mehran888

For a bit of context, I test drove only the AWD versions of the cars below.

In Canada, the "lowest" four options we have are:

1. GS350 with no Package
2. GS350 with Navigation (heated steering wheel + some more)
3. GS350 Luxury (AVS, wood steering wheel, rear climate, 18 way seats some more)
4. GS350 F-Sport (AVS, sport trim, wheels, 16 way seats)

All of the above come in both AWD and RWD. For context, I drove the GS350 AWD Nav, and the GW350 AWD Luxury.

So on March 3rd I drove the AWD Luxury and I loved it. Great car, great handling, and everything else. My only "complaint" would have been that I'm not a fan of the wood steering wheel, and the rear climate control is wasted on me (one child in a car seat and hoping for another on the way).

So yesterday I decided to try the GS350 AWD Nav. The only noticeable difference while driving should have been the AVS package, which I imagine comes into play mostly when you set the car into S+ mode (this isn't available on the none-AVS GS350s). I would have imagined that driving the car normally down a straight road should have felt the same.

HOWEVER, I felt that with the non-AVS car, I was feeling more road imperfections. As if the car was jiggling up and down at a relatively high frequency.

Unfortunately, I didn't drive the cars back to back to verify my experience.

Is this possible? Am I crazy? I am going to put an order down for the car on Monday, and don't want to spend $4K to upgrade to a luxury package I mostly won't use. But at the same time, I don't want to spend this much money on a car and "skimp" $4K for an inferior ride.

Can someone please advise? Thank you in advance.

PS: I won't be getting the F-sport. Too aggressive for the liking of the family.

spwolf

short answer: yes of course.

complicated: difference is not only in sport+ mode, suspension components are different, suspension is active and reacts to the environment in any mode. i have a feeling you are thinking they are using the same suspension but decided to leave out sport+, thats not true.

mehran888

Great, thanks! I appreciate your response. I figured there were some differences, but the dealer wasn't sure. It didn't make sense that the AVS only affected the S+ mode. I guess this is enough for me to get the "Luxury" package.

So my next question (which you already kind of answered) is: Is it really that noticeable? Would there really be a "jiggling", as I mentioned about in the non-AVS when compared to the AVS. It was regular driving and the road wasn't bumpy/potholed. It was a regular road with smooth imperfections (if that makes sense).

Thanks again!

spwolf

how noticeable it is, you have to decide for yourself.... but there are other things in luxury, like AFS (moving lights), better seats, etc.

mehran888

Thanks. At this point I'm not going back in to test drive. I kind of got politely motioned out of the dealership when I asked the sales manager to match the pricing I got from a broker. I was only trying to do him a favor. I'd be silly to pay more for the car from them, and I was trying to give them my business.

I think I'll go for the luxury package. I don't think I was imaging the ride difference, so it is noticeable. And as you mentioned, it has AFS, better looking wheels, and better seats. Rear climate is nice, but not important for me. For $4K, it's a decent price to pay to make sure I don't have remorse over the "jiggling" if I feel it later.

If only the luxury didn't have the wood steering wheel.

Thanks again!

spwolf

i would say that in my opinion, luxury is how Lexus GS was meant to be. Now of course, premium owners will say Premium is same car without the unnecessary crap :-).

You will probably learn to appreciate the wood... I love it :-).

mehran888

I was just comparing the pictures of luxury vs premium interior on the website.

Notice how the premium picture is taken from the passenger side, and the luxury from the driver side? Also notice how the lighting makes the wood shine? Also, the leather colors on the luxury are nicer. I think they're trying to push me towards an upgrade...

You going for an upgrade soon?

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

i agree about that jiggly feel on the highways with the premium car and standard suspension which gave me a bit of an irk since my older GS will smooth that same stretch of highway better. So I am leaning torwards getting the Luxury and get the 18 inch rims replaced for better ones or go for the F-Sport. I have to retest the premium car and make sure that tire pressures are not set too high from the shipping process and get a better feel of the car before proceeding. So you are not imagining anything.

spwolf

luxury has nicer leather :-)... imho, wood looks great in a car.

unfortunately, i can only buy used GS in 2-3 years when they appear on market.... here they are $100k :-)

mehran888

Thanks for the validation there. I'm surprised the non-AVS GS350 has that. The "jiggling" was most pronounced going about 60km/hr (~40miles/hr) on a smooth service road. I'm very happy I decided to test drive as I did on the weekend, and not listen to the Salesperson who said the ride difference is negligible between the two for regular driving.

Good luck with your purchase. I have a feeling the lead time for my car will be 6-8 weeks. So the wait will be a bit painful!

mehran888

Yeah, I'll take advantage of the nicer leather, and the more options on the driver seat. I really don't think I'm going to regret going for the Luxury. When you add it all up, the price difference of $4000 Canadian is really worth it.

With respect to pricing, we are very fortunate in North America to not be burdened with any additional taxes or tariffs on cars. In Canada, our prices are also helped by the stronger dollar (we used to be priced at a 30-50% premium over US prices. I think the difference is less than 10% now).

Enjoy your current GS. You still have a great car!

spwolf

in canada you got it all, free healthcare and low car taxes... here we have supposedly free healthcare but car taxes are crazy, minimum of 35% for cheap cars and crazy for expensive ones... top end GS450h will be $150k. Thats just crazy.