Hey everyone, my father is looking into selling his 2015 RC350 so he can pick up a more practical GS350. Could anyone direct me or give me some information on the packages and options the car came with? We're trying to get a fully optioned GS350, so if anyone could spare any information it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Look in the sticky threads right above your post.

 

Best bet is to start with FSport or Luxury model. This determines what options are available.

 

You'll probably want a 2016 or 2017 Luxury Package. Luxury package comes with the mode selection (including Sport S+) wood interior and heated steering wheel, 18-way adjustable seats (will have butterfly headrests and shoulder adjustment), tripled glass for the windows, the 19'' split-five-spoke wheels, semi-aniline leather, heated rear seats (has controls on the drop-down console), memory seats for the passenger side, and rear-door and rear-window power sunshade.

Easiest way to identify Luxury Package: the wheels, the triple-glass windows, passenger memory seats, and wood interior/steering wheel. A lot of dealerships will also mislabel the model, many luxury packages fly under the radar as "base models", just keep an eye for the wheels, the triple-glass, and the wood interiors.

As for individual options, you'd also be looking for HUD (and HUD windshield), triple beam headlamps, Intuitive Park Assist, power open and close trunk, heated steering wheel (if not Luxury Package), Mark Levinson sound system, and glass breakage security system.

If you want AWD, there's no real reason to get the F-Sport if you can find a luxury package, but the luxury package is rare, the latest they had it was 2016/2017 and it'll be even harder to find one that has every option. If you want RWD, you might be better off finding an F-Sport that's fully optioned. You can find more info if you google the 2017 MY GS Brochure from Lexus.

One other note, you'll likely need to install a carplay module unless the owners before had it installed; they did not come with carplay but there's a bunch of options that are simple to install, the easiest being the Lexion which is just a screen replacement.

 

What is your budget for this GS350? There was a major facelift, exterior and interior, in MY 2016. 2013-2015 had analog gauges across the board. 2016-2020 F-Sports received a digital gauge cluster. 2013 RWDs only had a 6 speed automatic, similar to the 6 speed automatic found in all AWDs, regardless of year. 2014-2020 RWDs received an 8 speed automatic.

All speed dynamic radar cruise control (which will actually stop the car in stop and go traffic) became standard in 2017, I believe, but may have been optional on earlier cars.

Configurations are as follows - Base, Base with Premium Package, F-Sport, or Luxury Package. For your father's purposes, he will be looking at either F-Sport or Luxury Packages, depending on his specific wishes. Luxury Package cars are much more rare, and the option was discontinued entirely in 2017. From 2018-2020, the highest trim level with the most content GS350 you could get was the F-Sport.

F-Sports have bespoke wheels, unique bumpers and lip spoiler, real leather (not nearly the same quality as the semi-analine leather in the Luxury package), aluminum interior trim, dark headliner, and a 16-way adjustable driver's seat (extendable seat bottom, 2 lumbar adjustments, and adjustable kidney bolstering), but a standard power passenger seat. Rioja Red leather was only available on the F-Sport.

RWD F-Sports could be optioned with Variable Gear Ratio Steering, Rear Wheel Steering, and Torsen Limited Slip Differential. I do not know if those options were limited by year, or if they were also available on Luxury Package cars. These options were not available on AWD cars.

The Luxury Package has even more adjustable seat for the driver and passenger seat, adding passenger seat memory (the additional adjustment is shoulder bolstering and possibly power headrest, I don't recall specifically right now). Also, they have much higher quality leather, additional noise reducing glass, and rear climate control. I do not recall if they also came with rear side window sunshades.

When I was shopping, due to the length of my legs, either F-Sport or Luxury Package were a must have for me to get the extendable seat bottom, as the base seats are a bit short for my thighs.

Mark Levinson Audio (worth having, IMHO), Cold Weather Package (headlight washers and heated wipers, IIRC), heated steering wheel, HUD, and power trunk were standalone options. I do not know if power rear sunshade was optional, standard, or bundled with a package, but I know my car has one. I really wish I could have found a fully loaded car with low miles and the right service history when I was looking, but it was not to be. Android Auto/Apple Carplay were not available on any year GS.

You should be aware that the AVS ECU for the Adaptive Suspension is tuned differently between the F-Sport and the Luxury Package equipped cars.

While the physical dampers are the same part number for both packages, the F-Sport ECU makes Normal on an F-Sport stiffer than Normal on a Luxury Package, and the F-Sport ECU will add more stiffness with greater frequency than a Luxury Package AVS ECU in the same cornering/driving scenario, regardless of mode, except possibly Eco Mode. I have a personal theory that Eco Mode on the F-Sport is the same stiffness as Normal mode on the Luxury Package, which is as soft as the dampers are physically able to adjust.

RWD F-Sports have unique front calipers and 14" rotors. The factory rotor was originally a 2 piece rotor, very expensive, and a number of owners found them problematic due to brake squeal. I believe an OEM 1 piece rotor is now available, as are additional noise reducing shims. All other models, including AWD F-Sports, share the same 13" front rotor.

AWD cars all sit approximately 1.5 inches higher than RWD cars in the front, and approximately 1 inch higher in the rear.

 

The Rare Bird would be the 2016 GS350 Luxury, followed by 13 - 15 Lux.

13 Lux Rare with Collision avoidance, Night Vison Cam.

The F Sport rare bird would be one with HUD (Standard in the Lux), ML Audio, and the Dynamic Rear Steering, then Power close Trunk.

AWD Electric start up instant heat, Winter package Rear Heated seats, Steering wheel and more. As the previous poster said posting your Budget would help a lot.

 

Go full GSF?