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2017 Lexus GS F quick review

High-tech Japan meets raw atmo V8 in this eccentric super sedan

2017 Lexus GS F
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ADAPTIVE DAMPERS have made Lexus’s hairy-chested super sedan an even better gadget and super-heated the fight for its keys whenever it visits the MOTOR office.

Big and spacious, four doors, a screaming 5.0-litre atmo V8, smooth eight-speed auto, rear-drive and a ‘limited slip’ differential – the GS F might have a ‘351’ in its power figure but it doesn’t need it to endear to Aussies. It remains a peculiar car; there’s its striking exterior styling with eccentric touches.

2017 Lexus GS F side profileThe interior, meanwhile, is a lovely place to sit with fantastic materials and awesome seats, but is oddly humdrum-Toyota in places then LFA cool in others – like the TFT tacho, which excites as much as the infotainment menu frustrates.

Forget about all that and boot it, and you’ll find an engine that feels highly-strung and likes to be revved to give its best, which is fine with us as the atmo 5.0-litre sounds great in a technical, nerdy Japanese kind of way (rather than a bassy, burbly American V8).

2017 Lexus GS F interiorThis is a fast car that handles well despite its size and loves a big, white-knuckled, power-assisted slide out of corners, supplying an ESP mode just for the job (‘Expert’ in Sport Plus mode). The ride? It’s a case of Lexus bringing it up to the standard it should have been in the first place, rather than making something that was good, even better.

2017 Lexus GS F badgeThe previous car’s ‘sporting’ ride at urban speeds has been replaced with something much more mature. It comes at a small cost, the GS F’s price rising almost $5K, but still, for the price of a C63 this is an M5- or E63-sized car with a likeable V8, rear-drive, nice interior and just something different to park in the driveway.

2017 Lexus GS F Specifications

  • Engine: 4969cc V8, DOHC, 32v, 351kw/530Nm
  • Weight: 1865kg
  • 0-100km/h: 4.6sec
  • Price: $153,540

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