Owners of 2nd Gen GS and now 3rd Gen GS - Interior impressions?
01-12-07, 02:54 PM
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Owners of 2nd Gen GS and now 3rd Gen GS - Interior impressions?
Owners of 2nd Generation GS now owning 3rd Generation GS - what are your impressions of the interiors - comparing the 2 cars?
01-17-07, 11:15 AM
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I had a GS 400 for 4 years. I test drove a GS 450h for about 20 minutes the other day. I did not have enough time to really evaluate it, but I can say after not having been in my 400 for 3 years, that the new style felt very familar. It brought back a lot of memories of my old car. I placed my order yesterday for one for the GS 450h. When it comes in in a few months I will post up again.
01-23-07, 09:34 PM
#7
I don't have a lot of time in the 3rd gen GS (only a couple of days) but compared to my 1999 GS400, here are my impressions:
Driver's position - to me the 3rd gen GS feels crowded. It's not any single item but a combination of things, the more agressive slope of the front pillars, the lower roof lines with less glass on the sides, the tighter grouping of the instrument cluster, the wonky little drop down keypad for trunk release, etc. all these things add up to a feel that is less open and more crowded to me. I like my GS400 a lot more in this category.
Instrument Cluster - the three-tunnel main instrument cluster took some getting used to at first in the GS400 (prior to that I was an LS400 owner) but I have really grown to like it - especially the fact that with the tunnels it was harder for the wife to see how fast I was actually going
The 3rd gen gauges are easy enough to read but I like the 2nd Gen better.
Nav/Audio System - 3rd gen wins this one. The newer nav,backup camera and the bluetooth integration are really nice features.
Keyless Entry/Start - I got hooked on this feature with my daughter's IS 250 and the same is true of the 3rd gen GS. I like being able to just push the button to start. In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal but it's fun and I like it.
Rear seat - again, the 3rd gen GS feels less roomy than my GS 400 - especially when it comes to headroom. The specs seem to match pretty closely but it doesn't feel that way.
Interior surfaces - it may be more of comment on me than the cars but I acutally prefer the old smoother grain on the dash and the side panels of my GS400. I guess Lexus wanted their interiors to look more like BMW but the bumpy vinyl on the dash in the newer GS (and IS for that matter) just doesn't do too much for me.
On the whole, I would rather have another GS400 with 100K fewer miles, push button start and the new nav system.
Driver's position - to me the 3rd gen GS feels crowded. It's not any single item but a combination of things, the more agressive slope of the front pillars, the lower roof lines with less glass on the sides, the tighter grouping of the instrument cluster, the wonky little drop down keypad for trunk release, etc. all these things add up to a feel that is less open and more crowded to me. I like my GS400 a lot more in this category.
Instrument Cluster - the three-tunnel main instrument cluster took some getting used to at first in the GS400 (prior to that I was an LS400 owner) but I have really grown to like it - especially the fact that with the tunnels it was harder for the wife to see how fast I was actually going
The 3rd gen gauges are easy enough to read but I like the 2nd Gen better. Nav/Audio System - 3rd gen wins this one. The newer nav,backup camera and the bluetooth integration are really nice features.
Keyless Entry/Start - I got hooked on this feature with my daughter's IS 250 and the same is true of the 3rd gen GS. I like being able to just push the button to start. In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal but it's fun and I like it.
Rear seat - again, the 3rd gen GS feels less roomy than my GS 400 - especially when it comes to headroom. The specs seem to match pretty closely but it doesn't feel that way.
Interior surfaces - it may be more of comment on me than the cars but I acutally prefer the old smoother grain on the dash and the side panels of my GS400. I guess Lexus wanted their interiors to look more like BMW but the bumpy vinyl on the dash in the newer GS (and IS for that matter) just doesn't do too much for me.
On the whole, I would rather have another GS400 with 100K fewer miles, push button start and the new nav system.
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01-24-07, 08:51 AM
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I don't have a lot of time in the 3rd gen GS (only a couple of days) but compared to my 1999 GS400, here are my impressions:
Driver's position - to me the 3rd gen GS feels crowded. It's not any single item but a combination of things, the more agressive slope of the front pillars, the lower roof lines with less glass on the sides, the tighter grouping of the instrument cluster, the wonky little drop down keypad for trunk release, etc. all these things add up to a feel that is less open and more crowded to me. I like my GS400 a lot more in this category.
Instrument Cluster - the three-tunnel main instrument cluster took some getting used to at first in the GS400 (prior to that I was an LS400 owner) but I have really grown to like it - especially the fact that with the tunnels it was harder for the wife to see how fast I was actually going The 3rd gen gauges are easy enough to read but I like the 2nd Gen better.
Nav/Audio System - 3rd gen wins this one. The newer nav,backup camera and the bluetooth integration are really nice features.
Keyless Entry/Start - I got hooked on this feature with my daughter's IS 250 and the same is true of the 3rd gen GS. I like being able to just push the button to start. In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal but it's fun and I like it.
Rear seat - again, the 3rd gen GS feels less roomy than my GS 400 - especially when it comes to headroom. The specs seem to match pretty closely but it doesn't feel that way.
Interior surfaces - it may be more of comment on me than the cars but I acutally prefer the old smoother grain on the dash and the side panels of my GS400. I guess Lexus wanted their interiors to look more like BMW but the bumpy vinyl on the dash in the newer GS (and IS for that matter) just doesn't do too much for me.
On the whole, I would rather have another GS400 with 100K fewer miles, push button start and the new nav system.
Driver's position - to me the 3rd gen GS feels crowded. It's not any single item but a combination of things, the more agressive slope of the front pillars, the lower roof lines with less glass on the sides, the tighter grouping of the instrument cluster, the wonky little drop down keypad for trunk release, etc. all these things add up to a feel that is less open and more crowded to me. I like my GS400 a lot more in this category.
Instrument Cluster - the three-tunnel main instrument cluster took some getting used to at first in the GS400 (prior to that I was an LS400 owner) but I have really grown to like it - especially the fact that with the tunnels it was harder for the wife to see how fast I was actually going
The 3rd gen gauges are easy enough to read but I like the 2nd Gen better. Nav/Audio System - 3rd gen wins this one. The newer nav,backup camera and the bluetooth integration are really nice features.
Keyless Entry/Start - I got hooked on this feature with my daughter's IS 250 and the same is true of the 3rd gen GS. I like being able to just push the button to start. In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal but it's fun and I like it.
Rear seat - again, the 3rd gen GS feels less roomy than my GS 400 - especially when it comes to headroom. The specs seem to match pretty closely but it doesn't feel that way.
Interior surfaces - it may be more of comment on me than the cars but I acutally prefer the old smoother grain on the dash and the side panels of my GS400. I guess Lexus wanted their interiors to look more like BMW but the bumpy vinyl on the dash in the newer GS (and IS for that matter) just doesn't do too much for me.
On the whole, I would rather have another GS400 with 100K fewer miles, push button start and the new nav system.
Sir, you took the words right out of my mouth. I did not give my impressions first, becuase I wanted to see if any others felt like I did!
My old 1999 GS300 had a much more luxurious interior! The 07 GS350 is very nice, but the interior leather and wood is not as nice as the 2nd GS.
01-28-07, 07:54 AM
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It's funny, when I went to check out the new-style GS at one of those release parties the dealers hold, the very first thing I did was touch all of the surfaces to see if they felt like my 2kGS. The very first thing I noticed (and it's the same in my mother-in-law's 2k2 RX) is that the roof liner and material covering the windshield pillar is no longer soft, it's very hard and not cushiony like mine felt. I have perforated leather on mine but the new seats DID feel nicer. It does seem they went the European route though, with the pebble grain dash etc., which is ok with me as I don't think my GS still looks modern, actually it feels like a Camry now. Maybe that's because Lexus has completely redesigned the interiors, even the rounded look of the SC looks outdated when you look at newly released models, but I guarentee the next SC interior will look incredible.
Oh, and the new GS trunk is a joke.
Oh, and the new GS trunk is a joke.
01-28-07, 03:05 PM
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2006 GS 300 vs. 2001 GS430.
Overall, 3rd gen interior feels to me nicer and more modern, if not as high quality as the 2nd gen interior. Love the ventilated seats. Handling (stock to stock) is 3rd gen, hands down. Brake pedal feel is soft and mushy on the 3rd gen, and is the best I have experienced so far on the 2nd gen. Fuel economy is great on the 3rd gen.
Main letdown for me: a definite, noticeable size differential between the two.
2nd gen feels much roomier inside (both the saloon and the trunck).
For example, I could not adjust driver's seat in 3rd gen GS because I could not wedge my wrist with a Casio G-tech watch (thick) between the side of the seat and the closed door. Same thing in 2nd gen - no problem. I have pretty small hands too, for the record.
Also, the same box fits in my 2nd gen trunk, but not in 3rd gen.
It seems that with the IS and GS, the new corporate shape resulted in a sleeker shape outside, with the corresponding descrease in interior useable space inside.
Overall, 3rd gen interior feels to me nicer and more modern, if not as high quality as the 2nd gen interior. Love the ventilated seats. Handling (stock to stock) is 3rd gen, hands down. Brake pedal feel is soft and mushy on the 3rd gen, and is the best I have experienced so far on the 2nd gen. Fuel economy is great on the 3rd gen.
Main letdown for me: a definite, noticeable size differential between the two.
2nd gen feels much roomier inside (both the saloon and the trunck).
For example, I could not adjust driver's seat in 3rd gen GS because I could not wedge my wrist with a Casio G-tech watch (thick) between the side of the seat and the closed door. Same thing in 2nd gen - no problem. I have pretty small hands too, for the record.
Also, the same box fits in my 2nd gen trunk, but not in 3rd gen.
It seems that with the IS and GS, the new corporate shape resulted in a sleeker shape outside, with the corresponding descrease in interior useable space inside.