Here's a challenge for you: try to name one remarkable feature of the current Lexus GS range. Stumped? I certainly was. In fact, I had to spark a distant memory bank into life just to remember what one looks like. It shouldn't really be this way when its baby brother, the IS200, offered so much promise when it was launched and went on to become an appealing package, even challenging the 3-series for a while. The GS range, meanwhile, is the exact opposite; after a reasonable start its UK sales are now measured in hundreds rather than thousands.

Lexus is promising it'll be different this time around, with the new GS delivering the sort of real driving dynamics not found in the old model. Driving pleasure was viewed as a priority from the start, although (according to the fact sheet that came with the car) so was the level of padding on the driver's armrest. So I'll need convincing that the new GS is the dynamic revolution Lexus claims.

The man responsible for the new GS range is chief engineer Shigetoshi Miyoshi, whose CV includes one of the worst new cars I've ever had the misfortune to drive, the pig ugly, dynamically hopeless SC430, so we're not exactly off to a flying start in my book. During the press conference he described the GS as 'the most exciting car he's ever worked on' and 'the pinnacle of my career so far'. Having spent the last few hours driving the GS430, I reckon he's got a different outlook on life to the rest of us.

The new GS certainly looks a lot sharper than before, with a more streamlined shape. There's a choice of two engines, a new 3-litre 249bhp V6 for the GS300 and a 4.3-litre 283bhp V8 for the GS430. Both feature a six-speed auto as standard; there's no manual gearbox option.

Backing up the new look and engines is a skip-load of new electronic gadgetry, most of it standard on the GS430 and optional on the GS300. For a start there's 'VGRS' (Variable Gear Ratio Steering), a system similar to BMW's active steering except it doesn't offer the speed-related variable steering ratio - instead, at the onset of a slide, it's able to automatically call upon up to three degrees of steering to counter any potential oversteer or understeer. By pressing the ubiquitous 'Sport' button, you can quicken the steering from 3.2 to a sharper 2.7 turns lock to lock thanks to the VGRS.

The 'Sport' setting also changes the suspension electronics map (AVS) to reduce roll, while stiffening the damper settings (PCS) and changing the gearbox map. Next up are the electronic brakes (ECB) which work in conjunction with the new radar cruise control (ACC) to pre-charge the brake pressure (PCS) should the radar spot you're about to plough into the rear of a metal object (so suicidal pedestrians won't set it off unless they're wearing armour), whether the cruise has been set or not. The radar will also pretension the seatbelts if it reckons an accident is imminent.

All this technology talks to itself via a master controller called Unique Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (UVDIM) but seems to be there solely to save you in the event of you dozing off behind the wheel. Odd that, in a Lexus.

Inside the cabin it's business as usual with perfect fit and finish but little pizzazz, the only touch of flair being the stainless steel-faced dials and illuminated needles on the dash.

On the move, there's the inevitable Lexus hush; not even the engine is allowed to break into a V8 rumble, just a slight whistle from the door-mirrors at speed breaks the silence. The electronic brakes have a nasty over-servoed feel to them while the steering feels fluid either side of centre but lacks any sort of feedback to engage you in the act of driving. There's an overall feeling that this car was solely designed to cruise rather than hustle, despite possessing an obviously accomplished chassis.

There's no doubting the new GS is a very good car, but for the enthusiast it's almost too good for its own good. All those electronics cloak the fundamentally excellent chassis dynamics under such an impenetrable safety net that I simply have no desire to drive the GS430 ever again.

It might save me if I'm about to have the big accident (we haven't mentioned the ten airbags, or 'pillows' in Lexus speak) but an owner will probably die of boredom before this ever arrives. Business as usual at Lexus then.