ikeb

i drove the 2013 gs today and i liked it a lot. I have a 2010 LS460 and was considering downsizing to the GS. But, after driving it and sitting in it for about 30 minutes, i decided to stay with the LS. I enjoy the LS's more comfortable feel and smoother road performance.

The gadgets on the GS and the appointments are excellent. The seats were a little to hard for me. The trunk is big, and there is plenty of room in the back seat. Overall, its a nice car. The steering is much tighter than the LS. But, again, the LS rides better for me. I really don't want to feel the road. It's like flying, i don't want to feel the air pockets. Also, i found the engine noisier then the LS.

if i was looking for a sporty sedan, i would jump on the GS. Especially with Lexus' reputation of making really good quality.

When Lexus comes out with its new LS, i will probably go with it. I am hearing the end of this year.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i think the LS and GS are two very different cars, way too hard to cross shop between them. they are for different needs

Dema

Not really different. I did cross shopping as well. I drove previous generation of GS and actually plan to buy the current generation. However I needed a car a bit sooner than current generation was available so I took LS as well. Most people claim that previous GS driving feel almost the same or even better. I am going to check it too, although my last previous gen GS drive was so long time ago so hard to confidently comparing. I hope Lexus did some improvements. Not every car maker can do it. For example new generation of A6 is much better as in driving feel as in interior, but E class was opposite, I like more previous generation, but C class again opposite, new generation is better. Looks like makers shuffling some parameters and not always do improvements over generations. But if the current GS even remains on same level as previous, I think still this car is worth for consideration

smcleod

I am a current RX 350 owner. I have always loved the GS. Is the 2013 a redesign?

LexFather

Nice review! Lexus has purposely made the GS to attract LS owners FYI...

Yes 100% all new

TerrySmith

I am thinking about trading in my LS for a 4GS but the 4GS luxury package alone is not going to lure me away from my LS430 UL. It will take the F Sport to do that but the F Sport is not available with some of the Luxury package stuff. That I can't get an F Sport with ML (especially) and some of the other luxury functions is turning into a show stopper for me.

Dema

It isn't smart decision for Lexus to target LS owners. The former is still more expensive, however if Lexus decided to give up on LS (Equus seems much better and cheaper), then sure Lexus did right.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the GS and LS are very different, i know because i actually got both the LS and GS 2 months apart. and i sold my LS and kept the GS for a reason

jj14

I hear ya.... I was(/am) looking to replace my ES with the new GS, but after driving the GS, I have the same thoughts. I know that the ES doesn't have the same comfortable feel as the LS, but the GS felt less comfy than even the ES. And yes, it is a little noisier even at low speeds(expected I guess, because of the GS being sportier). Sadly, I didn't get to really open up the GS (during the test drive) past 45mph, but the (much) higher power engine on the GS didn't seem to really make its presence known on the short bursts (foot down on accelerator) that I tried on the roads.
I also test drove the BMW 528 and 535 - but they felt just like the GS too. So, I guess the GS isn't that different than the competition as far as power/handling goes.

But the new design on the GS is really really nice! And that is probably the only reason why I am still looking at the GS as a replacement for my ES. (I don't like the interior design/leather on the ES that is available currently - personally, I prefer the interior on the older ES that I have)

itruns

You just live on the wrong coast On the East coast we have the sport + package which is rear steering/HUD/ML system...
But on the other hand you can get the rear steering without the HUD and ML and we can't... wanna swap cars?

itruns

Perhaps you should drive the Equus before you say "better than a LS"..... The Car reviews/resale values do not agree with you.... The LS nor the Equus is my type of car...

mordecai

What the hell is this? Much cheaper definitely, but much better? Get outta here, Equus are used as taxis in South Korea

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the es focuses on comfort and ride quality, the gs is sportier and give you more feedback. they are very different cars. if you want more on the comfort side, the es will please you more

while i also think the equus is good but far from ls460 good, unfortunately i think your second statement cannot be more wrong.

do you know ls460s are used as cabs in japan? and also the previous celsiors? and do you know there are s class in europe as cab? and i have seen both in person?

Itsuki_23

In Europe the latest trend among luxury car buyers is downsizing form representative class cars (S-Class, A8, 7-series) to one class smaller models (E, A6,5). Because if you like to drive yourself (not be driven) then those bigger models dont make any sense, they are more difficult to manuveur, are heavier (affects handling), and they look excatly like their smaller siblings etc. So instead of buying a 7-series, BMW buyers are opting for fully loaded 5-series.

jj14

You are right. I guess for the regular city driving situations, I didn't find the GS to be significantly sportier compared to the ES - I know that the GS does have a much more powerful engine, and I don't doubt that it will have much better handling on race tracks.

I may end up just looking at the ES again - but dang, the navigation and the other interior features on the GS are REALLY cool!