Hello everyone,

New member to the forum and I hope to become more of a regular member as I'm looking to get a new car.

First and foremost, I love the way this car looks. The exterior is sporty and elegant and the interior looks to be almost perfect IMO.

I currently drive a Maxima but am looking at other models. Infinity M35, Audi A4, and Lexus GS just to name a few.

I'm just looking for a little real world feedback. What are your likes, dislikes, etc? Thanks in advance!

 

I guess I will start. Some will say the car does lots of things but nothing very well. I look at it the other way around, the car does a lot of things and it does them mighty well. It is a very nice compromise between its competitors. It may not handle quite as well as the 5, but it does ride better than it. Every thing is very safe, the steering may not convey every pebble on the road but it is definitely very safe and secure. For instance the other day on the freeway around 70, I did an emergency lane change, VERY quickly and it did just as I asked. I would say the handling is even enjoyable. Everything I was looking for in a sedan.

The power plant is pure genius and it has just the right amount of space on the inside.

Pros:
Power Plant
Comfort
Navigation
Mark Levinson
VDIM
Ergonomics
Voice Activation
Handling v Ride Comfort
Did I say Power Plant??? lol

Cons:
Navigation Lock-Out at speed
Small Trunk (450h)
Noise from runflats (350 AWD, 460, 450h)

 

I apologize as I should have probably elaborated more on what I'm looking for. I'm really looking for a car that rides comfortably, has a great sound system and integrated navigational unit and overall just has a tight fit and finish. The numbers that the engine puts out is wonderful so I expect it to have a fair amount of power as well.

 

The GOOD...I own 4 Lexus so far...all the way from 1998 GS400 to (2) 2002 GS430 and now (2) 2006 GS430...Just bought the second one this weekdend for my baby sister. The 3Gen has lots of options than any other vehicle i've own from BMW to Mercedes...Maintenance is more affordable.

The BAD....both 2006 GS430 have rattle through front windshield...just drop both of to the dealer and waiting to hear from them.

If you have the money....go for the GS460 !!!

 

Steveied23, I hate to say it, but if you are looking for a car that has a tight fit and finish, keep looking, the GS is not it. Its a shame too, the powertrain is among the best in its class. The GS has a very soft suspension handling wise, but riding on rough road, it is much bumpier than it should be. Over all, the suspension is very disappointing, the sound system is ok, the Nav unit is very nice except for all the finger prints from the touch screen function.

 

I drive an hour to work everyday and I feel very comfortable in the cabin while being stuck in traffic... I like the ride quality (even when it's lowered). If you want to "feel" the road while you are driving, you might want a BMW or Audi b/c you won't get that with the Lexus. The interior's design is nice but it could use a little more space in the back and especially the trunk. Overall, I enjoy my ride going to and from work.

Bad: Navi/DVD locks while the car is in motion. You'll have to spend extra cash for the override kit if you want to operate it while in motion (its for the passengers not for me ). Ipod integration will help with your daily commute b/c FM signal is terrible. There is a rattling problem, so as a fix..I just turn up the volume

 

I feel the road, the bumps and grooves alot more on the GS than my Audi.

 

that's odd, the a6, e, and 5 i drove all have bumpier rides than the gs. i wonder if it's the tires on your cars, especially when you say you felt the grooves. usually that's due to tire tracking

on the gs? overall i think it's a good car. i love the powertrain, gas mileage, the nav and the sound system

but at the same time the quality isn't as good as before, fit and finish can be improved, the small trunk, and there are few weird things about the car i just can't understand, like the parking light on dash, the trunk light with a switch, the soft close trunk, etc... all those are small things, but they make you think why

 

rominl, I forgot which GS did you have, I wonder if its the diff. between the 460 and 350 and the runflats. What year Audi did you drive, the 08s have a softer suspension. Even my wife who is not into cars notice it right away, the Audi is much smoother and handles better. The E class with out a question is softer than the GS.

 

i have the gs350, i thought yours was gs350 too? did you have the runflat? if you had it, then that pretty much explains everything about the ride

i drove the 08 a6 and also 08 e class

but again, if your car had runflats, that explains everything about the ride, as in pretty much all cars with runflats and bad ride quality. it's pretty hard to compare cars with runflats and normal tires

 

i would respectfully disagree...i think the fit and finish is quite good. i have no problems with rattle noises or brake squeal that some members have complained about (touch wood). and coming from an acura TL, the GS is way better in build quality, and rightfully so.

as for ride being more bumpier and suspension very disappointing, well compared to what? also i think this is more subjective, as what is too bumpy for you would be considered good for someone else. for example, i had an old 300E before, and I think the GS handles better than my old Merc. also, i came from a slammed acura TL on H&R race springs...now that is harsh suspension and ride (but good handling for a FWD)...so for me coming to a stock GS, i don't even feel the bumps on the roads which you guys would complain about because i was so used to the bone-jarring "uggh" in my TL everytime i hit a bump on the road.

sound system is ok, i agree. but for stock, it ain't bad. to get better sound quality, you are going to have to go aftermarket and spend way more money than what the ML currently provides as a package. you want good sound quality for USD $3,280 with aftermarket stereo that is better than ML quality? ($3,280 is the price of navi/ML combined) - good luck in your search! and i haven't even factored in labour yet from a car audio shop unless you are handy with installation and fabrication.

as for finger prints on the touch screen, i think that's one of the con i would agree with you. but nothing that a damp clean cloth can't fix!

 

For a Lexus, I like the way the 3GS looks. Elegant & sporty not unlike a 4-door coupe profile. Interior design is quite sporty too with a wide & high center console and short transmission lever. However, even though it rides really well (my other cars are BMWs with modified suspensions), I feel it is too soft and floaty for me, but perfect to take the family around for a relaxing drive, or if I need a relaxing drive myself. As long as you're not in a rush or don't carve mountain roads, the soft stock suspension is fine. In other words, it is a cruiser more than anything else.

Other things I don't like: no mp3 playback capability nor ipod jacks (at least for my '06, I don't know about '09s or even '08s), little rear headroom (due to the sloping roofline that give it a sporty profile but a compromise I am willing to accept for the looks), not much rear legroom (at least compared to the smaller ES350 but still acceptable though).

I love my 3GS. And being a person who disliked most Lexus models ever since their intro back in '89, that says a lot for this model.

 

since 2007 the system can play mp3 cd.

still no ipod integration even at 09, of course

 

wow...I absolutely love my car. I have the '08 350 AWD...with run-flats. I'm coming from a 2004 Toyota Solara, so when you say the ride is bad with run-flats....guess I don't know what I'm missing because the ride is awesome as is. I don't think enough can be said about the power that this thing has with just 6 cylinders. the stereo is nice, I have the non-ML version. I think they could have gone with a larger amp to help push the speakers more. I'm saying this because when I plug my ipod into the AUX outlet and jack the ipod volume all the way up...this creates somewhat of an amplified setting....even on low volume in the car. the navigation is probably the best I've ever used. I haven't had to deal much with trying to type something in while driving, so that doesn't bother me yet. the trunk is small...barely enough room for my golf clubs, and really no room for anything else when the clubs are in there. ventilated seats are nice...as is the softness of the leather.

my main two complaints with the car is the ridiculous control box hidden on the left side of the steering wheel...can't really see all the buttons without bending down. the other is the cigarette lighter assembly. I don't smoke, and find it amazing that I had to spend $250 to replace that waste of space with the Lexus Japan storage bin. Kudos to the guys who posted how to do that on here...saved me $100 installation fee.

All in all, I love this car. There's my sales pitch, happy shopping!

 

Well said