cassiri

So I'm officially in the "wait for the GS350" camp after seeing the review of the IS350. The latest Car and Driver has the IS350 doing 0-60 in 5.1 and getting 21/28. That is even better 0-60 than Lexus rates it themselves. Interesting since Lexus is usually on the aggresive side of acceleration estimates. I guess the new engine is rated under the new hp rules.

From what I've seen it weighs about the same as a GS at 3600 pounds, so can we expect the same performance from the new GS350? That would be a staggering leap ahead of the current model. If so what will the GS460 and hybrid have to produce to improve on that!

Gojirra99

The GS350 is out in Japan, I wonder anybody have seen tests & performance #'s on them on Japanese magazines/car websites . . .

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

It's weird that Japan offers the GS430 and GS350, and the smaller engine is more expensive and has more power. Perhaps Lexus should have waited till next year and released the GS460 as the V8, alongside the current GS350, which would have wet people's appetites for more power. (As if 300+ horsepower isn't enough for Japanese tastes...)

GFerg

WHAT??? Wait. The 6 cylinder is the higher model in Japan?? So its GS430 as basically the base model, then GS350??

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I believe in Japan you pay car tax based on displacement and cylinders so maybe the GS430 is priced lower because you get killed in car tax and it's just less disirable with expensive gas, relatively poor economy, etc. Japan is not known as a place where V8s are popular.

tmds

DCD posted his review of the GS350 on FreshAlloy. He has some pretty slick photos in there as a bonus.

Gojirra99

Thanx for the link, nice pics, but review is not in depth & still no performance stats. He's comparaing a V8 to a V6 LOL.
I don't visit FA that much anymore, that site has been deterioting fast . . .

that_guy

No, the GS430 is still ranked higher than the GS350. The GS430 RWD is about 1,000,000 YEN more than the GS350 AWD.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Isn't that like $20 US dollars? j/k

Gojirra99

IS350 has slightly higher hp & torque than the GS350, & the GS should be a little heavier too :

cassiri

That HP/Torque difference is pretty insignificant. The weight of the GS300 rwd is 3546 and the latest C&D said the IS350 was 3600 (which may be rounding). Strangely close for a smaller car. I just can't help but think C&D got a juiced IS350 since it was turning 5.1 0-60.

I'm having a hard time imagining the GS350 doing low 5's and a quarter in the upper 13's. It also has a lower drag coefficient than the IS so mileage should be decent as well. How does the GS460 improve on that? 0-60 in 4.7?

Can't get here soon enough.

spwolf

20% is not insignificant, and GS300 is still slightly heavier

kreilly

Lexus lists the GS300 as 9lbs heavier than the IS350. So any significant weight difference between the 350s should be due to the increased weight of the 3.5liter engine over the 3.0 liter. I would bet that a GS350 could weigh within 100lbs of the IS (the GS430 only weighs about 200lb more). That shouldn't make much diference. My non-scientific method for estimating GS350 performance is to average the results from C&D & MT and then add a tenth or two to account for any extra weight. That gets you to 0-60 in ~5.5sec & 1/4mi ~14.1sec @ ~100mph. Slightly quicker than the GS430, although with the extra low-end torque the 430 may still feel slightly more powerful in everyday, part-throttle driving. I would hope that a GS460 would take at least another 0.5sec off these numbers.

cassiri

According the data Amethysc posted above it is 318ps (IS350) vs 315PS(GS350). What is the 20%? The GS is slightly lighter than an IS350 unless you have more accurate info on the IS weight than 3600.

AgentWD-40

Do any of you think that Lexus handed out some ringers for the magazines to test? Not that the IS350 doesn't have amazing performance but 5.1 sec to 60 mph seems a little too good. The Nissan 350Z with 287 HP and a 3200lb weight can pull down a 5.5 second run to 60, the Z even has a slightly better power to weight ratio. I think Road and Tracks 6 sec number is a bit more accurate.