****LONG POST*****YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!********

I had a 2011 Mercedes GL450 and two weeks ago arrived at the conclusion that a seven seater SUV was overkill for my wife and I. No dog, no kids, just us. So three weeks ago I sold my GL and entered the market for a Luxury mid size sedan. Naturally I opted for another Mercedes because quite frankly the vault like interior, ride qualities, and overall pride of ownership I have yet to find in another car or automotive manufacturer. I decided on a 2012 E350 but there wasn't one on the lot with my desired options. The dealership was able to locate one in route. I was told the wait would be two weeks and was given a 2012 E350 loaner to drive. To be perfectly honest, there are ONLY two things that wow'ed me about the E350. 1.) The profile view 2.) The indescribable feeling of driving a Mercedes.


A few days ago while out running errands with my wife, we decided to pop into a BMW dealership just for fun. Although I have a 2000 BMW 328 beater car, overall I AM NOT A BMW FAN! For example, in 2009 I bought a brand new X5 and got rid of the POS after 2 months and 1000 miles. I am not saying they are not good cars but I was and still am underwhelmed.....well until I was given the keys to a 2012 BMW 535xi GT and holy *****! EVERYTHING about the car was to die for!! The gizmos and gadgets, drive, size, speed, fit finish, polish, poise.....EVERYTHING! After driving this beast my love for the Mercedes brand and the E350 all but vanished. Knowing that the numbers would never come back in my favor because the price tag was nearly $70k, I asked the salesman to provide me with his best price and work up some preliminary numbers. As expected, the numbers were horrible and they were not willing to budge much on the price of the car. Fine and we left!

My wife said, "Hey let's go check out the Lexus dealership across the street. She was being sarcastic because she knows how I feel about Lexus and why. Years ago I had a 2004 GX470 (hence the screen name) that I absolutely loved with one exception. What I hate most about Lexus is what others absolutely LOVE. If you want a car that's reliable with great resale value and a buttery smooth almost tranquil drive quality, get a Lexus. All their vehicles drive the same.....buttery smooth! IMHO this makes for a soulless and boring lineup. A buttery smooth and tranquil drive quality is great for a sedan or an LS cruiser, but I wanted my GX to feel like a manly man SUV but instead it felt like a Buick on a cloud! For this reason I vowed to NEVER EVER EVER EVER own/buy another Lexus!!! Their SUVs feel like cars and their cars feel like SUVs and if blindfolded one couldn't tell them apart.

Well back to the story......to appease my wife I agreed to visit the Lexus dealership. We were greeted immediately upon entering the showroom. After telling the salesman I wasn't interested in any of his cars he still insisted that I drive a 2012 ES. Since I've yet to drive a newer model Lexus, I said why not. Really I just wanted to prove to myself that nothing had changed over the years! As expected, great car, everything where it should be, absorbs bumps with the best of ease, but overall disconnected driving experience and boring to say the least. I told the salesman thanks but no thanks. He then asked if I was interested in seeing the 2013 GS350 and since I've heard so much hype about it, I said sure why not. A red w/black interior 4G was driven to the front and on first impressions I really didn't know what to think as I was torn over the exterior styling. Once inside, I was immediately reminded of the BMW 535xi GT which mean I was completely blown away! The salesman asked if I wanted to take it for a spin and out of sheer curiosity I agreed. IMMEDIATELY after pressing the throttle it was apparent that this didn't feel like ANY Lexus I've ever driven. There was a road to steering wheel to driver connection that I've only felt in German cars. The GS350 tackled uneven pavement with ease but yet bumps still felt like bumps. Playing with the ride settings made what already felt like a sporty ride even sportier. Halfway through the test drive my wife, who I've taught to NEVER tip hand while at a dealership, came straight out and said, "Wow, the E Class has nothing on this"!

Well to make a short story long, I returned the E Class loaner, canceled the E Class order, and purchased the GS350 the same night.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that I still feel some trepidations for the following reasons:

1. I am still adjusting to not driving a German car.

2. I believe a car should fit ones lifestyle and I am not sure this car fits my Mon-Fri suit and tie lifestyle. I question whether the 4G in all its sportiness is aimed more towards a younger crowd and not so much a middle 30's professional. Truthfully the Mercedes clean lines seem more of a fit whether in sporty or more formal attire.

3. I question whether the Lexus brand is still considered Luxury.

4. Even though I have gone over the interior space a thousand times, I still question how the interior space in the 4G is nearly the same or slightly larger than the E Class (comparing dimensions). The E Class just seems bigger....front and rear seat.

I've only had the car for two days but here are my Pros and Cons so far:

Pros

Overall driving dynamic

Everything about the interior!

Pandora Radio, Yelp, and Bing - Phenomenal Integration and it works!

Individual sound settings for each music source

Stereo - I didn't get ML but I will be the FIRST to say, Lexus is the first brand that I know of that closed the gap between their premium and non premium stereo offerings. I am a sound snob and up until the 4G, would NEVER buy a car without premium audio. In the 4G the difference is negligible and not worth another $1500. Not saying there isn't a difference but not enough of a difference to justify the extra cost. ML is great BTW!

Fit and finish - As expected from Lexus.

Ambient Lighting - The best placement of lights I've seen in any vehicle.

Glove compartment - Very spacious.

Reliability - Don't anticipate spending lots of time in the service department.

Resale Value - Not expecting to be majorly upside down at sell or trade in.

Infiniti-esque Styling - A front end that's distinguishable amongst a sea of look alikes.


Cons:

Front grill - Not the entire grill but the lower half.

No sunglasses holder - No biggie but would be nice to have.

Mouse - Wish there was a way to change the sensitivity.

Nooks and crannies - Would be nice to have a few more.

Body style - Wish there was a version that offered a classier front end.

Trunk - Doesn't have hydraulic arms.

To wrap up, I am a car nut and even though I am in my mid 30s, I've owned over 33 cars. The average time I keep a car is 14 months and then off to the next. With that said, I've driven or owned most of what's out there to include 3 Mercedes, 2 BMWs, Lexus, a few Acuras, GMC, etc.

Sorry for the long post but usually when I get a new car I am bouncing off the walls and giddy with excitement. For whatever reason I am completely neutral when it comes to my new 4G. Someone....anyone....please help me get to the root of what's bothering me.

 

fantastic story and congrats on your new car! great to see you going back to lexus

and another case where driving the 4gs makes all the difference. awesome!

for the remote touch, there is an option to change the sensitivity

 

Which version did you get? Luxury, Premium or F-Sport? Congrats on the car. I love mine.

 

congratz on your new GS........ i don't think you'll be disappointed with your new purchase. what's bothering you is that it's a lexus,,,,,,you stated you'd never buy another one, but you did, that says a lot about this new GS. and you like it. to what degree we don't know. you'll like it more and more as the days pass. again congrats. i have the GS-F sport and can't stay out of it.

 

I purchased the AWD F Sport w/Cold Package, Blind Spot Assist, Navi, and Intuitive Park Assist

 

Thanks man and I hope you are right! :-)

 

Thanks! I will play around with it to see if I can find that setting.

 

How do you change the sensitivity?

 

Let me see if this helps. There is a way to change the sensitivity of the mouse input... (I put in pictures for a visual)

1. Hit the "Menu" key & click on "Setup"
2. Click on "General"
3. Click on the double "^" to get you to the "Feedback Force" setting.
4. All the way to the left is "a little goes a long way"
5. All the way to the right is "I really mean it"
6. Lastly, scroll down & click "save"

Enjoy...

 

Give it some time and you will love the car more. I had the new generation 2011 BMW 535I for one year and sold it. I hated the numbness, wallowy, and isolating feel in the latest 5. The GS impressed me.

 

I am going to make a guess since I will be trading my Audi S5 for a GS350 F Sport in a couple of weeks. There is, no doubt, a "snob appeal" to German cars. They are perceived as being more expensive. The Japanese cars are perceived as delivering almost as much at more of a bargain price. Also, Lexus in particular still has the reputation for being "soft". (You were expecting it yourself.)

I was also wrestling with the fact that I was trading in an Audi for a Lexus because it might be viewed as a "step down", but let's face it... Lexus has made a car that can compete with and best the Germans and I consider myself a smart buyer for getting it for less than I would have paid for a comparably equipped A7, 5 Series, etc. I don't really care if anyone else knows it. I get to enjoy it every day and feel good about my purchase.

I believe Lexus is perceived as a second-tier luxury brand mostly because it is RXs and ESs that are prevalent on the streets. If Lexus can do to the LS what they did to the GS and make it more desirable for folks to move over to the German brands they can fget closer a top spot in the luxury market. That would bode well for all of us who own Lexuses.

The only thing that might bother me when I trade cars is that the S5 is pretty much revered as a beautiful design by everyone, and the GS is more polarizing. It definitely looks Lexus-like in its exterior design (which is good and bad)... sleek in some areas and heavy in others... but there is nothing that special about the new 5 Series either and (no offense) I've never liked the E350 design. Whatever, I figure I will be INSIDE the car most of the time, which is where I will really appreciate it.

I'm sure you'll grow to love it in time. Keep us posted.

 

Thanks! How does the 4G compare to the 535 in front and rear space?

 

The rear seat space definitely have much more room then my 5 and I am happy with that. The front is the same and the seats are very comfortable compared to the standard seats in my 5. The GS has a great ride and handling feel that the 5 cannot match in my opinion. After doing 15k miles in my 5 I knew there was alot missing from it so the GS made me smile again.

 

I also disappointed about this and also it doesnt have the close assist on the 3GS.
Maybe beause the trunk is actually feel lighter/easier to close then on 3GS so that's why Lexus choose to take out that feature.

 

why not?

a younger crowd? few people in their 20s can afford a 4GS! and i expect bmw 5 series, e class, gs are all typically bought (new) by people in their 40s.

i question how you could question this. they only have one model that in theory can be had new for under $30k (but in reality it can't). lexus has generally impeccable, upscale, luxury dealerships to go along with the vehicle range. the brand offers vehicles up to ~$120k plus the limited $375k LF-A. lexus offers just about every amenity you could want, plus probably the best audio system (LS ML) in the automotive world.

now that's crazy!

ADD much?

as you said, exterior styling won't knock most people's socks off and the front end isn't really elegant.

the wheel fitment, particularly on the awd and wheel gap on the front wheels of the awd in particular, is frankly ridiculous. but by the time lowering springs are out you will have owned the car 14 months and be selling it anyway.