Out of all the vehicles that I’ve had a chance to pilot this year, the 2015 Lexus GS 350 F Sport stands above all as my favorite. The perfect mix of style and performance, the GS 350 F Sport is a comfortable family car that’s loaded with enough luxury and sport features to scratch just about any itch that this driver happens to have. I managed to spend an extended amount of time in the GS 350 F Sport – one loaned to me for a trip from Northern Illinois to Michigan and back – and by the end of my run, I’d determined that this is a car that I would like to own… and the family agrees.
With three driving modes – Normal, ECO and Sport S/S+, there’s an adjustable balance between efficiency and responsiveness. Personally, the Sport S/S+ became my mode of choice, with tighter handling and sharper acceleration paired with red lighting in the gauge cluster. The aggressive styling (in my favorite color, black – “Obsidian”) was enough on its own to turn a few heads as I ran drove the girls to and from their weekday activities – including catching the eye of a few current Lexus owners we knew that were curious what the new models have to offer. The 306 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 engine puts plenty of power under the hood, and with an highway MPG rating of 29, that makes for pretty good combo.
Climate-controlled 16-way leather seats made for a comfortable ride in the cabin, and the infotainment system was top-notch – except for the one thing I didn’t like about the car: a “mouse” style controller in the center console. That slight gripe aside, everything inside is well-placed, with additional amenities like a rear sunshade seeming unnecessary, yet nice to have. While it might be considered “dated” for some, I also like the analog clock in the dash – something that a lot of luxury cars are known to maintain, regardless of our age of “digital everything.”
The rear seats are perfect for kids and grownups alike, and the spacious trunk is perfect for everything from grocery to luggage and beyond.
Priced at $55,490 to start for the automatic, AWD version of the F Sport that I was driving. Looks pretty good in the driveway, right? The perfect ride for a Rock & Roll Gangster…
Build yours at http://www.lexus.com/models/GS/
