yaro1

I went to my local Lexus dealer yesterday and looked at the new GS. My sales”dude” was terrible! The car would be more personal than him if it had a Nav system. He acted so unimpressed by the car I was so annoyed: I left work early to come see this car and here the guy acted like it was no big deal.

So we walk out to the GS and it is really dark. I approach the light-colored GS and am taken aback! The first thing I thought was, “Pictures do not do this design justice.” The curves were fresh while subtle. It evoked emotions of speed and passion just by being still. All of the pictures I have been looking at did less for portraying the car’s soul than saying it looked cool. This car was a real stunning work of art that just happened to have wheels under it.

Next I walk around to the back and notice it is a GS300 RWD. I was a little disappointed because I was interested in AWD but it was okay I guess. So the salesman walks up and plops like a loaf in the passenger seat. “What happened to the smart access” I thought; I wanted to know the ins and outs of that system but the look he gave me as I continued to walk around shouted “Get in already and lets go already.” I was a little ticked off to say the least. I was there with my wife and son. My son is the biggest Lexus geek on this planet! He has read about every book about Lexus about 3 times each and lives on this forum. Well, I thought salesman sit in the back as a courtesy; at two other dealerships I had one salesman sit in the back and the other dealership just gave me the keys and said “have a nice test drive.” But, this loaf hogged the front seat. So, my wife and son who did all his homework in advance so he could come without worries were forced to sit in the back! I decided that was jus OK.

So, I press the button and the car turn on. Silently, the salesguy just loafs in the passenger seat taking up air. So my son looks at the dashboard and points out that this car doesn’t have nav. WELL, he get a little disappointed to say the least: he brought a DVD he wanted to watch a little to test the Mark Levinson. His hopes were crushed as the salesloaf cleared his though suggesting “already….LETS GO.” But, I took a moment to look at the interior styling.

The interior was a masterpiece in itself. The leather seats were very supportive as if to encourage hard cornering. While gray leather with the black wood is not what I would choose (I thought it was a little bland but maybe that was because it was dark), they didn’t have the tan/Gold wood. The leather was soft, but I thought not as soft as the buttery leather in my GX. The interior headroom suffers slightly from the amazing exterior low-cut roofline, but nothing I had anything to worry about or complain (I am 5’8”). The instrument panel, although at night, seemed beautiful and everything one comes to expect from Lexus. The lighting was a beautiful color and the gauges looked futuristic and inspiring. After asking my son about the back seat, he replied that is was comfortable. The back seats looked upright, but they seemed comfortable enough. My wife even remarked that she would enjoy driving down to Florida in the back of this (22 Hrs, 2000 Miles, 1 long trip).
Inspired by the gauges, I press the throttle and the car creeps forward through the crowded bustle of the tight parking lot. Finally we make our way onto the highway and I give some light pressure and that car lurches forward. While not a close to my Corvette’s growling 400HP V8, this GS respectfully pulls its weight as I merge into traffic. My son asks the salesman about the nav system hoping the guy would be knowledgeable and helpful, but all he received where curt “yes” or “no” answers. Then, the guy shuts the screen off (I’ll repeat this because you probably don’t understand why and neither did I). The guy turned the beautiful 7-inch screen OFF, black, dead, lifeless. So there is now a black hole where I am used to finding the beautiful navigation screen like in my GX. My son I could tell was angry, but said nothing. I think that was utter stupidity at its finest: one of the selling points of the car is how easy to use the nav sytem is and even if this car didn’t have it, that screen is still a selling point of the car which showed climate, radio, and other functions. I don’t think I will ever figure out why he did that, there was not even the slightest stimulus or inclination that would make him do that for a reason.

So we continued down the road and I noticed how smooth and quiet the car was. The loaf turned the audio system off as we entered the car, so I didn’t hear that. I asked if he could turn it on just out of curiosity of the Lexus system. He turns it on and adjusts the volume…..DOWN so I can barely hear it at all! Hmmm. I start thinking, maybe this guy doesn’t understand ENGLISH very well. But, my assumptions were put to rest as he points out an exit and in perfect English commands, “Turn around here.” I took the exit and noticed the suspension and turning. The car stayed glued to the road as I went through a hairpin-like turn at about 50 mph! I was impressed. This is where I disagree with other people. Some say the suspension is too smooth, or soft; but I found this not to be a problem. Curves were handled beautiful while maintaining a civilized environment similar to the sanctuary in my beloved GX. All the while, my son has been snapping pictures with his camera.

We arrive in the lot and I pull in to a spot. The loaf rises and walks towards the building. WTH? No “How was the ride?” or “Nice, eh?” and not even a “lets walk inside;” he just beckons and walks away. I turn the car off and my son and wife exit the back. My wife walks around to the driver side and sits in the seat. By now the salesloaf is standing about 50 feet away waiting by the door to go inside. My son asks the guy if he can come back with the key so we can at least look at some of the fancy gadgets like the little button tray that comes out and the folding mirrors, the audio setup, climate controls, rear sunscreen. The man just grunts and stands still. My son decided just to give up and so did I. My wife and I walk inside the dealership while my poor son who wanted to learn the ins and outs of this car is stuck with an off car and nearly no light! I felt bad for him, he had waited so long for this and got next to nothing. So the best he could do was take pictures and hope to come back again and get a different salesman.

My final impression about the GS is pretty concise. I love this car! The exterior is beautiful and fresh, the interior is comfortable and chock-full of gadgets (I assume; I never got to play with any of them thanks to my salesloaf), the acceleration is zippy, handling is strong tight enough for a sports sedan, and the ride is soft as I would expect from Lexus. I plan on purchasing this car soon (definitely from a different salesman) and in a year giving it to my son who will be driving by then.

Even with the terrible sales experience, the car itself speaks louder than anything the loaf could ruin.

To those who have this already: Congratulations on your new car
To those who are buyers to-be: Enjoy this car fully, it is amazing
To those who just like looking: I hope you get to experience this art in real life
To those who want to rain on our GS party: This car is better than yours… So there!



UPDATE: I DIDN'T BUY IT YET, but SOON

Fallsgrove

Nobody deserves a salesperson like that . I would speak to the sales manager concerning your experience. If you decide to buy, do not buy from him.

I have a salesperson who is not quite what I wanted. He did not go to training when the rep came to show the dealership the car and had not even been in the car. He has no real enthusiasm and it bothers me and my wife. He's a nice enough person, just doesn't seem that interested in cars and when you (the buyer) are an enthusiast, it doesn't mesh real well.

My saving grace is the "Rockville" has spent some considerable time with me in the dealership and in the car discussing and teaching me about the car. I hope he will go out on a test drive with me when the dealership starts permitting test drives.

LexFather

That was another great write-up. Thanks!!!

Lexus-girl

I enjoyed your comments about the new GS and feel the same way (awesome car). I drove it today for the 1st time and was very impressed. I guess your sales guy thought the car would "sell itself." He puts the good salespeople to shame IMO. Well, good luck and happy driving.

Rockville

Lexus-girl. I/we are extremely interested in your impressions of the GS and your test drive experience. Could you post it for our edification and a little reality check for this testosterone laden forum.

Rockville

It was the stuff you wrote about the little guy that had me upset. That is a future car guy if there ever was one and you should be proud. The Sales oaf that accompanied you on the test drive had already written you off as another tire kicker and was just going through the motions. I am glad I do not work with him. On the cars without Navigation the screen turns off after it is left alone for about 10 seconds so it probably wasn't the loaf's doing. Consider this a "dry" run and realize that you probably know more about the new model than the average consultant because it is still too new and they haven't really done the research you have. Trust your instincts and I look forward to your next post with another consultant this time. We don't even have any brochures yet and I haven't seen the Chardonnay and the Quartz shadow yet myself. Take the little guy out for an Ice Cream or something, OK?

GS3rdwow

Rockville...let me tell u - i have seen the quartz shadow mettalic.. IT IS GOERGEOUS!! i thought it was flint mica when i first saw it in person at a dealership. It looks like the flint mica from a distance...at night - when the light hits it - IT IS AMAZING! its a dark purplish blue color...totalllyy beautiful. the guy there was putting racing stripe and also a special vehicle shield guard or somthign to protect against rock chips on the front of hood and on the side mirrors....the car was EYECATCHIGN...words dont do justice at all.

Rockville

Yeh, that was one of my alltime favorite albums of the 60's. At least SOMEBODY out there has seen this elusive arrow in the quiver. Anybody sipped the Chardonnay yet?