jroosh

Why does the GS300 not at least have the 3.3L? It's a shame they ditched the inline 6 in a primarily RWD car being that they don't have to mount the V6 transversely...then again maybe that's the answer to my question...the 3.3L can only be mounted that way (???)


I hate V6's any way. I wish they'd keep an inline 6 in the offing. First Mercedes ditched the I-6, now Lexus. BMW is the only premium brand offering the I-6. I know V6's offer better crash protection and modular design and such, but from a purest's standpoint...

If not the 3.3L maybe the 3.5L?

Seems they'd use the bigger engine if they could?

The Avalon has more HP at 280 than the GS300 at 245.

It may be smart to wait at least on the GS300 until they put in the powerplant it's ultimately going to have in the 6-cylinder version. Just speculation though.

Then again, I've heard that the GS430 is ultimately going to be the GS460 so you could always be waiting...

flipside909

GS330 will never happen because the MZ series V6 is strictly a FWD platform V6 1MZ-FE 3.0L, 2MZ-FE 2.5L (we never got this motor) and 3MZ-FE 3.3L. The next V6 to come will be the 2GR-FSE 3.5L V6 Dual VVT-i Direct Injection GS350 which is supposed to come out in 2007 Model Year.

LexFather

Dude, we need a FAQ sticky b/c the same things are asked over and over.

flipside909

Serious!

Rockville

Change is a good thing. The inline 6 had a cast Iron block and the new V6 is all Aluminum which weighs less and has better heat dissipation which it needs because it is a much hotter setup. It has variable intake AND exhaust timing. It has the fuel injector inside the cylinder which improves power and fuel efficiency. It has more torque. It has more horsepower. The new GS300 is rated at 22-30 MPG by the EPA compared to the 18-24 in the inline. The new engine improves emissions to ULEV standards compared to the LEV of the inline. The Inline was a stalwart engine and very good in its day. If you want to wait for more displacement fine but let the long space taking inline six retire, it deserves the rest.

jroosh

Okay, I'm with you but if what you say is true, where did they get the 3.0L V6 for RWD? Why didn't they go straight to the 3.5L? Presumably, they had to develop the 3.0L as mostly a new engine. When was the last time Toyota or Lexus had a V6 in a RWD car? So it must be pretty new especially considering the emissions and valvetrain features and improvements cited in Rockville's message.

As for the inline six, the only downside of that design is the length and the lack of shared parts with the V8. Otherwise Inline sixes are the ultimate six in every other way. Otherwise, why would BMW stick with them? They are smoother, don't need balance shafts, can rev higher and could be made to be just as powerful, torquey (is that a word?) and emissions-compliant as a V6. Plus, they sound better from both ends - intake and exhaust.

As for those out there that say HP isn't everything by the way, try paying over 40K for a GS300 knowing a G35, an M35, a Maxima, a Honda Accord, a TL and an Avalon to name a few all have more power. Also, how would you like to have a 2006 when then 2007 comes out with the bigger engine?

As for me, I'll probably wait until 2008 and lease a new GS460 (assuming that is where that engine is going).

Good replies, thanks.

flipside909

Yes, i'm with you on this one. It beats my why Lexus only wanted a 1.5 year lifespan for the 3.0L 3GR-FSE. Toyota put the new GR series engine in the new Crown (Japanese Domestic Market only) in a RWD platform. You are right, every RWD Toyota passenger vehicle by far has been an inline 6 or inline 4. The V6 RWD platform is a new direction. But the GS350 move doesn't follow Toyota/Lexus' traditional 5 year Model Year plan with the 3rd year powertrain changeover/upgrade.

I love my 2JZ-GE in my IS300. The only thing I hate about it is that having a "G" head true DOHC design and larger injectors to feed the thirsty engine is not so great on the wallet right now. The newer "F" head designs with direct injection and Dual VVT-i are definite steps forward for preformance and efficiency at the same time. I also have a Solara V6 with the 3.0L 1MZ-FE V6. The torque curve on that motor is a little more plentiful where as the 2JZ-GE is more top end power friendly. 200hp/214ft/lb of torque compared to the IS' 215hp and 218 ft/lb torque. And because the 1MZ is a "F" head design, it does get better fuel economy than the IS.

Rockville

that the new V6 is easier to adapt to an AWD and something Lexus hasn't had before. I'm glad that the GS still has the longitudinal mounted engine giving it a RWD character in an AWD with 70% of the power sent to the rear wheels. With the new V6 it is still more fuel efficient in the AWD than the previous inline 6 RWD. This is significant progress. Soon you will here a whirring sound of the Electric Motor/Generator when it is added to the 3.5 Liter V6 and it will outperform the 4.3 V8! The GS450h will have the best of both worlds. Fuel efficient and torque. That is revolutionary. What does BMW have to say about that?? Silence.........

jroosh

This hybrid stuff is a novelty for sure but I'm not sold on the concept...for me it's okay for an economy car but not for a luxury car. I prefer the power and all the other aspects of a big V8 - especially the sound and the smooth power delivery. A V6, even if it is augmented by a powerful electric motor, just can't deliver those for me.

flipside909

Don't knock it until you try it.

Rockville

I've certainly burned my share of gasoline and petroleum products. Who new in the 60's that the supply was finite and in a hundred years it would be all gone? The Hippies were right after all. The cars started having air conditioning in the late 50's. Who new that the Freon would eat away at the Ozone layer protecting us from the Sun's rays? Who new that fifty years later we would be killing each other to have access to the black ooze deep underground and undersea. Well we are all gasoline and petroleum junkies now and the stuff is going to get as expensive as cigarettes shortly. Hybrids are just a bridge into a new electric motor age where the air will be clean and not gray over our cities. Traffic will be quiet. Cars will have collision avoidance systems. Inline six cylinders will be in a museum and there will be digital sampling of the sound of a V8 which will be considered an odd relic. Windmills will be on every hilltop. Solar panels on every rooftop. Battery technology will be more important from now on........We are a future footnote of a bygone era.

spwolf

p.s. 3.0l GR engine will probably still be used everywhere except in the US, including in Japanese Toyota products and probably in Lexus everywhere except for Japan and USA, due to better fuel consumption.

jroosh

You try it first and we'll see how it goes for you!

jroosh

You forgot one thing in your uninformed and politically charged message...it is way less efficient and creates way more greenhouse (NO - I don't beleive in global warming) gasses to produce electricity from afar, run it across transmission lines and then use it to charge your car up. This is a known and indisputable scientific fact. Only huge government subsidies (read yet more increased taxes) can level the playing field.

This is not to be confused with a car that creates an electrical charge through brake regeneration and through a generator run from the internal combustion engine - a hybrid. I think it's a great idea.

Having said all that, I just happen to prefer the thrill of a V8 over the Hybrid even if it is faster and more economical and I surely wouldn't pay more for a hybrid version over the V6 or V8 version of the same car for that simple reason.

flipside909

Hehe playing it safe. I like that!