jyg es3

pros: beautiful car, nice interior. super exterior. has power , Cons could not get used to seats, cushion is too short, instruments are niceBUT strain to see tach & speedo in same field, Biggest con: its still a lexus even in sport mode car floats way too much, Tranny is good . but

6 speed only reduces engine speed, I also notice when you take foot of gas there is no engine braking . Car is fast, but not like a bear fast as is the 2006 m45. That car has a real sport suspension. The gs430 does not even match the non sport suspension of my old 2000 528 BMW,
nice car but really an almost gt car, not even close to a sports sedan: I wish you guys well , enjoy your new cars. It just is not for me ::

JHStrange

I also just drove the GS430 this morning; Flint Mica with Gray int. In comparison to our Gen 1 the suspension is much firmer, even when not in "Sport" mode. Variable steering will require a slight get used to period but not significant. Power was as expected, very nice but no screamer; found the seats, both front and rear to fit us very well, were only 5'-5". Loved the way the doors "thunked" closed; our 127k miles GS300 is probably getting a little tired. Agree that the trunk opening is a bit small as mentioned in another post somewhere but trunk is much bigger than our Gen.1. Also as stated elsewhere, the fit and finish was excellent. All in all we found it to be an excellent luxury/sport sedan and we look forward to replacing our GS300 in a few months.

Being older (61) I probably look at it differently (quality, reliability primarily) than some members but then again I have my Lotus' ('91 Elan and '65 Seven) and my SLK32 as sports rigs. We saw the Flint Mica, Matador, Black and Silver cars. While I liked the Matador, my wife thought it clashed with our MB SLK; we'll see. We also got the new limited brochure mentioned in another post as well; not as glossy as the final will be I'm sure but a nice interim between the first teaser and what we're all expecting in a few weeks.

Our Portland OR dealer is expecting some GS300 RWDs in March, first set of cars only had the AWD and the GS430.

This probably deserves another thread but can someone enlighten me on the phone situation? How does it work with our existing cell phone; does it plug in somewhere, does it need to be a blue tooth, do you need to buy a cell service from Lexus? I'm just not technologically up on these things.

p.s. how do I change the "have you driven" poll now?
'

flipside909

Bluetooth is basically a type of signal that can sync your cellphone or other electronic pheripherals to each other. In the case of the GS, you can syncronize your phone with your NAV system. Your bluetooth featured cell phone and provided whether it is a GSM 1900 signal phone i.e. Cingular, T-Mobile system or Verizon (select Motorola phones) will work. It needs to be a bluetooth enabled phone to work with the ML/Nav system. Bluetooth is just the type of wireless technology.

Read up on it here: www.bluetooth.com

JHStrange

Thanks Flipside, we will probably have to replace our Verizon phone then once we upgrade to the Gen.3.

flipside909

Haha definitely a must!

marcpitch

Thank G-d! I was beginning to think it was me. I still have yet to drive the 430, but not too encouraged by the 300. Only real question that probably remains is M35 Sport or M45 Sport?

Darn, I love that Flint Mica and Infiniti's Diamond Graphite is much too light.

Hameed

I will make an appointment to go and test drive the new GS as well as I am also very curious about it.

lexguynj

Lexus has to realize that they need an upgraded sports suspension option for their top of the line sports sedan. You would expect more from a GS430 (Magnificent car), but with Floaty handling and all that power to play with it's a shame that you have to go aftermarket to enhance the handling / suspension.

Heck even this year the GX has a Sports Package with KDSS and the LS430 still has the Euro-Tuned Suspension. Why not give the GS430 something like this, since the AVS is more of toy than a real sports suspension.

Overall the new GS is a great improvement on the previous generation, it's just that there are so many choices out there now, that it's a matter of preference and what you want in a vehicle.

IsraelRX

Wow you are one of the few I know who moved from Lexus to BMW...interesting.
Anyways, since Lexus does offer the LS and GX with sport tuned option, I'm sure the GS will follow them soon.
I am really happy with the way Lexus is going, the GS styling, the upcoming GS450, the upcoming IS350 (the Avalon engine) and its 3.5 V6 and 315hp!!
Gotta love them...

Rockville

Marc your'e a lost soul but I'm still perplexed about the floatiness issue. One of my Infiniti FX owner's was in today and he was crying the blues. Seems he has been waiting for a part to fix his suspension for three months. He is actively contacting Infiniti. He has an SC430 that has spoiled him. Any way I haven't had the new GS430 out on the track or anything but I couldn't detect any floatiness in my harsh test of the GS300 AWD. The sport switch just makes the damping heavier and I feel feedback from the pavement more. Now the steering is very quick and doesn't have a Euro heavy feel so I'm wondering if we are talking about that. I am also surprised that no one has mentioned the brakes. They are like the hand of God has descended and grabbed hold. I won't be surprised if the GS430 is efficient in the magazine slalom and wet slalom tests. The VDIM is the next innovation in stability. Styling is a personal issue so that doesn't rankle me. There is probably some shop out there making modified suspension components for the Lexus as I type yet it didn't let me down when I thrashed the GS3 and it laughed at me and asked: Is that your best shot?

Hameed

This is very good news! I am so glad that Lexus has moved away from being so heavily biased on luxury rather than handling! It now appears it is more handling and luxury together!

dseag2

The steering on the new GS300 I drove yesterday felt much quicker than the previous gen GS, and the car cornered flat. It was a big improvement over my '03 GS. The power didn't "wow" me, but I was interested in a 430 anyway. Could it be the handling in the GS430 isn't as good because of the heavier engine up front? Doesn't the 430 also have a different suspension than the 300?

Hameed

Good to hear this. Perhaps the GS steering will no longer be critized as numb and lifeless anymore!

I doubt very much if the weight difference has anything to do with that. I am sure the weight difference is very small to negligible. The engines are very light to begin with.

marcpitch

Rock, let me guess - you will LOVE THE 430 after you take it out. While our opinions are only just that, I can safely say I am unbiased. When I show up for work each morning, I am not trying to sell Lexus' or Infiniti's.

jyg es3

it was faster than gs300 but not knock you socks fast. also tranny did strange things when you took foot of gas dropped down very quickly, no engine braking, AND car still did not have firmness of handling that i would expect. power mode & sport suspension were both engaged. maybe the run flat tires do not handle that well thet were crappy bridgestone el32 that have been so bitterly comlained aboujt on acura tl board. my driving experience om m45 sport was just the opposite. steering felt bmw style, great engine tranny coordination. and rocket ship power. If I could only get over the style and the nintedo style center stack (wife's description)