DHCrocks

Anyone drive both cars? Thinking of getting one but not sure which way to go.
How much of a difference is the ride quality. I'm leaning towards a more comfortable ride as I'm getting tired of road noise and would like something that absorbs the crappy road bumps better. I see that the 450h can also use sport+ mode so if I wanted sporty I suppose I could use that. Is the handling comparable between the models?

How's the power delivery, Ive never driven a hybrid so not sure if it would feel like a regular car since it has a cvt. the reason why I'm considering the 450h is because I'm used to power and I think the 350 might not be enough. I also like the idea of led headlights.

williakz

I've driven both, and so has my wife. We (she) decided we (she) liked the hybrid better on the basis of performance (it flies!), appearance (bamboo wood accents), and cachet (many of our neighbors have hybrids or smart cars). We now own a GS450h.

However, I would not in any way, shape, or form suggest you should base YOUR decision on my (our) experience. Many highly personal factors played into our impressions and final decision that would likely be very different from your take on the cars. The way to tell what differences exist between the two models and their significance to your tastes is to DRIVE the two cars. Hopefully, they are more or less available to you for test driving. If not, I'm sure the inconvenience is more than offset by your surroundings...Best of luck with your shopping.

puckhead85

I really like the hybird, it does fly but lack of AWD and trunk space killed it for me...

DHCrocks

so the hybrid is noticeably faster? from the reviews I've read it seems like it's just a little quicker but not much. How about the handling with the extra weight?

dchar

I got the GS350. Not a big fan of hybrids. It takes some getting use to. For example, the engine turns off at traffic lights, weird high pitch sounds, less trunk space, annoying CVT, regenerative braking, and extra weight = worse handling. If you're going for fun and luxury, go for the 350. Save a little gas and luxury, the go for the 450h, but make sure you can put up with the weird quirks of hybrids on a daily basis.

rlj4246

What he said

natnut

Here's some real world comparison between the GS350 and GS450h :



The GS350 may be as fast "on paper" but as you can see, that's not the case for real world driving.

rayaans

not really a true comparison. the hybrid is more responsive because of the instant torque in real world driving. That was just a 0-60 test, doubt youre going to be doing that every day.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

The 450h is too expensive with the no big discounting and incentives.
Lux pkg,ML,Nav,BSM and you're at $70K list..

Outrage

The $60,000 GS450h is priced very close to the BMW 550i and Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic. No asterisks are required when discussing the performance of those vehicles.

natnut

I know fuel consumption is not a concern for those in the market for a 550i and E550 but the superiority of the GS450h's fuel economy over theirs also requires no asterisks.

capture1

Can someone with the GS450 verify that it has the "auto hold" feature where the car will automatically engage the parking brake once coming to a complete stop (i.e. at traffic light) and then released when tapping the accelerator? Also, is the dynamic cruise control in the 450h have the stop and go feature where it can bring the car to a complete stop (i.e. can be used in heavy traffic)? These two features are what I'm looking for in my next vehicle purchase.

CincyBrad

I drove both, the 450h is a nice car, but its overpriced. Most dealers don't stock many of them, and aren't discounting, you'll pay full MSRP. You can get a regular GS350 luxury package for $15k less than the hybrid, that's a lot of gas money.

CVT tranny isn't my cup of tea either.

rlj4246

Can't speak to the 450h but I think the dynamic cruise will only slow you down to 26ph at which point it sounds a tone to let u know its off. I think it will go to zero on next years cars.

williakz

Feature is "Brake Hold" and appears to come standard on all GS models. I can confirm it is on the base GS450h (it is hidden behind the steering wheel on the dash to the left of the ignition button. I can't help you with DRCC functionality on the GS450h.