Why has every auto reviewer said that when pushed the 4GS comes alive?

I think you may be confusing oversteer with understeer.

Do you know that the 3GS and 4GS are nearly identical in size?

The 4GS is only .7" wider, .7" longer, 1.3" taller, and 91lbs heavier than your 2007 GS?

Every reviewer has also extolled what an improvement the 4GS is over the 3GS in terms of handling also.

 

I didn't buy the 07 GS Lexus as a sport sedan, but a comfortable and reliable hauler and that is what it turned out to be. I bought the 13 GS Sport Lexus thinking that I was getting a nimble sports sedan and it is still a hauler, but slightly bigger. If I had wanted a LS size car, then I would have bought it over the GS. On the oversteer, you may be right that is more understeer. The way I test a car is to put an article in the passenger's seat and make a hard and quick turn and see how much the article moves around and it is a lot in this new GS. So, one has to take hold of something when making a sharp turn in this car or you end up against the door. This car reminds me a little bit like the American cars of the 70's and 80's, the companies would put a lot of plastic gingerbread on the car to make it look sporty, but do nothing new to the engine, in fact, in many cases, decreased the performance due to pollution restrictions.(Mustang II, etc.) After a few years, many of those American cars shed most of their plastic parts on the side of the road and the cars did not wear very well. So, the new GS is a nice hauler, but in my opinion not a nimble sports sedan like the BMW 1 and 3 series. Sportpop

 

The 1 series and 3 series is more comparable to the to the IS350. You have to compare the GS350 to the 5 series BMWs. It's a bigger vehicle and simply can't be as nimble as the smaller vehicles.

 

But the GS is not an LS sized car...its exactly the same size as your 07 GS.

That method of testing has no basis in physics. When you make a turn there is going to be a level of force that is going to want to keep moving forward, thats the pull you feel towards the side. That force is equal regardless of the vehicle one is in. How handling is measured has to do with roadholding, amount of suspension lean, neutrality in steering, chassis rigidity. The amount that a "parcel" moves sitting on a seat is meaningless.

Of course its not as nimble a car as a much smaller 3 series or a MUCH smaller and 2 door 1 series. You have to compare it to other cars in its same size class. The GS has been heralded as having best in class handling, thats documented across many reviews. The IS, 3 series and 1 series are in different classes.

You bought a car that was not the car you wanted, thats your fault not the vehicle's fault.

 

I know man, I just don't understand how Lexus dropped the ball on this car. I own an Ariel Atom and this thing handles nothing like it. It's all leather and padding and no guts. What a joke of a "sports" sedan.



/HEAVY SARCASM

 

so i wonder if the 2014 gs has the power folding mirrors, if they do, how hard would it be to make our 13's have them as well...

 

Yeah somebody here pointed out that they do. And im assuming it'd be somewhat hard. You'd need to create a button inside for them to close. Or you can just play around with the wiring

 

Yes, I have it on my 14 GS as part of the blind spot monitor. The window sticker says "blind spot monitor with power folding mirrors $700".

 

Ariel Atom! I want to go down the freeway with my mouth open and look like Jeremy Clarkson.

 

I parked between a current gen RX and previous gen GS at the shopping centre. The dimensions between the 2 generations of GS do not amount to much, but next to each other the current gen GS is substantially larger to the eye. I think the new gen is less rounded and so has more car to it, especially in the rear roofline and trunk sides. Amazing that there is little weight gain, but that is what the Japanese excel at...packaging.

BTW I still like the lines on the old GS, good looking car.

 

I asked about the power folding mirrors and power trunk install on my 13 GS and the power folding mirrors will cost an arm for sure and was not recommended. The labor included taking entire door panels off and wiring a new button but the power trunk seems do able.

 

I can't imagine the costs of power folding mirrors. The current mirrors we have now are like a grand a piece as is. So let's say $2K + maybe 4 hours labor for power folding mirrors. Forget that!

 

Too much $$$.
Out of all the updates on the '14 GS,the power fold in mirrors is the only thing I'd really want..

 

I really want that power trunk! I know, I'm lazy lol.

 

I actually wish we can open the trunk without having to pull out the key fob. Now that would be something useful for me.