Today I was driving a 09' ES as a loaner from the dealership, and noticed how much more responsive it was than my GS. I looked online and they come with 272hp.

Is it just me, or is the 06' GS ridiculously underpowered at 240hp for this caliber of vehicle?

 

I don't even know why they even came out with the 06 GS300. Indeed it was underpowered. 07 GS350 is when they got the 2GR-FSE with 303 hp

 

The ES also seemed to ride significantly better than my GS.

 

sporty vs cushy ride, one or the other, but never together.

and you should only compare them within the same model years as those would've been what's best at the time

2006 ES330 = 218 hp, GS wouldn't seem underpowered then

 

240hp for a 2006 model luxury sedan is significantly underpowered when compared to other makers out there.

 

2006 bmw 525i = 215hp fyi

regardless, it was updated for the 07 because obviously we have no idea why there was even a GS300, much preferred in the Asian market

 

The ES' drivetrain got updated early than the GS, thats all it is.

 

imho, the 06 gs was an epic mistake. the v6 was way underpower (especially considering it's a NEW car), and the car just didn't seem complete (just look at the fixes lexus put in for 07 and 08)

and funny enough, in 06, japan had gs350 already. i couldn't figure out what's the point of making the 3L v6 for one model year

and you can't compare the ride of the es to the gs. two different categories

 

Besides the obvious engine improvement, what other major changes were made in 07 and 08?

As far as sporty versus cushy ride, the ES seemed to not only ride smoother, but handle much better...

 

i'm glad i got my GS a couple years after the 3rd gen first came out. i would be choked if i had the '06 model with 240 hp, and the '07+ models had 300 HP.

 

'08 had the bumper and grill refresh. i think the '08 had side mirror signal lights?

 

get the 06 GS430 and it will solve your problems...hahaha

 

The gs300 has adequate power, 0-60 times are same as the "faster feeling" ES350. Es feels faster partly due to torque steer and floaty suspension that rises when you stomp on it. Correct me if I am wrong, the 0-60 is equal to the current MB e350 which still has 265 hp. the gs300 still sells in the Asian market and UK, europe. The US consumer is power hungry, and they had to address that. The 06 gs 0-60 times is something like 6.7, not bad IMO.

 

I'm not too concerned with it, after all I didn't want a fast car, or I would have went with a vette. I just think it needs about 25 more hp.

 

Everyone seems to forget that the 3GS was launched in Feb 2005, as a 2006 model. At the time, the 2GR-FSE engine was not out yet (debuted with the IS350 in ltd numbers in late '05). Timing as it was, the 3.0 V6 and 4.3 V8 were used as 'transition' engines until the 2GR-FSE and 4.6 V8 were ready. Personally I think they should replace the 2.5 V6 in the IS250 with the 'much maligned' 3.0 V6 (from the GS300) and everyone would be happy. . .