RNM GS3

Both have similar design lines such as grill, sideskirts, etc. Obviously the GS looks the sportier of the two.

I made the thread awhile back that Lexus should discontinue the ES.....and I still feel that way.

Why would a regular Joe or Jane buy the GS for more $$$$$ when the ES is so nice, has more room and costs less?

My prediction is the GS model will not survive unless Lexus does some drastic changes.

onexcite

Can we put the GS bumper on the ES? :-P jk

Then we will have a EGS: aggressive GS look with roomy ES body.

dseag2

Yes, the 3,5 and 7 Series look very different... right! Kidney grille, protruding snout, amoeba lenses, angel eyes, cutline below the windows. Doesn't get much more cookie-cutter than that...

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

es is based on avalon now not camry, which is why it's now a lot bigger.

natnut

Uhh a little perspective here : the GS throughout its 4 generations has ALWAYS been released with the ES as its sibling and has yet to be cancelled. Why should it be cancelled now after its previous 3 generations weren't cancelled despite being outsold by the ES then?

Secondly, unlike the GS, the ES is not a global car ie it's not sold worldwide like the GS. The ES is essentially a product meant for North Americans and their predilection for roomy affordable cushmobiles who could care less about sporty dynamic driving, which is why the ES is FWD.

Lexus is embarking on an aggressive drive to seen as more exciting and dynamic with cars that are exciting to drive. For this makeover to be credible, its mid-size offering, (and the mid-size luxury segment is arguably the most important in the luxury car market) HAS to be RWD and sporty. That means the GS. The ES no matter how improved is never going to be regarded as a driver's car.

The GS and ES have very different intended target demographics : GS for the motoring enthusiast, ES for those who view cars as appliances. Even the market leader BMW 5 series reflects this dichotomy of aims. The current F10 5 series is trying to bridge these two competing aims and trying to fulfill the roles of the ES and GS in one car : appliance owners buy the 528 (and 520/523 in global markets) and keep the options list bare-bones while enthusiasts buy the Sport-pack equipped 535 and 550. Even then, it has not been entirely successful. Just go to any 5 series owner's forum and the prevailing consensus is that the new 5 series has lost its sporting edge in an attempt to go mainstream and gain market share ( throttle delay on the turbocharged engines, non-linear throttle response, overweight 7 series-derived chassis, numb steering etc).

Let us all come to terms with this reality right now : enthusiasts will forever and always be a small minority of the market. The reason the E-class and current 5 series sell so well is because they largely cater to the non-enthusiast segment. By doing so, they have also compromised their chassis as driving machines. This has allowed the GS, which is a more finely focused driving tool, to leapfrog the Germans in handling dynamics. The GS by virtue of targeting enthusiasts and keen drivers who have done their research will always appeal to the niche crowd.

I'm very happy about where the current GS is right now. It's sort of like the crown jewel in Lexus' new dynamic drive initiative. The ES/RX brings in the volume and profits but the true heart and soul and affections of Lexus lie in its Rear Wheel Drive dynamic offerings. So I'm all for ES' great sales, their profits continue to finance the R&D into the GS, the plebeians financing the enthusiasts as it were

NickL

I'll take the GS. Can't seem to grow into the front end of the ES when there's a big piece connecting the end of the hood to the grill.

NewSpace

+1 all the way natnut, especially this

GSTONY

Yupp if the GS did look like the new ES then i would have not even bother looking at it. I would just get a 535 msport.

Mojo122

Haven't driven the 2013 ES, but have driven my wife's 2007 ES. If the 2013 GS drove anything like her ES, I would have wound up with the A6.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I like the ES's rear and the price point (money's worth) is nice but that's about it. I can't stand the grill not lining up with the hood. There's that and the interior materials are once again cost cutting. That's not to say the interior design is bad because it's not. But the expansive plastics on the console is very disappointing for "Tier 1"

On another note, love love love the GS F-Sport.

INHOCJP

Great post, thanks for the pictures!

The new ES looks great...huge improvement over the previous generation

spwolf

i like new ES and I wish it was available in europe... but you can see easily it is cheaper car... look at only 2 front parking sensors.

dseag2

I have a great view of lots of cars when I'm working out at my gym, and I will have to admit I saw a black ES coming down the road and from the front (because black shows no lines at all), and from four stories up, I thought it was a GS F-Sport. It was the spindle grill and the LED lights that fooled me.

It was only when the rest of the car passed that I heard the "waaahhh, waaahh" sound.

jmatero

I actually like the E'S better. The easiest way to tell them apart from the front is the grille. The ES pinches at the bumper. The GS pinches the grille.