LB Lex

I've been searching throughout the internet for a review of the 1993 GS300, but this is the closest I got. If anyone has a review of the 1993, can you please post it? Thanx.



1996 LEXUS GS300 SEDAN
BY: CAREY and BILL RUSS

The history of the Lexus marque is nothing less than inspiring. In seven short years Lexus has become a cultural icon and the standard by which luxury cars are measured in this country. Lexus achieved success by giving American luxury car buyers the comfort and features they wanted at a competitive price, and has forced other luxury manufacturers to match it for technical and comfort specifications.

The Lexus product line started with the top-of-the-line LS400 and the entry-luxury ES250 sedans in 1989, and began to grow with the introduction of the SC400 sports coupe in 1991. 1993 saw two cars powered by a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine: the SC300 sports coupe and this week's test car, the GS300 sports-luxury sedan.

The GS300 is a unique car. Based on a show car designed by famed Italian stylist Giugiaro and sharing an engine with the Lexus SC300 and Toyota Supra sports coupes, it has the proper credentials to be the sports sedan of the line. However, unlike many other sporting sedans, the GS300 features spacious accommodations. Being a Lexus, it is first and foremost quiet, refined, and luxurious.

The GS300 has some modifications for the 1996 model year. The taillights and rear body panel have been restyled. Side-impact protection has been added to the doors. And, all examples have a very special 5-speed automatic transmission that helps improve both performance and fuel economy. I recently spent a week with a 1996 Lexus GS300 and found it to be a great mid-level luxury sedan with plenty of sporting character and style.

APPEARANCE: The GS300 owes its distinctive styling to a show car developed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Ital Design studio. Minor changes by Lexus engineers in Japan made it ready for production. The most striking features of the car is its long, rounded passenger cabin and short, high rear deck. Wraparound headlamps and a chrome-trimmed grille in front give the GS the Lexus family appearance. The rear panel, taillights, and badging have been restyled for 1996. Chrome-plated wheels are now a factory option.

COMFORT: Lexus made its reputation on passenger comfort and the GS300 only enhances that reputation. A good synthetic material is standard for seat coverings and interior trim, with leather available. There is just enough walnut trim to give a luxury feeling without being ostentatious. The long cabin means plenty of room inside, especially for rear seat passengers. The front seats are power- adjustable, and the steering wheel has power-assisted tilt and telescopic adjustability, with an automatic tilt-away feature making driver access easier. Windows and door locks are also power- operated. All seats are extremely comfortable. The contoured bench back seat is one of the best in the business, although any center passenger had best be small. Very good climate control and sound systems add to the luxury ambience.

SAFETY: The Lexus GS300 has all of the current safety features as standard equipment, including dual front airbags, 1997-specification side-impact protection, 4-wheel vented antilock disc brakes, and a rigid cabin with front and rear crush zones. A remote entry system is also standard, as are vehicle and audio system theft-deterrence features. Traction control is optional.

ROADABILITY: The GS300 is a luxury sports-touring sedan, meant for comfortable and enjoyable travel over any distance. "Luxury touring" has greater emphasis then "sports", resulting in a composed, compliant ride with none of the harshness often found in pure sports sedans. When necessary, as in abrupt lane changes or a challenging back road, the GS gets right down to business thanks to some refinements to the fully-independent suspension and new speed-sensitive power steering.

PERFORMANCE: The inline six-cylinder engine design is inherently balanced and smooth, making it a good choice for a luxury car. The one in the GS300 has dual overhead cams and 24 valves,displacing 3 liters and providing 220 horsepower. It drives the rear wheels through a very trick 5-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission. Other 5-speed automatics have an extra gearset. The one in the GS300 uses the overdrive gear on both first and third to get 5 close gear ratios with no weight penalty. Electronic and hydraulic control modifications do the job well, and it makes a noticeable improvement on the road.

CONCLUSIONS: The Lexus GS300 combines Italian-inspired styling with Japanese quality and dependability to make it a good sports-luxury sedan for American tastes.

SPECIFICATIONS:
1996 LEXUS GS300 SEDAN

Base Price $ 45,700
Price As Tested $ 51,365
Engine Type inline 6, dohc, 24 valves
Horsepower 220 @ 5800
Torque (lb-ft) 210 @ 4800
Wheelbase / Length 109.4 in. / 194.9 in.
Transmission 5-speed EC automatic
Curb Weight 3,660 lbs.
Pounds Per Horsepower 16.6
Fuel Capacity 21.1 gal.
Fuel Requirement unleaded premium
Tires 215/60 VR 16 steel-belted radial
Brakes 4-wheel vented antilock disc
Drivetrain front engine, rear drive

PERFORMANCE

-EPA Fuel Economy - miles per
gallon city / highway / observed 18/24/22
-0 to 60 mph 8.3 sec.
-1/4 mile (E.T.) 16.3 sec.
-Coefficient of Drag (cd) .31

Pianoman72

Yeah, I have one for the '93 that the salesman gave to my dad when he was considering the car. I keep forgetting to bring it to the office so I can scan it.

Pianoman72

Ok I got Road and Track, Car and Driver and Automotive mag articles all from Feburary 1993. Each one is about 4 pages, they're black & white photocopied, though.

What's the best way to post them up? I was thinking I could scan them and make them into .PDF files so they wouldn't be so big, then attach them here.

D2-AUTOSPORT

Quote:

Base Price $ 45,700

Quote:

Price As Tested $ 51,365

Look at the price!! i think the second gen was such a steal because of its lower price!! I think the base price of a GS300 in 2003 is about 42k!!

Jmai22

thats why there weren't many sold. people knew the newer ones were going to be cheaper. all you find today are 93-94's. and its soo rare to find a 96 and pratically impossible to find a 97. i myself am looking for a 96-97 black/darkgrey.

also i think tests back then were soo much simpler. nowadays if they were to take the first gen gs on a test drive they would say the handling sucks. lol.

LB Lex

A PDF will do fine

Pianoman72

Someone is going to have to help me. I've got the shortest article in PDF format but it's still 1 meg and I can't attach it here.

LB Lex

How about just scanning it and posting it as a jpeg?

Pianoman72

Well I scanned them hi-res so people could zoom in since it's kind of hard to read photocopied+scanned documents. I'd have to upload each page into my gallery and then past the urls here, and that's 12 pages.

GS4WILL is checking into adding the articles to the archives I think...otherwise I was thinking someone could volunteer a few megs of web or ftp space?

LB Lex

Cool, thanks for looking into this stuff!

Pianoman72

Lol, I meant to say that DaveGS4, not GS4WILL, was who I spoke to.

I was going to edit it but you quoted me on it so it wouldn't do much good. lol.

If all else fails we can all meet and have storytime.

Pianoman72

I got 4.5 megs of articels in PDF format. If you want them, shoot me your email address in a PM and they're yours.

I thought someone was going to post them up on the site but we're going to have to do it this way.