By Samuel Ee

F is a very special letter in the Lexus lexicon. It stands for Fuji Speedway - the carmaker's main testing ground for its high-performance models - and it represents the best of motorsports technology. As a result, the F badge is found only on top-of-the-line Lexus models, those that the Japanese luxury carmaker say have been engineered for function and performance so as to impart real driving excitement. There are three levels of F products. At the peak sits the LFA coupe - the flagship supercar with a 4.8-litre V10 engine.

Below this is a range of F models, such as the high-performance IS F sports sedan with the 5.0-litre V8 engine.

Then there is the F Sport performance line, which allows certain models in the Lexus line-up to be featured with F Sport accessories and F Sport packages derived from the F models.

"The Lexus F Sport is a new variant in the Lexus line-up and like the new GS, offers exhilarating driving performance," explains William Choo, the commercial director for Lexus at authorised distributor Borneo Motors Singapore. "Many Lexus owners enjoy this new level of driving performance which was inspired by the LFA."

In Singapore, F Sport accessories are available on the RX and GS models. On the all-wheel-drive RX Hybrid F Sport, for example, the luxury SUV gets a macho makeover with a striking mesh intake grille and 19-inch alloy wheels instead of the usual 18 inches.

The interior also has special leather sports seats, perforated leather steering wheel and gearshift lever, as well as metallic inlay panels, scuff plates and aluminium pedals.

But the most significant upgrade has to be the F Sport Suspension. This gives the RX Hybrid F Sport front and rear performance dampers to absorb vibration from the vehicle body and produce better handling and stability along with good ride comfort.

Now, the ample torque produced by the RX Hybrid's petrol-electric drive system can be more fully utilised. Fast corners produce less body roll and it is possible to declare that this tall SUV is genuinely fun to drive.

Then there is the F Sport package. Available on the rear-wheel-drive Lexus GS350 and GS Hybrid, it combines the cosmetic enhancements and F Sport Suspension with an even higher level of performance in the form of Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH).

The LDH system integrates dynamic rear steering, variable gear ratio steering and electric power steering to give the GS350 F Sport greater handling precision.

The application of rear-wheel steering in production cars is nothing new. But what Lexus has done is introduce electronic management that is able to control body movement.

Various sensors calibrate the front and rear wheel steering by monitoring the steering angle, yaw rate and lateral g-force. LDH is also able to modify the active safety systems and adaptive suspension to complement driving style. So at high speed, the rear wheels turn slightly in the same direction as the front pair to improve rear end grip. The GS350 becomes even more responsive to driver input with reduced understeer and a sharper turn-in. The increased agility and stability especially boost confidence during high-speed lane changes.

For its greater handling precision, the Lexus GS350 F Sport is worthy of this lofty letter.

samuelee@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Business Times.

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