• Plenty of space for four adults
• A fifth passenger will struggle for space
• Boot is more compact than many rivals’

Those over six foot will have more than enough head- and legroom whether they are sat in the rear or up front, as long as it isn’t the middle seat of the second row. The driver and front seat passenger have a generous amount of headroom, too, so there will be few complaints.

The rear of the cabin boasts an extra 20mm of kneeroom compared with the previous generation GS while there is an increase of 25mm in headroom. Only really tall passengers will feel the pinch, while some models with darker headlining and darker leather trim may feel a little more claustrophobic than others.

There’s not a huge amount of extra storage in the GS, other than a large central cubby hole to throw in odds and ends. The GS is rougly the same size as its large saloon rivals, meaning it’s quite a long car, but doesn’t feel too bulky on the road.

Where you’ll notice its size is around town and parking in tight spaces, but aids such as all-round parking sensors and a reversing camera do make this a little easier. Pick a GS in F Sport trim (or the GS F) and you’ll find 482 litres of boot space, while every other version offers 451 litres.

You can’t fold the rear seats down of the GS, so you’ll have to make do with what’s on offer with them in place, but the GS brochure does specify that three sets of golf clubs fit into the boot. 

Lexus GS safety

• Strong safety rating for the Lexus GS
• Lexus Safety System comes as standard
• Plenty of driver assistance tech, too 

The Lexus GS hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, although it’s fitted with ten airbags, ABS, traction and stability control and seatbelt pre-tensioners as standard. Range-topping models also get a crash-sensing system that incorporates a driver monitor camera that tightens the seatbelts and prepares the brakes ready for an emergency stop if it thinks an accident is imminent.

There are lots of active safety options available, incorporated into the Lexus Safety System+ package, which is standard on all GS models. This includes adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, automatic high-beam, traffic sign recognition and a pre-crash safety system with autonomous emergency braking. Standard on some (but not all) GS models is blindspot monitoring, as well as a rear cross-traffic alert system.

The Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) fitted to F Sport and Premier derivatives swivels the headlamp beam into a bend as the driver turns the wheel. A low speeds it swivels one headlamp only at lower speeds aid visibility at junctions. An automatic high beam dipping function is also included.