frankbcnt

The outside of the GS looks very nice and makes me want to buy it now until I look at the dashboard and it makes me think im in an old *** car from the 80's. Hell no, booo on the dash Lexus that makes me not want to buy. Reminds me of an old Porsche or old BMW or something not Lexus. This is the main reason we bought Lexus because for a high end car the interiors are far superior to BMW or Benz. I think the 306 v6 is ok but there needs to be a v8 option. At least a GS460 and bump the damned power up to at least the power the LS460 has out of the SAME v8. Better yet put in the 5.7 thats in my tundra and bump the HP up on that and or add the TRD supercharger

Stormforge

+1. [begin rant] people say no to hybrid because they already have a bias against it, because it conjures up pictures of prius, butt slow, high fuel efficiency, (name your bias here), etc.

V8 performance and feel...i understand hard core drivers want it, and i'm not denying the facts pointed out by pro V8 lovers.

but come on, be truthful and answer this honestly you guys - before lexus announced 3GS450h or rumors of its design/production, did you really think lexus could have come out with a hybrid that could do 0-60 in 5.2 sec, have the passing power of a V8, and has instant tq? a hybrid?!?! are you kidding me?!?! i would suspect that most of the anti-hybrid folks would have asked what kind of crack i was smoking!

let's not ignore the fact that hybrid technology is the new wave of the future. it is future technology now. and it is only going to get better and better with each successive generation. and that is something that we all can be excited about. [/end rant]

I-FORCE

iTrader: (3)

Nope, CVT is my main issue.. I cannot withstand continuously variable transmissions.. I feel like im driving a powerful and refined golfcart.. Secondly, i (and many others) genuinely like V8s.. I am not a big fan of 6-cyl motors and a v8 has simply become a requirement in a car of the GS' class in this day and age.


On a side note, and again not to be a pessimist or to burst anyone's bubble...

Another prediction that the GS-F is unlikely.....

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11108233...lfa-v10-engine

and i quote "Kanamori revealed the company has no plans for such a model."

Stormforge

i hope it's something lost in translation...no plans for a V10 model...but that doesn't rule out a V8?

TF109B

That's what it means, not plans for a model with the V10 from the LFA. Not that there's no plans for the GS-F. The beginning of this thread even had a story confirming there was an F model upcoming. Two new F models were confirmed from another story. I think there's a miscommunication from that story.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

lol sorry but all i can think is you two being too defensive about your hybrid

i am one of the very first few to "defend" the lexus hybrid, when people complained about the gas mileage not being better than their similar version with the same engine. i explained that hybrid system can be thought of another form of energy and lexus is utilizing that as extra power.

there you go, that's my defense. and i don't care what some other people say, but i think the gs450h and ls600hl are both brilliantly done. fantastic driving power with extremely respectable gas mileage.

however on a hardcore car like the gsf? sorry but it just doesn't fly with me -- yet. cars like that it's not just about power, it's about feel, about the touch, interaction, and engine response. i am not saying hybrid will not make it one day, but at least in the current generation i don't see the breakthrough making it worthwhile yet. too much space and too much weight. plus to me the sound is always still a problem, the electric power is silent, unlike the extra sound (of excitement) we get from turbo or supercharger.

again, maybe one day with the breakthrough hybrid electric power will be widely accepted, but i don't see that now. one on hand you are bashing competitors for gaining too much fat, but on the other hand you are ok with hybrid gsf which like i said will likely be heavier than equivalent powered car? come on.

and of course there is still the cvt, which would be absolutely horrendous on the f car. but my feeling is if they make the gsf, it won't have cvt regardless anyway.

so there you go, that's my reason. just want to make sure i am not being understood otherwise

spwolf

i agree about GS-F, unless they can really make it right. Car and its expense to Lexus should be seen as marketing expense.

But lets do recognize the fact that GS450h will be 400lbs lighter than 550i. With improvements in these 3rd gen hybrids, weight is not an issue anymore (Camry dropped 220lbs, GSh supposedly dropped 150lbs).

Camry's hybrid system for instance is only 227lbs heavier than base 4cly, and thats with actually more equipment, so probably system itself is 200lbs these days.

adamls2

i have much respect for lexus hybrid vehicles... they are very advanced vehicles and to me are in the middle of serving a purpose not for max performance or for max fuel efficency, but for having both of those characteristics combined equally enough that it has a refined and suitable drive-ability for the average driver in real situations of driving conditions. people will not track the car but people also will not want to drive as carefully as possible to suck out that 1-2 extra mpg, (ex. Prius drivers etc.) Now in real life situations 200lbs or so for an additional electrical drive-train is not that much of a sacrifice for high-end luxury vehicles, but in racing matter and talk it is a significant kill for performance. i think that for what is suitable for most of the customers of lexus vehicles is that they wont care for that added weight. im sure for the hard core enthusiast they will try to meet they're demands as already seen by the LFA and ISF examples... i think they know what they are doing IF they decide to build a GSF... but until that is confirmed ( and since there is a popular demand for it they should) we do not have any information to work off of, and realistically I don't think they would put a hybrid drive-train in any F-oriented vehicle... at-least not anytime soon.

J.P.

Great post!

Thing is if someone is going to debate this same topic they are prob not in the market nor ever will be for a M \ AMG \ RS etc, it really is a matter of taste at this point and everyones is different.

Gojirra99

A hybrid GS-F will make my interest in the car instantly dissipate, so is one with less than 500+ hp ......

rominl

iTrader: (4)

in no way am i discounting the weight loss and difference in the 4gs, i gave them thumb up since day 1 (why would i, i bash my m3 for being so heavy). but at the same time if we are looking at weight as such a major thing, then it seems for example putting a turbo will easily boost the same hp with less weight. if we want to go one way on the standard, then be fair and look at everything the same way

if they put the gsf in a hybrid setup, i don't know enough about hybrid system to say, but naturally i would think the battery needs to be bigger in order to sustain enough juice. yes, most people probably won't be bringing their gsf to the track, but it would be stupid if they bring the car to the track and after a while the juices run out and it goes from a fun car to a normal car.

we will see the weight difference between gsh (normal version i mean) and the gs350. that will be an indication of the weight difference of a current hybrid system

MR_F1

I think that a hybrid F car would need a lot more than just "punch" to make it justifiable. in wheel motors all round, push to pass electric boost button, ultra capacitors for aggressive braking and an epic transmission solution. None of which i think Lexus is willing to put the work in now, or willing to offer at a reasonable price. The exclusively hybrid CT would also be a better starting point for that kind of experimenting too.

No need to re-invent the wheel here. Boost the 5.0 and boost it well. Turbo or Supercharger, doesn't matter to me. They already have a pretty good base to build form if what the early prototype drives indicate is true. Just don't half *** it, or don't bother. By that I mean, don't half *** it, because what's the point of an F sub brand with one car?

Stormforge

correct, it is a matter of taste and everyone is different. but as i mentioned in my above post, i'm not knocking on people who prefer the M, AMG, RS, etc with the big V8 engines. i understand its all about the feeling, etc.

all i'm trying to point out is that one should not automatically dismiss the hybrid, just because it's a hybrid. you test drove it and it's not your cup of tea? fine, please pick the V8 version (it was what you wanted to begin with). all i ask is that people make an informed decision before jumping on the V8 > hybrid bandwagon (and i can guarantee that not all of you guys can say that)

J.P.

I have no issues with hybrids depending on what I want, but if I want a F \ AMG \ M, its for a reason. I go back to my taste in boats, I like to have 1000hp+ ticking time bomb behind me

If their spending the money and time on hybrid tech, use it to give me a high rev v8-10 with an amazing over all driving experience

I love tech, but when it comes to cars like those I want refined power, and simple

ydooby

Not sure if this has already been posted or not, but the GS chief engineer Yoshihiko Kanamori was recently quoted that it is technically feasible to fit the LFA's V10 into the new GS and that although the V10 GS project isn't currently planned, it could still come true as a "skunkwork" in the mid-cycle just like the IS-F did.
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2578F10020637A

EDIT: Just realized it's basically saying the same thing as the OP. Doh!