2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport: Still Waiting For The Magic

Flagship luxury sedans come in a number of different flavours, but the end outcome is almost always the same: coddling driver and passengers like they've entered a second, motorised womb composed almost entirely of sumptuous leather and polished wood.  Traditionally, the market has been divided amongst those who automakers who would aim to deliver a satisfying driving experience alongside top-level comfort, and those who are content to focus on the ride, the gadgets, and the passenger environment.

Since its introduction over two decades ago, the Lexus LS has been planted firmly in the latter camp, a car that has come to define the luxury-first, driver-second segment.  This model year's redesign has seen the 2013 Lexus LS take the first tentative steps towards asserting itself in the sphere of luxury barges that can thrill in the corners, too.  The introduction of the Lexus LS F Sport is a move calculated to continue the image makeover currently underway at the Japanese brand, but it's one that is more indicative of a work-in-progress than a fait accompli.

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F Sport Arrives

The new 2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport represents the most driver-focused edition of the full-size luxury sedan to date.  What does the F Sport badge affixed to the front fenders give you over and above the standard LS 460 fare?  You get Brembo brakes at all four corners, Sport+ mode for the vehicle's Drive Mode Select system (which works together with a quicker steering ratio as well as a stiffer setting for the automobile's lowered air suspension), and a more aggressive exterior package that includes a mild body kit and special 19-inch rims.

Under the hood, the F Sport retains the same mill as the standard Lexus LS 460, which is to say a 4.6-litre V8 that can be relied on to produce 386 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque - as long as you opt for the rear-wheel drive model.  All-wheel drive editions of the car see 26 horses and 13 lb-ft of torque stricken from the record, due to 'exhaust routing,' according to Lexus, and they don't benefit from a limited-slip differential out back like the rear-wheel drive LS 460 F Sport.  An eight-speed automatic transmission (replete with paddle shifters for F Sport-takers) is included with the sedan.

The Softest Sports Sedan

Despite the presence of these performance-oriented tweaks, it's not possible to label the 2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport as a 'driver's car.'  The LS is big and heavy, but that isn't the entire story as its competitors from BMW and Mercedes-Benz also suffer from these same, sport-limiting attributes but manage to overcome them to a certain degree through an intensive engineering effort.  The issue lies with the fact that Lexus has not taken any dramatic steps towards sharpening the platform of its flagship.

The F Sport add-ons are simply that: go-fast features that never rise above the sum of their individual contributions to create an overall improved driving experience.  Does the car brake more quickly than a base LS 460?  Undoubtedly, but the Brembo calipers are also touchy to the point where the sensation was akin to driving a hybrid automobile. Does selecting Sport or Sport+ from the Drive Mode Select dial sharpen the Lexus' handling?  Certainly, but given that its 'Normal' setting is plush beyond belief this isn't a dramatic change in the car's personality but more of a honing of the latent skills lurking in its chassis.  In short, the F Sport is quick - all that V8 power is put to good use - but it's never fun to drive.

Still Rocking The Core Attributes With Pride

Here's what the 2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport does do well: deliver an outstanding ride that is comfortable, quiet, and composed in all driving situations.  Not satisfied with the pillow of air that the car cruises on in 'Normal' mode?  Click the dial over to 'Comfort' and be prepared to lose almost all sensation of motion as the LS absorbs every single insult that the pavement can present without so much as a second thought.  All the while, you will be impressed with the extreme adjustability of the sedan's seats, the heated-and-cooled leather hides that wrap the front thrones, and the expansive amount of interior room that greets all passengers inside the Lexus' cabin.

The only real miss-step made by the brand in presenting what is perhaps the ultimate road trip environment is its terrible Remote Touch vehicle interface, which requires using a twitchy, mouse-like controller found on the console to interact with an on-screen vehicle interface whose graphics seemed dated at best.  Remote Touch is an exercise in frustration, and I suspect that most Lexus owners simply avail themselves of the hard buttons on the center stack to control the stereo and climate systems and ignore the rest of the system's features.

Stick With The Entry-Level

If you are going to purchase and drive the 2013 Lexus LS 460 yourself (and not everybody does), then I recommend sticking with the base model and adding comfort, not sport options like F Sport to the sedan's equipment list.  At $8,200, that's a lot of cash to drop on top of the already generously-equipped automobile's MSRP of $82,950 without seeing a concomitant improvement in its performance.

The F Sport phenomena is a confusing one, as Lexus doesn't quite seem to be able to introduce the kind of drama and excitement on other models that it originally brought to the table with the IS-F compact sedan.  Not everyone knocks it out of the park on the first try, however.  If anything, vehicles like the Lexus LS 460 F Sport demonstrate that the company needs to keep trying - and not give up - on its dream of snagging some of the thrill-seeking shoppers who flock to its German competitor's showrooms.  In the meantime, it can continue to produce extremely comfortable, if somewhat conservative, luxury cars for what has become a very loyal buyer base