rcsail

Recently did trip from Chicago to So. Carolina. Those that know, the W. Virginia turnpike from Charleston WV, to Virginia border is twists, turns and mountainous,
and with much traffic and semis. The sport and sport+ mode on my GS made the driving and gearing for the hills much more firm and fun. One of the few times
I have had the opportunity to really check out and challenge these drive modes.

Wincer94

I had a 2015 GS350 F-Sport (2 year lease) and now have a 2016 GS350 F-Sport I picked up at the beginning of this year. I noticed that the 2015 had stiffer suspension and heavier steering whenever I put in on SPORT+. I thought it was just my new car but test drove a couple other new 2016 F-Sport leftover and felt the same as my mine. I told the service manager about it and they checked the car and told me there is nothing wrong with it and everything is good. Just feels different than my old 2015 car when it's on SPORT+.

bb700092

Did your 2015 GS350 F-Sport handle better (i.e. less body roll when taking corners, more stability in highway crosswinds) than your 2016 GS350 F-Sport?

Wincer94

Yes, 2015 handled better than my 2016.

DJP333

For a 2015 F sport owner, this is good to hear. I love the driving feel of my car.

vtp86

I always thought the steering and the braking is better in my 2017 than my 2015 (although both were non F-Sport versions). The steering is much more tighter in the 2017, and the braking seems more responsive than the 2015.

gflexus

I had a 15 non-F Sport, now have a '16 F Sport. From the first day I had the '16, the drive modes felt much less aggressive than on the '15. On the '15 when I put it in S, the throttle got very responsive, it held onto gears(almost to long), and the steering got very stiff.

When I got the '16 F sport, I expected big things, with now having S+ mode. Instead, I notice only mild changes. In S/S+, the throttle does get more responsive, it holds onto gears maybe a little longer (but not like my '15), but I do not notice any change in steering stiffness or effort. Further in S+, if the suspension does get stiffer, it is only slightly. In most of the posts on this forum and reviews of the GS that I have read, the S+ mode is always described as very stiff, almost to the point of uncomfortable.

This is the first thread where I have now seen others mention this apparent detuning of the modes for 2016. The dealers and the service dept certainly do not know anything about this or if there was a change for '16. I had the shop foreman at the dealer where I bought the car drive it and of course he said everything was OK. He said I probably would only notice the suspension change in S+ if I was out driving the canyons aggressively. Again, this is not the description of S+ I have heard from owners of other years on this forum or read in reviews.

Despite the above anomalies, I do have to end by mentioning that the AVS suspension makes the car drive much more stable under all circumstances and modes: so I like the '16 F sport much better than my prior non-F. However, it does seem like they detuned things. But why???

Wincer94

I drive on La Tuna Canyon (where Jay Leno usually drives his cars around on his show) when I go to work in the morning and handling is definitely not the same as on my 2015 F-Sport. I mean I can still go fast, sometimes over 80 mph along a certain part of the canyon going downhill, but not as confident as on my 2015 when I put it on SPORT+ mode.

bb700092

Did you have the same tires?

JDR76

Mine is a '15 F Sport and even on mine I've been a bit puzzled to read the same thing as you - that Sport S+ makes the ride stiff to the detriment of comfort. I have not found that to be the case at all. The only thing I really notice in S+ is considerably less body roll, but overall the ride doesn't feel much stiffer.

dchar

I had a 2015 F-sport and now 2017 F-sport, both with same Dunlop tires. Handling is the same. I never find Sport S+ mode to be harsh and always drive in that mode. Steering gets noticeably heavier, slightly stiffer ride, and much less body roll.

Depending how new your car is, keep in mind that the ECU will need to learn your driving style. When I first got my car, I thought it was soft but after driving it a bit
my 2017 feels similar to my 2015. I noticed that engine noise has improved for 2017 though; deeper and throatier sound.

JDR76

Slightly off topic, but for those of you who have went from the 2GR-FSE to the 2GR-FKS, do you notice any difference in real world fuel economy? I would expect a mix of driving would give you pretty much the same results, but the FKS can run Atkinson cycle on the highway/low load for a mileage benefit. I'm curious if anyone can comment on that.