My First 11 Hour Road Trip in my 06 GS430
03-08-05, 12:56 PM
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My First 11 Hour Road Trip in my 06 GS430
I have been somewhat depressed since I picked up my 06 GS430 on 2/28. You see I ususally drive between 40-50K miles a year and am replacing my 98 GS400 (317,000 miles) with this new GS. Last week I was stuck in the office and only put 300 miles on my GS.
Yesterday I took an 11 hour round trip. 9 hours of it was on an Interstate and 2 hours were on some very twisty 2 lane roads in the middle of nowhere. Here are some highlights:
GAS MILEAGE: 24.8 on my first tank which was all Interstate with cruise set on 78 and working aganst a 30 MPH cross wind. 22.6 on the second tank which was lets say under more intense conditions. I wasn't sure about the TRIP Computer on the NAV (INFO - TRIP) so I did the math when I got gas and my math matched the number in the TRIP Computer exactly. It is also neat that the TRIP Computer resets itself when you get gas.
PERFORMANCE: After I filled up my tank I started on some isolated (very bumpy) 2 lane roads with plenty of 'S' curves. I set the suspension on SPORT (didn't notice much difference in ride but did see a difference in handling) and began my 50 mile stretch on a road that I taken many times in my 98GS so I knew what to expect.
The S-Shift mode was incredible and much more fun than the M-Mode buttons in my 98GS. I didn't notice as much geared braking as I hoped but the big brakes were awsome when I needed them.
The cornering differences were amazing (could be 16" vs 18" tires but I don't think so). There were 'S' Curves marked 35MPH that I easily took at 80MPH without the hint of tires barking and even close to feeling out of control. I kept it in 3-5 gears and between 70-100 the whole way (never saw another car) while enjoyng my XM Radio on my ML Stereo as if I was sitting in my Lazyboy watching TV.
RUN FLAT TIRE RIDE QUALITY: The car does feel stiff when the road get rough but I noticed that my 18" Run Flats (Yokohama) were smooth when the road was smooth so I am not fully convinced that the ride is the result of Run Flat tires. When I had long stretches of good Interstate I did not feel much difference at all between the ride on 18" Run Flats and my 98 GS with 16" Z Rated Bridgetones.
I have read a lot of concern on CL about Run Flat ride quality. I also have 17" Bridgestone Run Flats on my wifes 04 Toyota Sienna and I know that it rides as smooth as any other minivan so I don't see the Run Flats as the only issue.
I do know that the factory tires on both my 98GS and my 92ES (184K miles on it when I traded it in for my 98GS) were the worse tires I ever had on either vehicle. I know that I experimented with 4 sets of tires (getting 40K or more out of each set) on my GS before I found the 16" Z Rated Bridgetones that I love on my 98 GS400. I am sure that it will take a few sets before I find a tire that give me the best ride/performance possible on my new GS.
LEXUS ML NAV: I first want to state that I have never had a car with NAV so maybe some of the cool features that I found are on other cars. I entered the address of the company I was to visit and set it as my Destination. I also experimented with entering the GPS location from my Street Atlas software which also worked well. After entering my Route I am give 3 different Routes to choose. I selected the one that more closely match the route I had taken before and was on my way.
While on the Interstate I noticed that I now had 6 different screen modes including one that showed me all of the next exits and what services were at each exit. I noticed that everytime I came to a junction with a major road that the NAV woud tell me to proceed on my current street just in case I got easily confused I guess.
When I looked closer at the route that the NAV had determined (the shortest of the 3 choices) I noticed that it wasn't the route that I usually took. In fact the NAV wanted me to stay on the Interstate 9 more miles before exiting. If I did that I would miss out on all the fun part of the trip.
I took my usual exit (9 miles before NAV wanted me to) which is where I usually get gas and eat at Steak and Shake. As soon as I started on my known path the NAV automatically reset itself to my new route and began giving me the correct directions to get me to my destination on my route and not one of the 3 routes that it chose. WOW I was impressed.
While I was 'hot footing it" through the curves I never thought NAV would be a big deal. However what I found was that with NAV I knew exactly where my next turn was so that it wouldn't sneak up on me.
When I left for home I set my Destination for home and the NAV didn't pick one of the 3 routes that it originally planned instead it chose the route that we had just driven without asking me for options. The new NAV is much more intelligent than I ever thought. I probably could have read all of this in the MONSTER NAV manual but I found the NAV very easy and friendly to use.
THE LITTLE THINGS: It sprinkled about half the way there. This was the kind of rain that would keep me flipping the single pass lever on my 98GS but little more.The Rain-Sensing Wiper System was wonderful. Basically you set it an forget it. The adjustment on lever allowed me to set it to work when I would usually make a single pass on my 98GS. What a great option.
Nightime lighting in the 06GS is really unexpected. The single light from above the shifter keeps the center console in just enough light to see anything in the cup holders but no enough to be annoying. I grabbed a map and turned on the Map Light and WOW. It's one thing to see the Map Lights when sitting still but only when you are driving at 80MPH do you realize how perfectly positioned the light is in your lap so you can easily see your map or whatever you are trying to read. The front floor lights take some getting used to while you are driving but are a nice touch.
The HID Headlights are exceptional and much better than the HID system on my 98GS. The pivoting lights when cornering a subtle and don't distract you as much as I thought. It almost made sense as you looked around the corner while the headlights moved with you.
The ML Stereo was incredible and my XM Reception was flawless using my antenna mounted on my rear deck. The quiet cabin even at 80MPH with a strong cross wind helps maximize the ML Stereo and it truely is an amazing sounding system.
Seating was very comfortable and even the arm rest positions on the door and center console are very comfortable. Yes there is about an inch less head room (I am 6'0") but it was no issue for me.
The sun roof seems to be moved back a bit compared to my 98GS which actually helped reduce glare. When tilted I could still enjoy the ML Stereo without too much noise.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This car is incredible and I LOVE IT. I can't wait to get back on the road and rack up lots of miles on my new GS.
I am going tonight to our local dealer's GS Roll Out Event. My 98GS will be on display (with a 1st Gen as well). My dealer has it for a week getting it Show ready. Can't wait to see it and share some of my 06 GS stories.
Yesterday I took an 11 hour round trip. 9 hours of it was on an Interstate and 2 hours were on some very twisty 2 lane roads in the middle of nowhere. Here are some highlights:
GAS MILEAGE: 24.8 on my first tank which was all Interstate with cruise set on 78 and working aganst a 30 MPH cross wind. 22.6 on the second tank which was lets say under more intense conditions. I wasn't sure about the TRIP Computer on the NAV (INFO - TRIP) so I did the math when I got gas and my math matched the number in the TRIP Computer exactly. It is also neat that the TRIP Computer resets itself when you get gas.
PERFORMANCE: After I filled up my tank I started on some isolated (very bumpy) 2 lane roads with plenty of 'S' curves. I set the suspension on SPORT (didn't notice much difference in ride but did see a difference in handling) and began my 50 mile stretch on a road that I taken many times in my 98GS so I knew what to expect.
The S-Shift mode was incredible and much more fun than the M-Mode buttons in my 98GS. I didn't notice as much geared braking as I hoped but the big brakes were awsome when I needed them.
The cornering differences were amazing (could be 16" vs 18" tires but I don't think so). There were 'S' Curves marked 35MPH that I easily took at 80MPH without the hint of tires barking and even close to feeling out of control. I kept it in 3-5 gears and between 70-100 the whole way (never saw another car) while enjoyng my XM Radio on my ML Stereo as if I was sitting in my Lazyboy watching TV.
RUN FLAT TIRE RIDE QUALITY: The car does feel stiff when the road get rough but I noticed that my 18" Run Flats (Yokohama) were smooth when the road was smooth so I am not fully convinced that the ride is the result of Run Flat tires. When I had long stretches of good Interstate I did not feel much difference at all between the ride on 18" Run Flats and my 98 GS with 16" Z Rated Bridgetones.
I have read a lot of concern on CL about Run Flat ride quality. I also have 17" Bridgestone Run Flats on my wifes 04 Toyota Sienna and I know that it rides as smooth as any other minivan so I don't see the Run Flats as the only issue.
I do know that the factory tires on both my 98GS and my 92ES (184K miles on it when I traded it in for my 98GS) were the worse tires I ever had on either vehicle. I know that I experimented with 4 sets of tires (getting 40K or more out of each set) on my GS before I found the 16" Z Rated Bridgetones that I love on my 98 GS400. I am sure that it will take a few sets before I find a tire that give me the best ride/performance possible on my new GS.
LEXUS ML NAV: I first want to state that I have never had a car with NAV so maybe some of the cool features that I found are on other cars. I entered the address of the company I was to visit and set it as my Destination. I also experimented with entering the GPS location from my Street Atlas software which also worked well. After entering my Route I am give 3 different Routes to choose. I selected the one that more closely match the route I had taken before and was on my way.
While on the Interstate I noticed that I now had 6 different screen modes including one that showed me all of the next exits and what services were at each exit. I noticed that everytime I came to a junction with a major road that the NAV woud tell me to proceed on my current street just in case I got easily confused I guess.
When I looked closer at the route that the NAV had determined (the shortest of the 3 choices) I noticed that it wasn't the route that I usually took. In fact the NAV wanted me to stay on the Interstate 9 more miles before exiting. If I did that I would miss out on all the fun part of the trip.
I took my usual exit (9 miles before NAV wanted me to) which is where I usually get gas and eat at Steak and Shake. As soon as I started on my known path the NAV automatically reset itself to my new route and began giving me the correct directions to get me to my destination on my route and not one of the 3 routes that it chose. WOW I was impressed.
While I was 'hot footing it" through the curves I never thought NAV would be a big deal. However what I found was that with NAV I knew exactly where my next turn was so that it wouldn't sneak up on me.
When I left for home I set my Destination for home and the NAV didn't pick one of the 3 routes that it originally planned instead it chose the route that we had just driven without asking me for options. The new NAV is much more intelligent than I ever thought. I probably could have read all of this in the MONSTER NAV manual but I found the NAV very easy and friendly to use.
THE LITTLE THINGS: It sprinkled about half the way there. This was the kind of rain that would keep me flipping the single pass lever on my 98GS but little more.The Rain-Sensing Wiper System was wonderful. Basically you set it an forget it. The adjustment on lever allowed me to set it to work when I would usually make a single pass on my 98GS. What a great option.
Nightime lighting in the 06GS is really unexpected. The single light from above the shifter keeps the center console in just enough light to see anything in the cup holders but no enough to be annoying. I grabbed a map and turned on the Map Light and WOW. It's one thing to see the Map Lights when sitting still but only when you are driving at 80MPH do you realize how perfectly positioned the light is in your lap so you can easily see your map or whatever you are trying to read. The front floor lights take some getting used to while you are driving but are a nice touch.
The HID Headlights are exceptional and much better than the HID system on my 98GS. The pivoting lights when cornering a subtle and don't distract you as much as I thought. It almost made sense as you looked around the corner while the headlights moved with you.
The ML Stereo was incredible and my XM Reception was flawless using my antenna mounted on my rear deck. The quiet cabin even at 80MPH with a strong cross wind helps maximize the ML Stereo and it truely is an amazing sounding system.
Seating was very comfortable and even the arm rest positions on the door and center console are very comfortable. Yes there is about an inch less head room (I am 6'0") but it was no issue for me.
The sun roof seems to be moved back a bit compared to my 98GS which actually helped reduce glare. When tilted I could still enjoy the ML Stereo without too much noise.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This car is incredible and I LOVE IT. I can't wait to get back on the road and rack up lots of miles on my new GS.
I am going tonight to our local dealer's GS Roll Out Event. My 98GS will be on display (with a 1st Gen as well). My dealer has it for a week getting it Show ready. Can't wait to see it and share some of my 06 GS stories.
03-08-05, 01:19 PM
#2
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Wonderful review! Glad to hear your 06 lived up to it's expectations and then some. 
Those LED maplights really do their job! Where's our friend who said they were flawed? Where are you at?
Those LED maplights really do their job! Where's our friend who said they were flawed? Where are you at?
03-08-05, 01:29 PM
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You stated: You see I ususally drive between 40-50K miles a year and am replacing my 98 GS400 (317,000 miles) with this new GS.
Now can you tell me what problems if any did you occur while racking up (317K) on your GS
by the way nice review
Now can you tell me what problems if any did you occur while racking up (317K) on your GS
by the way nice review
03-08-05, 01:42 PM
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Originally Posted by highmiles
I grabbed a map and turned on the Map Light and WOW. It's one thing to see the Map Lights when sitting still but only when you are driving at 80MPH do you realize how perfectly positioned the light is in your lap so you can easily see your map or whatever you are trying to read.
hey, thought you said you were using the NAV? reading a map at 80 through twisties?Congrats on your new GS430
excellent write up...it makes me even more anxious to get mine (couple of weeks away) Good to hear you got 317k out of your old GS 
03-08-05, 01:50 PM
#5
Thanks for the review. Just a quick note on the 16s vs 18s. It will make a difference in handling. More rim, less (and stiffer) sidewall + a little more tire to the ground (16x7.5 vs 18x8 rims) will definitely contribute to the better handling. The rest of the new suspension probably contributed quite a but don't discount the wheel change. 
03-08-05, 01:59 PM
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great review...how did you set this up?
Originally Posted by highmiles
While on the Interstate I noticed that I now had 6 different screen modes including one that showed me all of the next exits and what services were at each exit. I noticed that everytime I came to a junction with a major road that the NAV woud tell me to proceed on my current street just in case I got easily confused I guess.
03-08-05, 02:17 PM
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I really enjoyed your writeup particularly since we'll be getting the 430 also in a couple of months. Just a quick question, you mentioned cross winds on your drive. Were you aware of any self correcting with the electronic steering assist? There was a comment in the Autoweek writeup that suggested that was a feature.
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03-08-05, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by LEXUS_KID
You stated: You see I ususally drive between 40-50K miles a year and am replacing my 98 GS400 (317,000 miles) with this new GS.
Now can you tell me what problems if any did you occur while racking up (317K) on your GS by the way nice review
Now can you tell me what problems if any did you occur while racking up (317K) on your GS
by the way nice review Also I just replace the center concole arm rest because I wore a hole in my other one and wanted to spruce it up for the show.
My local dealer does all my service and I see them about once every 30-45 days for my 5,000 mile services. I picked my new car up on Monday 2/28 and as I mentioned stayed in the office all week. I brought my new car in to put the XM Antenna in it on Friday evening and the Service Guy told everyone that I was in for my first 5,000 mile service. As you can imagine there was quite a crowd when I showed up and they really looked puzzled when I told them that I was in town all week. They must have been imagining that I was driving in circles 24/7 until the Service Guy let us all in on the joke.
03-08-05, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by ny888
Please post pictures, if posssible of the rollout event at your dealer tonight.
Would love to see how the 98GS looks.
Would love to see how the 98GS looks.
03-08-05, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by JHStrange
I really enjoyed your writeup particularly since we'll be getting the 430 also in a couple of months. Just a quick question, you mentioned cross winds on your drive. Were you aware of any self correcting with the electronic steering assist? There was a comment in the Autoweek writeup that suggested that was a feature.
This Steering Assist is AWESOME.....
03-08-05, 03:42 PM
#14
Highmiles - Thanks for posting your review! It was a great read! It made me want to get in my GS and go for a ride for a few hours. It really is an amazing car. My 06 GS300 is the 11th car I have owned - and it is always fun to get a new car. But none have compared with the thrill I get each day I open the garage door and see the 06 GS waiting for me.
It really is an amazing car. My 06 GS300 is the 11th car I have owned - and it is always fun to get a new car. But none have compared with the thrill I get each day I open the garage door and see the 06 GS waiting for me.
03-08-05, 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by highmiles
THE LITTLE THINGS: It sprinkled about half the way there. This was the kind of rain that would keep me flipping the single pass lever on my 98GS but little more.The Rain-Sensing Wiper System was wonderful. Basically you set it an forget it. The adjustment on lever allowed me to set it to work when I would usually make a single pass on my 98GS. What a great option.
Nightime lighting in the 06GS is really unexpected. The single light from above the shifter keeps the center console in just enough light to see anything in the cup holders but no enough to be annoying. I grabbed a map and turned on the Map Light and WOW. It's one thing to see the Map Lights when sitting still but only when you are driving at 80MPH do you realize how perfectly positioned the light is in your lap so you can easily see your map or whatever you are trying to read. The front floor lights take some getting used to while you are driving but are a nice touch.
The HID Headlights are exceptional and much better than the HID system on my 98GS.
Nightime lighting in the 06GS is really unexpected. The single light from above the shifter keeps the center console in just enough light to see anything in the cup holders but no enough to be annoying. I grabbed a map and turned on the Map Light and WOW. It's one thing to see the Map Lights when sitting still but only when you are driving at 80MPH do you realize how perfectly positioned the light is in your lap so you can easily see your map or whatever you are trying to read. The front floor lights take some getting used to while you are driving but are a nice touch.
The HID Headlights are exceptional and much better than the HID system on my 98GS.