Test Drive: 2013 Lexus GS 350 is nice start to a sporty goal

— -- Lexus is fighting injustice.

Its cars aren't as boring as its image would have you believe. But perception becomes reality, so Toyota is overhauling its entire lineup to make the vehicles more stylish and sportier to drive.

Lexus is hoping to earn a BMW-esque reputation, able to draw the younger buyers who will live long and make Lexus prosper by staying within the brand as they get richer and older.

The 2013 Lexus GS 350, on sale since February, is the first shot in the new salvo.

Not a BMW, but a pretty solid start.

Brief detour: You rightly could argue that the small Lexus CT 200h, a feisty hybrid hatchback, is a sporty car. Likewise some IS models and, of course, the hand-built, 200-mph LFA supercar.

But Lexus itself considers the new 350 its initial throw-down in the brutally competitive arena dominated by BMW, Audi and, to a lesser extent, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. M-B and Jag, though sporting when forced to be so, still are luxury-oriented in the minds of many potential buyers.

The effort comes just as Lexus surrendered its decade-long status as best-selling luxury brand in the U.S. because it was short of new models, as well as short of cars, period, after the tsunami in Japan a year ago interrupted production.

GS' marquee item is the 3.5-liter V-6 from which the car takes its "350" designation. Carried over from the previous version of the car, but rated 3 more horsepower (306 now) and 3 more pounds-feet of torque (277), it will have you exclaiming "Holy momma" after just a small movement of your throttle foot. And it has the banshee-moan soundtrack to accompany the performance. Even in supposedly fuel-saving "eco" mode it appears uncompromised. Yet the beast never seems high-strung in traffic.

You pay to play. Enjoying the engine resulted in about 16 miles per gallon of pricey premium in suburban zip-and-zoom.

No word on a V-8 GS, as before, but the V-6 makes it seem questionable, if not unnecessary. And the GS 450h hybrid model, later this spring, has even more horsepower, so it might be popular for its scoot as much as its improved mpg. The six-speed automatic, also a carryover, whips through the ratios with brisk precision, both up and down.

Lexus does not resort for better mileage to the unpleasant automatic idle-stop to shut off the engine at long lights, as BMW does. Thus, the GS is more pleasant in the daily slog.

Brakes feel responsive enough. Steering is firm, but artificially so; more a representation of sporty than truly so.

Where you get cheated is space. Back seat's tight and trunk's less roomy than a BMW 3 Series, which is a smaller car. Seems inefficient packaging for the car's overall size.

Front seat's fine, having roughly an inch more shoulder room. Back seat has nearly 3 inches more hip room, per Lexus specifications. The car's not quite an inch wider outside, so Lexus maximized the extra width.

Styling, ugly in photos, is better in real life.

All-in, GS 350 is a strong start toward an admirable goal.

Lexus GS 350 specifications

•What? Remake of Lexus' midlevel, midsize, four-door sedan. Available with rear- or all-wheel-drive (RWD or AWD) and with gasoline engine or, later this spring, gas-electric hybrid drivetrain.

•When? On sale since February.

•Where? Made in Japan.

•How much? RWD starts at $47,775 with shipping, same as last year. AWD: $50,325. Hybrid GS 450h will be priced later.

•What makes it go? 3.5-liter V-6 rated 306 horsepower at 6,400 rpm, 277 pounds-feet of torque at 4,800, six-speed automatic.

GS 450h hybrid rated 338 hp.

•How big? Sized between BMW 3 Series and 5 Series. GS is 190.7 inches long, 72.4 in. wide, 57.3 in tall (57.9 with all-wheel drive) on a 112.2-in. wheelbase. Weighs 3,795 lbs. RWD, 3,980 lbs. AWD.

Trunk: 14.3 cubic feet.

Turning circle diameter 34.8 ft.

•How thirsty? RWD rated 19 miles per gallon in the city, 28 mpg highway, 23 in city/highway mix. AWD rated 19/26/21.

Trip computer in AWD test car registered 16.4 mpg (6.1 gallons per 100 miles) in spirited suburban dash-about.

Burns premium, holds 17.4 gal.

•Overall: Grand start to the sporty image Lexus craves.