OFFICIAL 2008 GS 460 Thread! (new info 342hp?)
#513
Lexus Fanatic
BTW, the 342hp V8, according to lexusuae.com, has the engine code of 1UR-FE, which means it's the version without direct injection. Perhaps they really have trouble fitting the direct injection version into the current GS engine bay and have to settle with the one without?
I'm very disappointed regardless. The GS has the smallest interior room, the smallest trunk, the smallest engine bay, and the weakest flagship model in the class. What's wrong with them?
#514
^
It is indeed disappointing. It looks like just another stop gap measure.
Once the Infiniti M50 comes out the GS460 will be the least appealing
executive class flagship. It's still a Lexus, but the badge can only take
you so far in this segment.
By the time the GS has 380HP everyone else will have 450HP
It is looking more and more like my next car will NOT be a GS.
It is indeed disappointing. It looks like just another stop gap measure.
Once the Infiniti M50 comes out the GS460 will be the least appealing
executive class flagship. It's still a Lexus, but the badge can only take
you so far in this segment.
By the time the GS has 380HP everyone else will have 450HP
It is looking more and more like my next car will NOT be a GS.
#516
Driver School Candidate
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I really hope Lexus will not put out a 342 hp GS460 as a stop gap measure. As several people in the Forum have pointed out, the GS is sitting in an intensely competitive segment (against the likes of Mercedes E Class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Infiniti M, etc.) and using a stop gap product is not going to cut it. I don't have any fact to rely on but I would guess that the current GS must be the slowest selling model in the Lexus lineup and it certainly need a shot in the arm to get it going again and a 342 hp engine would likely not help the cause.
Another point is that I always thought of the LS and GS pair as analogous to the ES and IS pair. The LS and ES cater to the luxury side while the GS and IS lean towards the sporty part of the spectrum. In the case of the IS and ES, Lexus has purposely given the IS more hp than the ES to emphasis the above point. I was really hoping this sort of thinking will continue to prevail with the GS and LS. Of course, with the LS being the flagship car, I would not expect the GS to have more hp than the LS but the same amount is reasonable. A 10% gap (342 hp for the GS vs. 380 hp for the LS) would severely damage the supposedly sporty persona of the GS. Perhaps Lexus is planning to reposition the GS.
Anyways, my wife and I have always wanted a Lexus and we will probably still get the GS whether it has 342 hp or 380 hp but it will be a hugh letdown from when we were entertaining the idea of a 380 hp GS460.
Another point is that I always thought of the LS and GS pair as analogous to the ES and IS pair. The LS and ES cater to the luxury side while the GS and IS lean towards the sporty part of the spectrum. In the case of the IS and ES, Lexus has purposely given the IS more hp than the ES to emphasis the above point. I was really hoping this sort of thinking will continue to prevail with the GS and LS. Of course, with the LS being the flagship car, I would not expect the GS to have more hp than the LS but the same amount is reasonable. A 10% gap (342 hp for the GS vs. 380 hp for the LS) would severely damage the supposedly sporty persona of the GS. Perhaps Lexus is planning to reposition the GS.
Anyways, my wife and I have always wanted a Lexus and we will probably still get the GS whether it has 342 hp or 380 hp but it will be a hugh letdown from when we were entertaining the idea of a 380 hp GS460.
#517
MultiTasking Mom
it's really a shame if it turns out to be 342, but i wouldn't be too surprised. they did the same thing w/ the RX350 and RX400h -- almost identical specs but they don't worry about the sales b/c the 400h is limited in production anyway. i don't think they care if one is cannabalizing the other, esp since they only made like 2000 GS450h's in the first year.
on the other hand, it is surprising that they haven't tried to overtake the competition. i got my first GS400 in '98 (1st year of Gen2) and i remember the GS400 was a total beast and blew everyone out of the water. since then they have been pretty still, not really increasing other than 4.0 to 4.3, with tiny gains in power. i would think 10 years later they'd be ready to shock people again, but then again, it's looking unlikely now.............
oh well
on the other hand, it is surprising that they haven't tried to overtake the competition. i got my first GS400 in '98 (1st year of Gen2) and i remember the GS400 was a total beast and blew everyone out of the water. since then they have been pretty still, not really increasing other than 4.0 to 4.3, with tiny gains in power. i would think 10 years later they'd be ready to shock people again, but then again, it's looking unlikely now.............
oh well
#518
Pole Position
iTrader: (5)
It is official ....speculation has ended...342 hp it is
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
#519
Lexus Fanatic
It is official ....speculation has ended...342 hp it is
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
0-60 in 5.4 seconds, as fast as the LS460 and slower than the GS450h's 5.2 seconds, at least according to Lexus's official specs.
It does get the 8-speed auto unlike some previous rumors.
The engine code is 1UR-FSE like the US-spec LS460 and unlike the UAE-spec LS460's 1UR-FE without the direct injection. Wonder what they did to the 1UR-FSE to down-tune it?
Anyone knows what the side rear-view mirrors with turn signals look like? Mercedes-style or GM-style?
Last edited by XeroK00L; 08-29-07 at 03:54 PM.
#520
MultiTasking Mom
It is official ....speculation has ended...342 hp it is
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt...460.350_sf.pdf
oh well, i think we will be getting a 450h this weekend instead
#521
Very interesting - I was thinking the only way to get the power down that much was to toss the direct injection.
However, while I find the conspiracy theories funny (about Lexus trying to trick us), I do note that there are some mistakes on that press release including the displacement of the engine and I'm completely bewildered as to why they would not use direct injection. This kind of stuff is really strange if it is true (begin theme to X-Files now)......
However, while I find the conspiracy theories funny (about Lexus trying to trick us), I do note that there are some mistakes on that press release including the displacement of the engine and I'm completely bewildered as to why they would not use direct injection. This kind of stuff is really strange if it is true (begin theme to X-Files now)......
#522
Lexus Fanatic
Very interesting - I was thinking the only way to get the power down that much was to toss the direct injection.
However, while I find the conspiracy theories funny (about Lexus trying to trick us), I do note that there are some mistakes on that press release including the displacement of the engine and I'm completely bewildered as to why they would not use direct injection. This kind of stuff is really strange if it is true (begin theme to X-Files now)......
However, while I find the conspiracy theories funny (about Lexus trying to trick us), I do note that there are some mistakes on that press release including the displacement of the engine and I'm completely bewildered as to why they would not use direct injection. This kind of stuff is really strange if it is true (begin theme to X-Files now)......
So it's the UAE-spec LS460 powertrain with the 1UR-FE after all.
#524
Lexus Fanatic