First ride: The new Lexus GS-F

Spain, Madrid, Jarama Circuit. Never heard of it? Well, then you may just be too young to have experienced the heyday of the 4,8 kilometer long racetrack just outside the Spanish capital, or you may not be interested in Formula 1 at all. Yes, on this rough, narrow asphalt belt the Spanish GP was actually held several times between 1968 and 1981. It's hard to believe when you leave the pit lane today and brake the first hairpin. Run-off areas? None or in a state that you definitely don't want to end up in. In addition, the course in the clockwise direction is also damn demanding with invisible curves, crests and depressions. Autohub.de has to experience all of this in a five-meter ship with 1,9 tons of live weight. But who comes up with such an idea at all? Lexus, because the Japanese brand is presenting its fourth sports model, the GS-F, to the international press right here.

Top dog in Japanese

Lexus GS-F in the first driving report

Again without turbo

You have to be damn convinced of your product if you are the direct competitor of the Audi RS7, BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 on this forgotten circuit, of all places, in the hands of the inflammatory journalists and then even sends them on the god-deserted streets into the hinterland of Madrid. A hopeless endeavor? Well, it gets worse. While Ingolstadt, Munich and Stuttgart have long since stopped sending their V8 shooting men to the start with the help of turbochargers with less than 550 PS, the Lexus GS-F struggles to get 477 PS because it lacks forced ventilation and therefore also no Hammer of Mr. Newton, who strikes mercilessly just above the idle speed in the German sedans.

Game set victory

But whoever believes the game has already been decided before it starts, is wrong. Because the Lexus surprises. First of all, of course, this includes the expressive design that the Toyota subsidiary has been allowed to offer to its model series for some time. With the GS-F, this means that the 2012 established hourglass-like "diabolo grille" spans a little more three-dimensionally over the 1,85 m wide front, only limited by cooling air inlets and grim-looking bi-LED headlight slots. At the rear, on the other hand, the battery of the four trapezoidal tailpipes dominates, which has meanwhile become a distinctive mark for the F models and peeps out between the diffuser ready for firing. Yes, Lexus has now found its own style and as a premium sports sedan (so it says Lexus about the GS-F) the four-door also exudes the necessary aggressiveness. The design of the Japanese brand polarizes very consciously and also testifies to the adult self-confidence that the brand has developed since 1989 was founded.

Another surprise is the interior. Where the 2014 presented RC-F coupe Something caught in the interior seems to be in the endless loop of the 80 style that is so typical for the Japanese, the big brother shines with fine accents. No, the GS-F cannot withstand the delusion of perfection in terms of feel, material mix and intuitive operation of the German premium manufacturers, but the use of Alcantara, leather, aluminum and plastic can certainly be described as successful. The cockpit is dominated by an 12,3 inch screen and a wide center console littered with controls and switches. This also includes a remote touch control element, via which all functions of the audio system, the automatic climate control, the telephone and the navigation system (everything as standard!) can operate and configure. Lexus goes a very special way with the GS, because there are two fingers on the control pad, which move the mouse pointer in all directions by tilting the pad and activate the menu items by pressing. Unfortunately, the computer mouse in our test vehicle seemed to be on crack, because it was moving so hectically that we could only click with difficulty where we really wanted to go. But we suspect: it is all a matter of getting used to and in some submenu there is definitely also the option to reduce the pointer movement.

The art of building a machine

The next surprise is crouched with a shimmering blue intake tract under the hood. The five liter V8 is a fine piece of mechanical engineering. The use of 32 valves made of titanium and eight high-strength forged connecting rods has paid off. This engine loves to jubilate up to the highest speed regions. Only at 7.300 U / min does the speed limiter block the short stop. Until then, there is actually always enough power available. "Actually"? Yes, because the large-volume vacuum is coupled to an eight-speed automatic. It can change gears surprisingly quickly for a classic converter transmission, but only if you are in the dynamic mode "Sport S" or "Sport S +". If you are traveling in normal or even eco mode, you need to feel from the kick-down command to sorting the required speed: too long. But when the right wave is present, fireworks begin, which catapults the GS-F to 4,6 km / h in 100 seconds and is only stopped at electronically limited 270 km / h.

Sure, the German competitors in the upper middle class can do this up to a second faster and also offer launch control support, but let's be honest: who needs that? In this performance class you are always too fast for the law enforcement officers. So what is decisive is "Who”And the GS-F does that very well, even if Lexus cheats a little with the acoustic background that is created. Adaptive Sound Control (ASC) is the name of the culprit (can be deactivated by a switch), which electronically processes intake noise as well as engine and exhaust sound and distributes it pleasantly in the interior via the front and rear speakers. The feast for the ears lies somewhere between the old BMW M3 with 4,0l V8 engine and the mighty AMG 6,2l V8 vacuum cleaner. Not quite as frequent as the BMW and a little less hammering than the Mercedes. Particularly recommended: let the throttle valve open suddenly at 3.500 rpm and enjoy the slight goose bumps when the airbox with the sucked in air seems to almost burst acoustically. But how does the Japanese thick ship ride on the aforementioned racetrack and the wonderful Spanish country roads?

Mr Handsome

Amazingly handy and this is certainly the biggest surprise on the GS-F, but also an explainable one. On the one hand, the four-door is significantly lighter than the Swabian and Bavarian sports sedans mentioned, and on the other hand, the GS-F is just barely 30kg heavier than the significantly smaller RC-F Coupé with the same drive train. Both have the same thing in common Torque vectoring differential. It ensures that the power of the engine between rightright and left rear wheel depending on the accelerator pedal position, brake application, yaw rate, longitudinal and lateral acceleration. You can feel how well this works in the standard setting. When accelerating out of tight bends, the rear overhang hardly pushes outwards atypically for a rear-wheel drive, and the wheel on the inside of the curve has no slip. If you also press the TVD button in the center console and wait until the term “slalom” appears in the rev counter, there is nothing standing in the way of a small bend on narrow mountain roads. As if the GS-F had suddenly dropped 200 kilograms of weight, it scurries around every turn and the narrower the radius, the better. On the racetrack, on the other hand, it is better to switch on the track mode, because then the electrical actuators ensure maximum stability even at high speeds and hard braking. You will then be rewarded with minimal understeer and wonderful traction in all situations. If that's not enough, you have to deactivate the barely noticeable ESP and activate the "Expert Mode". Then you can also burn wonderful drifts on the Spanish asphalt. The ergonomically perfect sports seats and the proper feedback from the electric power steering also help. Only the brake could be a little more precise. Not that the Brembo Kneiffer lack the strength, but the pressure point is somewhat doughy, especially when braking from high speeds.

Those responsible from the Far East can rightly be convinced of the GS-F and its dynamic driving properties. This Lexus is quite an alternative to the Germanic top dogs. You just have to have the necessary self-confidence and the desire to be different. But then you will be rewarded with an almost indecent price: The Japanese call 99.750 Euro and then put an almost fully equipped power sedan in front of the door, which also includes countless assistance systems. But if you want to rush banknotes to one of the nine German Lexus forums, you have to be patient. The GS-F is only available from dealers from 23.01.2016.

The vehicle registration document for the Lexus GS-F 2016