Sal Collaziano

I have an appointment for service on my wife's car at 2:45 and a test drive with my saleswoman at 2:30 so I'll check everything out today. Even though I did a one pay lease they may want to move me into a new car sooner than late July and just give me a credit toward to GS350... I'll find out later...

Ah, it's probably not a deal breaker. I'll check out the leather on the F-Sport today and see what I think. I think I'll appreciate the handling of the F-Sport more than the softer leather... If it were really ONLY a front bumper, I'd probably do the conversion...

SW17LS

I would drive both the Luxury and the F Sport and compare...I believe the F Sport's AVS is tuned for a little more performance vs that on the Luxury...

Sal Collaziano

That's pretty much what I'm looking for right now. Something more fun to drive than the LS's I've been driving for the past four years. If it feels a little too harsh, I'll try a luxury version on for size...

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Make sure the tire air pressure is correct.Makes a difference in ride quality if the pressure is too high.
Most dealership vehicles tire air pressure is on the high side.
Also Michelin tires will have a better ride quality.Especially with tire noise over the stock Dunlop or Bridgestones.

SW17LS

I think even the Luxury model is going to have the feel you're looking for. Thats what I love about my GS, in normal mode is glides down the road with much of that glasslike ride you're used to on the LS, but even in normal mode its much sharper, more nimble. Put it over in Sport S+ and it really turns it into an entirely different car.

I'll echo Joe's suggestion about tire pressure and tires too.

peteharvey

Yes, it is my opinion [I said it was my $2], and of course you are entitled to your opinions too. This forum is full of opinions.

However, the fact is that styling is very high on buyers list of priorities, so styling plays a major role in sales success.
If a good car like the 4GS has the looks - that will help the model sell very well.
Conversely, when the looks draw frequent comments of blandness across the forum - that factor detracts from the sales of an otherwise sound product.
Hence, that is my opinion to the Opening Post OP, as to why sales are low.

It's not the timing, because E Class and 5 Series sell even better during this period, than in the last period.
It's not the badge, because the 3GS had the same badge, yet sold considerably better.
It's not the size, because the 3GS was much cozier, yet sold considerably better.
It's not the engine, because the 3GS had essentially the same engine, yet sold better; the 3GS did have a V8, but that was only a very small portion of overall sales.
It's not the ES, because the 3GS had to compete with the same ES, yet the 3GS sold much better.

Unfortunately, as a group of enthusiasts, Clublexus forum cannot measure "mass public" perception of the styling of a car.
I'm honest - I presently own four Lexus cars - yet I can say that I've never loved the bland tail of my 3ES, nor the messy four headlights of my 3GS, but other Lexus owners will "pretend" that everything about the same 3ES and 3GS are good.
There are owners who are honest about pros and cons, and there are owners who pretend that everything is good, that there are no weaknesses, and they feel offended at the slightest talk about the weaknesses of a car that they also happen to own.

Lexus will have internal polling which shows the mass public perception of the car's styling.
We will see part of the results at facelift time, roughly around September 2015, at the 3.5 year mark, presuming that the GS sticks to its 7 year model cycle...

SW17LS

I read every thread and post in this forum, and I read no "frequent comments of blandness". In fact, I've heard comments that its too aggressive if anything.

We're obviously reading different forums.

And there are owners who are genuinely very positive about their car and its attributes. You speak as if everybody who posts something positive is "not being honest". There is nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about one's car in an enthusiasts forum for that particular model of car, and you're always going to have a pro-model environment here...which is what we want.

If anything I think we're a very reasonable and neutral bunch in here, sure we're generally very positive about our cars...which is to be expected as I've said.

BTW- I have a good friend who's office is across the hall from mine. He's a BMW guy, has a 2008 or so 535. Loves it, but terrible problems, injectors were just replaced, all new nav unit this year...he just has to get rid of it. Looking at a new 535, I convinced him to go drive the 4GS. He just texted me that he was signing the papers on a 2014 F Sport.

peteharvey

If you are genuinely neutral as you claim to be, then name the (3) most critical improvements that you would like to see at the mid-life update, that you think will enhance sales for the 4GS.

This should help to address the OP's concerns about low 4GS sales.

SW17LS

No problem.

1. New engine choices (I'd like to see the 2.0T in a GS200t, and a higher performance 350 model with a turbo/supercharger)
2. New/more modern technology suite (navigation, infotainment, Lexus is significantly behind competitors here). We need around view monitors, more modern parking sensor technology, availability of items such as DRCC, etc.
3. Full spindle grill treatment to tie it in with the rest of the lineup better.

But again, just to be clear. Lexus goal for the 4GS is ~2k sales per month. Its selling around that, if not better right now, so I think characterizing sales as "low" isn't accurate.

peteharvey

Meeting manufacturer's targets is not a sign of success. If it was, Infinity & Jaguar etc, would all set low targets to beat their chest.

Basically, life is not perfect; everything has its pros and cons.
Unfortunately for the optimist, the realist must communicate the pros and cons of each model, so that the manufacturer is aware, and they can improve upon with their mid-life facelift, and their next generation 5GS.
This will answer the OP's concerns...

SW17LS

I own and operate a business. We set goals for ourselves monthly, yearly, etc. When we hit those goals...we consider that period of time a success. Sure. we'd like to blow by those goals, but just because we don't overshoot a goal by 20% or 50% doesn't mean we weren't successful. If thats your definition, NOBODY is successful at anything.

Being #1 is not the only metric of success. In my business we don't even attempt to be #1, or even number 100. We set our goals based on what we want to do and need to do and what other people do is their business.

peteharvey

I own four Lexus cars, and I am very happy with them, yet I would never tell anyone any of them were perfect.
I don't need my cars to be perfect in order to be happy.
In life, we have to learn to take the gravy with the dirt - we have to highlight weaknesses so that the manufacturer can improve on them.
Sure, opinions vary from forum member to forum member.
If you don't agree with another forum member's opinion, then voice your own opinion!
Once you start to bag another forum member's opinion, the other forum member immediately starts to bag your opinions.
So why not just mind your own business, and focus on voicing your own opinions in the first place.



Sure we all set goal, and we don't even have to achieve those goals to be successful.
However, goals is a complex topic, with not enough time to discuss here.
Such that meeting those targets is not necessarily a sign of success.

Commonsense tells us that if Lexus puts their heads down, gets all the GS quality factors right, they can have a much better selling model to answer the OP's concerns...

SW17LS

I don't see that anybody in this thread or anywhere in this forum has said the 4GS is perfect. Its not perfect, nothing is. However, we actually own the car...thats all I'm saying.

How'd it go Sal?

peteharvey

If I could make 3 small improvements to the updated 4GS to address the OP's sales concerns, I would:

(1) Restyle the boot, and the horizontal portion of the dashboard. The rest of the exterior and interior look lovely.

(2) Redesign the rear underside of the front bucket seats for more rear foot room, and redesign the rear door ashtrays flush, so that they don't impinge on the lateral aspect of the rear passenger's knees.

(3) Increase the 3.5 V6's bottom end torque and bottom end power.

Sure enough, these opinions will differ from forum member to forum member; these opinions would even differ in Lexus' own design team.

A lot of my friends criticize some aspects of the styling, the rear foot room they say is squeezy, and the bottom end punch - and I must say that they are right. There is always room for improvement.
Having said all that, it may please you to hear that even if Lexus make no improvements, I will buy the 4GS anyway, and I will be happy with ownership as I am with my four other Lexiis - me, I don't need 100% perfection to be happy - but that doesn't stop me from making recommendations for improvement...

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I'll say it again, we sell every one of them we get.
None sit around for more than a week.

It's definitely not perfect. Not even close. But obviously people out there recognize its attributes. If we got more from Lexus I'd sell a lot more. I am good at pointing out its strengths.

The lease special of $399 per month helps the sales as well.
I still don't know how we came up with that payment.

But don't get it twisted, the F-Sport sells just as well as the base car for the lease special.

Maybe it's regional. The 4GS sells great here in south Florida.