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These are the first few photos of the new Lexus GS F – more will probably come when the car debuts at the Lexus stand at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show next week.

It’s quite interesting really – it seems the latest car to join the hotly contested executive sedan race also bucks the trend of moving to reduced displacement turbocharged engines. Yes, the new Lexus GS F comes with a high-revving 5.0 litre normally aspirated V8, while rivals like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG use turbocharged motors.

The engine makes 473 PS at 7,100 rpm and 527 Nm of torque from 4,800-5,600 rpm. There’s no fancy turbo-sitting-in-V-bank engineering to show off here, but the normally aspirated V8 engine does get a very interesting electronic valve train that allows it to switch between both Otto and Atkinson combustion cycles to maximise power and efficiency in given situations.

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The engine drives the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The GS F is also equipped with a Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD), which features three operating modes.

There’s Standard which provides a balance of agility and firmness, Slalom which emphasises nimble steering response and agility and Track which is tuned for stability during high-speed circuit driving.

Standard wheels are a staggered 19 inch setup with 255/35R19 tyres at the front and 275/35R19 tyres at the rear. What are your first impressions of the GS F? Does it look like it has what it takes to go against its German rivals? Is there a big enough market for a ‘reliable M5’? Let us know in the comments.