Understanding The Interior Of The Lexus GS F Requires A PhD

For the past few days, I’ve been putting the Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition through its paces and as impressive as it is, it isn’t perfect. Let me explain.

The powertrain and chassis set-up of the GS F are remarkable, but during everyday driving, you can’t really explore what the car is capable of. Consequently, you would hope that the GS F’s interior was an absolute delight but, unfortunately, it isn’t. Or at least, not entirely.

The good, the bad and the complicated

Don’t get me wrong, the GS F’s cabin is a lovely place to spend time in. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, the materials are top-notch, and the driving position is to die for. However, there are a lot of buttons. Way too many of them. In fact, you could probably write a thesis in less time than it would take to get a grasp on all the switches found through the GS F’s interior.

Things immediately get complicated as soon as you slide into the driver’s seat. You’re greeted by no less than 17 controls on the steering wheel, some of which seem to do exactly the same thing. For example, toggle the switches on the left side of the wheel and you can change audio tracks. Repeat the process on the right side of the steering wheel and the buttons there do the same thing. There are also more than a dozen other switches found on the driver’s door and directly to the right of the steering column where you can operate functions including the head-up display and trip meter.

Then comes the dashboard and center console. The GS F’s climate control panel is loaded with even more switches and oddly, there’s no designated button to turn off the air conditioning. Also found on the center console is Lexus’ ‘mouse’ that’s used to operate the infotainment system. To select something on the screen, you press down on the mouse. Alternatively, there are two dedicated ‘Enter’ switches millimetres away from the mouse which do the same thing. Why? Who knows.

The button bonanza doesn’t end there. Directly behind the gear selector is a rotary dial to adjust the vehicle’s settings and behind it, two additional controls. Just in case these switches weren’t enough to occupy any remaining brain capacity you may have, there’s even more controls on the roof. Heck, even rear-seat passengers have more than a dozen buttons to play with.

Evidently, no car is perfect and the Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition is no different. Fortunately, it is exceptional fun to drive. You’ll be able to read more about our experience with the Lexus in the coming week.