LexFather

Surely for the MMC as they phase out the 6

natnut

I think it will be sooner than you think.

The Japan-only Crown Athlete 3.5L which shares platform with the 4GS was just unvelied recently and it comes with an 8 speed automatic.

See this video :

http://youtu.be/JHnRJir2zEk?t=2m24s

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

seems like they want to debut things on the IS first. Just like how the 06 GS got the 300 engine but 07 got the 350 engine after the IS350 came out. Wouldnt surprise me if they gave the 8 speed to 2014 GS also

Shadow0039

Aston Martin one-77 also is a 6 speeder ! Previously was driving BMW 523i F10 with 8 speed, cruising is smooth with good fuel efficiency, however it was really troublesome to downshift a few gears when strong acceleration was needed for quick overtaking .. not sure why but the transmission was known to be jerky in low gear and this issue was encountered by many other owners in the BMW forum.

Outrage

The One-77 also has a 444 horsepower advantage over the GS 350.

designo

iTrader: (6)

Exactly! I find the 8 speed to be truly annoying for every day driving! 1st gear is almost unusable. Way too many changes and downshifts are always twice never once!

jtrue28

Yep, and that makes sense, being that the Crown is more of a Avalon-esque type of car. Old people drive it because it is smooth. People buy the GS for the power/sportiness. Hell, for daily city driving, 6 speeds is too much (for me at least).

Outrage

I think most of you are in denial. If the 2013 Lexus GS 350 had been sold with an eight-speed automatic we'd be espousing the wonders of so many perfectly spaced gears.

Toyota didn't have the eight-speed automatic transmission ready for installation in the 2013 model year. They shoved the old powertrain in the new chassis in order to keep the GS 350 on the market. I think the "sporting" aspects of the six-speed pushed in press releases is bunk. It's all about the transmission's tuning. Of course a well sorted six-speed will be better than a terrible eight-speed. I'm more interested in the differences between a good six-speed and a good eight-speed.

natnut

Actually the Crown Athlete is the "Sports" variant of the Crown, as opposed to the Luxury focussed Crown Royal. The Royal has a 6AT while the 8AT is a performance feature on the Athlete.

If you enable the closed caption english translation of the video I posted, the reviewer mentions that the 8AT on the Athlete allowed for faster sportier downshifts over the more luxury oriented 6AT on the Royal.

Outrage

Lexus RX 350: Six-speed
Lexus RX 350 F Sport: Eight-speed

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Wow!
I didn't know that.

GSTONY

Just give us a 7speed DCT more power and a lsd. Or i be happy with a 6speed manaul tranny. But most important is more power and a lsd honestly the 6speed is good enough.

Outrage

RX 350 AWD 0-60: 7.8 seconds
RX 350 AWD 1/4 mile: 16.2 seconds
RX 350 AWD MPG: 18/24/20 MPG

RX 350 F Sport AWD 0-60: 7.7 seconds
RX 350 F Sport AWD 1/4 mile: 15.8 seconds
RX 350 F Sport AWD MPG: 18/26/21 MPG

There's a perfect case for additional forward gears. The RX 350 F Sport even weighs almost 200 pounds more than the standard model.

sam430

iTrader: (10)

I'd rather have a little bit more power and faster shift.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

while the 4gs drives fine with 6 speed, just like a 2gs drives fine with a 5 speed, i agree with you.

i can also imagine the 4gs getting the 8 speed as soon as the fall.

anecdotes of bad 8 speed response in the 3gs are a software issue.