jruhi4

Editor's note: Today's Short Stint car provoked strong opinions from two of our top editors.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I am underwhelmed with Lexi. I find them for the most part to be gussied-up Toyotas, with all the lack of passion, soul and fun that implies. And as much as the Lexus family makes me shrug and go, "whatever," I am most specifically unimpressed with its GS line of vehicles. GSs have always been my least favorite. This particular GS 460 is a mighty fine example. Let's start inside: The ergonomics are a bit of a mess (putting switchgear behind drop-down panels bugs me), the build quality is way below Lexus standards, and it's cramped in there. I know it's a cliché to say a car is "Lexus quiet." Well, this one wasn't.

On the road, the ride is a bit too harsh for my tastes, and over even slightly nasty potholes, you'll get some suspension crashing. The steering reacts slowly to my inputs.

I like midsize luxury sedans. I like the Audi A6 and S6, the BMW 5 Series, hell, I even like the Acura RL.

But this? No, this is the runt in the Lexus litter far as I'm concerned. There are a lot of cars I'd spend 60 grand on before this.

EDITOR DUTCH MANDEL: To paraphrase Dan Aykroyd: "Wes, you ignorant ****!" You must have a bug up your behind because for you not to like any Lexus, and in particular this GS 460, means you're a grumpy little boy. What, did Wessy not have his oatmeal this morning?

That car rocks. Not only does it have power, delivered smoothly and efficiently from its nearly 350-hp V8 to the road, it does it with more verve and passion than many Lexus models (or nearest competitors) have in recent memory. What are you kvetching about the switchgear? It's plain and simple to use.

Perhaps what you don't like is the extremely comfortable driver's seat that coddles and caresses you when firing through a corner or driving over potholes? I don't know why you wouldn't like the seats; they are on par with the best in the business, and I include Audi, Mercedes and Volvo among that cadre of comfort cruisers.

You complain that it's noisy? Wasn't it yesterday you were using that tried and trite expression to call it a sensory deprivation chamber? (No, that wasn't me, but with the way your memory has been going lately, I'll let that slide purely out of sympathy. --Raynal). That is so five minutes ago, yet now you don't like that you can actually hear the car.

Wes, I think you have to take your pulse. You are clearly flat-lined on this one.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...8/newsletter01

whlkev

sounds like the first editor hates Lexus to begin with.. I hate biased reviews.

2thfixr

The GS is not for everybody, I love mine, my wife does not. If I had to choose some of the stuff I like or dislike about it...

LIKES

- Effortless low end power with light to moderate throttle input. You hardly hear the engine because power comes on pretty low and smoooooth. The same engine in an ES350 is a buzzbox because it has to wind out even at light throttle input to get the same acceleration.

- Uber smooth and quiet on nice roads

- Very little wind noise

- Lots of comfort and tech features

DISLIKES

- Direct injection ticking - terrible but who cares when you're driving right?

- Cramped cabin

- Small trunk

- Not so smooth on not so nice roads

- Some cost cutting is evident - no backlighting on switchgear, no powered headrests.

- Floaty suspension that's a little too stiff (who would have thought that was possible) - BMW has sport/luxury sedan suspension tuning nailed and nobody can compete with that.

I love my car for the likes, my wife doesn't like my car because of the dislikes. It's easy to see why people can be passionate either way.

whlkev

don't know about previous models, but the driver side headrest for my car is powered, it adjusts automatically for optimal impact position depending on how you adjust your seats

2thfixr

My 07 GS is the same as yours, it looks powered but I believe it's a mechanical system that automatically moves the headrest depending on seat position. When I refer to powered, I mean having a switch so it could be adjusted at will electrically.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Biased? We certainly cannot throw people in the biased pile simply because they do not prefer the GS. We can either say the first editor is biased against the GS, or we can say the 2nd editor is biased for the GS. Either way there is some bias going on, so it's not fair to rule out the 'hater'. It's obvious the first editor has a passion for more sporty vehicles, where the 2nd editor appreciates the fine arts and craft of the GS460.

whlkev

of course =) but before he even started the review of the car, "I find them for the most part to be gussied-up Toyotas, with all the lack of passion, soul and fun that implies"

to say things like this just make it pointless the read the rest. There are thousands of reviews out there that offer a much rewarding point of views.

The G Man

I think the 1st editor was expecting a true sport sedan instead they gave him a sedan that emphasize on built quality, value and luxury more than it does on sport. He’s obviously a European sedan kind of guy. He mentions poor ergonomics on the Lexus, when in fact, the Lexus controls are some of the easier to use in the industry. He also said that the build quality of the GS is way below Lexus standards, that’s saying a lot since he doesn’t think much of Lexus. Yes it’s a bit cramped in there if you are over 6 ft tall, but then, the GS is a LS. As far as noise is concerned, it’s pretty quite except for the tire noise on the highway. I don’t find the ride to be harsh at all compare to my old BMW. Steering rate is slower than European cars but some people like it that way and prefer a smoother ride than beening jerk from left to right all the time. He said that there are a lot of cars he would spend 60 grand on before the GS. Well he obviously doesn’t have to pay for his cars or don’t know a real value when he sees one. The GS is the best value in this price range.

I8ABMR

man I have to say I agree 100% with all of your likes and dislikes. I would agree that lexus needs to still try to build cars with a little more of a sporty feel. I love my gs as well, but I cant stand the amount of roll the car gives. This car also needs a quicker steering ratio and better brakes. I feel that BMW and Infiniti build cars that inspire the driver. The lexus coddles the driver. Its numb. The steering to the exhaust note. Its all so damn numb. I am a tuner and I have already started to change the car to a more sporty sedan, but out of the box the BMW or the M for infiniti will give more of the direct and sporty feel, but at the cost of more visits to the dealership. Thats why I did not buy a 335 or an M35. I figured buy the more reliable and tune the car, plus there is something about the front fenders on the GS that I love. I felt that lexus made a car that looked nicer than the M35 , was larger than the 335 ( I am 6'5" and weight about 300 lbs). There is no such thing as a perfect car so we buy the best and tune to your liking. So in the end I would still agree the lexus GS is still the best choice for me overall

whlkev

since you already modified your car, just get some nice suspension (perhaps some intake/exhaust to change the tone) and everything you dislike about the car will go away you'll be amazed on how some strut bars/sway/coils will make you feel like you have a new car

The G Man

I seriously dont think Lexus wanted to built a car that stress only on sports. There is too much competition in that catagory already. Instead, they decided to built a car that is some what sporty with a lot of comfort and luxury.

ahearn

Raynal doesn't like the ergonomics of the 460 and uses the drop-down controls box as his only example? And he likes BMW's with iDrive? And where is the example of poor build quality?

One man's "cramped" cabin is another's "secure", "cozy", "fits like a glove", "feels like I'm part of the machine" cabin. And if the trunk is too small, buy a freakin SUV, pickup truck or a Crown Vic. This is a mid-sized sports sedan with cool rear-end styling and beautiful profile.

His road noise problem was probably run-flat tires, although he doesn't give us the details that would tell us that. My non-RFTs aren't noisy at all. And my suspension has never "crashed."

2thfixr

^^^ give it time... your tires will be howling in due time.

Jace7

The G Man

One thing good about tire noise is that you can always change the tires