This should shed some light about the reason why the GS F is "underpowered" and how they are shaping the F marque.

Q+A With Lexus RC F, GS F Chief Engineer Yukihiko Ya

AUTOMOBILE: What performance developments unique to the 2016 Lexus GS F are you most proud of?
YAGUCHI: I am proud of the seamless switch from public-road to track driving, which is the signature of F [Lexus' name for performance cars]. In the GS F, this transition is remarkable as the car is strong, feeling uncompromised for its purpose in both situations. Often, it is hard to keep good a track car feeling luxurious on public roads.

A: Was there any thought given to increasing power given that the Lexus GS F is bigger and heavier than the RC F, or are you confident it will perform with sedans in the similar class?
Y: The cars' performance is almost the same so I want customers to choose which they like: sedan or coupe between RC F and GS F, as that is a matter of taste. The GS F will offer a Lexus F brand performance experience with a focus on fun and an easy-to-drive experience, while balancing its street and track character.

A: Other performance brands are moving heavily into turbocharging. What advantages does a naturally aspirated V-8 offer over the competition?
Y: Response, sound, seamless power delivery -- those are the three key elements to the F brand experience, and a naturally aspirated engine gives drivers predictable power, and builds confidence in tandem with the rest of the vehicle system tuning.

A: Would an engine smaller than the V-8 ever be considered for an F performance model?
Y: No. I think the V-8 is the sportiest and it meets the power and fuel economy targets with a combination of Atkinson/Otto cycle operation. The sound is a very important part of the experience, I feel.

A: The F performance brand is now been expanded to two main line models. How much further would you like to expand it?
Y: We don't have future plans yet that we can share, but the F brand is a key part of Lexus globally going forward.

A: Is there a desire or need to create another halo type vehicle along the lines of the Lexus LFA as an ultimate expression of the F performance brand?
Y: The Lexus RC F-based race car will take that responsibility instead. The RC F GT3 story will evolve in the coming year to help become an ultimate expression of F brand globally.

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...ampaign=buffer

 

They consider RC and GS as siblings so that kind of explains it. Not sure if I believe him they will stick with NA V8s in the future unless they do the hybrid variation or something.

 

The GS-F should be considered a GS 500 as it doesn't have the power to play with the competition, but as many have said this is Lexus first F for the GS line-up so I think its more of a sit back and wait for reviews or until you can test one yourself. I'm sure the refreshes will fix some of these issues and hopefully they will decide to put a turbo or even a supercharger in there.

 

Just saying it should be a GS500 doesnt make it true. Lets see what its like to drive. The F-Sport GS350 is "under powered" vs. the competition, but won with driving feel. GS F could do the same. I believe it has enough to stand on its own.

 

the engine in the GSF is a true F engine and all the other design features thats why it can be called the GSF

 

Umm GS350 won comparisons over other 6cyl variants which were not that more powerful.
It lost to Caddy CTS Vsport in MT comparo.

The GSF is SIGNIFICANTLY less powerful than M5, E63, RS7 and CTS-V.
It should be better than 550i overall but i doubt it will be faster.

 

The M4 engine is a true ///M engine too, no ?

 

If by true you mean hopped up 435i engine

 

That's what I am trying to figure out what he means by "true"

If it delivers the required performance to be very competitive if not superior relative to it's competitors in it's class, then it is "true", that's all that matters, otherwise you can say whatever you want about it and it still won't mean much ......

 

I have no problem with the RC F V8 being shared with the GS F. The E60 M5 and the M6 for that matter shared a 5.0L V10 and even current M's in higher standing than the 3/4 all use a hopped up 4.4L unit. Benz does it, Audi does it. If the GS F was FI then it'd be a different story. As this is NA it's no surprise that its lower hp and likely price too. The GS F is not a numbers car it is a drivers car. Interwebs need to understand this. Lexus needs to make another ride and drive event to quell the naysayers.

 

IS and RC weren't underpowered when they first started, just a bit on the heavy side

Waiting and see is what the segment leaders do when they are being lazy, to come in to the market as a new guy you have to get people to go "wow" I can't believe they just made that car.

 

Got to love the Lexus apologists... I really want to like this car but, but I can't its a **** poor parts been special. It looks pretty but that's about it.

 

we understand that alright, but just like you can legitimately say the Porsche Cayman is a more fun/better drivers' car than the 911, the 911 turbo etc., had been routinely compared to the Ferrari 328/348/355/360/430 etc, throughout it's history by the media and be very competitive in every way(including price), you cannot put a Porsche Cayman as is in the 911's place and do the same, it's simply is outclassed in the power department, yes some people can still prefer it's driving dynamics, but it's not a legit competitor to those cars ....

 

Most of the people that buy these kinds of cars are usually high income individuals. Its all about the bragging rights. The true German snobs will hold their nose at anything that didn't come out of Germany and its those that will tell you how much HP and how fast it goes, while they are stuck in traffic all the time or circling a mall parking lot. Price is usually secondary as a "btw...it only costs." This just shows the marketing team has not researched the correct clientele for this type of vehicle. For the very few that will take this kind of car to the track, sure driven in isolation it's fun, but when an M5 or an AMG blows your doors off on the straights and possibly on corners as well......

 

so i guess i finally got it, the gsf is competing with the m3. maybe topgear is right, and maybe it start to makes more sense to me. i just need to convince myself that the gs350 is competing with 535 but the gsf is competing with the m3.

talking about evolution, i thought the isf engine was derived from the 5.0 used in the ls600hl. didn't really hear that much criticism about that back then.