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2019 Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition Drivers' Notes Review | Nothing gray about this sedan

The Lexus GS F is an old-school performance sedan with a big, naturally aspirated engine up front. You won’t find the phrase twin-turbo anywhere in its press materials, and thatÂ’s completely fine. With 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque, the 5.0-liter V8 isnÂ’t going to outrun the high-powered Germans in a drag race. However, all of that power is usable on the street, right up to the glorious 7,300 rpm redline. A loud exhaust complements the loud styling on our particular test car. We had the honor of driving the 10th Anniversary Edition, which is limited to just 100 vehicles in the U.S. You pay extra for the special appearance, but man it looks good. Matte Nebula Gray paint wraps the exterior, while unique Fuji Blue leather trim covers the interior. Blue Brembo brake calipers behind BBS forged wheels keep the blue theme going on the outside. Michelin Pilot Sport tires come standard, providing an impressive amount of grip for the big sedan. Much of the magic to this anniversary car is thanks to the stunning blue interior — it even has blue carbon fiber and blue suede trim. Rear-wheel drive is the only way it comes — same goes for the eight-speed automatic transmission. The final price for our GS F 10th Anniversary Edition car comes out to $93,080. ThatÂ’s after the $5,000 anniversary package, $1,380 Mark Levinson audio and $900 head-up display. It still comes in under $100,000, which makes it cheaper than the M5 or Mercedes-AMG E 63 S sedan. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I'm going to start off with something that might not be universal: I love this interior. I think the blue Lexus used here is to die for. The white stripes going down the center of the blue leather sport seats mirrors the blue steering wheel with white at top center. Those seats are actually pretty comfortable and super supportive, too. The blue microsuede-type liner on the dash is a little much, but in this case, a little much feels entirely appropriate. The blue stitching and even the blue-accented carbon fiber trim pop in this interior, mirroring the hint of blue spied on the brake calipers through the dark wheels outside. Finally, you might hate the mouse-type infotainment interface (this one managed to not piss me off entirely), but it looks cool inside this GS F. Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition View 7 Photos Assistant Editor, Zac Palmer: I love that Lexus still uses big, naturally aspirated V8s in its performance cars.

Lexus exec says he still fields complaints about the spindle grille

When Lexus debuted its spindle grille on the GS sedan and trademarked the design back in 2012, it was a sure sign the look was here to stay. It started making its way through the lineup, and now five model years later, it's on all Lexus vehicles. The one thing everyone can all agree on is, it's bold. And Lexus has doubled down on the design with the LF-1 Limitless Concept on display at the Detroit Auto Show. Some people surely think nothing of the grille. Others have equated it to a cartoon character, a beard trimmer, or a baleen whale scooping up krill. In one harsh, perhaps apocryphal criticism, a design professor is said to have likened the spindle to the mouth of the titular hunter-alien in the "Predator" movies. In a much more admiring spacefaring comparison, our Antti Kautonen said the grille of the LF-1 Limited Concept mimics a "Star Wars" ship's shift into hyperspace. That's a fitting analogy for the stunning and futuristic LF-1, which might be the single most dramatically styled vehicle at the North American International Auto Show. A couple of years ago, Toyota chief designer — and head of Lexus — Tokuo Fukuichi defended the spindle in a Reuters interview, saying "sexy" was a goal of the design, and dismissing complaints by saying, "Even polarizing designs, you get used to them after a while." That defense was "a while" — three years — after the new look caused an uproar at a 2012 Toyota stockholders' meeting, where some shareholders complained. Now it has been a while longer, and a Lexus executive says the spindle grille has continued to divide Lexus customers. Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager, told Carbuzz on the sidelines of the Detroit show last week that longtime repeat customers still can't get their heads around whatever it is the car seems to be getting its mouth around. "I'll be very transparent. It's our signature grille. Some of our models have a more expressive signature grille than others. The folks that look at it as somewhat polarizing would be, for the most part, the folks that have been with us since the beginning. In fact I'll take phone calls from some of these owners and will literally spend 45 minutes to an hour on the phone with me just expressing how disappointed they are," Bracken said. Bracken has actually been saying almost the exact same things about the grille for years — both to upset customers and to automotive journalists — for example, to Forbes in 2014.

Lexus RC F and GS F 10th Anniversary Editions are all black and blue

Lexus's F marque, the letter affixed to sport-tuned and performance models, debuted just over 10 years ago when the IS F hit dealer showrooms. The V8-powered sedan was a direct competitor to the tried and true BMW M3. The IS F was followed by the V10-powered LFA, RC F coupe and GS F sedan. In celebration of the F sub-brand's 10th anniversary, Lexus is rolling out two new limited edition variants of the RC F and GS F. In America, only 240 RC Fs and 100 GS Fs will be available. There is a price to pay for exclusivity. The RC F 10th Anniversary Edition starts at $80,810, a $16,160 premium over the standard model. It's not just special badging. The new model comes standard with the Performance Package, Triple Beam headlights and Intuitive Park Assist. Those three options will run you $7,160 on their own. At $89,350, the GS F 10th Anniversary Edition is only a $5,000 premium over the standard model. Both cars come with matte Nebula Grey paint, 19-inch black BBS wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, and Brembo brakes with blue calipers. The RC F has blue leather seating with white accents up front as well as blue accents on the shift knob, steering wheel and instrument panel cover. The GS F gets blue leather seating both front and rear. There are blue carbon-fiber accents, blue suede on the dash and blue seat belts. Additionally, the GS F gets blue leather on the steering wheel, console and shift knob. The RC F and GS F are still powered by a 467 horsepower naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8. Power is sent to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. Both cars also pack a torque vectoring differential. Look for these special edition models later this year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Lexus RC F and GS F 10th Anniversary Edition cars View 15 Photos News Source: Lexus Design/Style Lexus Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan lexus rc f lexus gs f