My Search: Before I get to the actual review, I just want to give some context as to what kind of car I am looking for in terms of needs and preferences. This was you'll have a better basis for how my opinion may or may not fit with your own.
With my lease on my
Saab 9-3 up in a few months, I am finally getting out to test drive the myriad of cars that are on my list as possible replacements. The car I purchase (or lease) will be my primary means of getting back and forth to work in L.A. traffic. I don't need to carry many other people in the car, so I just need it to be comfortable up front and enough space in back to hold one (or both) of my kid's car seats in a pinch. This will not be our main family car - that's what we bought our
Honda Odyssey for, after all.
I'd like a car with decent performance; although I won't be racing it anytime soon and I do live in southern CA, so fuel economy is somewhat important. As far as handling goes, I'm not the kind of driver who is looking for a car that feels "toss-able" or allows me to induce oversteer. I think the best word to describe the handling characteristics I'm looking for would be "confidence". I want a car that feels like it can handle anything I can throw at it and still stay below its limits. And I'm getting old enough that I'm also willing to give up some handling capability for a little smoother ride.
As far as interior goes, I'd like an upscale interior with comfortable seats with good support. I'd also like some advanced technology available such as Bluetooth and MP3/iPod integration. A navigation system is not necessary, nor is a super upscale 15 speaker sound package. And, as I said before, I don't need a large amount or rear seat space or a voluminous trunk.
The cars that I've selected to test drive for my search can be divided into three groupings:
Compact sport sedans including the
Acura TL,
Audi A4 3.2, BMW 330i,
Infiniti G35,
Lexus IS350,
Mercedes C350, and the
Volvo S60 R. Mid-sized sport sedans such as the
Audi A6 3.2,
Infiniti M35, and Lexus GS300. And a few other odds and ends such as the
Mazda RX-8 and the
Subaru Legacy GT (both mostly due to stellar reviews on this site) as well as the
Infiniti FX35 (which I think is one of the best looking vehicles on the road). As you can see, I plan on enjoying this go-round of car shopping.
---------------------------------------------------- Trim Levels: The Lexus GS, which is their mid-sized sport(y) sedan, has gone through a big overhaul for the 2006 model year. It is available with a 3.0L V-6 or a 4.3L V-8. Each is offered as a RWD vehicle, although the GS300 is also available with AWD.
Ok, a little rant here. Is Audi and Mercedes the only companies that realizes that people may want a V-8 and AWD? Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Acura... they all offer AWD with a V-6 engine, but don't make it available with a V-8. It not a big deal to me, living in Southern CA, but if I still lived somewhere it snowed I'd be PO'd.
Anyway, this review focuses on the GS300 RWD.
Exterior: The GS was the first car in the Lexus line-up to get the new 'L-Finesse' look. This look has also been applied to the new IS as well as the upcoming 2007 LS. Overall, I like this new design on the GS - especially the front half of the car. The rear half could have been executed better, in my opinion. I think part of it is that there's too much overhang past the rear tires. To some extent you can still see the old GS under the new "L-Finesse" skin.
Overall, the new exterior styling just works ok for me on the GS. I think Lexus did a much better job applying 'L-Finesse' to the IS.
Interior: One of the things I've discovered while driving all these cars is that I, if you'll excuse the phrasing, have somewhat of a steering wheel fetish. I like my steering wheels with smaller diameters, thick grips, and covered in well textured leather. So when I climbed behind the wheel of the GS300 and said wheel was mostly wood, my first question was "Can I get this with an all leather wheel?" Unfortunately the answer was "No". Not a good start.
Once past the wheel, the rest of the interior is exactly what I expected from Lexus. Soft leather seats that, while comfortable, are not overly sporty. Well laid out controls. Excellent fit and finish. Only Audi and Mercedes compare, in my opinion. The car I drove had the optional Navigation system, but the large display screen is included on the GS with or without navigation. Which means the Bluetooth connectivity is also included whether or not you option for the navigation. I'm not sure if it was a problem with the GS's display screen or if the sun was just coming in at the exact wrong angle, but I found the screen very hard to see in daylight. Even after the salesman adjusted the brightness the screen was still very hard to see.
Overall I like the size of the GS. Which means it's probably a little on the small side for most people looking at this class of car. It's a little bit shorter than the competition (Infiniti M, BMW 5-series, Mercedes E-class, Audi A6) which suits me just fine. You don't get as much rear seat and trunk space (13 cu.ft.) as with those other cars, but I'm not planning on hauling large groups of people.
Performance/Handling: The GS300 has a 3.0L V-6 that puts out 245 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 230 lb-ft of torque at 3600 rpm. So the GS300 is the least powerful car in its class. However, its also one of the lighter cars at just over 3500 lbs. So the engine does an ok job moving the GS off the line. The M35 offers more oomph and is more to my liking, but the GS has enough gusto for most driving.
One of my hopes for the GS, being shorter and lighted than the competition, was that those things would translate into better handling. Also, this was not the case. The GS does an ok job getting through corners, but there's too much lean for my tastes and the steering is much too numb to truly be called a sports sedan. Again, I felt that the Infiniti M35 is a much more fun drive to car despite its larger size. I think that if Lexus wants the GS to compete as a sports sedan they need to offer up an option for a sportier suspension. Ride quality and braking were both good.
Update (02/22/05): After having driven my Lexus IS350 for several months, I've come to re-evaluate how Lexus cars handle. I do feel that there is a lack of feedback in Lexus cars, but they more capable than initial test drives might indicate. So, to be fair, my initial snub of the GS's handling was most likely a little exaggerated. I still prefer the Infiniti M's handling, though.
Fuel Economy: The GS300 is rated at an EPA estimated 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. I guess this is one area where the GS's smaller size pays off as this puts the GS tops in its class in this area.
Reliability: Previous generations of the GS, as with many other Lexus/Toyota products, have had stellar reliability ratings. I wouldn't expect anything else of the new GS.
Safety: The GS received very good front impact scores from the IIHS, but no side and rear impact results or NHTSA ratings are available.
Summary: With the new GS, Lexus may have been aiming for the BMW 5-series, but I think they came closer to hitting the Mercedes E-class or the Audi A6. It's a very comfortable, competent sedan but I wouldn't go so far as to put the word "sport" in its description.
CarsBelowInvoic e
CarsBelowInvoic e
