Lexus LS F Sport revealed at New York

Lexus has revealed the new LS F Sport with a more aggressive styling than its standard sibling. It now sports two large air intakes flanking Lexus’ signature ‘Spindle’ grille, while 20-inch alloy wheels are fitted as standard. Two new colours – shades of blue and white – are exclusive to the F Sport too.
Inside, the F Sport gets more bolstered seats with perforated leather and ultrasuede, as well as aluminium pedals and footrest. An F Sport steering wheel also features, as do instruments derived from those in the LFA supercar.

Under the bonnet, there’s either a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 producing 421hp and 599Nm torque in the LS 500 or the same engine is mated to an electric motor for the LS 500h with 299hp and 354; both come with 10-speed automatic gearboxes.

The former manages 0-100kph in 4.5sec, while the mild hybrid takes a more leisurely 5.4sec, but can be used in electric-only mode at up to 140kph. Lexus is yet to announce the hybrid’s electric-only range, but the range is expected to be around 48km, the same as the updated Mercedes-Benz S500 hybrid.

Mechanical upgrades include bigger brakes – six-piston front and four-piston rear units – and air suspension specially set up for a sportier ride. There’s also Lexus’ Dynamic Handling tech, which tweaks the ABS, traction control, ESC and steering to control the way the car behaves at different speeds.

Lexus’ chassis control tech is fitted in its most advanced iteration in the LS F Sport, and is claimed to control the car’s ride and flatness around corners, as well as provide greater comfort, by tweaking the brake response, steering and suspension. Three drive modes are selectable: Normal, Sport S or Sport S+, which tweak the chassis control system’s settings.

India has been no stranger to the Lexus brand with many of its offerings, predominantly the LX SUVs and LS limousines, finding their way into the country as private imports over the years. Earlier this year, the brand officially entered the Indian market with the launch of three models - the ES 300h hybrid sedan, the RX450h hybrid SUV and the range-topping LX450d full-size SUV.