Joined the family too.
07-31-18, 11:17 AM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
Thanks, the search was getting way too long, it was just annoying me, when I saw that one had dropped significantly in price from a few months ago I decided I was going to get it if nothing was wrong with it if the other LS's and GS's i was looking at fell through which they did. I am very happy with it, even with the crappy Dunlops it rides a lot nicer then I was expecting, closer to a LS then I was expecting. Luxury package was a definite must for me though I probably could have gone with a F sport too if worse came to worse, those Luxury packages are few and far between.
They do ride well too, I was really surprised by how well they ride. Wait until you get a really good set of tires on it too.
07-31-18, 04:08 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I am pretty sure I put the right city in for my home address first. It just would not let me enter the full address when I started messing with it, when I did a main road it did not warn me of a main turn to get to the road.
07-31-18, 05:46 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Here are some just okay cell phone pics. Nothing that people have not already seen.
I like the mesh grill from the F Sport more. Can you swap out F sport grills with a non F sport, are there any good aftermarket mesh grills that look like the F sport?
07-31-18, 07:30 PM
#20
07-31-18, 10:04 PM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
It really is a great car, I really liked mine. If I didn’t really want the LS and need the bigger backseat for the kids I might just have kept it.
They do ride well too, I was really surprised by how well they ride. Wait until you get a really good set of tires on it too.
Ride is better then what I remember from the last time I drove a GS for a extended period. I don't know what happened but when I drove a 2016 GS luxury it felt so slow and lethargic. I seriously thought they had given me a 4cyl or I was in some kind of aggressive economy mode because it just felt so slow. I have read for 2016 some think they may have changed the gearing for fuel economy or maybe it just wasn't broke in but it turned me off, that is when I seriously considered the LS460 for the V8. This one however felt more powerful as soon as I drove it, felt about as quick as my GS430, maybe quicker, doesn't feel under powered. I still don't understand why the 3rd Generation GS'350's are quicker though if they are using the same engine/trans, some tests have them doing 0-60 in 5.2 to 5.3 sec where the 4th Gen is generally about half a second slower in most tests.
08-01-18, 06:42 AM
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, you can swap the grills. Theres a thread in here that I started years ago where that was confirmed and some people did it.
I can see about the back seat and wanting more room for kids or adults, I don't think it has any more room then my 2nd Gen GS had, thought they would have given it some more room which I think would have helped with sales. Having the rear seat controls but the rear a little cramped is somewhat odd. I sit far back and recline so if anyone is behind me there is very little room.
Ride is better then what I remember from the last time I drove a GS for a extended period. I don't know what happened but when I drove a 2016 GS luxury it felt so slow and lethargic. I seriously thought they had given me a 4cyl or I was in some kind of aggressive economy mode because it just felt so slow. I have read for 2016 some think they may have changed the gearing for fuel economy or maybe it just wasn't broke in but it turned me off, that is when I seriously considered the LS460 for the V8. This one however felt more powerful as soon as I drove it, felt about as quick as my GS430, maybe quicker, doesn't feel under powered. I still don't understand why the 3rd Generation GS'350's are quicker though if they are using the same engine/trans, some tests have them doing 0-60 in 5.2 to 5.3 sec where the 4th Gen is generally about half a second slower in most tests.
Ride is better then what I remember from the last time I drove a GS for a extended period. I don't know what happened but when I drove a 2016 GS luxury it felt so slow and lethargic. I seriously thought they had given me a 4cyl or I was in some kind of aggressive economy mode because it just felt so slow. I have read for 2016 some think they may have changed the gearing for fuel economy or maybe it just wasn't broke in but it turned me off, that is when I seriously considered the LS460 for the V8. This one however felt more powerful as soon as I drove it, felt about as quick as my GS430, maybe quicker, doesn't feel under powered. I still don't understand why the 3rd Generation GS'350's are quicker though if they are using the same engine/trans, some tests have them doing 0-60 in 5.2 to 5.3 sec where the 4th Gen is generally about half a second slower in most tests.
Yeah the back seat was a weird combination of goodies but very little room. With the kids carseats installed no joke, my wife and I could not even get into the front seats, I'n only 6' and she is 5'10.
It remains one of the most surprising cars I've ever had. I really bought it over the ES because I loved the interior, and I was really worried about the ride because I am such a ride vs handling guy. Nothing to worry about, I really liked the ride and REALLY liked the duality of the car.
08-01-18, 08:53 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Sharp! I like the darker finish wheels that came out in 2014 also (the ones you have). My 2013 had the same wheels, but mine were a lighter finish.
Yes, you can swap the grills. Theres a thread in here that I started years ago where that was confirmed and some people did it.
They did make some engine and transmission changes in 16, and is it also possible you drove the 8 speed in the 16 and your 14 is a 6 speed?
Yeah the back seat was a weird combination of goodies but very little room. With the kids carseats installed no joke, my wife and I could not even get into the front seats, I'n only 6' and she is 5'10.
It remains one of the most surprising cars I've ever had. I really bought it over the ES because I loved the interior, and I was really worried about the ride because I am such a ride vs handling guy. Nothing to worry about, I really liked the ride and REALLY liked the duality of the car.
Yes, you can swap the grills. Theres a thread in here that I started years ago where that was confirmed and some people did it.
They did make some engine and transmission changes in 16, and is it also possible you drove the 8 speed in the 16 and your 14 is a 6 speed?
Yeah the back seat was a weird combination of goodies but very little room. With the kids carseats installed no joke, my wife and I could not even get into the front seats, I'n only 6' and she is 5'10.
It remains one of the most surprising cars I've ever had. I really bought it over the ES because I loved the interior, and I was really worried about the ride because I am such a ride vs handling guy. Nothing to worry about, I really liked the ride and REALLY liked the duality of the car.
Good news on swapping out the grills.
It was the 8 speed 2016 I test drove, remember the salesman trying to sell me on the 8 speed which I thought would have been better then the 6 speed when it came to acceleration but it wasn't, I see where many say the 6 speed just feels quicker and better and there is no real fuel economy improvement with the 8 speed either.
I am 6 foot too but no kids yet. It would still be nice to have more leg room when people are in the back or to use for storage, I figured they could have done something over the generations to give it some more room especially if they offered rear seat controls in the 4th Gen. At least the rear is not as bad as the IS. One of the things I was thinking with possibly a LS460 long wheel base was not for passengers but the extra storage space in the rear leg area that I could put stuff for trips/moves.
After driving the car even on the crappy Dunlops I can't see how anyone would find the ride too rough, it is very smooth, pretty soft, more LS like then I thought it would be but still handles well.
08-01-18, 02:21 PM
#24
Lexus Champion
I have two kids with car seats and we have no space issues. Plenty of room for the four of us. We have slim car seats and that made all the difference.
Enjoy the ride. Looks great!
Enjoy the ride. Looks great!
08-01-18, 02:59 PM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Mine were the slimmest car seats I could find...
08-01-18, 03:10 PM
#26
Lexus Champion
Not sure what to say other than we have plenty of room to be comfortable. No issues at all, even with my long legs.
08-01-18, 03:15 PM
#27
Lexus Fanatic
Totally depends on your height and build. Like I said we couldn’t even get into the car with rear facing car seats installed.
Lets put it this way, I found the SWB LS tight in the rear with my kids too, which is one of the reasons I upgraded that to the LWB.
Lets put it this way, I found the SWB LS tight in the rear with my kids too, which is one of the reasons I upgraded that to the LWB.
08-01-18, 03:20 PM
#28
Lexus Champion
Yeah, rear facing seats are a real challenge. I’m speaking of front facing, and we have no issues at all. It was tighter when we had a rear facing seat, thought my 5’8” wife could still ride in front, just not as comfortably as preferred. Thankfully that’s no longer an issue.
08-01-18, 03:31 PM
#29
Lexus Test Driver
I think the rear leg room in the GS 350 is very lacking. Adults sitting in the rear can be uncomfortable, especially if normal height front seat occupants have their seats positioned back where they are comfortable.
08-01-18, 03:49 PM
#30
Lexus Fanatic
I remember driving my cousin and his wife and my wife 5 hours to WV in my GS, about 1/2 way through they were crying bloody murder in the back seat.