psaav

chinee

Agreed. But the only lux within 300 miles of me was a 2015 with 49K miles. Too many miles for a car I plan on keeping for the next 12-15 years. I love my new F Sport!

FI4runner

iTrader: (1)

AJLex19

Ha! No joke though...i've seen gramps driving F-Sport GS's and 20-somethings with non F-Sports heavily modded...to each his own!

Stewart350

I have a 2014 rwd f sport and love it. Its a great car and in my own personal opinion, feels much better than a standard GS. While i don't regret buying it, If I could do it over again I would buy a luxury package. I love the look of the f sport but i prefer the features of the luxury package. The 18 way driver and passenger seat, memory seats for both driver and passenger, still has the sport +, and comes with fog lights. All you have to do is upgrade the rims and change it to the f sport bumper and your set. I think you should go for the luxury package.

staticset

Seems as though I'm on the different end of the decision spectrum than most that have commented thus far. Started out with a GSF in mind but after and extended test drive from the dealership and taking it home over a weekend for some thought, I wound up purchasing an 18' F-Sport RWD in order to leave more budget space for a weekend/fun time car.

Not a single regret - having that dividing line between the two really allows me to appreciate the Lexus quality during my weekday driving while looking forward to the mountain runs on the weekend. Comfort and "Sportish" amenities offered between the trim levels (GSF and F Sport) are comparable for the most part provided you can get over the loss of the V8 power. The brake dust up front does get out of control, but the plan is to snag some low dust ceramics here before too long and hopefully cut that down.

Looking from the bottom-up: the higher expense garnered by the F-Sport trim is the best bang for the buck.

DeepBlue99

Thats the other issue with the non FSport Lux option. Great alternative, sure. But, they are even harder to find than an FSport in desirable colors. Too hard to be a viable option seems like. Not impossible though.

AJLex19

What i've noticed is that the lux pkg gets more rare the newer the 4GS--which is in line with overall sales of the GS. However, I think its easier to find a '13-'14 luxury pkg than it is to find a '15+ Lux pkg.

DeepBlue99

Ahh... that would explain why I'm seeing so few Lux packages. I'm only looking at '15-'16s.

Patrick4GS

iTrader: (2)

I have a 2013 luxury and cold weather package GS with AWD. I hated the wheel gap and lowered the car with Tanabe springs, keeping the S+ working on OEM shocks. I run staggered rims through the summer and OEM 18s in the winter with snow tires.

I do prefer the F Sport front bumper but really wanted the heated steering wheel and adaptive head lights with washers. My rear sun shades never get used. My power trunk is a really nice option and I have grown to love it.

I did swap my heated wood steering wheel to an all leather unit from a hybrid model. Even though the wheel is only 60% heated I absolutely love it in the winter months up north.

Overall this car has been super solid for me, currently around 100,000 miles on it.

JDR76

The luxury package is a great compromise. It doesn't get the F Sport's aggressive front end or it's more aggressive AVS, but it comes with a lot of other great features that you cannot get on an F Sport. Too bad they're so hard to find and have been discontinued. I think that was a mistake.

You can't get the adaptive lights on the F Sport (just auto leveling) but do note that the F Sport does have the heated steering wheel and the cold weather package, which includes the headlight washers, is optional on the F Sport just like the Luxury package. You can also get the power trunk on the F Sport. Like you, I love my heated steering wheel. The best in winter!

drgrant

If you intend on driving it in northeast in the winter, you need a second set of wheels and tires (buy a cheap set of aftermarket 18s with decent winter tires) that's literally the only regret I have, although now I don't care so much because I have a 2005 ES330 I can drive whenever the weather/roads are crap. My plan is to keep my GS out of the glue for the rest of its lifespan, unless I buy another "fun" car and it gets demoted somehow.

If you drive this car seriously (as in like, you actually do some mileage) in the winter, you will bend/destroy at least one rim and possibly a tire.

-Mike

drgrant

The wheel gap on the AWD is dumb but honestly it's not something I'm really fixated on unless I'm like sitting there staring at the car or washing it or something. It is a little absurd that I can basically stick a closed fist inside the wheel gap.

Still wouldn't stop me from buying the car again, though.

FWIW the ride height btw is exactly perfect, its just the gap that sucks. The ride height is such that it makes the car "look low" yet it is JUST enough to clear most of those stupid parking lot limiter-curbs and that kind of thing, so you don't tear your bumper off.

-Mike

DanoATX

I sold mine after about 1.5 years. In hindsight I made several mistakes with this purchase.
1) I leased a new car, should have bought it used/CPO
2) I bought an F-Sport. With the bigger wheels/lower profile tires, the ride was too firm for me.
3) I bought a 200T instead of the 350. That 4 cylinder is fairly fast, but you don't get nearly the promised fuel economy. For the MPG's I got, I should have just gone with the V6.

er34

I have been driving on 19's in Toronto but got 225/45 winter tires instead of stock 235/40's for a bit of extra protection. Our roads are pretty horrible after 1-2 deep freeze and thaw cycles. I know I've been lucky to catch a few of the larger ones and had enough time/space to drive around them.

*Knock on wood*