yowps3

So the other day i had the opportunity to compare a GS460 side by side to a 2013 GS350 (4GS) and what really struck me was the level of apparent cost cutting that the 4GS was subject to.

The 3GS felt very over-engineered in comparison. The interior; the 3GS looks really elegant and the materials of the leather, wood and plastic are all top notch with ultra good fit n finish. The blue LED lighting is amazing and gives a very refined and futuristic feel. The doors feel more solid and have a very smooth thud to them, the doors all have retractable door pockets with cool blue LED when you pull the door pocket out. The seats are bigger with more leather and support, there is strong L-finesse design and cohesion with the interior that allows the doors, dash, upper & lower dash and everything to flow and create a nice and sedate L-finesse design

4GS interior; it was obvious to me that there was very strong cost cutting measures taken here. i cannot think of a single element that is better than the 3GS. The interior design is dull, whereas the 3GS feels special and futuristic, the door panels and door feel is of cheaper & lower quality.
The 3GS has a 'WOW' factor to it. Whereas the 4GS is just a big 'MEH'

Exterior;

The 3GS no doubt looks sleek and very futuristic, the design of it is in fact quite unique and very 'Japanese'
The 4GS in comparison looks drab, boring, slab sided & dull. Every single element of the 4GS look boring; the lights, side profile, front & greenhouse.
The 3GS as a gas strut boot whereas the 4GS has cheap goose neck hinges that aren't even covered!

So in conclusion if i was to choose between a 3GS or 4GS i'd choose the former without a second thought as it is simply the better car by a long run.

Gotcha350

I agree to a certain extent as well...overall I really prefer the look and feel of the 3GS...inside and out...but it doesn't have all the rattles that we have...lol

If I was in the market for a new car the 4GS would not be in the picture.

tbilisi79

4gs has no v8
Design is generic and easily forgotten.
Dash looks boring .

Supposed to drove a lot better than 3GS , but if I cannt get excited about the car I'm walking up to, what's the point of owning it.


Needless to say I am forced to upgrade to a ls460 which I'm was never crazy about or a BMW 550 or 750 if those come with lifetime warranty. Which they don't

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

4GS needs a V8.


That's all I have to say about that...

gs300awd18

Exterior - 3GS is the better looking car. I feel it was always the best looking car in the mid-size luxury/sport field back in the mid 2000s. The 4GS leaves me cold on the outside. The proportions are dumpier, the detailing fussier, and I have to look twice to tell it from an ES now, which actually is better looking even with FWD layout. I will never understand why the buff books panned the 3GS design.
Interior - I think the 4GS wins hands down. I liked the interior of my 3GS when I got it, but Audi really stepped up their game and now dominates for interior design. But I am surprised that the OP finds the interior to be cheap. I sat in a 4GS in the showroom, and had to admit it was superior from the inside.

gs300awd18

Few sales of a slow selling car do not make for happy bean counters. Anyway, Toyota / Lexus has determined that the future of high performance is hybrid, starting way back in '06 with the GS450H. They just need to keep developing the concept, and find some more trunk space along the way.

Mesca

iTrader: (28)

The stylish exterior of the 3GS wins hands down. 4GS looks pretty plain to me on the outside and like someone said earlier it's hard differentiating the new GS and ES.

The interior is much nicer in the 4GS but I felt like they imitated BMW's interior so it's...different.

The only part the 4GS improves greatly on ours is how it handles. 3GS handles like a boat and swaybars and coils are a must. Not sure if it was because I drove the new F-Sport but wow it's amazingly nimble. Felt much like an IS to be honest!

TRD_Power

Slap my 4.6 into the 4GS and I'd never look back at the 3GS again... Gorgeous and aggressive design. That V6 is a great motor, but just not enough.

energie8

I think it looks good, havent gotten behind the wheel of one so not sure how it drives, but I think the 4GS looks more sporty and the 3GS looks classy.

canatto

I'm sorry, but I will never get a 4GS. Lexus has managed to botch the exterior design of the GS. The front appears as if it has picked up the gene of a poorly evolved face of an alien and has a look that broke the 3GS classic smooth and fluid styling integrity completely. If you stare at the car and go around from its rear or sides and walk to the front, you'll sense the shock how the front ruins the body design theme. Lexus seemed to have wanted to give the GS some exciting badness look in order to attract younger shoppers, but how badly was that make-over carried out. Very sad.

gs300awd18

Perhaps they were chasing the last gen E60/E61 BMW 5 Series. Which was also suffered from awkward proportions and ill-conceived details. But it had the right badge on the hood, so everyone bought it instead of the GS. Lexus may have thought, 'we'll also make something awkward and avant-garde and maybe people will buy it this time.' The problem is, because the GS never sold in the numbers they expected, they absolutely could not come out with an evolution of the 3rd Gen body. But I think that styling has never been the reason the GS sold or didn't sell. It's all about image, performance, and credibility in the mid size near luxury / sport class. And Lexus never had an M or AMG division to provide the halo effect which undoubtedly helped move more regular 530i and E320 sedans. Those cars are sold on their performance cred which BMW and Benz have been carefully cultivating for decades. That's what F-sport is for, but they have a long way to go.

Anyway, I still like the 3GS design the best, get lots of compliments on it, but it never got any love from the enthusiast press. It suffered from Lexusitis, whereby automotive journalists opinion of the car was distorted by the stylized L on the grill.

TRD_Power

Would be fun to see what'd happen if BMW and Lexus both came out with new models, swapped emblems, then released them to the public...

koffeblack

Wish I can afford one..

Echoing everyones thoughts about later model quality..its a continuing trend.

I have a 3GS as a family car..I have a Supra JZA80 and I also have a ZZ30 Soarer (1JZGTE VVti) with 250,000kms on the clock...Supra is a race car but before that both 90's cars are so well built...everything just workd..no creaks in the dash..no electronic steering etc etc..

I have to say the build quality gets poorer..I love my 90's Toyotas!

warandcar

i love my 3GS although i wouldn't mind having the RC-F...

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Quite true. It's hard for me to believe that they took the engine from the LS460 and detuned it! Didn't want the more expensive 450h to be slower than the slightly less expensive 460!