2015 Lexus GS-F car review: Company launch their first full-size super saloon

It’s hard to drive smoothly, particularly if you’re wanting to press on on roads where you’re up and down the gearbox

If it hadn’t been for that wretched global crisis, we’d have had this car earlier. This, or a similar car, was going to be launched in 2010 but then the world went off the rails. Now Lexus obviously feel it’s getting back on the rails. They must be chuffed.

Lexus like to do things differently. They also like to choose battles they can win, which is one reason they’ve avoided the German solution of monumental amounts of turbocharged power with a ferocious price tag. Not that this has anything weedy under the bonnet. There is a 5.0-litre V8, with no turbo in sight, giving 471bhp. Torque builds steadily rather than slamming in. It feels different to the German opposition.

Much of the enhanced suspension is based on that of the company’s RC F, but the GS-F is substantially lighter, lighter even than BMW’s M5 or the Mercedes-AMG E63. The chassis is both lighter and stiffer, and with a torque-vectoring rear diff there is plenty of potential here for some wonderful handing.

And that potential is realised. It handles wonderfully, it’s taut, sharp, responsive. It’s as good as any of the competition. This is backed up by the sharpest of steering and solid braking by Brembo iron discs gripped by six-piston calipers. This is all marvellous, it really is.

The engine too works supremely well and sounds delightfully raucous at some points of the rev band. Why you’d want the Active Sound Control to override the genuine noise is a mystery. But while the sound is good, and it sounds really throaty above 4000rpm, there is an issue.

It really isn’t that linear in its power build up, so you end up either below or above the step change that happens at 4000rpm. This might be manageable if it wasn’t for the transmission. The eight-speed auto just doesn’t work with the throttle pedal. It doesn’t know when you want it to kick down or when you just want it to hold that gear and keep it going. So you switch to the paddles.

And they give a totally inconsistent service, with some gears slithering sleekly through while others thump and bang in. It’s hard to drive smoothly, particularly if you’re wanting to press on on roads where you’re up and down the gearbox. Ultimately there is a lack of torque here which makes things worse.

This is a beautiful Lexus. Wonderfully made, with a glorious cabin. There are superb materials, great attention to detail and high levels of equipment. But in setting out to be different from the Teutonic rivals it has put itself off to one side, not ahead of them. That powertrain is the one thing that definitely separates this from a great car. With only 3 stars, there is clearly room for improvement.

2015 Lexus GS-F

On sale: Now

Price: £69,995

Engine: V8, 4969cc, petrol

Power: 471bhp

Torque: 391lb ft

Gearbox: 8-spd automatic

Kerb weight: 1865kg

0-62mph: 4.6sec

Top speed: 168mph

Economy: 25.2mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 260g/km, 37%