LexFather

I guess to keep advertisers happy? The GS really has gotten incredible reviews, here is another place it finishes near the top. Forbes just picked the GS 300 (and 2 other Lexus are on the list) as the best sedan 40-45k.

What is MOST impressive, TopGear likes the new GS, and they are very tough to please and the most blunt and honest car mag out today. That will really help the GS in Europe.

jwaters

In hopes of clarifiying this whole finishing order thing, here are more quotes from the magazine.

Sorting out the winners from the losers in a comparison of sedans like these calls for excellence across the spectrum. We want a completely premium driving experience, and we don't want to make any hard choices about comfort, practicality, or price. We want it all, and we're not ashamed to ask for it.

The Acura RL is the most virtuous car here, but, as Lerner notes, "It's still in the near-luxury class, without the grunt or gravitas to compete with its rivals." The BMW 545i is terrifically fast, but it suffers from mixed performance that doesn't live up to the price, and so it becomes what Lerner describes as "the good, the bad, and the ugly." The Cadillac STS's disappointments are amplified by its stratospheric price, with $19,000 in options. The Infiniti M45 promises much, but, as Lerner says, "The standards have changed since Infiniti benchmarked the M45." The Jaguar S-Type unexpectedly wins us over, proving to be a great car for daily driving, but it still needs to shine a little brighter in quality before it becomes an elite ride.


....they then go on to address the top three (which they refer to as the "elite" cars of the group), including the winner, the A6 which they say "is the right car to drive" and "beautiful" and a "great car."

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The GS 430 finished last or next to last in every single performance category.

[sarcasm]Congradulations Lexus for delivering the car that you promised.[/sarcasm]







Sorry for the sarcasm and I don't doubt that the new GS is a lot of wonderful things that the old car wasn't, but there's really no denying that the car is having it's face rubbed in the mud by every single competitor in terms of performance. I know upgrades are coming, but for now, it's very disappointing.

lexusls430

Theres no way the gs430 does 0-60 in 7.1 unless the driver weighed 600 pounds +

Incendiary

Also garnered high praise for the A8 in R&T. 7-series won the comparo objectively (points), but 4/5 reviewers picked the A8 as their choice.

bige320

I agree... almost can say it's not possible, unless it's deliberate. Maybe the GS300 AWD is 7.1 and the GS430 is 6.1. Lexus.com quotes the GS430 at 5.7, GS300 at 6.8 and GS300 AWD at 6.9.

jwaters

Since one of the moderators edited my title to include "GS places 2nd!" can you also fix/change the issue date to May '05? Thanks!

Gojirra99

Actually motortrend's review of the GS300AWD got a 7.2 sec. 0-60 time

It's an anamoly for sure if not a typo, most other tests published got around 5.7 -6.0 sec. for the GS430.

spwolf

heh... GS500 wont help much if there is an typo, ppl really rush to make conclusions w/o much thought... GS430 has been testedt 5.7-5.9 0-60 by many mags...

LexFather

I just found this pic, never saw this color with the 18s before.

Gojirra99

I'm sure many have read it already, but the comparison article is now online : LINK HERE

LexFather

Good find!

Summary

The Acura RL is the most virtuous car here, but, as Lerner notes, "It's still in the near-luxury class, without the grunt or gravitas to compete with its rivals." The BMW 545i is terrifically fast, but it suffers from a mixed performance that doesn't live up to the price, and so it becomes what Lerner describes as "the good, the bad, and the ugly." The Cadillac STS's disappointments are amplified by its stratospheric price, with $19,000 in options. The Infiniti M45 promises much, but, as Lerner says, "The standards have changed since the Infiniti planners benchmarked the M45." The Jaguar S-type unexpectedly wins us over, proving to be a great car for daily driving, but it still needs to shine a little brighter in quality before it becomes an elite ride.

For us, the Mercedes-Benz E500 is certainly of the elite. As Gillies says, "After a strange hiatus, we have a Benz that feels the way a Benz should. It's solid, planted, and poised, and it doesn't make any excuses for being a German luxury car." We rate the Lexus GS430 just a notch higher than the Mercedes, because it maintains its standard of extraordinary refinement in a package that drives with captivating enthusiasm. "The GS should finally get Lexus the respect it deserves," says Lerner, "because it competes with the European marques in terms of emotion, élan, and prestige."

We are surprised that our three days of driving have brought us to see the Audi A6 4.2 Quattro as the right car to drive. We've grown accustomed to thinking of any Audi as a nearly-there kind of car, but the A6 delivers such extraordinary satisfaction in every aspect of driving that we find it irresistible. Gillies says, "It is both beautiful and bang up-to-date, proving that being at the cutting edge doesn't mean missing the mark. It feels bored at 80 mph and doesn't break a sweat at 100 mph." Johnson notes, "It isn't a superstar in any single category, but it possesses such a high level of excellence in all areas that it deserves the gold medal." Sherman says simply, "I would happily live with it."

gs430jw

There is no way those numbers are correct. Maybe they were talking about the 300

98LexusGS

I don't think it was a typo.

Link:

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2437.shtml

1/4 mile in 15 seconds!!! Maybe they drove with the parking brake on.

LexFather

All the cars got really slow times. Not sure what this is about.