If I remember correctly, S/S+ are the same on both luxury and F Sport. F Sport can get DRS and comes with bigger brakes. You also have the option to choose Cabernet interior and aluminum trim. If someone has 19" on his/her luxury, I would bet that they would drive almost identical for an average guy/gal. What I would want from F Sport is the frontal profile. The aluminum trim didn't do for me. I decided to get Luxury over F Sport mainly because of the aluminum trim. Besides rear shades and media control unit, Luxury comes with adjustable headlight. It's a great addition. You also get some more fine adjustments for your seats too. Not that it matters to me that much.
Lastly it seems like you already know how to test your music but if you haven't, I would definitely try the bluetooth media feature on the GS. I have an iPhone 5 and it works phenomenon. I was skeptical about the media over air but it completely blew me away. IMO, direct connection, DVD, CD, HD Radio are not as great as a clear sound coming through bluetooth media.

 

I believe there are other differences in the F-Sport so far as anti-roll bars etc are concerned.

It sounds like you're suffering from a salesman that thinks he knows and doesn't qbizzy. The Sport S+ mode absolutely stiffens the suspension on the Luxury model, its the Premium car without AVS that only has Sport mode, no Sport S+

 

Have you considered a GS450h?

It has better low end torque and superior passing/overtaking compared to the GS350 due to the combined electric battery/petrol combustion engine. It might mitigate somewhat your missing out on the V8 of the 550i. Fuel consumption is of course better than the GS350.

Downsides : CVT drivetrain, increased weight makes it slightly less tossable on small curvy roads, you can't get the F-Sport package in the US. Slightly decreased trunk space, no ski pass through due to battery in the rear.

Speaking of F-Sport, in terms of actual suspension upgrades,the F-Sport package is significantly different only for RWD GS350's :

larger staggered 19" wheels
bigger front brakes
VGRS
option of rear wheel steering

AWD GS350 F-Sports are mostly cosmetic changes with minimal changes suspension wise from a GS350 Luxury.

 

Interesting, I felt a significant difference in ride between the two, more than you would attribute to just wheels. Maybe the geometry and programming of the AVS is different?

 

You may be right that the software programming for the Luxury and F-Sport AVS may be different but as far as I know, mechanically an AWD Luxury and AWD F-Sport GS350 are very similar.

 

The more I drive my FSport the more I like it. The GPS in the A6 looks like an afterthought. I put on 15k/year, mostly commuting, with top speed of 30 mph, so I opted for quality, comfort, and contemporary styling over a bit more torque and hp, with potential for reliability issues. I can't really use the extra hp and torque except on the on ramps at night when the minivans and flatbeds are off the road.

 

The suspension in BOTH the Awd F sport and Rwd F sport is identical to the luxury. The only difference "suspension" wise would be the ride height is raised for the addition of the front powertrain. The Rwd model gets staggered wheels ,vgrs,and bigger brakes. correct me if im wrong but i believe Lexus has only sold a minimal amount of Rwd GS's equipped with rear wheel steering. No doubt that the RWD model feels sportier and the lack of a front powertrain takes some weight out of the steering wheel and makes the car feel more tossable but suspension wise all GS's with a sport + setting are the same.

 

For those curious about fake sound... my last Audi had a "soundakator" Horrid little fake V8 soundbox, standard on my car. I hated it, and it had a constant, "white noise." I think the S4 forums have quite a few posts on this. Lexus is probably the only the company that doesn't use speakers to pump in fake sound. Ford, BMW, Audi ALL do it. Honda uses the speakers to cancel out, "less desireable" engine noises (I'd assume DI on the Accord i4 and VCM buzz on the V6) - though I'd assume the distinction between tuning engine noises via speakers and pumping in fake noises via the speakers will fade with time.

That's the other real issue with turbocharged and supercharged setups. There is no engine induction noise, only fart-can (think modified Civic) exhaust noises. So BMW, Ford, Audi, etc have now resorted to creating fake engine noises with speakers (For BMW, the most noted is the M5 - pumps in fake V8 noises; for Ford, the Focus ST pumps in fake 5cyl noises; for Audi, the S4 pumps in fake V8 noises).

Lexus, with it's hybrids from both the Toyota company and Lexus marque, have afforded it leeway to keep using big NA engines, which get about the same real world economy as these pumped up turbocharged small engines, anyways (just not as good EPA ratings). So hybrids have saved the last of the pure, unadulterated, unfiltered engines.

 

Great responses from all you guys. Thanks!

Well, I went to South County Lexus - Mission Viejo. Met with Gina in the Internet Sales Dept (Director). Lets just say she was refreshing to work with. Never seen a fleet person work so hard to ensure that I was happy with the direction that I wanted to go. Long story short, almost pulled the trigger on the GS Hybrid but I just don't need the fuel savings (all of my gas is reimbursed). Yes, I love the environment, and yes the speed was nice but heck, no powered trunk! At that price point, I felt I was getting more value with the F-sport. Plus she told me that the LMF just changed for the f-sport making the monthly payments even cheaper than they were last month. So I am picking up my Black on Brown (Obsidian and Flax seed?!) tomorrow at noon.

Let me just say this, I shopped around for about a month, gathering all of the intel on the luxury vehicles which I felt belonged in this class. It feels good to make a sound decision. It feels even better to get a very, very good deal. I am very convinced that I would not have made a better deal anywhere else. If you are in SoCal, don't buy your Lexus until you've gone through the gauntlet with Gina. She knows her stuff and has a no BS approach to selling these cars.

Final report to come when my GS is parked in my driveway. Thanks for being cool folks.

QBIZZZY

 

Congrats on making a great decision you will not regret!! I too have an obsidian f sport (when its clean and swirl free its the best color imo) having said that the first thing i would do is get the car opti sealed. The paint is very soft and sensitive and must be protected and cared for gently to keep it looking good. Again congrats and welcome to the Lexus family!!

 

German cars are made to be work on constantly . I was a die hard fan of BMW but I have to give up because my tools was breaking from so much usage lol... I'm not bashing BMW but I have own to many to share the experience . The euro is a unreliable piece of machine when its old but when its new it ride side by side with the best that anyone offers .

 

congrats! i have an obsidian on flaxen as well, very very nice and unique color combo

 

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations in advance of your delivery.

 

OB and Flaxen here too (but not F Sport) Congrats and post some pictures!