Consumer Report rating on the GS350 AWD :\
11-19-10, 02:48 PM
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Consumer Report rating on the GS350 AWD :\
hey guys.. my mother is interested in getting an 08+GS350awd and i've been all for it until i was looking through consumer reports and saw that the awd got a below average rating and the rwd got an above average rating.. that leads me to believe that it only has to with the awd system.. i wanted to look into this and see if any owners out there had any issues or if anyone knows why it's getting a below grade report... thanks guys!! 
11-19-10, 07:41 PM
#3
Consumer Reports, with all due respect, is full of s h i t. I used to subscribe it, but quit after 4-5 years, because most of the time they re-print same reviews year after year. They placed "Not recomended" onto GS350 AWD back in 2007, and since then they just keep re-printing it year after year.
The same is true about almost any product they review. I've seen the same reviews word-by-ward reprinted on many different TVs and refrigirators, reprinted couple of years later. So, Consumer Reports has zero credibility in my mind.
I have an '08 AWD, bought it new, it has 24K miles now. I never had any issues with it, including rattles some people were complaining about of this forum.
The same is true about almost any product they review. I've seen the same reviews word-by-ward reprinted on many different TVs and refrigirators, reprinted couple of years later. So, Consumer Reports has zero credibility in my mind.
I have an '08 AWD, bought it new, it has 24K miles now. I never had any issues with it, including rattles some people were complaining about of this forum.
11-19-10, 08:50 PM
#4
I thought consumer reports were reviewed and rated by...well consumers, otherwise why would they call it that? 
Consumer Reports, with all due respect, is full of s h i t. I used to subscribe it, but quit after 4-5 years, because most of the time they re-print same reviews year after year. They placed "Not recomended" onto GS350 AWD back in 2007, and since then they just keep re-printing it year after year.
The same is true about almost any product they review. I've seen the same reviews word-by-ward reprinted on many different TVs and refrigirators, reprinted couple of years later. So, Consumer Reports has zero credibility in my mind.
I have an '08 AWD, bought it new, it has 24K miles now. I never had any issues with it, including rattles some people were complaining about of this forum.
The same is true about almost any product they review. I've seen the same reviews word-by-ward reprinted on many different TVs and refrigirators, reprinted couple of years later. So, Consumer Reports has zero credibility in my mind.
I have an '08 AWD, bought it new, it has 24K miles now. I never had any issues with it, including rattles some people were complaining about of this forum.
11-19-10, 11:01 PM
#6
Yea I have seen that also, but honestly I have been on this forum for over a year and I have not seen one problem with it, I own a 2007 GS350 AWD and it bulletproof. To be honest yes its not the best AWD system but it does its job. Go figure what the consumer reports is trying to get at.
11-20-10, 04:32 AM
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I have a 2007 GS350 AWD with 82k with no AWD issues... Except for I had to re-learn how to drift and throw 360s in the snow due to the increased traction over my GS400 RWD! Love the 350!
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11-20-10, 06:35 AM
#8
AWD Issues
Have a 2010 with 10,000 and no problems. In fact I have not heard of any problems anywhere with the AWD, except what consumer report's states. I saw the article before I bought my present car and it had no effect on my decision.
11-20-10, 06:42 AM
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I believe Consumer Reports gets its statistics by surveying their subscribers/members on a yearly basis, at least that's the way it used to be done. While I love this forum, my sense is that they probably get far more information that way, then this forum might represent, but I could be wrong about that.
P.S. I am not a fan, at all, of Consumer Reports, because I believe their own testing is skewed and in many cases does not represent real-world use of the products they test.
P.S. I am not a fan, at all, of Consumer Reports, because I believe their own testing is skewed and in many cases does not represent real-world use of the products they test.
11-20-10, 06:54 AM
#10
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Have no complaints. The best way to know is to ask real comsumers 
I suppose Lexus wouldn't realise IS350AWD, if the were complaints or real big troubles with awd system.
I suppose Lexus wouldn't realise IS350AWD, if the were complaints or real big troubles with awd system.
11-20-10, 08:53 AM
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thanks for all the replies guys... i've been on the board for awhile and didn't recall hearing anything about it... that's why i wanted to see what people thought on the subject... anybody have a horror story with the awdGS350?
11-20-10, 09:28 AM
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If you look at the CR report, last I checked it had an asterisk. Supposedly the statistical sampling for the 350 AWD is low. So you should take this one with a grain of salt. I would look at the RWD rating for a general idea of the GS 350. Especially since, as someone pointed out, the IS 350 AWD uses the same engine and was introduced for 2011, a decision Lexus would be unlikely to make if there were problems with it.
In 2007 when there was a low rating for the 350 AWD, reports were that it was a problem with the audio system (not my experience, anecdotally). I suspect that it wasn't the audio system per se, but the rattling from the plastic's imperfections.
Which leads me to my answer to your question about horror stories. I love this car overall and I'd rather have this problem than the problems that plague BMW's N54 engines, but this vehicle's interior has a serious rattle/squeak/creak problem that functions like a game of whack-a-mole. Fix one, another appears. It also takes many visits to the dealer to get them to hear it and fix it -- and so far, I still experience rattles in my passenger side door with my GS 350 with music. Lexus "can't hear it," as it happens about 60-70% of the time and I seem to show up to the dealership in that 30-40% of the time. I'm ready to get frustrated and tell them to insulate the door and I don't frankly give a crap whether or not the mechanic can hear it in my car, which he doesn't drive every day.
Bottom line: It's a wonderful car if you aren't neurotic and the possibility of rattling doesn't bother you. Rattles are also in other cars and it's probably just a fact of life. Rattles bother Lexus drivers because they expect no flaws and our attention to detail is heightened as a result. I've trained myself to be less bothered by them, but I do want my passenger door fixed and it's certainly still very obnoxious. Your experience may vary. Some people also say that less sporty, comfort-oriented tires go a long way toward solving the problem.
One remaining downside is that the style is aging and a refresh is due for MY 2013, but in my opinion, this car isn't really in desperate need of a refresh, but other people think it is. So that's personal opinion for you to work out.
I test drove the 535i and Infiniti M and I don't regret my decision to get this car. I did not drive the new E-Class however, and while the V6 in the E is anemic compared to the GS's V6 option (the E550 is best if you're getting the E), I would advise cross-shopping with the E before buying if I were buying new since the W212 is vastly improved.
However, you asked about an '08. If you're not in the market for the revamped E, the GS is going to be a stronger competitor--at least when it comes to reliability-- while you're shopping. I doubt your mom would ever have a significant mechanical problem with this car. If your mom isn't looking for a sportier ride, you might want to look at the ES too, which is FWD, but if the GS is your only option then you have nothing serious to worry about.
In 2007 when there was a low rating for the 350 AWD, reports were that it was a problem with the audio system (not my experience, anecdotally). I suspect that it wasn't the audio system per se, but the rattling from the plastic's imperfections.
Which leads me to my answer to your question about horror stories. I love this car overall and I'd rather have this problem than the problems that plague BMW's N54 engines, but this vehicle's interior has a serious rattle/squeak/creak problem that functions like a game of whack-a-mole. Fix one, another appears. It also takes many visits to the dealer to get them to hear it and fix it -- and so far, I still experience rattles in my passenger side door with my GS 350 with music. Lexus "can't hear it," as it happens about 60-70% of the time and I seem to show up to the dealership in that 30-40% of the time. I'm ready to get frustrated and tell them to insulate the door and I don't frankly give a crap whether or not the mechanic can hear it in my car, which he doesn't drive every day.
Bottom line: It's a wonderful car if you aren't neurotic and the possibility of rattling doesn't bother you. Rattles are also in other cars and it's probably just a fact of life. Rattles bother Lexus drivers because they expect no flaws and our attention to detail is heightened as a result. I've trained myself to be less bothered by them, but I do want my passenger door fixed and it's certainly still very obnoxious. Your experience may vary. Some people also say that less sporty, comfort-oriented tires go a long way toward solving the problem.
One remaining downside is that the style is aging and a refresh is due for MY 2013, but in my opinion, this car isn't really in desperate need of a refresh, but other people think it is. So that's personal opinion for you to work out.
I test drove the 535i and Infiniti M and I don't regret my decision to get this car. I did not drive the new E-Class however, and while the V6 in the E is anemic compared to the GS's V6 option (the E550 is best if you're getting the E), I would advise cross-shopping with the E before buying if I were buying new since the W212 is vastly improved.
However, you asked about an '08. If you're not in the market for the revamped E, the GS is going to be a stronger competitor--at least when it comes to reliability-- while you're shopping. I doubt your mom would ever have a significant mechanical problem with this car. If your mom isn't looking for a sportier ride, you might want to look at the ES too, which is FWD, but if the GS is your only option then you have nothing serious to worry about.
11-20-10, 11:45 AM
#13
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I have been trying to understand this as well. Here is one hypothesis: AWD's are more prevalent in colder climates. Colder climates create more rattles creating a less satisfied consumer.
The important thing to understand is cause and effect...that is, trying to understand the root cause of the dissatisfaction.
No way to prove this, but may be a possibility?
BTW, rattles are real and a real PITA. Not sure if we have higher expectations or not. I do know the ride is quiet magnifying these rattles.
The important thing to understand is cause and effect...that is, trying to understand the root cause of the dissatisfaction.
No way to prove this, but may be a possibility?
BTW, rattles are real and a real PITA. Not sure if we have higher expectations or not. I do know the ride is quiet magnifying these rattles.
