GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I was thinking about that. I need to check to see if the MB S500 is also fwd b/c there's no hump, which is why there's tons of room in the back seat.

chuckb

Am I seeing things or do the GS300 letters/numbers look different?
BTW-this car sucks to look at. I hope it at least rides/drives better.

Skinny

That's weird, because the last time I sat in a MB S-class it had a hump going thru the rear part of the cabin. I don't remember if it's as big as my LS's but I know it had one. If it doesn't have a hump, where is the driveshaft going to go??? Under the car???? If it does go under the car and not thru the cabin space, that would be one wonderful(and magical) piece of engineering, considering a S-class has basically the same ground clearance as my LS400 and looking at the underneath of my LS400, I have no idea how a driveshaft would fit underneath the underbody of the car!!!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

The S500 is rwd and has a huge hump - see this:

Lsportline43

Why would a hump in the rear seat matter to you anyway. Let the rear seat passengers deal with it.

Wald GS

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't look as timeless as the 1st gen, but I do like it. It has the body style of the 1st gen with a funky futuristic rear combined with the technology of the 2nd gen imo. I do agree that the front Lexus is too big.

TAMR_GUS98

Hey you guys, remember that sloggan Lexus used when they introduced the 2nd gen GS. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" They should use it again for the 3rd gen. b/c this thing is wickedly hideous. I agree that I should give it the benefit of a doubt. I need to see it in person, but, the pictures don't do a thing for me. I must admit, the six speed trans. is a bright spot.
Will

LexusPride

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I really don't see how someone can say that the new GS is ugly (although everyone is entitled to their opinion). I mean, the Aztek is ugly, but there really is nothing I see as overly offensive about the GS. Are you saying that you wouldn't be caught dead in one?? All they did was make MINOR changes to the exterior, basically removing the dual lenses in the back, which ironically was the only complaint I kept reading about in car mags (all said it was overkill). I could see if this was the 5-series, as those 2 look nothing alike now, either for good or bad. IMHO the reason the 2nd gen did so well is because the 1st gen sank like a rock, underpowered, overpriced and couldn't compete style-wise with either BMW or Mercedes or even the Acura Legend for that matter.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

You're right LexusPride, it's not ugly, it's just too conservative and, er, boring. I think the new Mercedes CLS is a much more interesting design. Not for everyone, but that's GOOD!

BrentX

Yep- that's exactly right. - boring, blah, pedestrian. Even in black it looks like an Avalon morphed with maybe an ES300. not daring, not stately, not sporty. It would appear they are trying to get all the millions of the beige camry owners to upgrade.

IMO, the obnoxious logo on the front is Asian bling analagous to the US bling found on the Escalade. Unfortunately, they didn't do their research to find out most Americans think the Escalade is for posers...

The interior looks great, but that exterior... wow... lame. Front looks like a hacked Avalon and the back looks like they used some buggy beta code for their CAD program.

I'm pissed too, as I wanted this car to be the one...

Wald GS

iTrader: (1)

The reason was clearly evident in which the ls400 was only ten thousand more(according to cars.com research area) and people opted to purchase the ls400 instead. Being that the ls400 was the top of the line Lexus vehicle, it was a great buy for adding $10,000 more. Now adays the gs300 to ls400 gap is roughly $17,000-$20,000..

If Lexus would of raised the price of the ls400, then you would probably see more 1st gens present.

When the 1st gen and 2nd gen gs came out, they were not underpowered when you look at other cars during that time. Heck in 94 when BMW introduced the 850ci, it was a v12 beast of an engine with only 325 hp. Yes, it is underpowered if you compare it with cars of today, but back when it was introduced, 325 hp was a big deal.

I do have to agree with you that a stock 1st gen could not compete style-wise with the other cars mentioned above. Those cars looked good coming out of the factory. Till this day, I still believe the 1st gen must be modded in order to look really good as does the Infiniti M45.

-Bryan

akhi2003

When they launched the car with lot of fanfare this year at North American International Auto Show it was a disappointment for many of our folks. The car's exterior is not much different from previous generation. When Mr. Clemets told everybody that lexus is going to pursue new styling direction but they disappointed us. I love the 2nd generation GS so much. I leased 1999 GS400 in 2000 and owned the vehicle until 2002. I loved that car a lot. But after 7 model years if GS430 has the same horsepower as my GS400 it is very bad. Even if it had 20 horsepower more I would have consider buying it. Even the interior feels so plasticy. They should have used some more wood. The wood on the doors look odd. ( the way it is curved ) and the front looks like avalon. My lease on my 2002 IS300 will be up in June 2005 and I may buy GX470 instead of GS430.

LexusPride

akhi2003, I'm surprised that you mention how plasticky the GS seems, yet you went DOWN a model level to the IS300 which is loaded with so much plastic, it should have a pull-string on the back. The interior on that car is so unLexus-like, even the competition seems more luxurious. My wife has a 330Cic, and although the entire interior is black everywhere, at least the materials seemed nicer. When I had a 2003 IS300 as a loaner, I couldn't believe how cheap it felt inside, even if it cost less than either MB or BMW, because Lexus always underprices them regardless. I'm pretty sure you didn't get to actually sit in a new GS, correct? So I'd reserve judgement until I actually took one out for a test-drive before saying they cut corners. Guys, look at it this way, at least (for now) Toyota doesn't have a GS knockoff costing $20k less, like the Solara/SC430!

JohnGS4

I can still say that i almost completely hate the exterior of the car. Altho, my view of the inside has changed. The whole front interior section (not including the rear of the seats, looks too plasticy) looks pretty good.

John

tytgs300

Sooner or later the car's performance and handling will win you over but not the cosmetic items. it might look ugly now, but as soon as you put on some nice wheels and lowered it a little, it will change the appearance of the car tremendously.