udm

First of all, this board has been extremely heplful. I currently own a 1999 bmw 323i and have been looking to purchase a new car. I am considering the 06 gs300, 06 3 series, or the 06 525i. I absolutely love the drive of my 3 series but am looking to move up to something larger. I am planning to test the new 3 series in late April when they hit the dealers. I am not concerned about how it will drive because I know it will be great. I am more interested in how much larger the redesign is. Well today I test drove the 06 gs300 and an 05 530i. Listed below are my impressions:

GS300
- Acceleration was sluggish
+ Interior was superb (quality base sound system, quality of leather, keyless start) - best interior I have personnally ever experienced
+ I was pleasantly surprised with the handling of the car. It didn't hug the road like my three but it felt good
- Steering is very loose (I guess I am used the tight steering of the 3 series).
Overall the gs300 exceeded my expectations. I was very impressed!

530i
+ Acceleration was very good
+ Tight steering and very good handling as you would expect
- Did not get the same "hug the road" feeling as I do with my 3 series
- Base sound system was a joke
- Interior was very plain and uninspiring
- Idrive is a pain in the *** (not difficult but a pain!)
Overall I was disappointed with the 5 series and have officially taken it off my potential list.

So it is between the 06 gs300 and 06 330i. I am heavily leaning towards the gs300. The only question I have is can I order the wheels on the gs430 for the 300? The wheels make the car look so sporty. I saw the upgraded Tourmaline wheels but was unimpressed. My dealer didn't think I could order the gs430 wheels. If I could get those wheels I think I would buy the car in a minute. In any case, sorry for the long post. This forum has been very helpful and I wanted share my impressions.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Interesting feedback and comparison. I agree with your conclusion on the 5 series. What a hideous interior.

The GS300 and new 330i seem like pretty different vehicles. I'm no shill for Infiniti (only drove a G35 coupe once) but more in line with the 330i have you considered a G35 sedan or even M35? Neither of those will have an interior like the Lexus though.

About the rims, I doubt you can get GS430 rims for the 300 from the dealer, but as some 430 owners (especially ones on here) look to upgrade to aftermarket rims you might be able to snag a set from them or do some kind of trade with the ones that come on a 300 if you get one.

encore888

This may be early but I hope you enjoy your new car!!!

I sat in the 5 series and GS recently and yes there is a world of difference--the GS feels so much better.

Sandman

I got the new GS300 in late February and I just love it. It is great on long trips. And the gas mileage is absolutely astounding for a 245HP engine. On a recent 65 mile trip I got 34.5MPG while cruising at 70MPH. This is my 3rd Lexus and I can say that I'm probably sold on Lexus for life if they keep making cars like the GS. If you decide for the GS300 I think you will be pleased. The 3 series is a wonderful car but if you want something larger the GS would be a good choice.

As for the sluggish feeling I'm curious if you drove the car with the transmission set to the "PWR" mode? There is a big difference in responsiveness with the setting in the Power Mode. The default mode is NORMAL and I think that the car is much less responsive in this mode. A few magazine reviews have some screwy 0-60 results that just baffle me. Lexus claims 0-60 in 6.8s which is pretty respectable for this class. BMW currently claims 6.9s for the current 530 and early claims by BMW for the 255HP I6 was 6.7s. So these cars should feel fairly similar. I think that both manufacturers are not known to exaggerate these figures. I know that the shift points change dramatically while in the PWR mode - but what I don't know is if you will get different results if you floor the pedal while standing still. If so, this may explain some of the Magazine reviews and the accelaration results. I think that Lexus should change the default mode to POWER - and let the user switch to "ECONOMY" mode if desired.

Ps - I recommend the rear lip spoiler for a subtle but noticable improvement in the look. Good luck with your choice.

zub3qin

Is this PWR mode available on the AWD GS300?

The sluggish feel and loose steering (compared to my BMW 3series) is why I am dissapointed with the GS. If the power and road feel was there, I'd pay 10K more for the car-- i like it that much.

The Infiniti M is the best driving car-- but the interior suffers majorly.

So if this PWR mode really makes a difference, I will re-test drive the AWD GS and try that mode.

LexFather

Thanks for the compliments and welcome to Clublexus, great review.

YEs, you can get the 2, 18: wheel options on the GS 300 but which GS 430 wheels? There are 3 kinds? Do you mean the 5-spokes? I am sure you can buy but it will cost around 2k, unless you can get a dealer to throw it in (I would try it). Otherwise, I think 5-spokes are GS 430 only.

Dealer Accessories [10]
- 18-in G-Spider alloy wheels
- 18-in Machined Tourmaline alloy wheels
- Car cover
- Cargo net
- Floor mats, all-weather
- Mobile telephone
- Paint protective film
- Rear spoiler
- Satellite radio
- Trunk and cargo mats
- Wheel locks

http://www.lexus.com/models/gs/price_options.html

LexFather

THe Power button is on the center console by the armrest. Since the armrest can be slided forward or behind, in the forwared position, it conceals the Power button and the seat cool/warm buttons.

The Power mode makes the car rev higher for more aggresive driving.

LEXUS FAN!

i know this is a stupid question, but...

what's the difference between steering and handling?

LexFather

Not silly at all.
Steering is more input from the actual steering wheel. Does it provide feedback? Is the steering vague and loose (can't really feel confident/the road)? How much effort does it take to move the steering wheel and does it change at different speeds?

Handling is related to steering, but is the effect from the steering. WHen you move the steering heel, how does the car react? Is it confident? Does it feel sloppy? Does it handle even and un-even pavement? Do you feel secure when you enter a corner? What is the limit before you feel you will lose control?

Hope this helps.

flipside909

Yes, must do for any 06 GS test drive.

1) ECT PWR & 2) TRAC OFF

udm

Yes, I meant the 5 spoke 18" wheels that are standard on the gs430. I saw both of the gs300 18" wheel options and they didn't come close to the 5 spoke ones on the gs430.

Sandman, to you post, thanks for the tip on the Power button near the arm rest. I do recall the salesperson mentioning the button but after we pulled back into the lot.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Good question!

When we say steering we're really talking about the effort and number of turns of and road/drivetrain feedback through the steering wheel. I drove a friend's '99 LS400 and felt like I was steering a paddle steamer it was so light. BMWs have been noted for their great balance of steering effort, ratio and feedback. The 2nd gen GS steering is too light stock so Lexus offerd a chip to make it a bit firmer and many on here have it.

Now handling... a whole different kettle of fish (to use a bizarre British expression!). The way a car handles is largely determined by its suspension, wheels, tires, and body structure stiffness/rigidity. When you take a turn does the outside front corner 'dip down' as the front shock and spring compresses a lot and the sway bar bends? When that happens (on most car stock suspensions except sports cars and sedans with sport packages or active suspension) ALL the tires are no longer perpendicular to the road so the tire tread is not as effective and so the car can skid more easily. So an improved suspension even makes the tires work better and that effects handling! Tall sidewalls on tires also flex in turns making a car's handling less competent. The amount of weight of the components on the end of the axle (wheel, tire, brake rotor/caliper/pads) matters a lot in handling also. And even though car makers keep making their vehicle bodies stiffer, they still flex to some degree so adding stiff braces here and there can really help. So as you see, stiffer sway bars, adding braces, lower profile tires on larger wheels (up to a point) with lighter brakes and more capable springs/shocks or the combined 'coilover' can totally TRANSFORM a car's handling from lame to insane.

A Porsche (like the one I drove yesterday ) has a MAGICAL combination of steering, handling, engine and transmission. Drive one and believe me you'll learn a lot more than I can say here!

Hope that helps.

Sandman

As 1Sick mentioned the ECT PWR feature is available on the GS300 AWD and RWD - and I think even on the GS430. I think it makes a big difference in the responsiveness. There are a few other threads where this was discussed in detail (back in late Feb I think). In PWR mode the trans is much more aggressive with downshifts and runs longer before upshifts. It also will allow the trans to hold a gear for quite a while - 10 seconds or more - if you back off the throttle. This is nice if you are passing a few vehicles one at a time. You might have to pass one and then wait a few seconds before passing the next. All the while the trans is holding the lower gear with the revs up in the power band. The more aggressive you drive it the more aggressive it responds. The trans also has a "fuzzy logic" controller which adapts to your driving habits. So if you get in the car after 5 or 6 Nuns have been test driving it it may still be retaining what it learned about how the Nuns drove. The more you thrash it the more the trans "wakes up" to your style. Likewise if you drive very mild mannered, the car will reduce its upshift points and downshift slower. This "Learning" is a standard feature of fuzzy logic.

Sandman

Also see my post to Zub. Set it to PWR and then drive it hard to get the Fuzzy Logic controller to begin adapting to your style of driving. By hard I mean push the pedal more abruptly and down more. Let up on it more abruptly as well - as if you were in a competition. Once you "wake up" the trans it behaves much differently. I'd like to know if it makes enough difference for you. So please let us know after you go back for a test drive.

Ps - you might want to forwarn the sales guy that you intend to give the trans a test. On my 3rd test drive I did this and I was very pleased that I did.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

If you are serious about paying $10K more for less sluggishness and better steering, how about going for the GS430? That will take care of the sluggishness, but the steering feel will not be much better if at all.