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2020 Lexus GS F Review & Video | Looking past the numbers

You don't hear much about the 2020 Lexus GS F. It's been out for a while now, the model having debuted for 2016 and the base GS sedan stretching all the way back to 2012. That's an awful lot of time for the automotive world to whiz by, especially in the upper echelon of performance sedans. Packing 467 horsepower is suddenly weak sauce when rivals have crested the 600-hp plateau. The fact that Lexus still hasn't convinced the automotive enthusiast community at large that it actually makes compelling performance machines certainly doesn't help.  To be perfectly honest, I have avoided testing the GS F for several years now. "Who's going to buy that?" I've pondered, considering all of the above plus its $85,000 price tag. Nevertheless, I've got more time on my hands these days to test more cars and a Lexus Flare Yellow paint job is impossible to ignore, so hey, why not? Well, after a week, I didn't want to turn over the keys. When faced with first-world automotive journalist problem of picking between the the Flare Yellow GS F and the BMW M340i also parked out front, I quickly chose the Lexus. And if I had $85,000 to spend on a high-powered luxury sedan, I honestly think I'd happily choose it over the Germans that outdo it on paper. Many of you will think that stupid and will point to the numbers at hand. The GS F's 5.0-liter V8 sends 467 hp and 389 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels only, and is capable of a 0-60 run of 4.5 seconds. A BMW M5 has 600 hp and hits 60 in 3.2 seconds; the lesser M550i has 523 hp and a 3.6-second time. That M340i xDrive also in my driveway? It hits 60 in 4.1. Over at Mercedes-AMG, the E 63 has 603 hp and a 3.3-second time. Only the lesser E 53 is comparable to the Lexus with 429 hp and a 4.4-second 0-60 time. Its torque is also comparable, unlike the rest of those Germanic monsters that utterly roast the Lexus. However, all of that extra output and all of those quicker times are also indicative of the very reason the GS F remains so desirable. It doesn't have a turbocharger, ensuring unencumbered response, a zesty 7,800-rpm redline and marvelous noises that don't require the sound enhancement feature Lexus throws in anyway (and that I turned off). It also doesn't require all-wheel drive to quell elephantine gobs of tire-shredding turbocharged torque, thereby letting the front wheels simply handle the steering. The rears, meanwhile, can smoke away and swing loose should you disable the appropriate settings to do so.

Lexus LFA successor with PHEV drivetrain in the works?

Reports out of Japan say that a successor to the Lexus LFA is in the works. While this news should come with a planet-sized grain of salt, there is a non-zero chance. And since the LFA is one of the best sports cars we've driven, it bears at least considering, so let's look at the mere possibility of a successor. Best Car magazine claims to have in their upcoming Dec. 10 issue a scoop about the new "super sports" car. They say that the successor is a plug-in hybrid with a front-midship layout (the heavy motor behind the front axle) under a carbon fiber body. The gas side of the equation is said to be a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 generating approximately 937 horsepower. It's supposedly scheduled for a 2025 debut. This seems to be a different car than the rumored Gazoo Racing Super Sport, which is based on the Toyota's entrant in the WEC's new Le Mans Hypercar class. That car would have to resemble the race car somewhat, and as such would have a twin-turbo hybrid V6. We find it highly unlikely that Toyota would build two super-expensive cars at the same time. Also, note the rumored engine is a 4.0-liter V8, a displacement that doesn't exist in any modern Lexus. Perhaps that could mean a replacement for the current 5.0-liter V8? Or maybe just a sign that this is all much ado about nothing.  However, we have seen an LFA prototype with modified bodywork lapping the Nurburgring in late 2018, some six years after the original ended production. The same car was spotted in summer of 2019 as well, the same year Lexus' then vice-president, now president Koji Sato told Autocar, "We need strong requests for a new LFA from the media. This can help us proceed.” Well, if that's what it takes then consider this another vote in the yes column, even though we've described its 4.8-liter V10's 552-horsepower output as not very impressive on paper by the time it came out and covered how it wasn't a hot seller, with new examples still being offered for sale as new in 2018. In the years since, though, it seems the collector market seems to have taken a liking to the LFA. At Monterey Car Week this year, a regular LFA sold for $819,000, more than doubling its original $375,000 sticker, while a 1 of 50 Nurburgring Edition sold for $1.6 million. If the GR Super Sport really is canceled as some rumors suggest, perhaps there is room in the Toyota family for another LFA. We still wouldn't hold our breaths, though.

More 2022 Lexus NX teaser photos show the SUV moving upscale

Lexus has released two additional teasers for its soon-to-debut NX, this time on Twitter. Emphasizing its Japanese roots — the first image was shot in front of Mt. Fuji — one image shows the silhouette of the NX against an Edo-era-style temple. Despite the dark profile, however, we do get a few more clues as to what the luxury crossover will look like. The second-generation NX largely keeps the same shape as the outgoing model, but the A-pillar looks a bit more sharply raked. The hood also appears to have a raised center area towards the nose, indicating a more prominent grille. A third image shows the car in (or Photoshopped in) a more tropical setting. It depicts a jutting jawline that is only available if you order the NX's F Sport package. However, those would typically be accompanied by a small F Sport logo on the fender, which this car lacks. So perhaps all models will now have more upscale-looking front fascia (or F Sport models won't have that fender badge). One major improvement are the wheels. The teasers show elegant, thin-spoked rollers befitting of a Lexus, rather than some of the cheap-looking alloys from the current generation that would look just as at home on a Toyota or Subaru. Typically, wheels of this ilk would only be available on a higher-spec RX and pricier Lexus vehicles. Though these likely come with a higher trim level, it's at least nice to know a classier option will be available. Overall it's still not much to go on. But combined with the redesigned rear shown in a previous teaser and the expected technological improvements inside, it should move the NX line into more deluxe territory. Lexus will debut the next-generation NX online on June 11. The streaming event will take place on the Lexus website starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time, 8 a.m. Pacific.