Just out of curiosity- what's the difference between the 350 and the 200t?
Excluding the engine of course, is there anything else different?

 

Reduced ego

 

No real leather. They should have just made it with cloth seats. Also, it only comes as RWD, those who want an AWD would have to buy the 350.

 

So I'm assuming the interior is identical with base vinyl seats . Are the packages the same also?

 

I don't believe the Luxury Pkg is available on the GS200t. Also, navigation is NOT standard on the 200t.

 

I visited the dealership and priced out a fully loaded GS200T and GS350 (no ML) and the price point difference was about $2.5K. I decided to see if the MPG was better on the 200T but because the car is heavy, the MPG is almost the same. If I wanted to purchase a 4cyl car I would have to purchase a IS/NX manual to feel the little power.







BTW, once person in this forum purchased a 2016 GS350 Fsport in red. In California the only colors in Fsports I found were white, silver, black, nebula and atomic silver. The blue, red and other colors are very rare in SOCAL and San Diego. If I'd known the Fsports offered other then the primary colors I would of considered especially the blue. However, in two years, when lease is up, if I stick with Lexus I may get the 2018 in white. The new body style looks good in white. If not Lexus, I'm going back to MBZ E350 sport. Those are the only two cars I think look best in mid size sedans. I may go Caddie if my hair starts turning grey.

 

If you're in Michigan don't expect to see one; RWD only and likely none will be sent to the snow belt.

 

Yes, I'm from Michigan but I do see the 200t's are for sale at Meade Lexus . Never saw one on the road yet. Haven't even seen a 16 350 .

 

Huh!

I'm in Jersey, we are getting................ -0-

 

I leased a 200t a month ago, after my 2014 GS350 lease ended. So far, I like it. I spent a lot of time looking at both 2016 GS350 and 200t, looking at leather vs leatherette and other differences. I can honestly say that I did not see any difference in the leather vs leatherette that come on 2016 models.
For my daily driving, the difference in power is not significant. 200t is just fine, has a minor turbo lag but i can live with it. Once the turbo is up to speed, it pulls well. After a month, i'm getting an average of 24mpg with 200t. My average for 350 was about 20. For me, the power loss / mpg gain is not a bad tradeoff.

Some of the other differences i noticed:
I got no options 200t, so I have 17'' wheels with some bottom shelf all-season 225/50 tires. The 18' wheels and tires on 350 are much nicer (I actually liked the summer Dunlops on my 2014 GS). For about $2500 you can get a package that will include the same 18" wheels / tires + Nav. That package would be about an extra $30-35/mo.
My 200t does not have a nav. I'm OK with it. If you need it, get the package above.
My 200t does not have heated / ventilated seats. I had them in my old car and i think they come standard in a 350. So far, I dont miss them. This might change once it gets hot in summer.
Wood trim is different. The 200t has a black looking wood trim that looks fine (about as good as on my 2014 GS). 350 has a fancier looking wood with some metal stripes.
The rest is about the same. I got a great deal on a 200t, the 350 would have been at least $100/mo more. For me, the trade offs are worth it.

 

Thanks for the info!
Interesting that you chose to pass on the navigation. The large screen seems to really make the interior.
Congratulations on your lease ! The difference in gas mileage alone could make up for the difference.

 

Yes, the large screen looks nicer and at first I thought the smaller screen would bother me. However, it really looks fine and I dont miss the larger screen.