flipside909

I got a chance to drive the GS350 this afternoon out at Newport Lexus here in SoCal for those who aren't familiar. I hopped into a fully loaded GS350 RWD Verdigris Mica w/Tan interior, the Sharkfin antenna, ML & NAV and the 18" 5 spoke graphite wheels which come standard on the GS430. I was there with a few other CL members including V8 Aristo, GSAristo, SanseiGS43 and Jinetx.

Jinetx and SanseiGS43 came along with me on the test drive. Yes the sharkfin antenna was standard on the fully loaded vehicle we drove. The sticker price was $51k. The most notable change was the TRAC OFF button now with the universal TRAC OFF icon and the TRAC OFF indicator light is now the same universal icon on the console. 5th Gen Nav w/ML worked great as usual.

As for driving impression, during regular driving, no one can tell the difference between the GS300 and 350. But when you romp on the pedal, now that's a different story. As most of us know the 303HP 2GR-FSE comes from the IS350 but w/306HP. For those who are already thinking this car isn't going to be as fast...you will be in for a surprise when you drive it. Considering I had SanseiGS43, Jinetx and the salesman all in the car, we were all shocked by the power delivery. The 3.5L V6 pulls nicely in the midrange and climbs effortlessly into freeway cruising speed. Sure it's not the torquey GS430's V8 power but the power is nice and linear, almost as quick as the IS350 if not the exact same. I tried accellerating in Normal Driving mode (i.e. TRAC ON and ECT NORM) and the car drives normally. I switched the TRAC OFF and ECT PWR and the car wants to keep diving deeper into the 3 digit speedo range. SanseiGS43 was pretty amazed by the power considering his car is an 06 GS430. He was bothered by the fact the GS350 had great power, awesome EPA mileage ratings, 21 city and 29 highway and the 5th Gen Nav's clarity. The only thing really missing is the nice grunt of the V8. I did not get a chance to overlook every single detail as far as change, but there is no AUX Input in the console like the IS250/350. Vaistech or an FM modulator for your IPOD will still be needed. I will have to try and test drive the car without any other passengers to make a good assessment on the power and speed. So far so good, I think this powerplant will be very adequate for most...including myself. I was impressed with the power difference from the 06 GS300. I was quite impressed the car moved well considering the 3 other passengers riding in the car.

Sorry I did not get pics of the rest of the car. Was more interested in how the car accellerated more than anything else. Here's the interior of the GS350 showing the new usage of the universal TRAC OFF icon.

flipside909

Here is a quick write up I did for the New IS colors, Starfire Pearl and Black Sapphire:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...76#post2089976

purebliss

I to had the chance to drive a gs350 since our dealership got them on WED and I can tell you I feel the same exact way as you do. The car seems to me the same as the GS300 when you drive it however when you hit the pedal it moves but I wouldn't say it really takes off. To be complety honest I wouldn't know the difference which car I was in. However the GS430 feels complety different to me that car has a hell of a lot more torque feel and so does the GS450h. I think if your looking for a performance GS those are the 2 models to get. The GS350 is fast but I wouldn'y say it feels much much faster then the GS300. I was told by the rep the 350 engine is not much different then the 3.0 and the 2.5 he said the three engines are basically designed exactly the same and they prob will all feel the same. He said the 2.5 or 3.0 could be tuned to what the the 3.5 it putting out.

GStateOM

I also agree^

I drove a 3G GS300 when it first came out and have pretty much forgot about it in a performance aspect, other than the fact that it was lacking in that area. Other than that, everything about the car was great.

As a GS400 owner, I agree that it doesn't have the torque and low V8 growl. But both cars have a lighter feel than my GS400, which I like. I also agree that it might be unnoticeably (to the human feel) slower than the IS 350, if not just as fast as the IS 350 in a straight line. So that Lexus estimate of 0-60 in 5.7 is conservative, considering the IS 350 can do around 5.2 secs.

Personally, I'm more of a GS 460 guy myself. But this is a great car made even better with the 3.5 engine.

Rockville

The car you drove had the optional 18's. How did it track in the turns? How did the new 18's look? Did you notice the new brakes especially when releasing them at a stop sign? Some have stated the IS350 at 5.2 seconds but that would have to be under downhill conditions? The GS350 RWD should be just slightly slower 0-60 than the IS. The GS430's torque will give it some advantage at takeoff but the GS350 horsepower will start to show itself later and pretty much be a draw. The GS 300 wasn't that bad once you revved it some.

Purebliss, since you're in the Eastern region with me then you should have received an AWD GS350. Give us a little feedback about the experience...

Our first one should be in this week. This should be a balanced sport sedan with up to date Nav and bluetooth.

Rockville

purebliss

The way I felt was that it wasn't much different then the GS300 to me the GS430 still seems a lot faster. I know it might be because I drove and AWD GS350 and not a RWD drive one but I could hardly tell the difference. The brakes seemed good but since it was a brand new car they always feel good. Also that shark fin is horriable looking but it is def better then having a black box on the trunk. Hey rockville did you happen to have any GS's coming in with Lexus Link? We have none at all so far. Also they seem to be coming in with all different combo's of opions which is going to be a major pain in the *** for my salesman. Also we still have a few 06's that are inbound on the water isn't that strange? I really think those who are buying the GS300 for notting are def getting a good deal because there really isn't much of a difference and they are saving tons of money because we are not discounting anything on these GS350.

marshmallo

Wow, this sounds very disappointing.

I was expecting the GS350 to have that effortless GS430-like
launch. From these reviews it sounds like in normal driving
you can't tell much of a difference between the GS350 and
GS300

Did you guys drive it with the PWR ECT button on?

flipside909

Yeah it had the optional 18s. I really didn't flog it around the corners just to be courteous to the passengers and the salesman sitting behind me. But the wheel/tire combo is much more responsive than the standard 17s. Plus with only 8 miles on the ODO, it was probably bad enough i sport shifted to redline 90% of the time haha. When I first walked up to the car, I thought it was a GS430 but looking at the rear decklid, it confirmed it. I kind of wish Lexus made the GS350 and 430 a little more different as far as distinguishing features. Outside, they are virtually the same. The new brakes were very good...a little touchy but it is expected of a car with only 8 miles on the ODO. I think a majority of buyers will overlook the GS430 in a sense that it has practically the same performance, but with better mileage and about $8K less than a typical fully loaded GS430.

I really had no complaints about the GS300's handling when it first came out as in my review back in 2005:

https://www.clublexus.com/index.php?...276&Itemid=183

RandalR

I've never driven the GS300 or the GS430, but the GS350's acceleration felt pretty effortless to me, even without using the PWR ECT button. (It destroys my 2003 RX300, anyway. )

flipside909

I drove with ECT PWR and TRAC OFF as mentioned above. You have to remember, the 2GR-FSE has a torque deficit compared to the wide torque band of the 3UZ-FE 4.3L V8. The 2GR-FSE 3.5L V6 is a high compression high output motor. Because of the high pressure fuel Direct Injection, it allows the motor to produce alot of power without having the need for larger displacement and allows the engine to sip gas frugally, granted you're not WOT 100% of the time. In normal driving city or highway driving, GS300, GS350 or even GS430, you're not going to experience a burst of power unless you mash the pedal. The average person cannot tell the difference between a GS300 or GS350 unless they drive it back to back and accellerate hard either in ECT NORM or PWR mode. Everyone should drive it for theselves to get a fair assessment. You will be surprised.

marshmallo

Thanks for the explanation. I guess no V6 can match that
incredible GS430 V8 in terms of comfort and smoothness.

I will try to drive the GS350 next weekend and see for myself.

flipside909

The 3.5L V6 in the GS350 is plenty smooth and comfortable. It's actually quieter than the GS430 other than the tapping sound of the high pressure fuel injectors a la direct injection system. And that sound is only audible from outside or if you have the windows cracked open as you know.

bearklaw

But a V6 + big electric motor (GS450h) can... Of course, it costs the same as the V8.

-Barry

flipside909

You forgot two important key factors with the 450h, it gets better mileage and it's faster!

HemantS

When I test drofe the GS300AWD, it was near perfect but lacking in power slightly. I think the GS350AWD is perfect for anyone wanting an AWD mid sized sedan.

That being said, no way I would buy a GS350 RWD. The GS450h is just way too seductive in the way it lurches forward whenever you ask it too. It's like having a pet Cheetah at your command.