More Lexus F Sport Performance models on the way

Lexus‘s freshly revealed F Sport Performance nameplate will progressively roll out to more of its SUV and sedan models, taking the fight to rival brand’s mid-tier performance options.

When it arrives in early 2023 on the boot of the fifth-generation RX 500h, the first F Sport Performance will form a new flagship for the mid-sized luxury SUV range, but Lexus has confirmed it’ll slot into other model lines.

Positioned above the existing F Sport versions, but below the full-fat F variants, a new bloodline of Lexus F Sport Performance offerings will be aimed primarily at equivalent mid-range performance rivals from the big three Germans.

UPDATE: New 2023 Lexus RX driven

Following its global unveiling, we've now driven the new-generation Lexus RX. Get the full story at the link below.

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For example, while a not-yet-confirmed RX-F would bump gloves with BMW’s X3 M Competition, the current flagship RX 500h F Sport Performance’s job is to target potential X3 M40i customers.

Lexus is not yet ready to talk about which model will be branded F Sport Performance next, but chief executive John Pappas said more such variants are a part of the company’s growth strategy.

“That is now a new badge that we’ve introduced, and it’s starting with RX. We will see that evolve and we want to grow the F line,” he said.

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“It’s a new tier in between F line and F Sport, and we’re going to expand that whole line-up to other models in time.”

Unlike the longstanding F Sport variants which are available in all but one of Lexus’s current model lines, the new F Sport Performance brings more performance-enhancing hardware in addition to the sporty looks.

In the case of the RX 500h, which will be available exclusively as the F Sport Performance, it gets the maximum 273kW and 551Nm from its turbo petrol hybrid powertrain, as well as six-piston brake calipers, 400 millimetre rotors and adaptive dampers to set it apart from lesser versions.

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Compared with rival equivalents such as the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43, the new 500h has a comparable punch, but Lexus says the new variant and the F Sport Performance line will have the upper hand in efficiency.

Speaking through a translator at the international launch of the fifth-gen model, Lexus RX chief engineer Takaaki Ohno said the company’s approach to performance had as much of a focus on emissions reduction as it does on going fast.

“The hybrid Performance model does indicate a certain direction,” he said. “But on a larger scale the 500h represents one of our methods of achieving a major goal – which is carbon neutrality and eventually 100 per cent EVs.

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“We will have the plug-in, the Performance model as well as offering the more fuel-efficient HEV models. Each of these offer a certain usage and role within our hope of carbon neutrality.”

The introduction of the new variant leaves the door open for the return of Lexus’s mighty F models, including a version of the fresh RX, but Ohno explained that the 500h would remain the hero of the range for now.

“Being able to add this performance factor to the vehicle was something very important to us so right now we are very content with that (500h F Sport Performance), but who knows in the future?”

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While high-performance and the transition to electric are top priorities for Lexus, the company says it has not lost sight of the key pillars that built its following and the whole driving and ownership experience continues to be vital, according to Ohno.

“We want to be the very last brand that people settle down into after they’ve tried everything in the world and, at the end, they chose a Lexus,” he said.

“Within the brand we asked what kind of car is that? It wasn’t just performance alone. It was the driving experience and the vehicle had to be your companion. That’s the concept that you’ll hear behind a lot of vehicles coming up”.