2020 Lexus GS Performance

While not an all-out performance car, the GS ain't no slouch either. Both the GS and GS F Sport get some naturally-aspirated V6 goodness under the hood, as well as a rear-wheel or all-wheel drivetrain, and the F Sport will sprint to sixty in a manufacturer-claimed 5.7 seconds in RWD guise. That's plenty quick, but German rivals such as the Audi A6 will beat that time by almost a second. Out in the real world, the GS pulls along with real verve, and you never feel like you have to strain the car to get up to speed. The well-insulated cabin helps with this. Pushing it on the highway reveals a car that has more than enough power to surge past slower driving vehicles, but you'll have to make the engine sing to get all the power, something that's not an issue for turbocharged rivals. For those who aren't looking for an out-and-out sports sedan, the GS offers plenty.

Both the GS and GS F Sport are powered by the same 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6, which features four camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and intelligent dual variable valve timing to produce a total of 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed Sport Direct-Shift automatic with paddle shifters. For AWD cars, the transmission is replaced with a six-speed automatic. The GS delivers seamless power, but to access the maximum amount of power, you'll need to stomp on the gas pedal and see the revs skyrocketing to the redline. Competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series offer turbo power, which in turn delivers waves of torque from almost anywhere in the rev range, making the daily grind that much more comfortable, while in the GS, you've got to work hard for performance that is rather underwhelming.

It is clear to see why so many manufacturers are switching over to turbocharged engines: the Lexus GS offers below-average fuel economy from its large capacity naturally aspirated V6 engine. The EPA rates the GS at 20/28/23 mpg city/highway/combined, while the AWD version will use even more gas at 19/26/21 mpg. F Sport models drop an mpg in each category. To put these numbers into context, the 3.0-liter, turbocharged BMW 540i will use 22/30/25 mpg, and the powerful AWD Audi A6 with its turbocharged V6 engine will do 22/29/24 mpg. Both the GS and F Sport are fitted with a 17.4-gallon fuel tank which will give AWD versions a maximum range of 365 miles, and RWD cars a range of just over 400 miles.