mikesrx350

hi all, dropped off my ls460 today for service and picked up a brand new 2019 gs350 loaner

have to say really impressed with the car. its a non f sport and i have driven 3 or 4 over the years never been crazy about the gs especially the interior.
below are some things i noticed today with the car

1) suspension still great, nice highway ride, great handling, nimble very very good after all these years. it has bridgestone tires on the loaner. Really great balance of ride characteristics and handling. seems like structure has had some work over years making the ridgity better. this is a great thing. Lexus always tweaks in late model years in the cycle.
2) car over 125 miles mix city highway averaged 23.4 mpg
3) interior was pleasantly upgraded over the years, it was comfy (the seats are less comfortable than my ls460 seat) good ac seats, nice upgrade nav screen nice. the seats were narrow and not great for those with wide shoulders
4) speed control with the radar is nice touch with bsm
5) steering was great and car felt smaller to me than in past models. maybe because I am use to the ls460
6) the power was nice good motor, , i did notice the flexibility and the kick down on the highway in the v8 is much quicker than the v-6 and provides much more kick down
7) paint job and fit and finish was excellent eminent white pearl pretty car in this color
8) radio was very good
9) nice looks with non f sport. interesting questions is on the board a lot of buyers buy the f sport. the trade off with the brakes cost to replace and time to replace and less comfortable ride i don't know if its worth the trade off. i like the look of this one especially with the wheels optioned on this one, and it handles great, so for the adjustable shock thing the badging and little better handling it would be a big decision for me now that i drove a non f sport. my friends 18 feels lower to the ground and more edgy and it turns me off. to each his own and that's why i am doing this post so people think about these things prior to picking up a cpo or new one

10) Nav interface was pleasantly appealing in look in this one. my friends 18 may be a 2017 left over looks outdated in graphics compared to the way this loaner looks. dont know if its my imagination. but this one looks good in the screen. the interface well is just not worth bashing a great review over a set up that is mind perplexing how japan can let this interface and touch controller out for 5 plus years and each reiteration of it is sub standard in the class of the GS and the Class of competitors it plays with.

11) A/C system as usual awesome in a Lexus

never thought i would say this but i would be open to find a used 2018 or 2019 non f sport with a luxury seat package and get rid of my wife 5 series

overall for a car that started in 2013 it has aged well and seems to be constantly improved over the years.. very nice car little dated but i was impressed

mikesrx350

JDR76

mikesrx350

jdr, how are you?
how do you like your 19 vs the 15.? similar thoughts ? of you feel its the same

JDR76

mikesrx350

thats really interesting
i noticed the engine feels smoother and less edgy in all modes including sport
but it seems like its more refined
what changes were done to the motor and what year did they make the changes?
its the subtle tweaks lexus does to make the experience good stuff

JDR76

mikesrx350

nice u have a nice car enjoy it

mikesrx350

more driving more smiles

i know you all are laughing at the new love fest with the 19 gs base

just did another 100 miles
what really strikes me is how playful, tossable, and light this car is on its feet

also the steering is one of the best i every felt in feel and strength thru the front end and steering wheel.

there has been some back end magic that has been put in these gs's that i didn't realize

Kudos Lexus

mikesrx350

another 300 miles on the loaner just some quick updates:

- car continues to exceed expectations with handling, steering and fun factor
- blue interface on nav screen at night, not crazy about the color scheme, not sure how lexus came up with this but shouldnt it be editable. is it?
- passing and highway power is good, but for over 310 horsepower i think the way its geared its not the best for passing power and moderating traffic issues with cars around
- cars gas mileage has decreased to 20.8 combined
- love how light on its feet the car feels
- drivers seat would be great for smaller frame body but I feel its too narrow with side bolstering for my back

dTxworld

for the color scheme, it can be changed somewhere in the settings. it gives you 3 options - I cant remember them but it was like blue, light brown and something else. dont know why they didnt give us more options, they might as well since this is just a software related issue.

i cant compare to the older generation models but the '19 is definitely fun to drive. regarding the seat issues with your back - not sure about the base model but FSport model has alot of adjustable settings.

Nimimi

Reviewing the Lexus website for features and packages for the '19 I don't see where the luxury options are available any more (Sport+, 18-way adjustable seats, semi-analine leather, AFS, etc.).

AJLex19

2017 was the last year the GS was offered with an optional Lux Package (Drive Mode Select adds Sport S/S+ modes Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS); 19-inch split-five-spoke alloy wheels; Embossed-stitch, perforated semi-aniline leather-trimmed interior; Gray Sapele wood with Aluminum interior trim; Heated wood- and leather-trimmed steering whee; Heated rear seats; 18-way power-adjustable front seats with butterfly headrests; Lexus Memory System for front passenger seat; 3-zone automatic climate control; Rear-door and power rear-window sunshades).

The Lux package is no longer available for the '18 and '19 model year GS.

mikesrx350

wow thats huge
any reason you all think they would get rid of it?

AJLex19

They probably saw that out of all the GS's offered, the F-Sport and Premium models remained the most in demand. Lux packages were rare on '13-'15 models but even more rare on '16 and '17.

I have a Premium GS and I feel like the only thing i'm missing is the better seats offered in the Lux.