In a world that is becoming increasingly sanitised and restrictive, the Lexus GSF is one of a handful of rebellious cars sticking two fingers up at the do-gooders.
This is a good looking car. It’s not some tarted up pretender, this is a real, seasoned contender. Parked, quietly poised, it looks lean, fit and ready for action. The GSF is like that young guy you met once, wearing a really expensive suit and looking like a male model, ripped and handsome, good at everything.
You want to hate him but you can’t help admiring him.
I agree, the exterior is a little subjective, I get that. What it isn’t is a familiar, sensible old gentleman’s express, instead opting for the new school, well dressed, head turning approach. It’s built for a purpose and makes no apologies for being ambitious, good looking and aspirational.
Open the door and you are greeted with the perfect interior in my opinion. When you sit in something like an AMG Mercedes, you can’t help thinking that Mercedes are trying too hard to be flash. To me, the AMG’s have a modified feel, like someone has spend loads of money in Halfrauds buying all manner of tarty bits, then bolted them all to the Mercedes. The Lexus GSF feels entirely complete. Slide into the beautiful, sculpted, leather bucket seats and you feel like an integral part of the car, immediately at home and comfortable. It’s like it’s been tailor made just for you.
Another comparison I would make between the Lexus GSF anf a Mercedes AMG is build quality. Modern Mercedes feel a bit cheap inside, like a well spec’d Peugeot or something. Bits squeak, bits that open don’t feel that solid, the glossy black interior bits are tacky and scratch easily and Mercedes seem to make things as complicated as possible on purpose, as if that is a sign that it’s good. The Lexus on the other hand is perfect. It has what it needs and it feels like it will last forever. I felt immediately at home with controls easy to figure out and use.
Ok, so it looks good inside and out, but that’s just the icing on the cake. Fire the GSF up and you almost feel guilty. The noise is so magnificent it’s criminal.
It’s powered by a 5L petrol V8 that produces 477 DIN hp at 7100rpm and 530 Nm of torque. That is epic.
There’s a flappy paddle gearbox and I’m not a fan of flappy paddles BUT this one is very good. Changes are fast, fuss free and precise but it still feels mechanical and masculine.
Acceleration is relentless. If you think it will be pretty quick you’re in for a shock, it’s really fast! When you are pressing on, you almost can’t keep up. Gear after gear, it just doesn’t stop accelerating. It’s an assault on your senses but is as addictive as any vice you can think of. Nothing unsettles it, you never feel threatened or scared, you feel like a giant among men, you feel invincible.
Laying off the loud pedal and taking it steady for a few miles allows you to catch your breath but you just can’t help getting back on it and making that glorious 32 valve V8 shout again.
Let’s not forget that this supercar level of performance is wrapped up in a 4 door family car. A family car that can get to 100kph in 4.6 seconds and see an official top speed of just shy of 170 mph. That’s mental.
Lexus may have made the perfect car for me in the GSF. It’s looks great, it’s a V8, it goes like race car on the road and can turn it’s hand to anything. I could do the school run in the morning, drive over to Silverstone and slay all on a track day, pop to Sainsburys to do a bit of shopping then throw my suit on and visit a customer on the way back to pick the kids up from School. Magnificent. Thanks Lexus.
