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Originally Posted by Sandman
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Thanks Sandman!
Lexus GS pushes for passion
GERRY MALLOY
Nanaimo, B.C.—If cars have a persona (and they do), Lexus has played the part of the straight-A student.
Respected by its peers, quietly competent in every way, but never, ever, considered the life of the party. Until, perhaps, now.
With its all-new 2006 GS 300 and GS 430 sedans, the brand has pumped up its muscles and donned fancy new duds.
Now it's ready for some one-on-one with the baddest boys on the block — especially those with German accents. Marquess of Queensberry rules, of course: a Lexus is no common brawler.
The introduction of the redesigned GS line, on sale early next month, marks a turning point in the Lexus philosophy.
Style and performance have now been elevated to the same status as quality, refinement and luxury on the brand's priority list.
One look at the car confirms its focus on design. The company says the GS is the first manifestation of what it terms "a passionate new direction in styling ... known as L-Finesse."
Whatever you call it, the GS effectively combines Lexus' classic conservatism with a fluid modernity that commands attention without flamboyance.
Beautifully proportioned, its near-fastback roofline gives it a long, low profile and adds the practical benefit of extending and thus enlarging the cabin.
The Lexus sedan lineup opens with the small IS 300, then comes the ES 330, followed by the GS pair, with the big LS 430 as the flagship.
As with its rivals (BMW 5 Series, Jaguar S-Type, Cadillac STS, etc.), the GS is offered in both V6 and V8 versions — the GS 300 and GS 430 respectively.
The smooth inline-six of earlier 300s is gone, replaced by a new 3.0-litre V6 with dual VVT-i (continuously variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust valves) and gasoline direct injection.
The latter feature, also used by Audi and BMW, injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber, rather than pre-mixing it with air as is normally the case, resulting in better performance, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
Peak power from the V6 is 245 hp at 6,200 r.p.m., with a torque rating of 230 lb.-ft. at 3,600 r.p.m.
That's enough to provide 0-to-100 km/h acceleration in the seven-second range — about a second longer than the GS 430, with its 4.3-litre V8.
That engine produces 300 hp at 5,600 r.p.m. and 325 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,400 r.p.m..
Both are coupled with six-speed automatic transmissions with adaptive shift logic and sequential manual-shift features, as well as selectable Normal, Power and Snow modes for varying conditions. Think exceedingly smooth and very quick.
The V6 is available with a real all-wheel-drive system that motivates all the wheels all the time, making this GS 300 model the first Lexus sedan equipped with AWD.
Steady-state torque distribution is split 30/70 front to rear to maintain a rear-wheel-drive feel, but that can shift as far as 50/50 if rear wheelspin looms.
The AWD V6 version is expected to account for about 75 per cent of the GS's 1,000 annual sales in Canada.
There is much more technology to be found beneath the GS's stylish skin, including standard electric power steering and Vehicle Stability Control.
The rear-wheel-drive GS 430 raises the ante on both, with a new, state-of-the-science Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system that combines VSC with Variable Gear Ratio active Steering (VGRS).
The system automatically adds to or detracts from the driver's steering input according to circumstances.
For instance, if the system determines, based on a range of sensor inputs, that the car is turning more than the steering-wheel angle dictates — oversteer — it reduces steering angle.
Though the limits of traction and physics still prevail, the two integrated components of VDIM make the car almost idiot-proof in terms of its dynamics — a point I proved on a watered-down runway at Nanaimo's airport.
With just VSC activated, the GS completed a full-lock, J-turn manoeuvre at 50 km/h with surprising composure, albeit with noticeable front-tire chirping and inherent understeer that pushed it into a broad arc.
With VDIM, that turn circle tightened by at least a third, with no protest from the tires and no indication to the driver that the system had taken control.
Impressive stuff.
The GS 430 also incorporates such goodies as brake-by-wire (electronic brake control) and Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), which continuously adjusts individual damper rates in accordance with changing road surface, vehicle speed and steering and braking inputs.
The driver can manually select either Normal or Sport modes.
In Normal mode, the ride is firm but compliant — near perfect by my assessment. In Sport mode, everything tightens up, including the VDIM's steering ratio and you're ready for serious duty.
For all its enhanced performance, the GS still excels in areas of traditional Lexus strength. It is supremely quiet and refined and wonderfully luxurious.
One feature I particularly appreciated is a pop-down panel, to the left of the steering column, that houses an array of secondary control buttons — power-mirror adjustment, instrument-lamp intensity and the like.
A Lexus exclusive: an ElectroChromatic Device (ECD) on the instrument-cluster lenses, which varies the diffusion characteristics of the lens based on an initial driver-selected setting and variations in ambient light to minimize reflections. Wow.
Every control feels just right, and most are well placed.
But one feature — not exclusive to Lexus — annoys me. While you can access basic audio and climate-control functions with knobs and buttons, you have to scroll through a screen-based menu for more precise adjustments.
That takes time, requires taking your eyes off the road and is complicated by the controls being touch-screen activated. Such complexity is not progress.
Otherwise, there is little fault to find inside the GS. Front-seat room is more than ample, and the extended roofline and a 50 mm stretch in wheelbase make more room in back as well.
All told, the new GS is a well-thought-out and well-executed automobile that addresses most of the shortcomings, real or perceived, of its predecessors.
If only I fit the $175,000 annual-income demographic of its target buyers...
Starting prices: $64,300 for the rear-wheel-drive GS 300; $66,700 for the AWD version; $74,700 for the rear-drive GS 430 (AWD is not offered).