Just my opinion, of course (subjective, needless to say), but I LOVE the feel of the polished wood on the steering wheel.

 

I've say in my friend's 05 GS300 and his seats basically feels the same. Not much support and the padding isn't that great. The position is just awkward for me. I've tried almost every combination, but nothing works. I've just learned to accept that the 2GS seats aren't that great. Even the LS430 wasn't maginally better, but I do love the IS300 seat!

 

Hmmm, here are 3 reasons why I'd take a 3GS over 2GS any day of the week:
- smart key: no more fumbling w/keys, fob always stays in the pocket
- gen V nav: no comparison to gen 4, plus 7" hi res Lcd screen
- 2GR-FSE: pumping 300+ hp out of NA 3.5l and still achieve 29/21 mpg - stock !

 

Sometimes we (you) expect too much.. Obviously there will be changes to a new car, wither you like every single change, very unlikely... The 3GS is suppose to be much sportier (complete with the bimmer) i.e.; sportier seats, which i like because they drop much lower than 2GS (almost felt like camry seats, up so damn high!!!)... With the new slick design, you will lose some interior space, nothing you can do about it, and also lose some visibility... I always thought the 2GS was a fat cat (hodge podge) looking sports sedan anyway, and many car magazines agree with me on this... overall, the improvements are great on the 3GS, I only wish the front and back was a little better looking... I don’t think (steverhode) is a true "sport sedan" enthusiasts (no disrespect)... I DO LIKE MY MATTRESS FIRM... Just like my sports sedans...

 

I totally agree with what you say. Lexus has definitely "compromised" with these newer models. They put more emphasis on style, which gets in the way of ergonomics and practicality.

 

with the new styling trend thats going on all cars now (not just lexus) with the raised beltline and smaller windows visibility is a problem. My IS has worse visibility than my 2000 prelude did. Thats just a drawback of having higher beltlines and smaller windows. I found the GS to be small also, not a whole lot bigger than the IS

 

i actually don't think the 3gs is significantly harder to drive compared to our gs400. very easy to drive and blind spots are not an issue at all. i agree about the smaller windows, just look at the history of cars, that's the trend. but overall the 3gs blind spots are pretty well covered i think. talk about hard, you should try the sc430 and the ls460

 

i never like the 2GS seats neither, the rear is a different story !

 

Unfortunately the trend continues towards wood steering wheels. Living in an environment like Chicago I think people like them LESS than say California. Nothing is colder than a wood steering wheel in the dead of winter.

Fortunately many manufacturers give the consumer a choice - both Audi and MB have them as options.

 

A solution for those living in Chicago = Gloves.

 

Ever try and work a touch screen with those on?

PS - a better solution Heated Steering Wheel

 

In Canada and in the UK, among many such countries, the GS steering wheel is normally all leather. The new S550 can be ordered with a leather wheel or with a wood one. BMW 7 series has only leather based on its web site. Both the last 2 cars are $100K+ once you load them up with options.

Actually, getting used to holding a piece of plastic -- oops, I mean -- holding a polished piece of beautiful wood that feels like hard plastic is pretty easy. But I'd much rather have the leather for the warmth in the winter, and, more importantly here where I live, for the ability to absorb the mositure the hand naturally produces in warmer weather.

But if you evaluate a steering wheel only on its looks, I would prefer the wood probably.

In 3 weeks 'll give you all an update after one month of driving. Already, I've been able to find workarounds for many of the items in my original post for what I still feel are design flaws of the 3GS.

The looks, power and gadgets continue to impress me. Of them, only the ML isn't much. But I kind of expected it to be underwhelming. I like the sound system, which was the Lexus stardard system, in my 2GS about as much as I like the 3GS's with ML. I'm a classical music buff, so if the 3GS with ML makes rap sound great, I'd never know it, nor care. Ditto for other music genres that I don't listen to.

 

That's where i-Drive would be beneficiary huh?

Heated Steering wheel ala 4LS would be a great solution.

 

although i have to add, it only heats up the leather portion.

i guess i have the luxury of not experiencing any of those extreme weather, but at least not the whole steering wheel is wood, there are still a good portion of it being leather

 

It was the whole reason they created iDrive! You know how cold it is in Germany?