New and Dumb, Aristo ?
10-09-05, 07:31 AM
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New and Dumb, Aristo ?
Okay guys and gals being new to the GS scene I'd like to know what the primary differences are between an Aristo and standard GS. I'm aware of the Platinum Edition and the Veilside(?) are they any others?
10-09-05, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by TLW
In Japan the GS is called the Aristo
There is the V300 model which is a turbo 6
search v300 , aristo
There is the V300 model which is a turbo 6
search v300 , aristo
10-09-05, 07:46 AM
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hehe
the aristo has a few differnces.. .mainly motor, rhd..
veilside, is a body kit, hood and grill.. thats they only differnce with veilside.. its just aftermarket accesories..
plenty of differences..
like tlw said .. do some searching u will figure it out easy
the aristo has a few differnces.. .mainly motor, rhd..
veilside, is a body kit, hood and grill.. thats they only differnce with veilside.. its just aftermarket accesories..
plenty of differences..
like tlw said .. do some searching u will figure it out easy
10-09-05, 08:52 AM
#5
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more than a few differences
The Aristo (2nd generation)came in 2 basic configurations :
S300 = lexus gs300 --- 2JZ-GE engine, 5 speed auto transmission, 218-230 hp
V300 = essentially twin turbo GS300 but not found outside of Japan except for unofficial "exports" to other countries. Has only a 4 speed auto transmission and ARS (active rear steer ) which enabled the driver to steer the rear wheels in order to negotiate corners better. Many Aristo owners disable this feature as it was prone to breaking and gave an artificial feel to steering. It came only in RHD.
the V300 was famously known as the Asian BMW M5/ 4 door Supra due to the incredibly strong powerplant the 2JZ-GTE which it shared with the Supra MkIV. The V300 was rated by Toyota as having 280hp at the crank but most authorities believe it was underrated, probably more like 320hp.
The beauty of this motor lay in its ability to be simply and cheaply tuned to pump out at least 400hp AND remain reliable. So for a fraction of the cost, an Aristo owner could smoke an M3 in a straight line and keep up with an M5/E55 AMG.
The weak spot of the Aristo was in the chassis that it shared with all 2nd gen GS's-- it was not rigid enough, had heavy cast iron suspension parts which meant it struggled to find the sweet spot that BMW's achieved--it could be tuned to handle incredibly well but at the cost of a bone jarring ride or it could tuned to be a comfortable land cruiser but have more body roll than the Queen Mary.
I haven't even mentioned the 1st Generation Aristos---- that's a story I'm not completely familiar with.
Except for a rare 1st generation Aristo variant, all JapaneseAristos came in inline 6 configurations(NA or Turbo). The only V8 versions are the 2nd gen GS400/430's found only in North America/UK.
There you have it -- Toyota's flawed but legendary experiment in challenging the European sport sedans. With the coming of 3rd Generation Lexus GS and Toyota's push to expand the Lexus brand even in its own domestic Japanese market, the last Aristo rolled off the Tahara production lines in late 2004.
All GS/Aristo owners, treasure your experience driving your 1st/2nd gen GS's-- you're driving an automotive legend, the last of its kind!
New links added :
http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/toyota/aristo/
http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/toyota/aristo/
http://www.lexusvertex.com/aristov300_tuning.htm
S300 = lexus gs300 --- 2JZ-GE engine, 5 speed auto transmission, 218-230 hp
V300 = essentially twin turbo GS300 but not found outside of Japan except for unofficial "exports" to other countries. Has only a 4 speed auto transmission and ARS (active rear steer ) which enabled the driver to steer the rear wheels in order to negotiate corners better. Many Aristo owners disable this feature as it was prone to breaking and gave an artificial feel to steering. It came only in RHD.
the V300 was famously known as the Asian BMW M5/ 4 door Supra due to the incredibly strong powerplant the 2JZ-GTE which it shared with the Supra MkIV. The V300 was rated by Toyota as having 280hp at the crank but most authorities believe it was underrated, probably more like 320hp.
The beauty of this motor lay in its ability to be simply and cheaply tuned to pump out at least 400hp AND remain reliable. So for a fraction of the cost, an Aristo owner could smoke an M3 in a straight line and keep up with an M5/E55 AMG.
The weak spot of the Aristo was in the chassis that it shared with all 2nd gen GS's-- it was not rigid enough, had heavy cast iron suspension parts which meant it struggled to find the sweet spot that BMW's achieved--it could be tuned to handle incredibly well but at the cost of a bone jarring ride or it could tuned to be a comfortable land cruiser but have more body roll than the Queen Mary.
I haven't even mentioned the 1st Generation Aristos---- that's a story I'm not completely familiar with.
Except for a rare 1st generation Aristo variant, all JapaneseAristos came in inline 6 configurations(NA or Turbo). The only V8 versions are the 2nd gen GS400/430's found only in North America/UK.
There you have it -- Toyota's flawed but legendary experiment in challenging the European sport sedans. With the coming of 3rd Generation Lexus GS and Toyota's push to expand the Lexus brand even in its own domestic Japanese market, the last Aristo rolled off the Tahara production lines in late 2004.
All GS/Aristo owners, treasure your experience driving your 1st/2nd gen GS's-- you're driving an automotive legend, the last of its kind!
New links added :
http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/toyota/aristo/
http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/toyota/aristo/
http://www.lexusvertex.com/aristov300_tuning.htm
Last edited by natnut; 10-09-05 at 11:34 AM.
10-09-05, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by natnut
The Aristo (2nd generation)came in 2 basic configurations :
S300 = lexus gs300 --- 2JZ-GE engine, 5 speed auto transmission, 218-230 hp
V300 = essentially twin turbo GS300 but not found outside of Japan except for unofficial "exports" to other countries. Has only a 4 speed auto transmission and ARS (active rear steer ) which enabled the driver to steer the rear wheels in order to negotiate corners better. Many Aristo owners disable this feature as it was prone to breaking and gave an artificial feel to steering. It came only in RHD.
the V300 was famously known as the Asian BMW M5/ 4 door Supra due to the incredibly strong powerplant the 2JZ-GTE which it shared with the Supra MkIV. The V300 was rated by Toyota as having 280hp at the crank but most authorities believe it was underrated, probably more like 320hp.
The beauty of this motor lay in its ability to be simply and cheaply tuned to pump out at least 400hp AND remain reliable. So for a fraction of the cost, an Aristo owner could smoke an M3 in a straight line and keep up with an M5/E55 AMG.
The weak spot of the Aristo was in the chassis that it shared with all 2nd gen GS's-- it was not rigid enough, had heavy cast iron suspension parts which meant it struggled to find the sweet spot that BMW's achieved--it could be tuned to handle incredibly well but at the cost of a bone jarring ride or it could tuned to be a comfortable land cruiser but have more body roll than the Queen Mary.
I haven't even mentioned the 1st Generation Aristos---- that's a story I'm not completely familiar with.
Except for a rare 1st generation Aristo variant, all JapaneseAristos came in inline 6 configurations(NA or Turbo). The only V8 versions are the 2nd gen GS400/430's found only in North America/UK.
There you have it -- Toyota's flawed but legendary experiment in challenging the European sport sedans. With the coming of 3rd Generation Lexus GS and Toyota's push to expand the Lexus brand even in its own domestic Japanese market, the last Aristo rolled off the Tahara production lines in late 2004.
All GS/Aristo owners, treasure your experience driving your 1st/2nd gen GS's-- you're driving an automotive legend, the last of its kind!
S300 = lexus gs300 --- 2JZ-GE engine, 5 speed auto transmission, 218-230 hp
V300 = essentially twin turbo GS300 but not found outside of Japan except for unofficial "exports" to other countries. Has only a 4 speed auto transmission and ARS (active rear steer ) which enabled the driver to steer the rear wheels in order to negotiate corners better. Many Aristo owners disable this feature as it was prone to breaking and gave an artificial feel to steering. It came only in RHD.
the V300 was famously known as the Asian BMW M5/ 4 door Supra due to the incredibly strong powerplant the 2JZ-GTE which it shared with the Supra MkIV. The V300 was rated by Toyota as having 280hp at the crank but most authorities believe it was underrated, probably more like 320hp.
The beauty of this motor lay in its ability to be simply and cheaply tuned to pump out at least 400hp AND remain reliable. So for a fraction of the cost, an Aristo owner could smoke an M3 in a straight line and keep up with an M5/E55 AMG.
The weak spot of the Aristo was in the chassis that it shared with all 2nd gen GS's-- it was not rigid enough, had heavy cast iron suspension parts which meant it struggled to find the sweet spot that BMW's achieved--it could be tuned to handle incredibly well but at the cost of a bone jarring ride or it could tuned to be a comfortable land cruiser but have more body roll than the Queen Mary.
I haven't even mentioned the 1st Generation Aristos---- that's a story I'm not completely familiar with.
Except for a rare 1st generation Aristo variant, all JapaneseAristos came in inline 6 configurations(NA or Turbo). The only V8 versions are the 2nd gen GS400/430's found only in North America/UK.
There you have it -- Toyota's flawed but legendary experiment in challenging the European sport sedans. With the coming of 3rd Generation Lexus GS and Toyota's push to expand the Lexus brand even in its own domestic Japanese market, the last Aristo rolled off the Tahara production lines in late 2004.
All GS/Aristo owners, treasure your experience driving your 1st/2nd gen GS's-- you're driving an automotive legend, the last of its kind!
GREAT POST
LOTS OF INFO
10-09-05, 09:07 AM
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Okay, now this was very interesting reading. I've searched the site for both V300 and Aristo and found all kinds of hits but nothing like this. So are the N. Amercian versions still badged as Aristo or are they GS 430 with Aristo upgrades being determined by a VIN number ? Sort of like the olf Shelby "K" code Cobras?
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10-09-05, 09:34 AM
#8
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Technically, all GS's ARE Aristos. If you want to be honest, the star in the Aristo lineup is the V300 twin turbo version and all of the rest of us GS owners are basking in its halo effect.
Kind of like Infiniti G35 sedan owners- they are all "Skylines" but the King of the lineup is of course the JDM Nissan twin turbo Skyline GTR coupe.
Personally, unless I was drag racing or for horsepower bragging rights, I would go for a V8 GS -- comparable horsepower to a stock V300, smoother ,quieter engine, BETTER fuel efficiency, cheaper maintenance and more practical for city/urban dwellers. Only drawback is the difficulty/cost in force inducing the V8 normal aspirated engine for more power but who really needs more than 300hp?---other than the hardcore enthusiasts on Clublexus.
Kind of like Infiniti G35 sedan owners- they are all "Skylines" but the King of the lineup is of course the JDM Nissan twin turbo Skyline GTR coupe.
Personally, unless I was drag racing or for horsepower bragging rights, I would go for a V8 GS -- comparable horsepower to a stock V300, smoother ,quieter engine, BETTER fuel efficiency, cheaper maintenance and more practical for city/urban dwellers. Only drawback is the difficulty/cost in force inducing the V8 normal aspirated engine for more power but who really needs more than 300hp?---other than the hardcore enthusiasts on Clublexus.
Last edited by natnut; 10-09-05 at 10:58 PM.
10-09-05, 04:00 PM
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[. Only drawback is the difficulty/cost in force inducing the V8 normal aspirated engine for more power but who really needs more than 300hp?---other than the hardcore enthusiasts on Clublexus. [/QUOTE]
What did u mean by this it is little too technical for me to understand "the force inducing" part of it.
[/QUOTE]What did u mean by this it is little too technical for me to understand "the force inducing" part of it.
10-09-05, 05:36 PM
#10
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forced induction=fancy way of saying supercharging/turbocharging
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