GS450h just landed on Guam!!! (review and pics pg 2)
04-07-06, 10:15 PM
#16
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Originally Posted by CrazyMPG
maybe take a pic of the car details...like what the car has...heh....just so we in the states can think of if the car is fully loaded or whatever... 
04-08-06, 01:33 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by ChuH
Shortly. Soon. With past experience US gets the new model 2 to 3 weeks after Guam.
I really hope they will let me test drive it even though it is sold!!!
Chu...
I really hope they will let me test drive it even though it is sold!!!
Chu...
If Guam has a regular GS450h and the U.S. usually gets them 2 - 3 weeks later, wouldn't you think my NM Edition would be here in the U.S. by now? I'm SO FREAKING ANXIOUS!!!
04-10-06, 12:04 AM
#18
Instructor
Thread Starter
UPDATE:
The GS450h was not ready for me to check it out today. If fact they received two GS450h. One is sold and the other is being used as demo and for technicians to play with. Good news is I am scheduled to perform a test drive tomorrow. Oh Yeah!!!
Chu...
The GS450h was not ready for me to check it out today. If fact they received two GS450h. One is sold and the other is being used as demo and for technicians to play with. Good news is I am scheduled to perform a test drive tomorrow. Oh Yeah!!!
Chu...
Last edited by ChuH; 04-10-06 at 02:22 PM.
04-10-06, 12:35 AM
#19
Originally Posted by thenod
If Guam has a regular GS450h and the U.S. usually gets them 2 - 3 weeks later, wouldn't you think my NM Edition would be here in the U.S. by now? I'm SO FREAKING ANXIOUS!!!
04-10-06, 08:50 AM
#20
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Originally Posted by ChuH
UPDATE:
The GS450h was not ready for me to check it out today. If fact they received two GS450h. One is sold and the other is being used as demo and for technicians to pay with. Good news is I am scheduled to perform a test drive tomorrow. Oh Yeah!!!
Chu...
The GS450h was not ready for me to check it out today. If fact they received two GS450h. One is sold and the other is being used as demo and for technicians to pay with. Good news is I am scheduled to perform a test drive tomorrow. Oh Yeah!!!
Chu...
THAT'S GREAT Chu! Have fun on your test drive and don't forget the pics. Did you find out how much the 1st one sold for? Was it fully loaded with the Active Suspension and PCS? Let me know. Thanks!
04-10-06, 08:52 AM
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Originally Posted by CrazyMPG
yea...very weird....the NM gs450h's should be here already....
I agree! I read on another forum that SEVERAL NM Editions are arriving in Newark this week and at the dealer next week. Why not ALL? How does the person that posted the message know this info? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
04-10-06, 12:25 PM
#23
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Go to the GS40h STICKY. You'll find all the pics and info you need. YES, the trunk is MUCH smaller. Only big enough for 2 golf bags. Also, there's a hump in the floor of the back seat which makes it a bit uncomfortable for the 5th passenger.
04-10-06, 10:06 PM
#25
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Shoot. Just got a call from the Sales Manager. The GS450h being used as demo is currently being used for technicians training therefore they can not let me test drive it until tomorrow or day after. They are in the process of preparing the other GS450h for the customer who order it. I asked if they would let me know when it is clean if I can check it out (no test driving on this one 
). He is going to call me later today to inform when they will get the other GS450h from the cleaners.
Chu...
). He is going to call me later today to inform when they will get the other GS450h from the cleaners.Chu...
04-11-06, 02:07 AM
#26
Instructor
Thread Starter
Finally saw it
Sales manager call late in the afternoon while I was on the road therefore did not have the camera with me. I am scheduled for test drive at 1PM tomorrow and will take pictures then. Any questions as to what specific items you want me to check should be sent ASAP. I did look over the car but did not get to drive it as it was getting late.
Following are some preliminary key highlights:
1) No shark fin antenna
2) No external MP3 or Ipod input port (can't find one yet)
3) The two GS450h that I saw did not have run flats. The tires are Yokahama Advans. With compact spare.
4) Trunk space is small. Will not be able to fit a large suit case or wheel chair when I take my dad out (might be a problem).
5) For all you street racers (including me... hehehe). Forget about reving your engine at the stop light. When your at the stop light then some punk rev their engine and you sometime have to rev back to show them you have a V8 and not a 6 cylinder. The GS450h will not let you REV!!!. I started the car and the engine started after holding the start button and foot on brake pedal. If you press the start button briefly with the foot on brake pedal it the GS would start but not run the engine. Will test this out tomorrow on the actual test drive. With the gear still in Park I tried to rev the engine. No matter how much I press accelerator the engine just idles at a specific rpm.
6) The graphic touch screen is gorgeous!!!. Very high resolution.
7) Regular selling price $54,900 with tax. My price is too low to list but I can say is few thousand lower (can't publish as it is a special price to me - very tempted to buy one now but I want to wait for the GS460)
Following are the major features I recall:
- front headlight washer
- rear sun shade
- rear camera
- parking assist
- sun roof
- Mark Levinson audio (without NAV)
- Ventilated seats (cold and heated - in the past all the GS300/430 comes only with heated)
- rear trunk spoiler
- Floor mats
Chu...
Following are some preliminary key highlights:
1) No shark fin antenna
2) No external MP3 or Ipod input port (can't find one yet)
3) The two GS450h that I saw did not have run flats. The tires are Yokahama Advans. With compact spare.
4) Trunk space is small. Will not be able to fit a large suit case or wheel chair when I take my dad out (might be a problem).
5) For all you street racers (including me... hehehe). Forget about reving your engine at the stop light. When your at the stop light then some punk rev their engine and you sometime have to rev back to show them you have a V8 and not a 6 cylinder. The GS450h will not let you REV!!!. I started the car and the engine started after holding the start button and foot on brake pedal. If you press the start button briefly with the foot on brake pedal it the GS would start but not run the engine. Will test this out tomorrow on the actual test drive. With the gear still in Park I tried to rev the engine. No matter how much I press accelerator the engine just idles at a specific rpm.
6) The graphic touch screen is gorgeous!!!. Very high resolution.
7) Regular selling price $54,900 with tax. My price is too low to list but I can say is few thousand lower (can't publish as it is a special price to me - very tempted to buy one now but I want to wait for the GS460)
Following are the major features I recall:
- front headlight washer
- rear sun shade
- rear camera
- parking assist
- sun roof
- Mark Levinson audio (without NAV)
- Ventilated seats (cold and heated - in the past all the GS300/430 comes only with heated)
- rear trunk spoiler
- Floor mats
Chu...
Last edited by ChuH; 04-11-06 at 02:33 AM.
04-12-06, 03:10 AM
#28
Instructor
Thread Starter
Finally got to test drive the GS450h. I have some pictures but will post tomorrow as my camera is at the office. All the recent posted pictures are the same.
From a slow normal acceleration the GS is very very quiet. You can barely hear the engine when it kicks in. Without the display either on the instrument panel or center LCD console display you can not tell when it is running on pure electric or electric/gas mode. From a full throttle acceleration from stand still the acceleration is very linear until it reaches about 30 mph when the full electric/gas kicks in and felt. I was able to do a brief rear fish tail until the VDIM kick in to keep me in control. It feels like a turbo or supercharged engine. The sound of the engine was not so pleasing. The V6/Hybrid (kind of raspy) does not give you the noise satisfaction of a V8 growl. Interior you hear more engine noise than exhaust noise on full throttle accelerations. Hard acceleration from 30+ is very linear due to the CVT. When you quickly release the accelerator on full throttle acceleration from any speed the RPM would slowly (3 to 4 second) to drop to idle. On my GS430 when I quick lift the accelerator from full throttle acceleration the rpm drops alot quicker. From 0 to 30 my GS430 feels faster. From 30 and up the GS450h feel stronger pull. Don't know if I can get use to the detach feel of acceleration versus engine sound. I don't know how to explain it but the GS450h does not give me the sporty feel even though it has a faster acceleration than my GS430. I am not completely satisfy with the overall sporty experience. I would think the GS450h shine as a fast road crusier. For people who wants quietness and power the GS450h does it very well.
From a standstill under electric power only, if you have your foot on the brake and gently reduce the foot pressure on the brake pedal until the car start to move slowly you can feel a small (very very small) jerk when the electric motor engages and when you lightly press the brake to slow you can also feel the electric motor disengage (again a small jerk). This can only be felt when moving in slow stop and go traffic jam. In normal driving you can't feel it.
Don't bother reving your engine at park. The GS450h will not let you.
The suspension on the GS450h is a whole lot better than my GS430 with L-Tuned spring/struts. Cornering is very flat. I can just imaging how the active stabilizer will further improve the handling. For Guam driving I don't think I would need the active stabilizer. The wheel/fender space gap is again too much. Lowering spring would make the car look better. The suspension under sports mode is very comfortable. Feels better than my L-Tuned GS. The GS450h does roll less than my GS430.
The special 18" OEM wheel feels cheap to me. Those chromed inserts between the spokes feels like thin chrome plated plastic. Aftermarket rim will fix that.
Steering at low speed is alot lighter than my L-Tuned GS430. The GS450h steering response has a neutral feel. Little road feedback can be felt.
The Yokahama Advan tires that came with the GS does not grip too well. I took a U-turn from stop position and the front end lost grip under light to moderate acceleration. The tire squeal.
I now am seriously considering purchasing the GS450h due the attractive pricing the dealer gave me and also my 5 year old GS430 have several interested buyers already. If I wait for the GS460 I may have a harder time selling early next year. Decision... Decision...
Chu...
From a slow normal acceleration the GS is very very quiet. You can barely hear the engine when it kicks in. Without the display either on the instrument panel or center LCD console display you can not tell when it is running on pure electric or electric/gas mode. From a full throttle acceleration from stand still the acceleration is very linear until it reaches about 30 mph when the full electric/gas kicks in and felt. I was able to do a brief rear fish tail until the VDIM kick in to keep me in control. It feels like a turbo or supercharged engine. The sound of the engine was not so pleasing. The V6/Hybrid (kind of raspy) does not give you the noise satisfaction of a V8 growl. Interior you hear more engine noise than exhaust noise on full throttle accelerations. Hard acceleration from 30+ is very linear due to the CVT. When you quickly release the accelerator on full throttle acceleration from any speed the RPM would slowly (3 to 4 second) to drop to idle. On my GS430 when I quick lift the accelerator from full throttle acceleration the rpm drops alot quicker. From 0 to 30 my GS430 feels faster. From 30 and up the GS450h feel stronger pull. Don't know if I can get use to the detach feel of acceleration versus engine sound. I don't know how to explain it but the GS450h does not give me the sporty feel even though it has a faster acceleration than my GS430. I am not completely satisfy with the overall sporty experience. I would think the GS450h shine as a fast road crusier. For people who wants quietness and power the GS450h does it very well.
From a standstill under electric power only, if you have your foot on the brake and gently reduce the foot pressure on the brake pedal until the car start to move slowly you can feel a small (very very small) jerk when the electric motor engages and when you lightly press the brake to slow you can also feel the electric motor disengage (again a small jerk). This can only be felt when moving in slow stop and go traffic jam. In normal driving you can't feel it.
Don't bother reving your engine at park. The GS450h will not let you.
The suspension on the GS450h is a whole lot better than my GS430 with L-Tuned spring/struts. Cornering is very flat. I can just imaging how the active stabilizer will further improve the handling. For Guam driving I don't think I would need the active stabilizer. The wheel/fender space gap is again too much. Lowering spring would make the car look better. The suspension under sports mode is very comfortable. Feels better than my L-Tuned GS. The GS450h does roll less than my GS430.
The special 18" OEM wheel feels cheap to me. Those chromed inserts between the spokes feels like thin chrome plated plastic. Aftermarket rim will fix that.
Steering at low speed is alot lighter than my L-Tuned GS430. The GS450h steering response has a neutral feel. Little road feedback can be felt.
The Yokahama Advan tires that came with the GS does not grip too well. I took a U-turn from stop position and the front end lost grip under light to moderate acceleration. The tire squeal.
I now am seriously considering purchasing the GS450h due the attractive pricing the dealer gave me and also my 5 year old GS430 have several interested buyers already. If I wait for the GS460 I may have a harder time selling early next year. Decision... Decision...
Chu...
Last edited by ChuH; 04-12-06 at 03:14 AM.