f-sport

2013 Lexus GS 350, 450h: A tale of two sport sedans

Every year at the Western Automotive Journalists' annual Media Days at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, there's at least one large sedan that surprises me with its on-track poise. Last year, that car was the Acura TL SH-AWD, but this year it was the 2013 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport that left me scratching my head.

2013 GS 350 F-Sport

The last time I found myself behind the wheel of a Lexus GS, it was back in 2008 when a GS 450h hybrid surprised me with its straight-line performance and understated, muscular stying. The newest 2013 Lexus GS is anything but … Read more

Lexus gives its GS sedan an 'F' in performance

LAS VEGAS--A letter F on a report card is usually a bad thing. However, when Lexus slaps an F-badge on the back of one of its vehicles, you should know that the automaker means fast and not fail.

Actually, the F stands for finesse, but let's not split hairs. The GS 350 sedan with F Sport package that Lexus debuted at the 2011 SEMA Show is no mere appearance upgrade, it should also be faster than the standard model.

However, the extra performance comes in the form of suspension, aerodynamic, and chassis upgrades, as the GS 350's 3.… Read more

10 tuners' quest for speed

An automaker may think it has engineered a car to perfection, but there is always someone, somewhere, who can improve it. A cottage industry of tuner companies has arisen around automakers, retuning engines and suspensions, swapping out parts, all in a quest to make these cars perform better.

The practice has become so popular and effective that some automakers either buy an independent tuner or build up an internal division to build performance variants of their standard-model lineups. Names such as AMG, STI, SRT, Callaway, and Shelby become synonymous with speed and squealing tires.

Check out this collection of tuner car photos. … Read more

Lexus CT 200h gets the F Sport treatment

Lexus' new CT 200h hybrid hatchback has only been on the road for for about a month, but Lexus is already heating it up with an F Sport package, which it debuted recently at the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney.

For those unaware, F Sport is the Lexus analogue to Toyota's TRD division, producing performance accessories for Lexus vehicles. We've driven a few F Sport-kitted IS 350s and enjoyed the mild performance boost gained with the uprated parts, and we know that Lexus is trying to give the CT 200h a Honda CR-Z-esque performance bent, … Read more