Kaius88

Ok...like my Bizzaro bro twister, I too got a GS loaner to play with. Only difference is it's a 2006 GS300, not the new GS350. I suspect there are many similarities between the two... only difference perhaps is the engine size and hp. My loaner is fully loaded as well with ML and NAV and all that jazz. As soon as I got it, I took it for a 25 mile spin. It's white, and it's sleek....here are my comments:

As twister mentioned, it definitely sits lower, as expected in a sports car. It's a bit crammed and feels lower. The console is a bit more futuristic looking than the ES....I dont recall seeing any wood trims...it's all just black and silver. I like the little foldable console on the left of the wheel, where you can adjust mirror, parking assist, gas door, etc. It hides away when not in use so it's cool. The seats are less soft, and the armrest feels a little high, i guess because im sitting lower.

As for the drive....within the first 10 mins I said to myself "Im gonna get a GS next time!". It's fast, it handles well, and it's good looking car. I made a sharp right turn at 35 mph without really leaning..... It accelerates smoothly and is fast. I suspect this experience is amplified on the new GS350. The cabin is slightly more quiet than the ES indeed.....until you floor the gas pedal. The engine roars, and is not really that quiet. I took it onto a freeway and hit 90mph without a hiccup. After 20 mins, the stiff ride began to wear on me. My previous ride was a Mazda Miata, and that ride was stiff. Now the GS is more comfortable than a tiny Miata of course, but the stiffness, bumpiness began to feel a bit much. If i have to drive it for 6 hrs straight, i would be in pain. It's definitely a fast car with high performance aspects all around, but it's not for looooooong commuters IMHO.

Bottomline, ES350 feels more comfortable. GS300 handles better and is faster. A young male might get laid more often driving a GS than an ES. But the ES would be able to accomodate the laying process better than the GS due to its spaciousness in the backseat. My particular loaner's NAV is all messed up.... but the ML sounds as great as my ES. If I had $50k to spend on a 2nd car, I think the GS would be nice.... it is fun to drive. I like the feeling of power and speed. But for stop-n-go Los angeles traffic, the ES is kinder on the butt. That's my honest review.

lexusk8

That's kinda rare that you got a GS for a loaner. Typically customers get the ES loaner. Looks like you enjoyed the extra power and acceleration not obtainable from the ES

twister

Guys, I really hope we are not going to turn this thread into the flame war of comparison which car is better. These are TWO DIFFERENT cars, and its OK to compare them but I sure hope it will not turn into which one is better. There is also a psychological factor when you just bought either brand new ES or GS and trying to justify making the right decision by bringing down competition. These two cars are oranges and apples. With that said...

I don't know how GS300 handles, and I suspect that there were more than just additional HP and sharkfin antenna added. I got the impression from a few people that suspension and ride is softer in GS350 vs GS300. So many people on GS forum get their cars dropped right away by 2" and put bigger wheels with lower profile tires, not just for a show-look but also for a stiffer handling. Everybody has their comfort level, and in my personal opinion while test driving GS350 for 2.5 days in my usual extreme stop-and-go behind "school bus" in the morning traffic, it was way above the threshold. Not as soft and floatty as ES, but still very comfortable. I wish I could say the same about IS250 loaner, that was literally pain in the ****. At the end of the day, it all comes down to a personal preference. You lose on a few things, while gaining on the others. It could be as simple as writing down a list of pros and cons for both cars to figure out your priorities. Also, 10-15 minute test drive will never let you really experience the car. My dealer gave me fully loaded GS350 demo/loaner because of the situation I've been in and due to a pressure of making a decision what to do next. I don't have an update on all the final numbers since I supposed to pick mine at the end of the day today. When that's in, I will post it in my original "Help..." thread. The only preliminary info I have is that I was able to work out a great deal on '07 GS350 AWD at a little below invoice price (Go Ray Catena!!!)

Kaius88

I never said which was better or worse. I just basically listed the differences as these 2 are really different cars indeed. I kinda like the GS look better because its more sleek and sporty. I drove it to work today in traffic and it was comfortable overall. The display is very different from the ES350. It just feels a little less spacious inside, and it could be due to the illusion of dark interior and lower roof. Dont get me wrong...I am totally enjoying this loaner. It's nice to go on vacation once in a while...same deal with swiching cars.

twister

I was actually not directing my comment at your, but just making a general statement for any future references I feel like any ES vs TL, etc. threads started innocently and turned into something else Speaking of display, I decided to get non-NAV system which going to be very similarly configured as my ES350 PP+ w/o NAV and ML. BUT, to my surprise even the basic GS stereo is a premium kind with a same touch sensitive display where you get all the controls for audio, climate, fans, setup, etc. You can probably even get one of those VIAStech audio/video boxes to hook up external DVD to watch a movie or maybe even video iPod? I personally found ML stereo annoying in my case since I only listen to mp3 CDR/CDRW where the sound imperfections are even more noticeable. Hmm, dark interior does make it "darker and smaller", and I'm actually used to that with my TP/black. When you get black interior you get a regular wood colored trim inside, did you have it with yours? In a grey interior I had in my demo/loaner, it was all black and no wood at all (wood was black).

INHOCJP

That is too funny