Yet Another GS300 Review to Add to the Mix
02-17-05, 11:16 PM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Yet Another GS300 Review to Add to the Mix
I found ClubLexus a few weeks ago and I have become a junkie ever since. The information that is shared on this site is amazing. I have really enjoyed reading the posts - especially the input from Rockville, Flip, Sick, and Longo. 
I own a 2001 GS 300 and I really love the car. I usually get the “New-Car-Itch” about 18 months into a new vehicle, but after 50 months with the 01GS I could go another 12 if I had to. However, I have been quite eager for the Gen 3 GS.
On Monday I visited the Lexus Dealer in Duluth GA (North Metro Atlanta) and drove a Mercury Metallic (Silver) GS300 (RWD) Navi/Levi with 18” wheels and 245/40V18s (~$54k). Man! The car looked unbelievably cool with that wheel/tire combination.
It blew my expectations away – seeing it in person is much better that in pictures. I found that the car looked strange in pictures from some angles. However, I walked all around the car and didn’t experience any of the awkwardness that some picture shots produced. In my opinion the new GS body is a work of art! The next day at a dealer in Roswell GA I examined a GS300 (RWD) non-Navi/Levi (~$46k). This car was Cypress Green and had the stock 17”tires (Dunlop) and wheels. It looked good but not nearly as good as the car with the 18’s. Another small detail that is easy to overlook is the lip-spoiler. It is a very subtle feature - but I think it adds a lot to the overall appearance – very tasteful. I would prefer if this were standard. I think it is worth the $200 to have it installed at the port.
The 06 GS interior is absolutely exquisite. The material selection is unmatched by any other car I have seen to date. Overall the ergonomics were superb. The seats were well thought out and looked to be well designed. They are much firmer than Gen 2 seats, and have more lateral support. I can’t say that they were the ultimate in comfort however. I played with the seats quite a bit and found good settings but for some reason I wanted to adjust my position in the seat a lot. The lateral support seemed to pinch my upper back a bit. I have to admit I’m very fussy about seats as I have some minor back problems - so your experience may be different. These seats are much more sport oriented than the Gen 2 GS. They are very luxurious looking but I’m a bit concerned about how I will feel after an 8 hour trip.
Another thing was troubling me about the interior that I couldn’t place my finger on until this evening when I went back to one of the dealers and sat in the car again. I feel cramped in the 06 GS. Technically, in some dimensions it is bigger, but the roof-line is much lower than the Gen 2. The roof slopes down more aggressively and you feel like you will hit your head on the roof if you stop too quickly. Also while sitting in the drivers seat if you look out your side window you don’t see as much glass – the roof line curves down to the side giving a feeling of being more closed in. The arm rest is nicely positioned – better than in the Gen 2 – and you can more comfortably lean on this. However, again, due to the curvature there seems to be less elbow room. The positive to all of this is that you definitely feel cocooned – the driving position is much more cockpit like. If you like your seat as low as it can go, all of this may not be an issue. I tend to like my seat up a bit so that my legs can bend and the lower roof line limits how high up you can go. I just mention all of this since I have not heard it yet in any of the discussions and wanted to bring it up for consideration.
The lighting, gauges/instrument panel and controls are just superb. You have to experience the interior to fully understand. There was such attention to every minor detail. This is something that I love about Lexus. I notice the little details and really appreciate when they have been tended to. I’ll bet that most Lexus lovers tend to be this way. Door seals, seams, fit and finish, paint quality are the best I have seen – bar none.
I drove both of these cars. As you would expect the car with the lower-profile tires handled more aggressively. Both cars were really fun to drive. The steering is probably the first thing you will notice as you pull out of the lot. The steering feels a bit “lighter” than the Gen 2 (takes less force to move the wheel). I couldn’t tell that the power assist was from the electric motor and not a hydraulic pump. The steering ratio seemed to be just a bit closer than Gen 2 (more car turn for less steering wheel turn) which I liked. I couldn’t find a spec on the Gen 2 so I can’t be sure that the ratio is closer – but it felt that way. Overall the steering was very crisp and precise and produced good results on winding roads and on the highway. The car cornered very flat, and stayed flat during hard braking and acceleration. The 06 suspension doesn’t seem to compromise any of the ride quality of the Gen 2 and adds a lot to the driving experience. And it handled speed bumps really well. My Gen 2 always seems to flop awkwardly over speed bumps but the 06 seemed to erase them altogether. The engine/transmission combination was nothing short of impressive. The shifts were crisp, precise and very smooth. The car almost seemed electric. Another noteworthy change is the sound of the engine under full throttle acceleration. The 06 V6 is quieter than the Gen 2 I6. The sound is much more “confident” and “capable” – it doesn’t sound like the engine is going to blow – it sounds like it is eager to give all that you are asking of it and then some. My 01 GS300 shifts more jerky and it howls like hell as it approaches redline – sounds like it hurts to give what you are asking. The acceleration was noticeably faster in the 06 – and for my purposes all that I will need. I think I would get myself in trouble with much more – or I would blow an artery in Atlanta traffic not being able to use it! 
The Sequential Manual Shift (or whatever it is named… I’ll call it SMS for now) worked great. I understand Marcpitch’s disappointment in the design choice to always default to gear 5. For the way I use SMS, it isn’t a problem – I just use it to get into the powerband before stomping it to go around slow-pokes and dump-trucks. But as an Engineer and as a purist I think that it should show you the actual gear that the transmission is in. The transmission computer certainly knows what gear that car is in and it could just show you that so that one shift in either direction would produce results. Maybe there is a safety issue that I’m not aware of. But I believe that the Infiniti M shows you the gear you are really in.
Some other misc stuff about the 06 GS300:
One of the buttons in the concealed drawer lets you fold the mirrors in. This is really cool for going through the car wash (maybe it would be blasphemous to put this car through the car wash!…) or when parked at the mall or to keep you from slamming the lawn mower handle into the extended mirror while in the garage. 
Unfortunately, this can not be configured to fold automatically when the car is shut off. That would be nice!
Strange, but another button in the concealed drawer is not a dummy button but is not connected to anything. The button with the “P” and the icon that looks like sonar waves is for the park assist feature. Well in the Southeast this feature is only on the Navi/Levi cars, however the button and Icon are on all cars. Dealer has confirmed this is so according to the manual.
The headlight washer nozzle is hidden in the chrome trim. If you look close at the pictures you will see the seams but the washer nozzle is completely concealed. Pretty cool.
The Ash (Grey) leather comes with Black Birds-Eye Maple Wood Accents. I think that this combination is stunning!
The SmartKey (RFID) system is really cool. It is virtually impossible to lock your car if the keys are left in it. This is also the case for the trunk.
My 06 Mercury Metallic GS300 (non Navi/Levi) is due in at the end of the month. Now I just have to find a buyer for my 01 GS300 with 92k miles!!!
I own a 2001 GS 300 and I really love the car. I usually get the “New-Car-Itch” about 18 months into a new vehicle, but after 50 months with the 01GS I could go another 12 if I had to. However, I have been quite eager for the Gen 3 GS.
On Monday I visited the Lexus Dealer in Duluth GA (North Metro Atlanta) and drove a Mercury Metallic (Silver) GS300 (RWD) Navi/Levi with 18” wheels and 245/40V18s (~$54k). Man! The car looked unbelievably cool with that wheel/tire combination.
It blew my expectations away – seeing it in person is much better that in pictures. I found that the car looked strange in pictures from some angles. However, I walked all around the car and didn’t experience any of the awkwardness that some picture shots produced. In my opinion the new GS body is a work of art! The next day at a dealer in Roswell GA I examined a GS300 (RWD) non-Navi/Levi (~$46k). This car was Cypress Green and had the stock 17”tires (Dunlop) and wheels. It looked good but not nearly as good as the car with the 18’s. Another small detail that is easy to overlook is the lip-spoiler. It is a very subtle feature - but I think it adds a lot to the overall appearance – very tasteful. I would prefer if this were standard. I think it is worth the $200 to have it installed at the port.The 06 GS interior is absolutely exquisite. The material selection is unmatched by any other car I have seen to date. Overall the ergonomics were superb. The seats were well thought out and looked to be well designed. They are much firmer than Gen 2 seats, and have more lateral support. I can’t say that they were the ultimate in comfort however. I played with the seats quite a bit and found good settings but for some reason I wanted to adjust my position in the seat a lot. The lateral support seemed to pinch my upper back a bit. I have to admit I’m very fussy about seats as I have some minor back problems - so your experience may be different. These seats are much more sport oriented than the Gen 2 GS. They are very luxurious looking but I’m a bit concerned about how I will feel after an 8 hour trip.
Another thing was troubling me about the interior that I couldn’t place my finger on until this evening when I went back to one of the dealers and sat in the car again. I feel cramped in the 06 GS. Technically, in some dimensions it is bigger, but the roof-line is much lower than the Gen 2. The roof slopes down more aggressively and you feel like you will hit your head on the roof if you stop too quickly. Also while sitting in the drivers seat if you look out your side window you don’t see as much glass – the roof line curves down to the side giving a feeling of being more closed in. The arm rest is nicely positioned – better than in the Gen 2 – and you can more comfortably lean on this. However, again, due to the curvature there seems to be less elbow room. The positive to all of this is that you definitely feel cocooned – the driving position is much more cockpit like. If you like your seat as low as it can go, all of this may not be an issue. I tend to like my seat up a bit so that my legs can bend and the lower roof line limits how high up you can go. I just mention all of this since I have not heard it yet in any of the discussions and wanted to bring it up for consideration.
The lighting, gauges/instrument panel and controls are just superb. You have to experience the interior to fully understand. There was such attention to every minor detail. This is something that I love about Lexus. I notice the little details and really appreciate when they have been tended to. I’ll bet that most Lexus lovers tend to be this way. Door seals, seams, fit and finish, paint quality are the best I have seen – bar none.
I drove both of these cars. As you would expect the car with the lower-profile tires handled more aggressively. Both cars were really fun to drive. The steering is probably the first thing you will notice as you pull out of the lot. The steering feels a bit “lighter” than the Gen 2 (takes less force to move the wheel). I couldn’t tell that the power assist was from the electric motor and not a hydraulic pump. The steering ratio seemed to be just a bit closer than Gen 2 (more car turn for less steering wheel turn) which I liked. I couldn’t find a spec on the Gen 2 so I can’t be sure that the ratio is closer – but it felt that way. Overall the steering was very crisp and precise and produced good results on winding roads and on the highway. The car cornered very flat, and stayed flat during hard braking and acceleration. The 06 suspension doesn’t seem to compromise any of the ride quality of the Gen 2 and adds a lot to the driving experience. And it handled speed bumps really well. My Gen 2 always seems to flop awkwardly over speed bumps but the 06 seemed to erase them altogether. The engine/transmission combination was nothing short of impressive.
The shifts were crisp, precise and very smooth. The car almost seemed electric. Another noteworthy change is the sound of the engine under full throttle acceleration. The 06 V6 is quieter than the Gen 2 I6. The sound is much more “confident” and “capable” – it doesn’t sound like the engine is going to blow – it sounds like it is eager to give all that you are asking of it and then some. My 01 GS300 shifts more jerky and it howls like hell as it approaches redline – sounds like it hurts to give what you are asking. The acceleration was noticeably faster in the 06 – and for my purposes all that I will need. I think I would get myself in trouble with much more – or I would blow an artery in Atlanta traffic not being able to use it! The Sequential Manual Shift (or whatever it is named… I’ll call it SMS for now) worked great. I understand Marcpitch’s disappointment in the design choice to always default to gear 5. For the way I use SMS, it isn’t a problem – I just use it to get into the powerband before stomping it to go around slow-pokes and dump-trucks. But as an Engineer and as a purist I think that it should show you the actual gear that the transmission is in. The transmission computer certainly knows what gear that car is in and it could just show you that so that one shift in either direction would produce results. Maybe there is a safety issue that I’m not aware of. But I believe that the Infiniti M shows you the gear you are really in.
Some other misc stuff about the 06 GS300:
One of the buttons in the concealed drawer lets you fold the mirrors in. This is really cool for going through the car wash (maybe it would be blasphemous to put this car through the car wash!…) or when parked at the mall or to keep you from slamming the lawn mower handle into the extended mirror while in the garage. Unfortunately, this can not be configured to fold automatically when the car is shut off. That would be nice! Strange, but another button in the concealed drawer is not a dummy button but is not connected to anything. The button with the “P” and the icon that looks like sonar waves is for the park assist feature. Well in the Southeast this feature is only on the Navi/Levi cars, however the button and Icon are on all cars. Dealer has confirmed this is so according to the manual. The headlight washer nozzle is hidden in the chrome trim. If you look close at the pictures you will see the seams but the washer nozzle is completely concealed. Pretty cool. The Ash (Grey) leather comes with Black Birds-Eye Maple Wood Accents. I think that this combination is stunning! The SmartKey (RFID) system is really cool. It is virtually impossible to lock your car if the keys are left in it. This is also the case for the trunk.My 06 Mercury Metallic GS300 (non Navi/Levi) is due in at the end of the month. Now I just have to find a buyer for my 01 GS300 with 92k miles!!!
02-17-05, 11:22 PM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
1. Welcome to Clublexus.
2. Thanks for the compliments
3. Outstanding review
4. Congrats on the new GS!
I tthink we saw the same silver GS (at Hennessy?) that many of us have tried out. Yeah the car is really something. Glad you found Clublexus also check out www.seloc.net, the Atlanta based Lexus club. We would love to see your car at an upcoming meet.
2. Thanks for the compliments
3. Outstanding review
4. Congrats on the new GS!
I tthink we saw the same silver GS (at Hennessy?) that many of us have tried out. Yeah the car is really something. Glad you found Clublexus also check out www.seloc.net, the Atlanta based Lexus club. We would love to see your car at an upcoming meet.
02-18-05, 12:18 AM
#3
Lexus Connoisseur
Welcome to CL Sandman! Glad you are enjoying the scenery. It wont be long before you start to live and breathe ClubLexus like we do...regardless if you are a non, previous, current, or even perspective owner it's definitely a great community like no other. 
But don't blame us if you ever get the "mod bug" hehehe. 
Welcome to the CL family!
But don't blame us if you ever get the "mod bug" hehehe. Welcome to the CL family!
02-18-05, 06:39 AM
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: PA
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Originally Posted by Sandman
Another thing was troubling me about the interior that I couldn’t place my finger on until this evening when I went back to one of the dealers and sat in the car again. I feel cramped in the 06 GS. Technically, in some dimensions it is bigger, but the roof-line is much lower than the Gen 2. The roof slopes down more aggressively and you feel like you will hit your head on the roof if you stop too quickly. Also while sitting in the drivers seat if you look out your side window you don’t see as much glass – the roof line curves down to the side giving a feeling of being more closed in. The arm rest is nicely positioned – better than in the Gen 2 – and you can more comfortably lean on this. However, again, due to the curvature there seems to be less elbow room. The positive to all of this is that you definitely feel cocooned – the driving position is much more cockpit like. If you like your seat as low as it can go, all of this may not be an issue. I tend to like my seat up a bit so that my legs can bend and the lower roof line limits how high up you can go. I just mention all of this since I have not heard it yet in any of the discussions and wanted to bring it up for consideration.
My 06 Mercury Metallic GS300 (non Navi/Levi) is due in at the end of the month. Now I just have to find a buyer for my 01 GS300 with 92k miles!!!
My 06 Mercury Metallic GS300 (non Navi/Levi) is due in at the end of the month. Now I just have to find a buyer for my 01 GS300 with 92k miles!!!
02-18-05, 07:49 AM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by marcpitch
I completely agree about feeling cramped in the GS, much more than even my current G35 coupe. I am 6-3 and I think anybody over 6 or 6-1 will feel the same. I did not feel that way in my 99 GS400. On paper Infiniti's M has about 2" more head room than the GS, but it felt like a lot more. I agree about the seats too. They are much more supportive and an improvement over the 2nd gen.
I'll be at the Infiniti dealership to check the M out today...
Last edited by LexFather; 02-18-05 at 08:00 AM.
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02-18-05, 03:52 PM
#8
Driver
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
1. Welcome to Clublexus.
2. Thanks for the compliments
3. Outstanding review
4. Congrats on the new GS!
I tthink we saw the same silver GS (at Hennessy?) that many of us have tried out. Yeah the car is really something. Glad you found Clublexus also check out www.seloc.net, the Atlanta based Lexus club. We would love to see your car at an upcoming meet.
2. Thanks for the compliments
3. Outstanding review
4. Congrats on the new GS!
I tthink we saw the same silver GS (at Hennessy?) that many of us have tried out. Yeah the car is really something. Glad you found Clublexus also check out www.seloc.net, the Atlanta based Lexus club. We would love to see your car at an upcoming meet.
Hey Sick - Thanks. Yes I have been to Hennessy (Gwinnett) and also Nalley (Roswell). I saw the pictures you took at Hennessy. Good pictures. Stunning car. I'm glad I drove the GS300 at Nalley with the std 17" wheels/tires. Since I won't be paying the $2500 for the upgrade I got a better feel for how the my car will handle.
I'll check out the link you provide for the Atlanta Club. Thanks Again..
02-18-05, 04:29 PM
#9
Driver
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by flipside909
Welcome to CL Sandman! Glad you are enjoying the scenery. It wont be long before you start to live and breathe ClubLexus like we do...regardless if you are a non, previous, current, or even perspective owner it's definitely a great community like no other. But don't blame us if you ever get the "mod bug" hehehe. Welcome to the CL family!
But don't blame us if you ever get the "mod bug" hehehe. Welcome to the CL family! ) - and I love that Lexus thinks about this and delivers on most of it.Just FYI, In addition to my 01 GS300 I also have an 04 RX330. Love them both. Have had Corollas and Camrys in the past - great quality cars. In the mid 90's I had a Mazda 626 V6 that I was fond of. Had a late 90's Passat - not so proud of that choice. Had a new 84 Shelby Charger - really a piece of junk - but was fun and made me a fan of performance. Remember when an 8.5s 0-60 was good?!?
I see that a lot of people have done some serious mods to their Lexus (Plural for Lexus = Lexi??
) About 2 years ago I searched all over for a way to mod my GS300 Engine Computer. Couldn't find anything. I wonder what will be available for the 06GS?!!? I wonder how much is left in the 3L without risking reliability, etc?
02-18-05, 04:44 PM
#10
Driver
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
I am 6"5 225 and felt fine in the car. Even Morris said this and he's 6"6 maybe 270. The M45 is a very tall cars, 59.5" tall (taller than most all sedans, including 7, LS, S class etc), which makes the car look very big and does equate to more headroom. Even the gigantic 300C is shorter at 58.4 inches.
I'll be at the Infiniti dealership to check the M out today...
I'll be at the Infiniti dealership to check the M out today...
I think it must be a perception of space that is bothering me. Or maybe I have claustrophobia and just don't know it. I hate being in airplane seats for the same reason. I don't know how tall guys like you at 6'6 can stand it (airplane seats). On my last trip to Europe I felt like jumping out of the emergency hatch!I'm a bit concerned about this issue since I have a new 06 that should be here in a week. Maybe I'm just feeling buyers remorse or I'm just so comfortable with my 01 GS that I'm resisting the changes with the 06. So I went back to Hennessy today and sat in the GS300 demo again. I figured out that with the seat down as low as it can go I feel just fine in the car as far as space goes. I keep my 01 GS seat up maybe half way (height elevation). By sitting up higher my legs bend and it helps relieve some back pain that I have. Maybe I can play with the 06 seat and find a comfortable position that doesn't feel cramped. But I wish that there was more headroom to use for this purpose. The longer I sat in the car the better I felt about it - so maybe (hopefully) in time this will be a non-issue for me.
Yes the Infiniti M has a very high roof line. Inside it feels more like the Gen 2 GS as far as "roominess" goes.
I'm looking forward to your review of the M.
02-18-05, 04:50 PM
#11
Lexus Connoisseur
Originally Posted by Sandman
I see that a lot of people have done some serious mods to their Lexus (Plural for Lexus = Lexi?? ) About 2 years ago I searched all over for a way to mod my GS300 Engine Computer. Couldn't find anything. I wonder what will be available for the 06GS?!!? I wonder how much is left in the 3L without risking reliability, etc?
) About 2 years ago I searched all over for a way to mod my GS300 Engine Computer. Couldn't find anything. I wonder what will be available for the 06GS?!!? I wonder how much is left in the 3L without risking reliability, etc?
02-18-05, 05:37 PM
#12
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Connecticut
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my review of M45
Hi, not a regular here, but have driven m45 sport two times, once for about 20 miles , second time for about 8miles. Sttyle. Gs has it over m. handling not eevn close m45 sport steers like a bmw , runs
like a monster v-8 should. Yes has only 5 gears needs no more. fast fast fast. quiet except when you are one it and has the low rumble of v-8 when you get on it. Dash/ the equal circle tach & speedo are easy to see. . hammer the throttle at 60 mile cruise down shifts twice to third which will take to 95 in an instant. I could have gone to 100 before redline but there was not enough road. When I drove the gs430 today it shifted up twice doing that. nice motor, but not like m45 / m45 tranny also allows engine braking. Center stack on m looks crappy. BUT almost all functions for climate and radio and nav can be accessed w/o screen on like required in g car. Also no run flats.
and you get full size spare & matching wheel for $200. on lexus with run flats no spar , not even donut. Gee what happens if you get a flat on your. run flats. oh yes audio syastem plays mp3 as well . fancy make levinson does not & m45 has audio input jacks for things like ipod. Full voice activation for nav. climate& audio, Different cars, morestyle with gs. more substance with m . M= Monster. t 0-60 5.3 according to Road & track. 5.6 according to Car &;Driver
r wearinfg flame suit
like a monster v-8 should. Yes has only 5 gears needs no more. fast fast fast. quiet except when you are one it and has the low rumble of v-8 when you get on it. Dash/ the equal circle tach & speedo are easy to see. . hammer the throttle at 60 mile cruise down shifts twice to third which will take to 95 in an instant. I could have gone to 100 before redline but there was not enough road. When I drove the gs430 today it shifted up twice doing that. nice motor, but not like m45 / m45 tranny also allows engine braking. Center stack on m looks crappy. BUT almost all functions for climate and radio and nav can be accessed w/o screen on like required in g car. Also no run flats.
and you get full size spare & matching wheel for $200. on lexus with run flats no spar , not even donut. Gee what happens if you get a flat on your. run flats. oh yes audio syastem plays mp3 as well . fancy make levinson does not & m45 has audio input jacks for things like ipod. Full voice activation for nav. climate& audio, Different cars, morestyle with gs. more substance with m . M= Monster. t 0-60 5.3 according to Road & track. 5.6 according to Car &;Driver
r wearinfg flame suit
02-19-05, 07:10 PM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
Mr. Sandman
A very thorough and illuminating review. Your sentiments echo my "20 minutes of adrenaline" review closely. I am interested mostly due to your Gen. 2 experience. There are many GS owners that have patiently been waiting these last two years for the new GS. To those who like the Infiniti M series for its performance this is the first of a series of GS models that will be coming to our shores from the land of the sun. The IS350 will be the first salvo in the 3.5 liter category. The GS450h will take it to a level Nissan/ Renault hasn't figured out yet and doesn't have the budget to try. I'm betting the GS350 will show up and give the magazines yet another Lexus to extoll. Once everyone has 3.5 liters under the hood then we can compare apples to apples. The 300 HP R/L, M35, E350 and for grins the A6 4.2. Anyone want to bet against a 3.5 liter Lexus? Just don't expect a lot of money for your Infinitis in trade here at Lexus. Try Carmax.
Last edited by Rockville; 02-19-05 at 07:18 PM.
02-19-05, 08:16 PM
#14
Driver
Thread Starter
Shakedown Cruise Shakes Out Remaining Skepticism
Originally Posted by Rockville
A very thorough and illuminating review. Your sentiments echo my "20 minutes of adrenaline" review closely. I am interested mostly due to your Gen. 2 experience. There are many GS owners that have patiently been waiting these last two years for the new GS. To those who like the Infiniti M series for its performance this is the first of a series of GS models that will be coming to our shores from the land of the sun. The IS350 will be the first salvo in the 3.5 liter category. The GS450h will take it to a level Nissan/ Renault hasn't figured out yet and doesn't have the budget to try. I'm betting the GS350 will show up and give the magazines yet another Lexus to extoll. Once everyone has 3.5 liters under the hood then we can compare apples to apples. The 300 HP R/L, M35, E350 and for grins the A6 4.2. Anyone want to bet against a 3.5 liter Lexus? Just don't expect a lot of money for your Infinitis in trade here at Lexus. Try Carmax.
My 06 Mercury Metallic GS300 should be on a truck out of Jacksonville on Monday or Tuesday. I should have it by the end of the week. After another test drive at Nalley Lexus this afternoon I can say that now I’m 100% satisfied with my decision to get the new GS. Up until I took this 3rd drive I was holding back 10% of my enthusiasm because of a few items that I mentioned in my first post. I think at the core of it was that I’m a real big fan of my 01 GS300 and as beautiful as the Gen 3 GS is I was having a difficult time adjusting to some of the differences in the overall feel – primarily the roominess. IMO “Roominess” I think is largely a perception issue – that can’t be captured by the numbers.
Well today I went back to the dealer and spent a lot of time in the driver’s seat. In that time I became much more comfortable with the seating position and how much space there is in the cockpit. I’d like to now remove that issue from my list of criticisms. What really put me over the top was the drive. The last 2 times I drove the car I pushed it a little but I was pretty tame – not wanting to scare my salesman. Well today I threw all caution to the wind and I absolutely put the car to the test! (I hope he didn’t soil his pants!) On a back road with some serious curves I did a near full throttle run and then I turned into a parking lot and created my own slalom course. Man does the Gen 3 blow Gen 2 away as far as the driving experience goes. What a blast!
The steering in the Gen 3 is quite different – I absolutely love the responsive close-ratio action. Very little body lean or roll. For a real acceleration thrill you will need the 430 but I was pleased enough with the 300. Now I’m counting the days until I take delivery.Ps – It is a damn good thing that I have a Valentine One! Also, I better put more money in the budget for tires because I think that I’m going to have a hard time not “enjoying” this car.
PPs – It is exciting to know that Lexus has all of this “sophisticated” Performance Technology (that you mention) on the launch pad. I like that Lexus is doing it their way – increasing the value, performance and selection by innovating – not imitating.
02-19-05, 08:38 PM
#15
Originally Posted by Rockville
Just don't expect a lot of money for your Infinitis in trade here at Lexus. Try Carmax.
And BTW, I went to JM Lexus today and test drove a new GS300. (They didn't have a GS430 for test drive.) I found the car to be EXCEPTIONALLY beautiful on the outside, but the interior just didn't seem to be up to the usual Lexus standards. Consequently, when I go test drive the new M, it won't be just performance that makes it attractive.