On test... Lexus GS450h F-sport
[As appeared in the November issue of Khuluma, the Kulula in-light magazine.]
Adopt the brace position. Things
are about to explode.
Obviously even printing those words in an in-flight magazine can get you arrested by the undercover air marshall
sitting you and I sincerely hope you don’t mouth them when you read. Things are
going to go up in a fireball though… these two myths, to be precise.
1. Lexus’s are boring. It’s pretty
accurate to say that while Lexus’s (Lexi?) might enjoy a stellar reputation
as perhaps the world’s most reliable automobile brand with levels of service
that make even the Germans weep into their weissbier, Lexus’s have had as much
effect on the excite-o-metre as a pair of pleated chinos.
Yes, the two halo models – the Lexus
IS-F sedan and ultra-exclusive LFA supercar – will raise their hands at this
point, but those rare exceptions aside, the rest of the range would be the best
described by the word ”safe”. Like said pleated chino, a Lexus would fulfill
every duty expected of a car – or pant – with aplomb… but do it in a way devoid
of any actual drama or exhilaration.
2. Hybrid’s are slow. No surprises here.
Of the ever-increasing amount of hybrid automobiles available over the last
five years, not one of them could be described as “quick”. Or even “nippy”. And
that’s fine. Hybrids are, after all, designed to save fuel, save you money and
save the planet. Your basic win-win-win deal. Which means having a hybrid that
both blew your hair back and won-won-won would surely be like having your cake
and eating it, right?
Well, put on the kettle and grab
a small fork. It’s cake time.
The GS450h F-sport is the hybrid
version of Lexus’ new sedan and it is a properly quick motorcar. Thanks to
225kw of lightly Tazer’d ponies from a 3.5-litre V6 assisted by two high-output
electric motors, it actually feels like that decidedly un-eco-friendly
powerplant, the beefy V8.Enjoying the cake?
And not just quick either, its
handling is sharp as a pin and nimble as hell. Courtesy of some oriental black
magic, you can select Sport+ mode, which firms up the suspension and steering
responses, and hustles all 345Nm of tarmac-eating torque around corners like a
race car.
It’s certainly not boring to
drive and, unlike its predecessor, this new Lexus GS is certainly not boring to
look at. The styling is razor sharp as its handling, with an aggressive,
squinty front-end that looks to have a few Germans in its sights.
There you have it… the Lexus
GS450h F-Sport… it’s like an exploding cake. Something of a mixed metaphor, yes,
but strangely accurate.
The
Lexus GS450h F-Sport costs R770 700
