Lexus's newly unveiled GS F promises copious driving fun with room for four on board and, if it lives up to the hype, it could well give the BMW M5 some serious competition.
Lexus has been teasing its latest “F”-designated vehicle since the LA Auto Show came to a close back in November but with just a week to go until the Detroit Auto Show fires up and gets off and running, the company clearly felt it couldn't wait any longer to tip its hand and show what it has in store.
The GS F will use the same five-litre V8 found in the recently launched RC F coupé, so that's 467bhp on tap flowing via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a torque vectoring differential to the rear wheels.
Lexus says that the ultimate aim of the GS F was to create a car with a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality: an executive sedan that can glide along the highway but that with a quick twist of the mode selector transforms into a serious track car.
In standard mode, the car should feel balanced and poised, ready to take evasive action if needed but happy to eat up the tarmac. Switching to slalom mode will up the car's sensitivity to driver inputs and its response times for greater agility. Then in full-blown track mode everything is focused on keeping the car on the racing line without sacrificing straight-line speed.
When the car is officially unveiled on January 13 in Detroit, Lexus will reveal other details such as performance figures. It is only when those numbers are known that it will be clear how well the car can challenge the benchmark-setting best that the premium German car makers can offer. And if the car can manage a 0-100km/h time in under 4.4 seconds then the Lexus will be a very capable and attractive car indeed. ― AFP-Relaxnews
0 comments: