iloveGS300

I have finally gotten a chance to see the new GS while I was taking my car for service.

Here are some of my comments.

-I love the rear of the car. I think it looks much more refined and cleaner looking. BUT it does look less distinctive. I still can't idtenify the new GS from the road clearly like the older GS.

-I dont like the front. It tries to look sporty and aggressive, its just too plain. The 2GS looks much more classier from the front.

-Why are the dash lights green still? This is one of the things I hate about my car. The green lighting. It reminds me of a GM vehicle. They should have put anything but green. Orange, red, blue, white.

-Not enough leather and wood. I like how in the 2GS, we have the ruffled leather and wood on the doors. and across the passenger seat.

-Nav screen without the nav. I dont have nav in my gs so the dash looks a bit plain. i like how in the new GS you get the screen without having to order nav.

-Probably one of my biggest dislikes. V6 engine. I am a huge fan of Straight 6 engines. I absolutely love the Lexus I6. This one killed it for me.

-Air suspension. I personally prefer standard coil/strut suspensions. Dont like air.

Thats all for now. I didnt get to drive it yet so I cannot comment on that.

Robert

D-MAN63

Yeah, I got to see it the first time in person a few days ago.. I like the rear too, it looks sleek.. Though as u were saying its less distinctive.. From far I would have trouble identifying the GS in the rear.. Yesterday matter of fact, I was at a red light and looking at the new GS across the street (direct rear view), I wasn't paying attention , just at that point in time I was looking that way.. and realized when I got right behind it that it was the new GS...

As for the front, I don't like the thin slats, if they made them thicker it would look better (ex, 98-00 grill, to 01-05 grill)..

I know one thing for sure, I did not get the same "feeling" as I did seeing the 2nd gen GS for the first time in end of 1997..

Though, the 3rd gen is going to look extremely hot when mods come out for it..

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well the v6 has more power and much better gas mileage, i can't complain. plus i6 doesn't do it in japan anymore, so....

i thought the air suspension is only on gs430?

encore888

Just saw the Lexus mag ad in BusinessWeek with the GS where it says 'We have seen the future and it's personalization...with the new GS you have Lexus Customizable Settings...we'll be adding more options in the future, too."

--- Just guessing but maybe in the future you can choose the interior lighting color of your Lexus!

Alex K

None of the new GS models have air suspension. The GS430 has adaptive damping, however.

I've never understood the preoccupation with inline engines. Sure, many of 'old favourites' were an inline layout, but that doesn't make V engines inferior. And the new V6 3.0-litre (yes, litre - I'm English!) is an incredible engine. Over here in the UK, we get an IS200 Auto, powered by a 2.0-litre straight six. Did you realise that the GS300, a heavier car with a larger engine, actually has better fuel economy figures than the smaller, lighter IS?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

damn i can never get it straight between the air and the adaptive damping. i keep on mixing up the suspension on the 3gs430 and the ls430ul...

iloveGS300

So there is no air suspension like the one on the E500 for example? Regular Sport 1, Sport 2. I thought I read that somewhere.

Is the adaptive dampening similar to the Mercedes ABC and BMW ARS?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i know on the gs430 you can adjust the suspension for normal or sport use. not sure if i felt much of a difference though. but then i put the car in sport mode most of the time during test drive

nortrack

With "sport" selected you can tell the difference on our GS430, the whole car seems to "tighten" right up and rides much flatter/firmer into the corners, steering response from the VGRS system also appears much quicker/lighter when sport mode is on.

Gojirra99

Yes, I' ve tried both in my test drive of the GS430, you can tell the difference, car feels sportier & corners flatter.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

really? maybe it's time for another test drive

jwaters

I have to agree that the adaptive suspension does provide a noticable difference in ride/handling. Before test driving the GS I thought it was just a gimmick, but after my test drive I was sold. In fact, I liked it so much that it was one of the primary reasons I chose to get the 430 over the 300.

flipside909

Lexus actually makes great AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension) systems. The AVS in the ES actually works quite well. There is definitely a difference between Sport and Comfort modes.