GS430 - Owners Impressions
12-04-05, 12:31 AM
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GS430 - Owners Impressions
I’ve had the GS430 for about 5 months now and its got 12,500KMs on it now. This is my 3rd Lexus, coming from a 98 GS300 and a 2004 RX330.Here are some of the small things which Lexus could probably improve:
·Seating not too comfortable
·Brakes too grabby with too much brake dust, rims difficult to keep clean
·Rear dome light fell off
·Rear view camera shows part of the trunk
·Duplicated controls display e.g. outside temperature in 3 places (screen, led display & mini info. Screen), park assist
·Under utilized info display – could display more useful information such as radio station, etc.
·Nav. System of lower quality than the IS
·No illuminated door skirts like the RX
·Cant feel the difference with seat cooling fans on
·Cheap looking led displays – why cant we have a decent clock like other luxury brands?
·Green lights – eww! Why cant they be a more classy blue/white like the led lights? I just noticed these as I sat in the back seat, they are not to evident from the driver’s seat
·No lighting in trunk & No automatic trunk closer
·Way too little cabin lighting, not even illuminated buttons like the seat settings?
·Mobile phone reception always weak
·Useless glove box
·Too little space in the back seats
·Some essential buttons missing – for e.g. how do I turn on the AC without having to go through the touch screen display? The only way is to press Auto which just blows the AC wild! Why cant we just have a fun inc/dec button.
·Too little wood
Generally speaking, a $50,000 car should have a more luxurious feel!
Some may think these are small silly things, but they surely all add up to the overall impression and general feeling about the car!
Other than that, the car runs soo smooth and very happy with the reliability *knock on wood*
·Seating not too comfortable
·Brakes too grabby with too much brake dust, rims difficult to keep clean
·Rear dome light fell off
·Rear view camera shows part of the trunk
·Duplicated controls display e.g. outside temperature in 3 places (screen, led display & mini info. Screen), park assist
·Under utilized info display – could display more useful information such as radio station, etc.
·Nav. System of lower quality than the IS
·No illuminated door skirts like the RX
·Cant feel the difference with seat cooling fans on
·Cheap looking led displays – why cant we have a decent clock like other luxury brands?
·Green lights – eww! Why cant they be a more classy blue/white like the led lights? I just noticed these as I sat in the back seat, they are not to evident from the driver’s seat
·No lighting in trunk & No automatic trunk closer
·Way too little cabin lighting, not even illuminated buttons like the seat settings?
·Mobile phone reception always weak
·Useless glove box
·Too little space in the back seats
·Some essential buttons missing – for e.g. how do I turn on the AC without having to go through the touch screen display? The only way is to press Auto which just blows the AC wild! Why cant we just have a fun inc/dec button.
·Too little wood
Generally speaking, a $50,000 car should have a more luxurious feel!
Some may think these are small silly things, but they surely all add up to the overall impression and general feeling about the car!
Other than that, the car runs soo smooth and very happy with the reliability *knock on wood*
12-04-05, 04:31 AM
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I agree with most of what you stated, but I still love my 3GS. As for the trunk light, there's one on the right side. Just hit the switch to turn it on and it'll automatically shut off when the trunk lid is closed.
12-04-05, 07:31 AM
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I posted something similar about a month ago:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...rs+impressions
While I agree with some of what you have said, I think many of your criticisms could be levied against any car in this price range. You want to see really bad brake dust? Drive a BMW. You want to see crappy interior lighting? Drive a Cadillac or Infiniti. In fact, I think some things you mentioned aren't really "problems" at all. The camera shows a small portion of the rear bumper for a very important reason. When parallel parking you can see where your bumper is so you don't hit the car in back of you. This may be overkill if you have the parking assist sensors, but for those who don't it's a very handy "feature". The trunk also has a light in it, so yours must be switched off. As for the cabin lighting. Are you sure you have all the lights switched to come on when the door is opened? I think the interior lighting is fine, but I have the Cashmere interior. I'm sure it seems darker inside if you have the Ebony/Black interior, but I see you have Ash.
You may want to get your Bluetooth connection checked out as well as your ventillated seats. Both of those things work fine on my GS, but that may be due to the phone I'm using (V3 RAZR) and the fact that my behind is more sensitive than yours. 
As for the NAV and seating comfort, I could not agree w/ you more! I don't understand how/why Lexus approved these seats for the production version of the GS. Every other Lexus I have sat in has more comfortable seats, including the new IS. I doubt the seats will change until the 4th generation GS, but the NAV will likely change next year w/ the introduction of the GS35/460/450h. The lighted door scuff plates would be nice too, but not a deal breaker for me.
Either way, I hope these things don't prevent you from enjoying your GS. I'm sure if you spent much time in a E-Class or 5-Series you would find a whole new batch of things not to your liking. Sometimes I think it's important to remind ourselves that even for $50-60k there is no such thing as a perfect car. Best of luck w/ your GS
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...rs+impressions
While I agree with some of what you have said, I think many of your criticisms could be levied against any car in this price range. You want to see really bad brake dust? Drive a BMW. You want to see crappy interior lighting? Drive a Cadillac or Infiniti. In fact, I think some things you mentioned aren't really "problems" at all. The camera shows a small portion of the rear bumper for a very important reason. When parallel parking you can see where your bumper is so you don't hit the car in back of you. This may be overkill if you have the parking assist sensors, but for those who don't it's a very handy "feature". The trunk also has a light in it, so yours must be switched off. As for the cabin lighting. Are you sure you have all the lights switched to come on when the door is opened? I think the interior lighting is fine, but I have the Cashmere interior. I'm sure it seems darker inside if you have the Ebony/Black interior, but I see you have Ash.
You may want to get your Bluetooth connection checked out as well as your ventillated seats. Both of those things work fine on my GS, but that may be due to the phone I'm using (V3 RAZR) and the fact that my behind is more sensitive than yours. As for the NAV and seating comfort, I could not agree w/ you more! I don't understand how/why Lexus approved these seats for the production version of the GS. Every other Lexus I have sat in has more comfortable seats, including the new IS. I doubt the seats will change until the 4th generation GS, but the NAV will likely change next year w/ the introduction of the GS35/460/450h. The lighted door scuff plates would be nice too, but not a deal breaker for me. Either way, I hope these things don't prevent you from enjoying your GS. I'm sure if you spent much time in a E-Class or 5-Series you would find a whole new batch of things not to your liking. Sometimes I think it's important to remind ourselves that even for $50-60k there is no such thing as a perfect car. Best of luck w/ your GS
Last edited by jwaters; 12-04-05 at 07:46 AM.
12-04-05, 11:56 AM
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thanks for your note.. im enjoying my GS and wouldnt really call these problems either, for me a problem is when the car lives at the dealer's rather than at my garage
Im actually satisfied with the car, maybe its just that I had such high hopes for the GS and have been expecting the relentless pursuit of perfection to come a bit closer to perfection..
Nevertheless, I think its a great car overall and cant imagine getting anything better for that price range
Im actually satisfied with the car, maybe its just that I had such high hopes for the GS and have been expecting the relentless pursuit of perfection to come a bit closer to perfection..
Nevertheless, I think its a great car overall and cant imagine getting anything better for that price range
Originally Posted by jwaters
I posted something similar about a month ago:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...rs+impressions
While I agree with some of what you have said, I think many of your criticisms could be levied against any car in this price range. You want to see really bad brake dust? Drive a BMW. You want to see crappy interior lighting? Drive a Cadillac or Infiniti. In fact, I think some things you mentioned aren't really "problems" at all. The camera shows a small portion of the rear bumper for a very important reason. When parallel parking you can see where your bumper is so you don't hit the car in back of you. This may be overkill if you have the parking assist sensors, but for those who don't it's a very handy "feature". The trunk also has a light in it, so yours must be switched off. As for the cabin lighting. Are you sure you have all the lights switched to come on when the door is opened? I think the interior lighting is fine, but I have the Cashmere interior. I'm sure it seems darker inside if you have the Ebony/Black interior, but I see you have Ash. You may want to get your Bluetooth connection checked out as well as your ventillated seats. Both of those things work fine on my GS, but that may be due to the phone I'm using (V3 RAZR) and the fact that my behind is more sensitive than yours. As for the NAV and seating comfort, I could not agree w/ you more! I don't understand how/why Lexus approved these seats for the production version of the GS. Every other Lexus I have sat in has more comfortable seats, including the new IS. I doubt the seats will change until the 4th generation GS, but the NAV will likely change next year w/ the introduction of the GS35/460/450h. The lighted door scuff plates would be nice too, but not a deal breaker for me.
Either way, I hope these things don't prevent you from enjoying your GS. I'm sure if you spent much time in a E-Class or 5-Series you would find a whole new batch of things not to your liking. Sometimes I think it's important to remind ourselves that even for $50-60k there is no such thing as a perfect car. Best of luck w/ your GS
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...rs+impressions
While I agree with some of what you have said, I think many of your criticisms could be levied against any car in this price range. You want to see really bad brake dust? Drive a BMW. You want to see crappy interior lighting? Drive a Cadillac or Infiniti. In fact, I think some things you mentioned aren't really "problems" at all. The camera shows a small portion of the rear bumper for a very important reason. When parallel parking you can see where your bumper is so you don't hit the car in back of you. This may be overkill if you have the parking assist sensors, but for those who don't it's a very handy "feature". The trunk also has a light in it, so yours must be switched off. As for the cabin lighting. Are you sure you have all the lights switched to come on when the door is opened? I think the interior lighting is fine, but I have the Cashmere interior. I'm sure it seems darker inside if you have the Ebony/Black interior, but I see you have Ash.
You may want to get your Bluetooth connection checked out as well as your ventillated seats. Both of those things work fine on my GS, but that may be due to the phone I'm using (V3 RAZR) and the fact that my behind is more sensitive than yours. As for the NAV and seating comfort, I could not agree w/ you more! I don't understand how/why Lexus approved these seats for the production version of the GS. Every other Lexus I have sat in has more comfortable seats, including the new IS. I doubt the seats will change until the 4th generation GS, but the NAV will likely change next year w/ the introduction of the GS35/460/450h. The lighted door scuff plates would be nice too, but not a deal breaker for me. Either way, I hope these things don't prevent you from enjoying your GS. I'm sure if you spent much time in a E-Class or 5-Series you would find a whole new batch of things not to your liking. Sometimes I think it's important to remind ourselves that even for $50-60k there is no such thing as a perfect car. Best of luck w/ your GS
12-05-05, 01:03 PM
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I have a '06 blk/blk GS430 and I think while it is a great car, it is over priced and overrated. I will still customize it to the best of my ability and financial capability, but I think I should have went with one of my other 2 choices, the CLS 500 or the 545i Sport. I didn't go with the CLS because Mercedes reliability couldn't touch Lexus, and I didn't go with the Bimmer because I hate iDrive. In the end, I am dissappointed with the new GS, but still at the same time love it. Does that make sense?
12-05-05, 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by JKashat
I have a '06 blk/blk GS430 and I think while it is a great car, it is over priced and overrated. I will still customize it to the best of my ability and financial capability, but I think I should have went with one of my other 2 choices, the CLS 500 or the 545i Sport. I didn't go with the CLS because Mercedes reliability couldn't touch Lexus, and I didn't go with the Bimmer because I hate iDrive. In the end, I am dissappointed with the new GS, but still at the same time love it. Does that make sense?
Love my 06 GS430....it's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close.
12-05-05, 09:23 PM
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I think when u look at the GS in itself it seems to be over-rated / over-priced but when you compare it with other cars it's excellent value, not to forget that it wont depreciate like other cars, so u could still go for a change without loosing as much
I would have loved a CLS but to get a one similarly equipped to my GS, it wouldve costed a fortune, which I can't afford, not to forget reliability issues....
I would have loved a CLS but to get a one similarly equipped to my GS, it wouldve costed a fortune, which I can't afford, not to forget reliability issues....
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12-06-05, 12:18 AM
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To be honest, I don't know what the deal is with everyone hating the new GS seats. Maybe my physiology is different, lol, but I love the seats. I think they're extremely comfortable. I drive between San Antonio and Houston a lot... and that's a 3 1/2 hr drive, and I don't have a problem with it. I love my GS. With all due respect to everyone, I don't think there's anything about the new GS to feel distraught about. Yes, lighted scuff plates, a clearer GPS, etc could have a been a bit nicer, but the 4th Gen is still damn great in my opinion. If you want luxury to a degree of scientific perfection, you need to get a Maybach or an S600 Benz (even though reliability won't be there), not a mid size sedan... that's just my humble opinion.
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