MuskyHuntr

I have owned Acura TL's for the last 15 years and have come to find them quite boring to drive. Its time for a change. I have been lurking for a while contemplating a purchase of a CPO GS FSport. What brings me back to the GS is the reliability but at the end of the day I don't find it much fun to drive, but then again the only car that I have found fun to drive was an Audi S4 and I can't find the stomach to take on the maintenance headaches I would trade for more fun to drive. As I consider the GS I come back to my test drives where the only shortcoming for me was that I could not feel the power the motor. If you look at the speedo it has the evidence of power but I just didn't feel it. Could it be the lack of sound? Some of the other cars have a way to pipe into the cabin an exhaust note that is much better sounding to me than the way Lexus does it. I know there is some debate about how the others do it being fake but I am wondering if that is helping to make the effect of more power on the driving experience?

Has anyone modified the exhaust on their GS that could comment? To be clear, I really don't want to turn the car into a drifter with giant visible pipes or fart cans.

ItzFilyO

The power really kicks in at 4500+ RPM.

JEFFOS69

iTrader: (1)

Many posts here on exhausts.

The GS has a very audible intake sound inside and outside the car when you floor it as it is designed that way. The exhaust is near silent stock.

Other makes actually pump an artificial sound through the radio - pretty cheesy.

http://www.cnet.com/news/bmw-m5-generates-fake-engine-noise-using-stereo/

There are options to mod the exhaust from mild to loud however it is a 3.5L v6 so don't expect a V8 rumble.

bocahoo

+1. And first gear appears to be tuned more for fuel economy than performance. The power does kick in nicely at higher RPMs -- flooring it at ~40mph will downshift into 2nd gear (I assume) at ~5,000 RPMs and really push you back in your seat.

But a much as I love my GS, I too find it lacking in power. I came from a 335i which had loads of torque at low RPMs which made it feel substantially faster than my GS. Hopefully Lexus will offer a v8 option in 2016 when my lease is up or I'm going to switch back to BMW (550i) or Audi (S6).

blacksun

Like ItzFilyO said, power comes on at higher RPMs compared to the superchaged S4. Plus the throttle on the GS is mapped for smoother driving so it won't feel the same.

If you are looking for something fun and don't mind the smaller size, also check out the IS350 F-Sport. Same engine in a lighter car (~400 lbs) could give you the performance and reliability you are looking for. You won't find many CPO, but it's a less expensive car so you may be able to pick up a new one in your price range.

ItzFilyO

I don't know if it's just me or this 8-speed tranny shifts really quick. When I'm in manual mode and shifting at high RPM it just blinks.

The 2GR engine in my V6 Camry has a 6-speed tranny and I can feel the slight delay when shifting gears, kinda like shifting a real manual car, but not in the 8-speed GS. Even in Normal mode it shifts fast, Sport + just lets u get to redline faster.

blacksun

I've been toying w/ the idea of getting the Apexi throttle controller. I hear it really improves the throttle response simulating the feel of having more pull / torque (or whatever) at lower RPMs. MuskyHuntr you might want to look into that as well as the exhaust if you go w/ the GS.

shookatash

iTrader: (1)

i am looking at doing this too. just need to find a spot for the button ..I came from a 6MT S4 and miss the power and gear management when driving the gs. with that said, the gs is much more comfy, plush, and in many ways better looking.

dseag2

I traded an '11 Audi S5 Cab (same engine as the S4) for my GS F Sport and, although the S4/S5 engine is probably the best out there, I haven't really felt like I've given up much in performance. I'm totally satisfied with the GS's performance. Because of the way it handles with its RWD bias, it feels much more lively than the S5 Cab.

RLtoGS350

I've come from 10 years of Acura. I was also bored of the drive. But the luxury of the interior on the GS beats the Acura hands down and makes up for any performance difference IMHO. I do miss the voice command controls though.

shrikelex

I'm really not sure how my V8 would be different from the red light or on the Freeway doing 65-90 against an Fsport GS, but I wouldn't mind taking one of you on, if your in the San Diego or LA area, doesn't have to be a race, but wouldn't mind putting a little dirt on your newer windshield if I get the chance haha. I really don't care about the specs, but wouldn't mind trading up to a GS for the technology, maybe I"ll lease, but now you all got me thinking 550i, then again, I know BMW, looks good, but I'll go back to the Lexus in the end.

sick21

The 550 is not a comparable car to the GS, the 535 is though. I do have to note that the GS has the best sounding V6 I've ever heard. Really kudos to lexus for keeping us awake on this one.