SINCE BMW threw down the super sedan gauntlet with its historic M5, many car-makers have picked it up with models that claim to match the German’s blend of luxury, European styling and weapons-grade performance, but while there have been some worthy adversaries, none has claimed its crown.

So here we go again, this time with an offering from Japanese luxury brand Lexus which, as part of its brand revolution, is targeting a younger audience with sportier, less conservative models.

We have already seen the F badge rolled out on the boot of the IS F and RC F, which followed in the footsteps of the manic LFA that started the Lexus high-performance party, and now there is the GS F.

Can Lexus cut BMW’s grass with V8 power in a large luxury sedan package, and could the GS F even steal some of the attention away from Audi’s RS6 and the imminent Mercedes-AMG E63?

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