Lexus hopes to deliver a more passioned driving experience with the new GS F Sport.
Toyota is hoping to pump a little passion into its traditionally staid luxury brand Lexus, and is betting the new GS F Sport will be a major piece in that grand transformation.
The second model to wear the “F” badge is making its formal debut at this year’s SEMA Show, the annual aftermarket extravaganza in Las Vegas.
Most luxury buyers “don’t put ‘Lexus’ and ‘performance’ into the same sentence,” admits Brian Smith, the Toyota subsidiary’s vice president and general manager. But that, he hopes, has begun to change – first with the launch of the Lexus IS-F muscle car and, now, with the addition of the GS F Sport.
The latest offering shares most of its fundamentals with the Lexus GS350, which was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance back in August. (Click Here for a closer look at that sedan.)
The new model is “the first to wear the new face of Lexus,” proclaimed Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, during the California preview, a new “spindle grille” framed by hockey stick-shaped LCD running lamps. The overall shape of the car is more angular and distinctive, as well.
The new Lexus GS F Sport features larger tires and brakes.
In F Sport form, the 2013 Lexus GS F Sport will get a mesh grille, fat new 19-inch staggered width wheels — 235/40/19 up front and 265/35/19 in the rear — an aggressive aero package and a “subtle” rear spoiler.
inside, a supportive new 16-way power sport driver’s seat. The cabin itself is finished in Cabernet Red leather – though buyers will also be able to opt for more subtle grey or beige.
The GS 350’s powertrain will be carried over, the 3.5-liter V-8 continuing to make 306 horsepower. But its 6-speed automatic gearbox has been retuned for crisper, sportier shifts, according to Toyota technology guru Paul Williamsen, who told TheDetroitBureau.com, “That should cut a couple tenths off its 0 to 60 times,” rated at 5.7 seconds on the standard GS 350.
To bring the GS F Sport to a quick start, meanwhile, the car gets new 14-inch brake rotors that provide an additional 30% swept area.
The 2013 Lexus GS F Sport will go on sale early next year, at the same time as the base GS 350.
The GS uses electronic management systems to enhance the sportier feel of the F Sport. It can now blip the throttle when shifting, and there are four driving modes, including both ECO, Sport S and Sport S+, along with Normal mode. In the Sport S+ mode the transmission, throttle, suspension, steering and various brake and chassis intervention systems take on more aggressive tuning.
The 2013 Lexus GS 350 and GS F Sport models will both reach showrooms next April, with the GS 450h hybrid to follow two months later.