Lexus LS460 F Sport AWD
The well-respected flagship gets a little frisky.
Note to luxury automobile manufacturers interested in entering the performance market: The world’s strategic reserve of performance-signifying alpha characters is dwindling fast. BMW has M locked up, Audi claimed RS, Cadillac took V, and greedy old Mercedes-Benz, acting with characteristic disregard for its comrades, took A, M, and G. Thank heaven the letter F was still available, or the Lexus LS460 F Sport might never have seen the light of day.
Building a Better-Behaved Beast
Whereas most manufacturers choose to first work their performance magic on the engine, Lexus virtually ignored it, placing the bulk of its engineering might into chassis mods. Building on the previous LS460’s Sport package, which offered some mild suspension and brake mods with a set of paddle shifters, Lexus has taken the exercise a step further, replacing bushings, adding bracing, and tweaking the shocks for even livelier performance. The latest LS460 F Sport sits 0.4 inch lower than a regular rear-wheel-drive LS and rides on a set of F Sport–specific air springs. A set of beefed-up anti-roll bars work to quell any unwelcome body motions. Grip comes courtesy of 245/45-series all-season rubber wrapping 19-inch, 10-spoke aluminum wheels.
The LS460 F Sport gets Lexus’s variable gear-ratio steering (VGRS), which varies the steering ratio based on vehicle speed and steering-angle data. The net effects of the setup result in steering-wheel travel that ranges from 2.3 to 3.7 turns lock-to-lock, slightly more aggressive than the 2.4-to-3.6-turn range of the standard LS. Lexus has done a good job of imparting a natural feel to the VGRS, but there was a vague sense of disorientation once in a while when the ratio was changing during hard driving.
The F Sport treatment upgrades the front binders, substituting six-piston Brembo calipers and 14.8-inch rotors for the four-piston, 14.0-inch setup found on the standard all-wheel-drive LS460. The rear brakes are the same for both cars, with two-pot calipers pinching 13.1-inch discs. We recorded a 70-mph-to-0 stopping distance of 168 feet, 12 feet fewer than the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550 4MATIC we tested, a sedan of comparable price and mission that weighs in about 400 pounds less than the 4835-pound F Sport. Although the short stopping distance is a good indicator that the brake and chassis upgrades are worth the investment, most of us found the pedal action less than rewarding, its travel and effort rarely commensurate with actual braking function.
A Skosh Sharper but Still Silky
Toyota built the Lexus brand on the concept of precision for the sake of comfort and consistency, so it comes as no surprise that the engine and the transmission are a championship tag team of silky automotive performance. The F Sport AWD drives like a standard LS460 AWD that’s had a few sessions with a personal trainer—the exhaust is a touch more aggressive, the ride a bit firmer, and turn-in a skosh sharper. The driver can shuffle gears via paddles mounted behind the three-spoke, heated and leather-covered steering wheel or let the Aisin eight-speed transmission peel off torque-managed shifts on its own. There are five shift modes to choose from (Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus). The shifts are nearly transparent in Eco and Comfort modes but unfortunately remain that way even in Sport and Sport Plus. There’s an unwelcome lag between gears in automatic and manual modes that defies the car’s sporting pretensions. The transmission does perform throttle-blipping, rev-matching downshifts in manual mode, however, so that’s where we spent the majority of our drive time. And we still managed to post a 17-mpg average, not far off the mark from the 16-mpg EPA city estimate.
The center differential varies power distribution from a nearly even 48/52 front-to-rear split to a rear-biased 32/68, doling out the torque for maximum balance and bite. The end result is confidence inspiring, and the F Sport was hard to break loose even on gravel or wet surfaces. The LS460 F Sport is almost as serene on the highway as is its less-sporting brethren, and the dynamic cruise control accelerates and slows the vehicle with a delicacy other manufacturers could learn from.
So although the LS460 F Sport’s grip and composure are impressive, its 4.6-liter V-8 carries over virtually unchanged. Lexus engineers did find an additional six horsepower for 2013, raising output to 386. Maximum torque stays put at 367 lb-ft. Unfortunately, exhaust-plumbing changes in all-wheel-drive F Sport trim brings output back to a more modest 360 horsepower and 347 lb-ft. The all-wheel-drive system makes the car’s performance highly accessible, but the F Sport’s 6.0-second 0-to-60 time is a far cry from the 4.5-second sprint recorded by the last Cadillac CTS-V we tested. And in a recent comparo featuring an Audi A8L, BMW 740i, and Jaguar XJL—three cars that wear comparable price tags and passenger counts to those of the F Sport Lexus—all three posted quicker numbers. Heck, even our hefty Chrysler 300C—it sells for nearly $40,000 less—bettered it, achieving the 0-to-60 feat in 5.4.
Metronome of Normalcy
The entire LS line has been reskinned for the 2013 model year, and the F Sport wears the changes with a few stylistic accents of its own. Up front, the fascia gets a three-dimensional mesh grille, larger air ducts, and round fog lamps; and out back, a diffuser and a chrome-accented bumper dress things up. A few discreet badges let onlookers know that Mr. F Sporty Pants is in town. But even with the jaunty additions and a lowered stance, the F Sport’s exterior still displays a hint of Lexus’s trademark demure and billowy appearance. Whether dressed in Obsidian black or Ultra White (an F Sport exclusive at no additional charge), it inspires affection but certainly not lust.
Lest you forget that the starting price of an F Sport–equipped AWD LS is $10,000 dearer than a rank-and-file AWD LS460, reminders are sprinkled about the cabin, including bolstered front bucket seats with leather trim, an F Sport shift knob, a black faux-suede headliner, aluminum pedals, and other deluxe interior-trim bits. Going F Sport necessitates the Comfort Sport package (a required option that accounts for $1650 of the premium over a standard-issue LS460), bringing along for the ride heated and cooled front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a power rear sunshade, and power trunk latching.
If it were up to us, we’d give the baseline LS460 the F Sport’s manners and then endow the F Sport with a powertrain capable of going toe to toe with the best performance sedans around. But it isn’t, and Lexus has a pretty good read on how much comfort and cash its customers are willing to sacrifice in the name of performance. Measured as the sportiest big sedan in the Lexus lineup, it manages a bit more spring in its step without killing the brand’s luxury focus. However, compared solely in terms of performance, it has a way to go before “F Sport” carries the bragging rights of “M,” “V,” or “AMG.” Source by caranddriver.com
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