Top Gear Pits Lexus GS F Against BMW M5 (Video)
The GS F may be 133 hp down on the monstrous M5, but large numbers don’t always mean a better driving experience.
BMW has led the industry when it comes to large, fast, luxury sedans with the M5. But Lexus, which doesn’t want to be outdone, has entered into the fray with the hot-rod-like GS F. So which one’s better? Top Gear’s Chris Harris puts both high-performance sedans against one another on some gorgeous but slippery, snow-covered roads to find out.
This battle, especially in the M5’s 30th-anniversary guise, is David taking on Goliath. The M5’s special layout features a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 pumping out an incredible 600 horsepower. The GS F, on the other hand, is severely underpowered with its 467-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8. But as Harris finds in the video, it’s not how much power you have but how you put it down.
We won’t ruin the surprise results for you but we will say that sometimes – and these are very rare times indeed – less can be more. Harris finds that it’s nearly impossible to find a comfortable driving setting in the M5. The sedan has various options for the suspension, steering, and throttle. And even with the softest settings chosen, The M5’s still too rough, too much of a handful.
The GS F, in comparison, lets the driver use all of its power without having to worry about ending up in a ditch. The GS F may not awe like the M5 right out of the gate but like a fine wine it grows on you and shows you its true colors over time.
With the massive power difference separating the two sedans, you might assume that the M5 would decimate anything in its path. But, as Harris finds out, large numbers don’t always mean a better driving experience.
