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To my point exactly, when you have the type of commute there is in the DC Metro area, those slight differences you mentioned are key lol. If I'm just going to sit in a parking lot on my way home, might as well be comfortable! ML Audio helps too of course which can be in both models haha.
I think one of the things that impresses me the most about the GS is that it doesn't drive a lot bigger/heavier than the IS did. The GS is a great car. I'll be sad if there isn't a 5GS.
I think one of the things that impresses me the most about the GS is that it doesn't drive a lot bigger/heavier than the IS did. The GS is a great car. I'll be sad if there isn't a 5GS.
I'll second that. I had a 2008 IS350 with x-package (sport suspension), and the GS doesn't feel that much bigger/heavier when driving it. You can feel the weight off the line, but once you have it going, it's plenty fast. Since my IS had sport suspension, the ride was a bit rougher than a regular IS. My GS (even though it's an F Sport) is a lot more comfortable ride, while still having the firmness I like. I have had the car about 3 months and would not go back to my IS350 (or even a new IS for that matter), I love this 4th gen GS.
Oh, and sitting in traffic with ML sound is such a pleasure for me.
Finding one w/ pre-collision will definitely be a challenge - Definitely look in the NYC metro area when you search, a bit of a drive, but thousands cheaper than the DC metro area. Also I thought they had a better selection overall compared to here.
The ES and IS definitely far outnumber the GS (IIRC, they sell roughly 3x more ES's and 3x more IS's than the GS). I had an IS300 as a loaner when I got my oil changed. While I won't say the IS is a bad car, it definitely is targeted for a different audience. It was a lot less refined, relatively small (seemed like roughly the same size as my old ILX, which is essentially a Civic), etc. The power was nice - Definitely better than my buddy's IS250, but it was "too sporty" for my taste. It just rode really rough, even on the highways in CT, which aren't as bad as DC or parts of Arlington. Not sure if I would deal with that ride on a daily commute.
Oh man, tell me how much I hate the commute here. Roads are mess, I have a roughly 60 miles round trip commute and in a 2016 WRX, is rough! I hate it so much that I can't wait to get a lexus. The smoothness and refinement of the GS is what i would like, I will test drive both when the time comes, but it seems obvious that the GS will be a better choice for my needs.
I guess any Lexus that doesn't have a massive spindle grill will look outdated now. Lexus has been very aggressive with their styling last few years and it looks like they want to carry the spindle grill on every model now.
Oh man, tell me how much I hate the commute here. Roads are mess, I have a roughly 60 miles round trip commute and in a 2016 WRX, is rough! I hate it so much that I can't wait to get a lexus. The smoothness and refinement of the GS is what i would like, I will test drive both when the time comes, but it seems obvious that the GS will be a better choice for my needs.
Yup - not a fun commute in the DMV. My commute is around 55-60 miles round trip depending on what route I take, so I'm right there with ya. The only thing keeping me sane is that I have a reverse commute - I'm right outside DC in VA and commute out into the suburbs, outside the belway. My 24 mile AM commute is only about 30 mins.... It used to take me 45 mins on my 4.5 mile commute into downtown DC at my last position The PM commute is bad though, usually takes me an hour or so. Can't imagine doing that in a WRX. Whenever I had an ILX loaner, I wanted to cry.
Only thing that sucks about the GS in this area might be the gas mileage. I've been getting around 17-18 MPG on my commute. Guess it's a small price to pay to have a comfortable, powerful car with AWD. Also helps that Costco gas in the suburbs is only $2.39 vs $3.29 in Arlington/DC.
I have a 2013 and I like the design, but, even when it came out, I thought it was a very conservative design to begin with. Some think it looks classy, but there is no reason that looking classy has to exclude a bit of edgy-ness also. Take the older GS models for example. The 2GS was classy looking and also had a wow factor when it came out. The headlight and tail light design was unique, classy and fresh at the same time. The 3GS kept a similar type of impression, whereas the 4 is almost too simple and lacked previous GS DNA. It's simplicity can be appreciated and has a Toyota look all over it, but just not a GS look. I think the refresh brings it up to date. I can't say that I think the look identifies as a GS, but I think it brings it in-line with the others in the Lexus line-up, definitely better looking than pre-refresh.
As the previous owner of a '13 GS F Sport, I think it is a very attractive car. However, other automakers have moved on from the individual bulbs in the DRLs and have implemented "strips" of lights like the Nike swoosh in the refreshed GS. The pre-refresh GS's lights remind me of my '09-'11 A5s/S5s, with the semi-circular pattern, so in that respect it is showing its age. Aside from that, I still think it is a nice-looking car. I'm not totally sold on the refreshed model, and I am completely objective because I no longer own a GS. The interior is still great and stands up to anything in its class.
I went from a 2015 to a 2017. In all honesty, when I first got the 2017 I really regretted not keeping the 2015 because I thought it looked better than the new models. However, after owning it for about 2 months now, I can say that the look grows on you. I do still wish that they kept the old tail lights (the new ones look like a late 90's altezza ricer type tail lights, and the red LED tail light strip lines are too small for such a big tail light), but the front end looks really aggressive.
Most importantly, I enjoy the fact that very few people have this car in the southern california area. Almost everybody around my area drives a 5-series, Mercedes E350, or Maserati Ghibli so it's nice to know that I have a car that not a lot of people have.
As the previous owner of a '13 GS F Sport, I think it is a very attractive car. However, other automakers have moved on from the individual bulbs in the DRLs and have implemented "strips" of lights like the Nike swoosh in the refreshed GS. The pre-refresh GS's lights remind me of my '09-'11 A5s/S5s, with the semi-circular pattern, so in that respect it is showing its age. Aside from that, I still think it is a nice-looking car. I'm not totally sold on the refreshed model, and I am completely objective because I no longer own a GS. The interior is still great and stands up to anything in its class.
dseag2,
One of the things I liked on my 2016 Honda Accord Touring was the implementation of the DRL strips. That car has very nice DRL's and every time I see one the road I think about what I had in the past. But when I see a GS350 on the road, I can't help but think about how much sharper of a car that is in comparison to the Accord. The only thing I wish the GS350 F-Sports had are fogs. It just seems strange that the sport trim lacks these.
We've had four 4GS's. We got our first two months after they came out. When my wife was in an accident that totaled her 3rd 2013 GS in late March 2015, we started looking for her fourth one. The 2016's were already at the dealerships. I really like the refresh, especially the F-Sport. My wife, however, hated it. Since it is her car, I didn't push the issue. I told her to pick what she wanted and we would find it. After looking for about 3 weeks at 2013 and 2014 used GS's, we still hadn't found something that she loved. So we ended up buying a brand new 2015 GS. By the time that we decided on a new one, many of the 2015's were gone. Especially since she wanted a Nebula grey F Sport with Black interior. Supposedly we got the last 2015 in the country in that combination. It took almost two weeks to get delivered due to the dealer in Florida changing it's mind at first about dealer trading it. My wife loves it and still hates the refreshed 2016. She thinks it looks cheesy with a cheap front grill. Her 2013 GS that got totaled. Her 2015 GS on the day we got it. Her 2015 GS now. Her 2015 GS now.
I went from a 2015 to a 2017. In all honesty, when I first got the 2017 I really regretted not keeping the 2015 because I thought it looked better than the new models. However, after owning it for about 2 months now, I can say that the look grows on you. I do still wish that they kept the old tail lights (the new ones look like a late 90's altezza ricer type tail lights, and the red LED tail light strip lines are too small for such a big tail light), but the front end looks really aggressive.
Most importantly, I enjoy the fact that very few people have this car in the southern california area. Almost everybody around my area drives a 5-series, Mercedes E350, or Maserati Ghibli so it's nice to know that I have a car that not a lot of people have.
I would be happy to trade you taillights for the ones out of our 2015 GS 350. I love the new taillights.
01-30-17, 08:59 AM
The PM commute is bad though, usually takes me an hour or so. Can't imagine doing that in a WRX. Whenever I had an ILX loaner, I wanted to cry.
