The Transmission Does Perform Throttle-blipping

Note to luxury automobile manufacturers interested in entering the performance market: The world’s strategic reserve of performance-signifying alpha characters is dwindling fast. Whereas most manufacturers choose to first work their performance magic on the engine, Lexus virtually ignored it, placing the bulk of its engineering might into chassis mods. The LS460 F Sport gets Lexus’s variable gear-ratio steering (VGRS), which varies the steering ratio based on vehicle speed and steering-angle data. The net effects of the setup result in steering-wheel travel that ranges from 2.3 to 3.7 turns lock-to-lock, slightly more aggressive than the 2.4-to-3.6-turn range of the standard LS. Lexus has done a good job of imparting a natural feel to the VGRS, but there was a vague sense of disorientation once in a while when the ratio was changing during hard driving. The F Sport treatment upgrades the front binders, substituting six-piston Brembo calipers and 14.8-inch rotors for the four-piston, 14.0-inch setup found on the standard all-wheel-drive LS460.

The rear brakes are the same for both cars, with two-pot calipers pinching 13.1-inch discs. We recorded a 70-mph-to-0 stopping distance of 168 feet, 12 feet fewer than the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550 4MATIC we tested, a sedan of comparable price and mission that weighs in about 400 pounds less than the 4835-pound F Sport. Although the short stopping distance is a good indicator that the brake and chassis upgrades are worth the investment, most of us found the pedal action less than rewarding, its travel and effort rarely commensurate with actual braking function. Toyota built the Lexus brand on the concept of precision for the sake of comfort and consistency, so it comes as no surprise that the engine and the transmission are a championship tag team of silky automotive performance. The F Sport AWD drives like a standard LS460 AWD that’s had a few sessions with a personal trainer—the exhaust is a touch more aggressive, the ride a bit firmer, and turn-in a skosh sharper.

The driver can shuffle gears via paddles mounted behind the three-spoke, heated and leather-covered steering wheel or let the Aisin eight-speed transmission peel off torque-managed shifts on its own. There are five shift modes to choose from (Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus). The shifts are nearly transparent in Eco and Comfort modes but unfortunately remain that way even in Sport and Sport Plus. There’s an unwelcome lag between gears in automatic and manual modes that defies the car’s sporting pretensions. The transmission does perform throttle-blipping, rev-matching downshifts in manual mode, however, so that’s where we spent the majority of our drive time. And we still managed to post a 17-mpg average, not far off the mark from the 16-mpg EPA city estimate. The center differential varies power distribution from a nearly even 48/52 front-to-rear split to a rear-biased 32/68, doling out the torque for maximum balance and bite.

The system defaults to a 45/55 drive force split from front to rear, though that figure can swing to 30/70 in either direction as needed. The result is impressive. We would feel entirely comfortable putting anyone behind the wheel in the midst of the next ice age, regardless of their snow-driving experience. Between the 4Matic system's capability and 4ETS' logic, no amount of ham-fistedness or fondness for throttle yielded anything beyond a split-second of understeer before we merrily resumed course. That's not to say that 4ETS is a gentle hand ushering the C350 4Matic Coupe away from impending snow banks, though. With its reliance on actuating the brake system to recover traction, the technowizardry arrives on the scene with all the subtlety of Larry the Cable Guy. Power vanishes, speed diminishes exponentially and the two-door simply tracks in the correct direction. Don't expect to be able to hold any beautiful slides through the powder or kick out the tail with any flair with the e-nannies on.

You may find yourself fighting the system if you have solid experience on slick surfaces, too. Turn in for any brief sliding or attempt to power your way out of impending doom, and the Benz's traction control systems will yank the rug out from under you. It's almost as if driver and machine stumble over one another in a series of clumsy reactions. If you're looking for a vehicle to imperil life, limb and sheetmetal in the name of drifting, this isn't your steed. In addition to 4ETS, the C350 4Matic Coupe is laden with a small symphony of safety system acronyms. While 4ETS may not be defeated by the driver, the closely linked ESP system can be switched off via the vehicle menu mounted in the gauge cluster. Doing so can be useful for trudging your way through deep snow and the like, but the instant the driver touches the brakes, ESP is reactivated.