Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Alex K
Here's another UK-based review of both the GS300 and GS430.
http://www.testdriven.co.uk/roadtest...s300_and_gs430
Snippet:
"I can't be the only one tired with the current German pre-occupation with rock-hard suspension, unfathomable control systems and poor-quality materials. What we need is a real alternative, something of a Johnny-come-lately to the car industry, to remind the sausage-sampling thigh-slappers that what their executive customers really want is reliable, usable, comfortable and entertaining transport to soothe their furrowed brows after a hard day in the boardroom.
Toyota, the world's most successful car manufacturer, has been listening. They've been busily punting Lexus, their luxury offshoot, through something of a renaissance of late, with a new visual identity and a raft of new models scheduled to glide gently onto the market over the next few years. The first of which, the new GS, arrives in the UK this month (April) in two guises - the 3.0-litre V6 GS300 and 4.3-litre V8 GS430. We've tried them both."
Conclusion:
"New L-Finesse design language gets its first outing in the new GS. It's handsome, muscular even, but not necessarily beautiful from all angles. That aside, it's a quality package, high on ergonomics, with a surprisingly competent chassis, good performance and quite incredible fuel economy from the GS300 for a car of its size. The GS300 is the better balanced of the two variants, with the SE model offering the best value for money. With outstanding reliability and a touchy-feely dealer network, you'd need a pathological dislike of Japanese cars to not put the new Lexus GS somewhere near the top of your list."
Rating: 4.5 / 5 |
From the same article:
"Maintenance is set to be extremely competitive, with the life of many service items such as spark plugs and filters extended. Intervals are once a year or 10,000 miles for a 'Health and Safety check' with a service every two years or 20,000 miles. Service labour times have been reduced, with the 60,000 mile service reduced, for example, from 9.7 hours to 4.9. Many other parts have been carefully designed so they can be replaced separately and cheaply in the event of an accident, leading to a group 16E rating for the boggo GS300 rising to 18E for the GS430."
Is this valid for the US/other markets? if not , why?