This
review first appeared in the October 2018 edition of the Northern & Central
California Cruisin’ News published
out of Folsom, California – mg
Sacramento, California – Another month, another Lexus ... but
this tested blue bomber was something extra-special.
With a dazzling "Ultrasonic Blue
Mica" paint job, a red interior and super-sporty sculpting for a sedan,
the tested 2018 Lexus GS F was an aggressive sight to see.
Oh, it also came with a 5-liter V-8 rated at
467 horsepower. Performance plus?
Without a doubt.
The tester drew plenty of attention when
parked. It also drew stares from fellow
motorists on the move ... but they typically had only a couple seconds to see
the Lexus up close as I blazed by with plenty of acceleration in reserve.
The GS F tops 4,000 pounds, but you would
never know it from the powerful moves it makes from a standing start. And when asked to deliver in tight quarters
on high-speed, uphill curves in the Sierra Nevada foothills, it responded with racy
authority.
Truly, a pleasure to drive.
And well-equipped ... It ought to be with a
bottom line of $89,120 on the sticker.
That included standard Brembo ventilated,
high-friction disc brakes for maximum stopping power and a full boat of
top-flight performance, driving-enhancement and safety features. Extras included a head-up display (in color),
a primo Mark Levinson audio system and 19-inch wheels.
A recently tested Lexus LS delivered strong performance with a major helping of luxury. For perspective, the GS F plays heavy with
the performance part, but the Lexus-level of luxury is still there.
Not surprisingly, fuel mileage is pretty
tepid at 16 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, but I'm
guessing the target audience for this GS F makes major coin to pay the fuel
bills.
If you're fortunate enough to have the dough
for this ride, you're likely going to spend first month of ownership mastering
all of the technology built into the machine. My first clue on this: a 600-page owner's
manual.
The list of safety features alone will have
you studying the manual for a couple of days.
Rest assured that you would almost have to TRY to lose control of the GS
F; that's how sound the safety technology is.
A rich person's toy? A sedan with sports car aspirations? A head-turner in the driveway of a luxury
hotel/casino?
Yeah, this GS F is all that.
My tastes, however, are simple. I just enjoyed putting the blue bomber
through its paces over a week's time.
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