extracting as much acceleration as you dare from the bellowing 467-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, that subtle change in the track surface feels like a sudden and violent shove — a foot into the right side of the GS F’s figurative back attempting to punt the rear end into the dirt.

And you don’t want that to happen.

Lexus doesn’t either, which is why the GS F is equipped with a standard Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD), which installs electric motors on either side of the car’s rear differential to transfer more torque to the inner wheel in a corner and more torque to the outer wheel when exiting a corner. Is it the TVD, set to its Track driving mode, which inspires my trust in the GS F’s ability to manage this topographical change at the bottom of Turn 13? Perhaps. More likely, though, it is the sum total of the engineering that has transformed Lexus’s midsize GS luxury sedan into a track-ready performance car.

“F really does change everything at Lexus,” implored Brian Bolain, the company’s marketing manager, as he spoke to a room full of skeptics in advance of the GS F drive. Increasingly, the democratization of advanced mechanicals, materials, and technologies across all vehicles at every price point means that luxury brands must now leverage image to win the hearts and minds of wealthier car buyers. To that end, Lexus absolutely requires its long-gestating F performance brand to flourish if it wants to remain an A-list player.

Following the limited-production previous-generation Lexus IS F, the ultra-rare LFA exotic, and the arrival late last year of the 2015 RC F coupe, the new 2016 GS F sedan is the latest weapon in the Lexus performance arsenal. Like the RC F coupe, the GS F sedan will be limited to 2,000 units of production, ensuring exclusivity while providing the halo effect that Lexus requires as part of its plan to remain a credible alternative to Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Styling modifications are obvious to Lexus fans and subtle to casual observers. Everything from the windshield forward is new, blending aggressive form with necessary function.

Signature changes include a more dramatic spindle-shaped grille, large air intakes to feed the oil and transmission coolers, triple-beam LED headlights, and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic grille and rear spoiler components designed to increase aerodynamic downforce at speed. Large, functional air vents puncture the front fenders and sweep down into wider rocker panels, and the GS F sits on handsome 19-inch forged aluminum wheels. Around back, a diffuser panel separates the diagonally oriented quad exhaust outlets, and the unique LED taillights are detailed with vortex diffusers to smooth airflow.

Beneath the GS F’s bulging hood, a normally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 revs to a lofty 7300 rpm — and you’ve gotta get it nearly there before the peak 467 horsepower is reached at 7100 rpm. Torque peak measures 389 lb.-ft. (the least amount of twist of any engine within the GS F’s competitive set) and ranges from 4800 rpm to 5600 rpm.

Lexus says the GS F, which costs $85,380, accelerates to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 168 mph. That’s quick but at the same time pales in comparison to the legitimately fast 2016 Cadillac CTS-V, which uses a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 cranking 640 horsepower and 630 lb.-ft. of torque to produce 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and maximum velocity of 200 mph. What’s the price for the Caddy? Including a gas-guzzler tax, the CTS-V starts at $85,990.

Rightly, Lexus devotees might respond to this comparison with exhortations about how the GS F is likely to prove more reliable than the CTS, and that its Atkinson-cycle V8 is definitely more fuel-efficient. They’d be correct, but these are the characteristics that have traditionally sold Lexus models, and the GS F is supposed to alter paradigms, not reaffirm them.

If the GS F’s engine specs fail to impress, know that the rest of the hardware package is up to snuff, starting with the Drive Mode Select technology. Choose from Eco, Normal, Sport S, and Sport S+ driving modes, the GS F getting louder and more raucous with each twist of the Drive Mode Select control knob. In addition to powertrain calibration, this system adjusts steering feel and response as well as the GS F’s Vehicle Dynamics Integration Management (VDIM) technologies, also known as the safety-oriented systems that are designed to keep you out of trouble.

In Sport S driving mode, the 8-speed Sport Direct Shift transmission’s G-Force Artificial Intelligence technology employs sensors that recognize how aggressively the GS F is driven and adjusts transmission shift patterns accordingly. Use the car’s manual shifting mode, available via steering wheel paddles or the gear selector, and both upshifts and downshifts come faster and sharper, accompanied by sporty burps and burbles from the performance exhaust system. The Sport S setting also firms and quickens the GS F’s electric steering.

Switch to Sport S+ mode, and the transmission’s automatic shift timing is completely changed while the throttle is adjusted for stronger response. Lexus also reduces the threshold at which the VDIM safety net kicks in.

Naturally, you might assume that Sport S+ is the best setting for track driving, and if you’re slamming around one you know well, I’d agree. In Sport S+ mode, and under the right circumstances, the GS F is likely an enormously gratifying automobile to drive hard and fast. When you’re on an unfamiliar road, or a track you’ve never driven, Sport S+ just makes the GS F frenetic and unpredictable.

At Chuckwalla, aside from a single lap spent in Sport S+ and using the paddle shifters, I kept the GS F in Sport S mode and let the automatic figure out the best times to shift. Smoothness translates to speed, and when I’m learning a new course or road, I’m happy to let technology make decisions while I memorize the corners and find the proper line. Sport S mode proved perfect for this task, with a single exception. Exiting Turn 10 before the longest straight, the transmission would not downshift, revealing the 5.0-liter V8’s dearth of torque. While they were not on hand for direct comparison, my bet is that the GS F’s force-fed competition would feel far more responsive in the same circumstance.

At the end of that straight, and with testing temperatures in the low 70s, a short, hard braking zone revealed the stamina of the upgraded Brembo brakes, with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers clamping down onto 15-inch front and 13.5-inch rear slotted discs. Changes to the front and rear suspension components make them lighter and more rigid, while 19-inch forged aluminum wheels wear 255/35 front and 275/35 rear performance tires.

Collectively, the changes make the GS F feel nimble and athletic while inspiring confidence in the driver’s ability to explore the car’s prodigious limits. At the same time, the GS F remains an agreeable daily driver, its sport-bolstered front seats delivering enough extra support for rousing runs on public roads even if they’re not snug enough to combat track-generated g-forces.

Credibility is everything, and that is why Lexus elected to demonstrate the GS F’s capability at a track. The people who buy this car won’t be racing it, but they will need to be confident that the GS F can get around a course without embarrassing itself. Based on my experience, all that’s missing here is torque.

At the same time, GS F owners will need their Lexus to deliver in terms of style, comfort, technology, and overall sophistication. From its controversial grille to its Remote Touch Interface infotainment controls, assessment of each trait is highly personal and subjective.

After leaving the track, with winter sunlight waning on distant mountains and music streaming from the GS F’s Mark Levinson surround sound audio system, I motored west on California’s Interstate 10, the cruise control set at 80 mph and the car returning 23.6 mpg. In this comparatively serene environment, I decided that while the new 2016 Lexus GS F isn’t for everyone, especially people more concerned about bragging rights than anything else, it certainly is an authentic luxury performance car, quiet and composed when you need it to be, or loud and vigorous when you want it to be.

In other words, the GS F is exactly the kind of car Lexus has needed for a very long time.