bam

Frankly, I don't mind if Lexus goes the route of the turbo. They've had some pretty nice turbo cars in the past such as the MR2 Turbo and the Supra Seq Turbo, which is still one of my all time favorite cars. I mean, BMW is talking about a tri-turbo v-6 for the next gen M3 and BMW were quoted at one time in saying that they would never look to turbos and always felt that NA was the way to go. Then when MB started leaving BMW in the dust with their extreme hp and torque figures with their turbo engines, BMW had no choice but to answer with their turbo engines.

Now going turbo is an easy way to gain some hp, torque, and mpg. Getting a hybrid will provide some performance gains but it's still primarily a machine focused on getting the most out of every drop of fuel. For people that are shopping the v-8 category, they don't care if gas goes from 3.50 a gallon to $5 a gallon. It's the power and exclusivity of the v-8 that they want along with the charateristic of the engine.

COOLIS

I highly doubt Lexus will go the turbo route. In general turbo cars are less reliable, so if Lexus wants to maintain their reliability image, they will not do this. Just wait 5 or so years and see how many owners of the new BMW turbo motors have problems. Lexus needs a V8 for the GS. It is a no brainer. I think they will realize within a year that the V8 is needed and go ahead and put it back into production.

User 121523

Given the lack of definitive performance and pricing info, I wouldn't be surprised that GS-F is competitively priced against the v8s out there while giving near AMG / M / S level performance and economy. I definitely belong to the more efficient-conscious crowd as I originally considered the GS 460, but simply couldn't justify that upgrade.

Brian@Vossen

COnsidering how the yen is trading, don't expect it to be much if any cheaper than the competition.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

they will need to find a way to achieve that

bam

I don't believe that anybody shopping in the GS-F, M, or AMG category is terribly concerned with prices or the exchange rate. Yes, price is always a factor in any purchase but someone shopping for these levels of cars are not necessarily concerned as they're more concerned with performance because that is how these cars (F, M, and AMG) are being marketed. Therefore the target audience will be asking questions about the engine, performance, tire size, suspension set up, exclusive colors, etc.

If Lexus is going to do a GS-F, they will really need to do it right and not half a$$ed. Otherwise, it will put people off just like how not putting a v-8 in the GS is putting some people off.

They can always put a small twin turbo v-8 such as a 4.3 v-8 tt. I'm sure that would move the car.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

however, reality is a lot of people who are capable of paying this kind of cash for the cars, to be honest, they want more badge than performance. i see far too many m and amg drivers who don't really know how to drive but they get their cars for bragging rights and the badge. yes, some look for the performance and the driving, but i can tell you it's not entirely majority. this is especially the case when it comes to mid-size.

so with that in mind, if you have m5, e63, and gsf all priced about the same (and that would be 100k), how many would actually swing lexus way? there will be some, but i think the leverage is low. lexus has always been providing the same or more by paying less, which is what i love about the company. that's the case for isf as well

LeslieRC

+1 100%! BMW and Mercedes have their turf well marked in this category; so, I agree that Lexus will have to use price as one means of attracting those who otherwise would be going to the Germans for their performance sedan satisfaction fixes.

bam

+2. That's why I'm saying if lexus is going to do a GS-F, they need to do it right and blow M and AMG out of the water but yet keep the price reasonable. If the GS-F has a 550hp sedan while being lighter than the other two cars and the price is kept in check, I think they'll have a winner.

The F is a new brand and it's competing against the big boys that are well established so they're really going to need to win people over if they want takers of the GS-F.

Gojirra99

Well the Amg's and M5 are also getting much more expensive in recent years , they used to be around the starting price of S550, ~$90k before ...

Gojirra99

I have seen countless AMG's midsize and flagship models cruising leisurely in the slow lane over the years , happily allowing other cars to pass them , and quite often , the drivers' hair were graying ...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

actually you brought up a very interesting question. given the following two options on gsf (vs m5 and e63)

1) comparable numbers for say 10k less
2) better performance for the same price

which one is a better position for lexus? to be honest i think the first one is more attractive.

yes, a reasonable loaded m5 and e63 are all 6 digits now. that's why i think lexus makes a gsf and price a loaded one around 90k, that's going to be a good option. just similarly how isf is priced about 10k cheaper than m3 and c63 (msrp)

yup, they definitely has zero ideas that their cars pack over 500hp.

LeslieRC

Sounds like some HATING going on with that statement to me. As a former M6 driver I can tell you that most of the joy of that car was knowing its potential as opposed to pushing it to those limits. Also, I cannot begin to count the number of "challengers" I encountered that would try to goad me into a street race. Perhaps these drivers you're referring to are just trying their best to avoid the idiots out there.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

There's no hatin' there.
We're not saying ALL //M/ AMG owners are slow.

Of course people buy these cars for the speed, don't they? However, there are few small percentage who have these cars and barrrrely drive speed limit.

I agree with Gojirra. I've seen these drivers not the 55 amg but with the 65 amg, both hands on the steering wheel, horse blinders on, while sporting a big hp personalized plate, and just drive 40-50mph on a freeway with a nice stretch to open it up. It's soooo sad to see this

I'm behind them for at least 5-10 minutes to see if they get to normal speed limit at least.
It doesn't mean you have to go drive 100mph and endanger everyone, but geez, can you go speed limit at least???

You're not in this percentile so there's nothing to worry here

dsnowgs4

Well Said...

This unfortunately has become the reality for many former Lexus owners including myself. This new GS on paper does not appear to solve any of these concerns either.