LOOKS

In my experience, when you’re talking about Lexus, this is an area where you’ll have few complaints. The recently redesigned GS is an attractive and stylish vehicle on the exterior with smooth looks and the signature Lexus grille.

Inside, the materials are as high-end as you’ll find in a luxury car -- top-notch leather seating, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and nothing remotely cheap-feeling about it. The seats are comfy and, more importantly, offer decent legroom both in front and back. The trunk also features ample space for the segment.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

The words midsize sedan don’t scream out excitement; but when you get into the luxury segment of midsize sedans the engines are made to impress and vehicles tend to be sportier -- perhaps as a way to help justify the higher prices.

The GS350 features a 3.5-liter V8 that boasted 308 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque. These numbers are reflected in the G350’s performance on the road. The first few times I drove the car I was pleasantly surprised by how well it moved -- dare I say well enough to compete well with its German competition, which are all about solid engine performance.

When you combine this powerful performance with the excellent handling of the GS (via its front independent double-wishbone and independent multi-link rear suspension), the end result is a truly enjoyable ride that is also very quiet.

Adding the F sport package to the GS350 adds some sharp design features as well as an even sportier suspension and more enjoyable ride, but it will cost you an extra $4,640.

TECHNOLOGY

Here’s where the GS runs into some trouble, and it’s the same trouble all Lexus models seem to have -- an unwieldy mouselike Lexus Remote Touch control system for the infotainment system.

Any positives made via upgrades to the tech interface (such as the ability to view up to three features at once on the huge 12.3-inch screen) are somewhat negated by the hard-to-use control system that is far from ideal and lags behind the competition. For a vehicle as high quality at the GS350 (and Lexus’ strong lineup overall), there needs to be a better control system for their vehicles’ tech systems.

Voice commands work well for the most part, but can also be a bit fussy at times if you don’t speak exactly right -- I sometimes had to repeat myself.

SAFETY

Lexus delivers here on the GS350, with standard features like the anti-lock braking system and Brake Assist. You get 10 airbags, stability and traction control, and a backup monitor. Safety Connect offers automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle notification and an emergency assist button.

Safety options on the GS350 include: Blind spot monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, pre-collision system and a heads-up display to help keep your eyes on the road.

MPG
Official numbers for fuel economy on the GS350 are 19 city/26 highway/21 combined. I averaged slightly less (20 on average).

PRICE
The starting price for the rear-wheel-drive version of the GS350 is $48,600. The all-wheel-drive version starts at $50,850. By the time my test vehicle with all-wheel-drive added its options (including F Sport, blind spot monitor, heads-up display and navigation), the grand total for the vehicle came to $60,185

BOTTOM LINE

Lexus has brought its A game to the mid-size luxury sedan category with the GS350, as the overall power and ride quality is something that can’t be denied. Even against the heavyweights the GS is batting in this segment, it’s putting up a strong fight. This is a fast luxury ride that’s worthy of consideration for those who have some bucks to spare.

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Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.