I have a feeling many on this board would use the manual aspect of the GS transmission more than the automatic. That being said, I would guess well under 50% of GS buyers will shift the new GS manually. That being said, I just drove the new GS for first time (GS300 RWD) and before the wheels even began rolling I had a major problem:

Moving the shifter from Park or Reverse to the manual mode puts you in FIFTH gear.....WTF? The Lexus lady said it is safety feature so you dont accidently go from Drive to manual and into a low gear....Well, my Infiniti G35 coupe and many other cars don't have to start in FIFTH gear - they move from Park to FIRST. This is a major problem because this means every time I begin a trip, pulling out of lot, backing out of driveway, etc, I will need to downshift FOUR times. RIDICULOUS.

Somebody else must have noticed this problem, unless all of you are driving in auto mode. This will most likely be a deal breaker. My drive was nice, but I found the 300 to be underpowered with no real torque in any part of the range. I will try the 430, but this transmission issue stinks!

Before this drive, I was 60-40 going with the GS over the Infiniti M. Now, it is 80-20 M. I can't wait to hear from you GS loyalists who can come up with a reason I should have to downshift 4 times every time I begin a trip. Please don't tell me I could begin in FIFTH....that defeats much of the purpose for using a manual mode transmission.

Let me say I love the exterior of the GS and will be sad to let it go. However, the M is no slouch in many regards. I am almost glad my decision has been made easier. I had a 1999 GS400 and loved it, but the new GS seems to still be much more luxury than performance. The transmission issue kind of says: "We need a manual mode to compete, but it doesn't have to be that good, since 75% of owners will always use auto mode." Lexus, I am very disappointed

Again, how could I have been the first to find this flaw? Did I miss another thread?

 

Hey Marc. Do you really believe the little number in the instruments meant you were starting in 5th gear? The number only means that is the highest gear available. If you are stopped you will start out in 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd etc. but can't go to 6th unless you shift the lever. Now say you are on the highway and want to pass someone you can mash the throttle and let the computer downshift to 5th for you and pass or move the lever into the shift slot and your in 5th already so now you can drop to fourth if you wish. It is just saving you one shift the way it is set up.

Since you had the same torque in the GS400 as the GS430 do you really think that you could go down to the six and feel satisfied?? Drive the Gs430 next and you will feel a lot better.

 

1. Its a not a design issue. You just don't prefer it. A design issue is putting RHD controls in a LHD car. That is a design issue.
2. Its not a flaw. A tranny recall is a flaw.
3. I could call the Infiniti using an old tired 5 speed auto a flaw, when all new luxury cars come with 6 speeds. That is not a flaw, its a choice.

Can anyone else confirm these findings? That the manual modes default is 5th gear? And I have actually forgotten but in the 2nd gen GS, when you go into M for E-shift, doesn't it default to 5th and you have to downshift on the steering wheel? I have fogotten

 

If you want 6th back just move the lever forward and it has 6 as the highest gear available. It is really no big deal. The E shift on the early GS400's and later GS3's and IS3's wouldn't allow you to shift all the way down to 1st like the new 6 speeds do. The buttons were fast and you could use either hand however when you are rounding a turn and busy with the wheel it is hard to fire the buttons at the same time. This simulates a manual shifter more IMO.

 

Hey Rock - come on, while you may be right (though I am not sure) why the pompous attitude? Same attitude you put on display in my last thread on the GS300 vs. M35. So, when shifting from park to manual mode, the gear number display doesnt show what gear one is in....it shows the maximum gear one could be in. And, when I am cruising on the highway does the gear display show me the current gear or one that would be nice to be in on a Monday afternoon? either way, it seems like it is not too well though out.

I used to have the GS400 - Today I left the GS300 for my little ole six cylinder G35 Coupe and that extra 35 HP and performance torque curve left the Lexus dealership much quicker than I did when driving the GS300 minutes before. Yes, I could be happy with a V6.

Sicklex: Point taken, perhaps "flaw" was wrong word. However, if this car's manual mode goes from Park to 5th, that is not gonna make too many manual enthusiasts happy. My 1999 GS 400 began in SECOND gear from Park and when stopping - much more acceptable than fifth (if fifth is what I actually experienced.

TO CLARIFY: This 5th default happens when moving from PARK/REVERSE gate to manual gate. When in the manual gate and coming to a stop, it will be in the same gear you stopped in.
Again, it is only when moving INTO the manual gate that this FIFTH default occurs.

 

Marc, if you want flat out acceleration let the computer shift up. You're not going to improve on the shift logic in power mode. The shift slot is made for downshifting and then upshifting. I don't know anybody that drives stoplight to stoplight shifting 1st, 2nd, 3rd and back down but if that's what makes you happy then do it. I'm sure that the M will have some quirks that you will notice. The M in a six isn't going to thrill you if your standard is a GS400. BTW here I'm being pompous...

 

Second Gen GS does the same thing, if you go from auto to manual mode it starts in fifth.

 

'starting in fifth' doesn't mean it's in 5th gear. The indicator shows the maximum gear the tranny will shift up to, and yes, it will pull away in 1st. I regularly leave the car in manual '4' or '3' so the car doesn't go into a higher gear giving me more on tap torque.

marcpitch - you seem to have made up your mind on the M - more power to you, go for it.

 

yea , what he said

 

Sorry if I sounded pompous and I can see how you would think that. It was not intentional. You started the best thread I've seen on this forum so please don't think I don't care. You keep saying that you go from Park to Reverse to the shift slot. On the way you pass through Drive. The older GS had the D side and the M side and once you were in the M side you could go 5,4,3,2 and that was it. Now you have more gears available and you can go down as far as 1st and as high as 6th. The new thing about this trans is the way it holds a gear for you in fully automatic mode which the LS430 does not. If you stop you are in 1st unless you have the ECT switch in Snow.(then you'll begin in second) If you are on the highway and you move over to manual you will feel the downshift to 5th. If you want more leverage try 4th. It won't let you in if you are travelling too fast anyway.

Now at what RPM's were you driving the GS? I found the engine to have plenty of sass above 5,000 RPM's. Marc, If you are looking at the GS and the M does that mean you want a larger car or just want a change? If the Lexus doesn't satisfy you now maybe when the GS350 arrives you will have more horsepower to play with. Everything is relative. Todays GS430 will be outperformed by next May's GS450h.

 

ROFL 1sick, you read my mind so cruel yet entertaining.

 

LOL this whole thread makes me laugh so hard. Good Job Bernie & Mike. You just made my night.

On a sidenote, I did drive the GS300 tonight. I did use the Manual mode. I was in awe the whole time I forgot to upshift into 3rd gear bouncing off the limiter for 1 sec. around a turn from the 605 South to the 10 West. Whoops!

 

I agree with you 100% on this. The computer is actually very intelligent that it will definitely outshift a person using manual mode. The computer is way more consistent and each shift point is set optimally for maximum acceleration, especially when in ECT PWR mode.

 

Perhaps the new GS is not for you. Then again it's not for everyone...vice versa w/the new M. Flaw?In your books perhaps....but the choice is definitely yours...more power to you in your future choice!

 

Perhaps the new GS is not for you if you think it's "flawed". Then again it's not for everyone...vice versa w/the new M. The choice is definitely yours...more power to you on your future choice, no one is holding you down to buy a new GS but it's certainly not flawed. And no we're not speaking from bias either.