I talked to my dealer today at McGrath Lexus of Chicago, and he told me that the AWD system will work very well in a moderate amount of snow. He said that it was like 2 engines for the car. The regular one for the two wheels at the front, plus some kind of motor that controls the 2 rear wheels from spinning.

Base Price for the 06 GS AWD is 44,850. With the regular luxury opions.

They are getting one, in about 2-3 weeks.

:)

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148499&page=2&pp=15

Official 2006 GS Base Prices

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The GS300 RWD will be $42,900
The GS300 AWD will be $44,850
The GS430 will be $51,125

New Standard features included in base price, but are not limited to:
Heated Leather Seats with Memory
Smart Entry with Push Start Button
In Dash 6 Disc Changer
Projector Type HID Headlamps
Knee Airbags
Wood Steering Wheel and Shift Knob
17" Wheels on V6, 18" on V8
0-60 on the GS430 is 5.7 sec!!!!!

VDIM...Vehicle Dynamics Integrated management system is standard on the GS430. It is the MOST advanced active safety system in the world. Besides controlling braking and traction of each wheel - like VSC does - it adjust the AVS suspension and the all new electronic power steering with variable gear ratio steering (VGRS). All these components work together to produce an incredibly seamless stability enhancement system.

Mark Levinson 7.1 Discrete Surround DVD Audio...This optional system features 14 speakers and an 11 channel amplifier to reproduce sound quality like no car audio ever before.

The GS RWD and AWD have an all new V6 engine with the first application of direct fuel injection and dual VVT-i that acts on both intake and exhaust vavles. The result is more power, a wide torque range, and with the 6 speed transmission and other inhancements, a considerable 20% FUEL ECONOMY IMPROVEMENT.

Also for the first time, Intuitive Park Assist incorporates a Steering Sensitive Clearance Sonar, and the Pre-Collision System (PSC) includes active braking.




If you are on a waiting list, I urge you to stay in contact with your local Lexus dealer for color selction/option selection. Tomorrow they are supposed to release the actual packages, availabiltiy/firm pricing. Full brochures will arrive at dealerships on Feb 21.
__________________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------