Keeping it

Is won over by the oldschool charm of the Lexus GS F, but is it enough to see off the mighty Germans

Under the bonnet of the Lexus GS F sits a 471bhp 5.0litre V8. There’s no turbo, no supercharger, the GS F relies purely on cubic capacity to provide the grunt. And grunt it does.

It may be a little down on performance compared to its German, and British, rivals but make no mistake, the GS F is more than capable of providing all the drama you’ll ever need.

The V8, in all its naturallyaspirated glory, sounds fabulous.

There’s no lag because there’s no turbo, instead torque builds rapidly, but steadily, so there’s a constant force pinning you back in your seat when you, safely and legally, floor the throttle.

New manufacturing techniques, additional bracing and the use of lightweight suspension components, including lowered and stiffened springs, as well as uprated dampers give the GS F a purposeful and composed ride. A ride that is necessarily stiff – this is a sports saloon after all – but remarkably comfortable.

It also helps keep its weight well below that of its rivals. The handling is further enhanced thanks to the inclusion of a torque-vectoring rear differential.

The steering is beautifully judged, with a nice weight, particularly in Sport S+ mode, which sharpens everything up a degree or two. It also stops brilliantly. Performance is let down a little by a sluggish gearbox that can be frustratingly inconsistent

Equipment levels are as you would expect for a rangetopping model. It wears 19in alloys, Brembo brakes, LED headlights, carbonfibre bootlip spoiler and quad exhaust. Inside you get a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, heated and ventilated electrically adjustable front seats and, of course, leather everywhere.

You also get Lexux’s premium infotainment system with a 12.3in screen, sat nav, Bluetooth handsfree and audio streaming and DAB radio. It’s accessed with the firm’s unique touchpad controller which can be a little fiddly initially but, in day to day use, is no better nor worse than trying to prod a touchscreen without taking your focus away from the road.

It’s spacious too. Front seat passengers are especially well catered for while anyone consigned to the rear seats will find that, as long as it’s not a round trip to Kirkintilloch, they’ll emerge at the end on their journey in fair fettle.

The Lexus GS F has a lot to offer and if you can forgive the indecisive gearbox – something that I found remarkably easy once the car’s glorious V8 starts bellowing away at full volume – it is actually a formidable opponent for the big-hitters from Germany.

It isn’t quite the car it could be, but in many ways that is part of its charm, and that naturally-aspirated V8 sets it apart, as does its typically Lexus styling. It’s by no means cheap, but you do get a bucket load of equipment for your money.

Lexus have followed a very different formula to create the GS F and that mix of old-school charm and hi-tech wizardry is an intoxicating one.