Driving.ca likens the GS-F to the E39 M5
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...and they mean it in the best possible ways.
It's from last October but I don't think it's been posted on CL. Sorry if it's a repost.
http://driving.ca/lexus/gs-f/reviews...016-lexus-gs-f
First Drive: 2016 Lexus GS F
The newest road rocket from Lexus does its best BMW M5 impression – just not the M5 you'd think
By David Booth
Originally published: October 13, 2015
CIRCUITO DEL JARAMA, Spain — Here’s a fun fact: The latest road-rocket from Lexus – the 2016 GS F – is an almost perfect clone of the BMW M5, right down to its engine displacement and the distance between its axles. Oh, the Lexus is a little wider and a smidge taller, but otherwise it’s pretty much a carbon copy. Hell, a Lexus piston would probably be a perfect fit – right down to the precision tolerance both perfectionist manufacturers demand – in the big Bimmer’s cylinder block.
Hold on for just one gall-darned minute, Dave – I hear you saying – this time you’ve got it completely wrong. These two cars couldn’t possibly be more different. The current M5 is powered by that Holy-mother-of-God twin-turbo V8, while the Lexus is motivated by an old-fashioned, naturally aspirated V8. I’ve perused both cars’ spec sheets, and I can’t find an identical dimension between the two.
The operative word, the one that makes this comparison so very interesting, is “current.” Indeed, I never actually specified which M5 was cloned, did I? So, just for the sake of argument, bear with me: Fire up the old Wikipedia and search out the M5 section. Scroll down to 1998 to 2003. Now you’ve found the one I’m talking about: The E39, the last M5 – especially if you are a long-time M fan – that trumpeted classic handling over steroidal power.
Now start comparing. Engine details, chassis dimensions, the whole nine yards. What you’ll find is – specifications-wise, at least – two cars seemingly separated at birth.
Both, for instance, are powered by 5.0-litre V8s. Oh, thanks to modern metallurgy, the Lexus spins a little higher and harder, boasting more horsepower – 467 horsepower, versus the old M5’s 394 – but both are double overhead camshafted, each features four valves per cylinder and both inhale through fancy individual intake runners feeding each cylinder. Even their bore and stroke are almost identical – merely a half-millimetre different.
Their chassis would seem similarly cloned. The 2016 GS F weighs in at 1,830 kilograms, only 4 kg more than the M5. Their wheelbases? At 2,850 millimetres, the Lexus adds a mere 20 mm to the old Bimmer. The GS F is a little wider and taller, but the two cars would seem, on paper at least, to have been separated at birth.
Now, the first thing you’re probably thinking is that such a comparison is meant as an insult to Lexus. Who would, after all, copy technology a competitor abandoned two generations and 10 years past. Indeed, since then the M5 has grown to 560 horsepower, BMW’s four-door sedan now a veritable rocket ship.
But here’s the rub: It isn’t necessarily a better sports car. In fact, I’d make the argument that the old E39 M5 is a far better sports sedan than the two over-powered portly beasts that succeeded it. Indeed, all things considered, I’m of the opinion that, if Lexus had to choose an M5 to clone, it chose very wisely indeed.
But before we get on to the GS F’s actual performance, let’s consider just two more facts. The first is that the new GS F is some 145 kilograms lighter than the current M5; that’s more than 320 pounds, a substantial difference when you’re trying to toss a car – sedan or no – into a high-speed ess turn. Also, the current M5 is 115 millimetres longer between the axles than the Lexus. In other words, the GS F is a much smaller car than the M5.
And, on a tight, twisty track like the Circuito del Jarama, it shows. Where the M5 feels like a big, heavy broadsword, the GS F, if not quite rapier-like, is nonetheless quite manageable by comparison. Turn-in is excellent – necessary since the Jarama track is plagued by hairpin turns – and the grip from 255/35ZR19 and 275/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports in combination with the Lexus Torque Vectoring rear Differential (TVD) is admirably tenacious. Oh, one could complain that the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system is a little too nanny-ing, even in its supposed Sports Plus mode, but except for an overly fastidious traction control system, the GS F handles as well as anything in this segment.
It’s helped by an engine better suited to high-speed shenanigans than its competition. Yes, it’s more than 100 horses below the most powerful contenders, but it’s the last naturally aspirated V8 in a segment now dominated by turbocharged behemoths. And, while turbos definitely help straight-line acceleration, they are a hindrance when you’re trying to feed just the slightest hint of torque to tires already overwhelmed by cornering Gs. Unlike its M5 and AMG E 63 competition, the GS F’s comparatively low – but hardly paltry – 389 lb.-ft. of torque is much more Walter Mitty friendly than, say, the huge 500-lb.-ft. bulge the M5 has in its mid-range. Indeed, one of the things I truly admired about hustling the big V8 around Jarama is how cooperative it was at the limit of adhesion; turbochargers make a real hash out of the delicate throttle response needed to control incipient oversteer.
Of course, on the street, where little other than a quick stoplight-to-stoplight burst matters, the comparison turns in BMW’s favour. But, the M5’s acceleration advantage – 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h versus the Lexus’s 4.6 – isn’t nearly as much as its 93-horsepower advantage might otherwise dictate, blunted by the extra 145 kilos noted earlier.
The ultimate irony, however, is that, thanks to incorporating Toyota’s Atkinson-cycle technology at low engine speeds, the Lexus also boasts significantly better fuel economy. Natural Resources Canada rates the GS F at 12.5 L/100 km overall versus the BMW’s 13.7; the irony, of course, being that the whole reason for the conversion to turbocharging is supposed to be improved fuel consumption.
All, of course, is not perfect with the GS F. Lexus, for instance, brags about the intelligence of its G-AI transmission control. Perhaps I’m not smart enough for this Sport Direct-Shift eight-speed automatic. Or, more likely, it’s too smart for its own good. Whatever the case, its shifting was not always predictable, the transmission sometimes holding on to a gear too long and other times gearing up too soon. On the track, this was resolved by simply flipping the gear lever to manual mode and paddling my way through. On the street, I avoided Sport Plus mode like the plague; I simply found it too frustrating, its decisions completely at odds with what I wanted. If Lexus is serious about this sports sedan business, they should develop a quick-shifting dual-clutch manumatic. Or at least calibrate their eight-speed automatic as well as Cadillac does the CTS-V’s.
And that reduced girth that I credit with making the GS F “drive” smaller than the M5 also makes it, well, just plain smaller. There is, for instance, less front legroom in the 2016 GS F than in the 2015 M5. Those perched in the rear will find the difference especially confining, with a whopping 84 millimetres (3.3 inches!) less legroom in the Lexus compared with the BMW. Everything it seems – including handling and fuel economy – comes at a price. And, indeed, perhaps these more pedestrian considerations are more important for sales success than the aforementioned track bona fides.
Nonetheless, imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery. And the GS F, albeit with a healthy dose of modernized technology, definitely imitates BMW’s flagship sports sedan. The surprise, of course, is that the car it emulates is one BMW supposedly left behind two generations ago. Perhaps to BMW’s chagrin, however, the GS F is better for it.
It's from last October but I don't think it's been posted on CL. Sorry if it's a repost.
http://driving.ca/lexus/gs-f/reviews...016-lexus-gs-f
First Drive: 2016 Lexus GS F
The newest road rocket from Lexus does its best BMW M5 impression – just not the M5 you'd think
By David Booth
Originally published: October 13, 2015
CIRCUITO DEL JARAMA, Spain — Here’s a fun fact: The latest road-rocket from Lexus – the 2016 GS F – is an almost perfect clone of the BMW M5, right down to its engine displacement and the distance between its axles. Oh, the Lexus is a little wider and a smidge taller, but otherwise it’s pretty much a carbon copy. Hell, a Lexus piston would probably be a perfect fit – right down to the precision tolerance both perfectionist manufacturers demand – in the big Bimmer’s cylinder block.
Hold on for just one gall-darned minute, Dave – I hear you saying – this time you’ve got it completely wrong. These two cars couldn’t possibly be more different. The current M5 is powered by that Holy-mother-of-God twin-turbo V8, while the Lexus is motivated by an old-fashioned, naturally aspirated V8. I’ve perused both cars’ spec sheets, and I can’t find an identical dimension between the two.
The operative word, the one that makes this comparison so very interesting, is “current.” Indeed, I never actually specified which M5 was cloned, did I? So, just for the sake of argument, bear with me: Fire up the old Wikipedia and search out the M5 section. Scroll down to 1998 to 2003. Now you’ve found the one I’m talking about: The E39, the last M5 – especially if you are a long-time M fan – that trumpeted classic handling over steroidal power.
Now start comparing. Engine details, chassis dimensions, the whole nine yards. What you’ll find is – specifications-wise, at least – two cars seemingly separated at birth.
Both, for instance, are powered by 5.0-litre V8s. Oh, thanks to modern metallurgy, the Lexus spins a little higher and harder, boasting more horsepower – 467 horsepower, versus the old M5’s 394 – but both are double overhead camshafted, each features four valves per cylinder and both inhale through fancy individual intake runners feeding each cylinder. Even their bore and stroke are almost identical – merely a half-millimetre different.
Their chassis would seem similarly cloned. The 2016 GS F weighs in at 1,830 kilograms, only 4 kg more than the M5. Their wheelbases? At 2,850 millimetres, the Lexus adds a mere 20 mm to the old Bimmer. The GS F is a little wider and taller, but the two cars would seem, on paper at least, to have been separated at birth.
Now, the first thing you’re probably thinking is that such a comparison is meant as an insult to Lexus. Who would, after all, copy technology a competitor abandoned two generations and 10 years past. Indeed, since then the M5 has grown to 560 horsepower, BMW’s four-door sedan now a veritable rocket ship.
But here’s the rub: It isn’t necessarily a better sports car. In fact, I’d make the argument that the old E39 M5 is a far better sports sedan than the two over-powered portly beasts that succeeded it. Indeed, all things considered, I’m of the opinion that, if Lexus had to choose an M5 to clone, it chose very wisely indeed.
But before we get on to the GS F’s actual performance, let’s consider just two more facts. The first is that the new GS F is some 145 kilograms lighter than the current M5; that’s more than 320 pounds, a substantial difference when you’re trying to toss a car – sedan or no – into a high-speed ess turn. Also, the current M5 is 115 millimetres longer between the axles than the Lexus. In other words, the GS F is a much smaller car than the M5.
And, on a tight, twisty track like the Circuito del Jarama, it shows. Where the M5 feels like a big, heavy broadsword, the GS F, if not quite rapier-like, is nonetheless quite manageable by comparison. Turn-in is excellent – necessary since the Jarama track is plagued by hairpin turns – and the grip from 255/35ZR19 and 275/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports in combination with the Lexus Torque Vectoring rear Differential (TVD) is admirably tenacious. Oh, one could complain that the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system is a little too nanny-ing, even in its supposed Sports Plus mode, but except for an overly fastidious traction control system, the GS F handles as well as anything in this segment.
It’s helped by an engine better suited to high-speed shenanigans than its competition. Yes, it’s more than 100 horses below the most powerful contenders, but it’s the last naturally aspirated V8 in a segment now dominated by turbocharged behemoths. And, while turbos definitely help straight-line acceleration, they are a hindrance when you’re trying to feed just the slightest hint of torque to tires already overwhelmed by cornering Gs. Unlike its M5 and AMG E 63 competition, the GS F’s comparatively low – but hardly paltry – 389 lb.-ft. of torque is much more Walter Mitty friendly than, say, the huge 500-lb.-ft. bulge the M5 has in its mid-range. Indeed, one of the things I truly admired about hustling the big V8 around Jarama is how cooperative it was at the limit of adhesion; turbochargers make a real hash out of the delicate throttle response needed to control incipient oversteer.
Of course, on the street, where little other than a quick stoplight-to-stoplight burst matters, the comparison turns in BMW’s favour. But, the M5’s acceleration advantage – 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h versus the Lexus’s 4.6 – isn’t nearly as much as its 93-horsepower advantage might otherwise dictate, blunted by the extra 145 kilos noted earlier.
The ultimate irony, however, is that, thanks to incorporating Toyota’s Atkinson-cycle technology at low engine speeds, the Lexus also boasts significantly better fuel economy. Natural Resources Canada rates the GS F at 12.5 L/100 km overall versus the BMW’s 13.7; the irony, of course, being that the whole reason for the conversion to turbocharging is supposed to be improved fuel consumption.
All, of course, is not perfect with the GS F. Lexus, for instance, brags about the intelligence of its G-AI transmission control. Perhaps I’m not smart enough for this Sport Direct-Shift eight-speed automatic. Or, more likely, it’s too smart for its own good. Whatever the case, its shifting was not always predictable, the transmission sometimes holding on to a gear too long and other times gearing up too soon. On the track, this was resolved by simply flipping the gear lever to manual mode and paddling my way through. On the street, I avoided Sport Plus mode like the plague; I simply found it too frustrating, its decisions completely at odds with what I wanted. If Lexus is serious about this sports sedan business, they should develop a quick-shifting dual-clutch manumatic. Or at least calibrate their eight-speed automatic as well as Cadillac does the CTS-V’s.
And that reduced girth that I credit with making the GS F “drive” smaller than the M5 also makes it, well, just plain smaller. There is, for instance, less front legroom in the 2016 GS F than in the 2015 M5. Those perched in the rear will find the difference especially confining, with a whopping 84 millimetres (3.3 inches!) less legroom in the Lexus compared with the BMW. Everything it seems – including handling and fuel economy – comes at a price. And, indeed, perhaps these more pedestrian considerations are more important for sales success than the aforementioned track bona fides.
Nonetheless, imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery. And the GS F, albeit with a healthy dose of modernized technology, definitely imitates BMW’s flagship sports sedan. The surprise, of course, is that the car it emulates is one BMW supposedly left behind two generations ago. Perhaps to BMW’s chagrin, however, the GS F is better for it.
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http://driving.ca/lexus/gs-f/reviews...016-lexus-gs-f
I agree with the comment that the sport plus mode is difficult to use on the street. I tired several times but found it was more enjoyable to use the sport mode and flick the paddles if desired.
I agree with the comment that the sport plus mode is difficult to use on the street. I tired several times but found it was more enjoyable to use the sport mode and flick the paddles if desired.
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