Switched from a 2015 Lexus GS 350 to 2017 (both not F-Sport)
 

So I had a lease that was recently up for my 2015 Lexus GS 350 (non F-Sport) and recently got a 2017 Lexus GS 350 (non F-Sport as well). One of the first things I've noticed is that while there's a lot of new features on the car, I felt like the build quality got a bit worse. The steering wheel doesn't look and feel as nice as the old ones, and the glossy look as opposed to the matte look on the trims looks a bit tacky. Anybody on this forum driven both and notice the same things? What were some other pet peeves / luxuries you noticed that were different between both models?

I went from a 2015 F-sport to a 2017 F-sport and feel completely opposite from you; I think they improved the build quality. For example, the door handles and silver trim below the wood or aluminum is now more metal-like. This is especially noticeable on the interior doorhandles. I thought the interior doorhandles felt too cheap in the 2015 and they would creak every time I used them. It's no longer the case in the 2017 and they don't feel so plasticky. I also differ from you on the steering wheel. I think it feels more expensive and looks better than the old one. I love the change of aluminum trim in my F-sport from the striated to naguri; just seems more refined.

Couple things they removed that I was surprised by...the first was the dual-pane front windows (included on 2015 cars without cold weather package). Second was the padding/lining inside the door pocket, which kept things from rattling inside.

I went from a '15 non-F Blk/Blk to a '16 F Sport Ultra White/Red. I like the new '16 better in every respect! First of all, the F Sport makes it ride, handle, and brake like a completely different car (i.e. much better in every respect). Also the LFA type gauges in the F Sport gives the dash a different look too. So I really do feel like I have a different car. As to items common in both in the F and non-F models, all the new safety features on the '16 & '17's are also a welcome addition. The minor changes in exterior style cues and new wheels do create a different vibe for the car that does differentiate it from the prior years models for those paying attention. I cannot think of any negatives in the new models.

Where's the beef? I mean the pics!

Just went from 2014 to 2016 F Sport and see changes in both directions. The car feels and sounds livelier and sportier (albeit a bit rougher but not offensive). I personally preferred the lighter interior metal trim on the 2014 F Sport but no biggie... Same for the shifter knob which went from all leather round shape to part plastic and a very odd flat in the middle/tilted up shape. Full screen nav is nice and so is having 5 shortcuts for the small sub-screen on the right. The voice commands are a mixed bag and the jury is still out. One weird thing is that the 2016 car already told me off a few times asking me to speak softer. Really??? Never happened in the 2014, lol.

Things I really do NOT like on the 2016:

1 - backup camera got much worse (unless mine is bad). The 2014 was absolutely amazing day or night, this one is like going back to a DVD on a boob tube from a 4K TV (part numbers have changed too).
2 - the 2013-2015 HID headlights had a much better range than 2016-2017 LED's. Wonder if the LED's can be upgraded with better aftermarket bulbs (ie OPT-7 just came out with a new version of their FluxBeam bulbs) but could not find any info on the bulb part number.
3 - too many buttons on the steering wheel take some (a lot!) of getting used to. Specifically, the phone on/off buttons require taking the eyes of the road and moving your whole left hand unless you have an unusually long and flexible left thumb - was not an issue on the old car.
4 - auto screen change <off> function in the settings does not stick - the main screen always defaults to nav after a new start, whereas the old car stayed where I liked/left it (usually audio or fuel consumption screens)

I have a 16 es and I love all the new changes esp the steering wheel and shift knob. Now as for that "plastic part" on yours it is actually real metal or aluminum for the gs ls lx. For the es is and rx it is actually satin plastic.

I went from a 13 luxury to a 16 f sport and like the 16 so much more in every way. The interior got a really nice touch up and the speedometer is much nicer in the 16 f sport, looks super luxurious and sporty

As much as I like digital speedometers (had one on an 1986 Mazda 626 GT Turbo way back when), the digits need to be about twice as big to read easily. My kid's 2014 Civic has a digital speedometer that is 2-3 larger and is much easier to read in the bright day light - even with sunroof and windows open - and at highway speeds. If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the redundant digital clock (too small anyway and partially obstructed by the steering wheel) in the bottom left corner of the display cluster, move the odometer there. Move the gear indicator where the odo is now and use that space to double up the size of speedometer.

I agree about the digital display. While it looks impressive and high tech at first glance, it is kind of laid out in an odd fashion First of all, it looks asymmetrical with one big round gauge in the middle and a smaller round gauge on the right; but then something completely different off on the left.

Also the center of attention, a gigantic tachometer on an automatic transmission car, is of infrequent use, while the digital mph can get lost in all the glitz. I've had cars with regular speedometers that have a digital display as a supplemental option....much better.

From what I've seen, the digital gauges in the IS350 F Sport and GSF look better designed.

so i am not the only one on the steering wheel. as soon as i drove the car off the lot i thought the steering felt off. not as thick as my 2015 and doesn't grip as good too.

i also think the headlights are not as good but i didn't know if it's because the car has no foglights now

i don't care about the trims on any years, didn't like the matte and didn't like the current one with the weird lines either

i don't like the fact that i have to press a button every time i start the car to enable brake hold feature

but there are still plenty of other good new things that i think are refinements to this car. overall i think it's an improvements, not drastic though

I share the same sentiments. My original post was kind of short because I wanted to see what other people's inputs on the difference were, but after having my new car for a week or so, there's just a few things that annoyed me just a bit:

-I had illuminated door sills on my 2015 one, the 2017 got rid of it
-the shift knob feels abnormally shaped, the 2015 shift knob felt better in quality since it was all leather
-the steering wheel (as mentioned before) felt and looked worse than the 2015 one. With the 2015 steering wheel I was okay with pressing the button hard and liked that I had to press hard, the 2017 buttons felt cheap and were too sensitive... almost feels like it would break really easily
-the 2017 backup camera is... like you said... terrible. I noticed the 2015 used wide angles so you were almost able to back up and see at an almost 90 degree angle in both corners. They shortened the range of sight on the 2017 one, and the screen is not bright enough
-for the windows, when you close them in the 2015 it slows down before it closes completely, but it just shoots straight up in the 2017
-less leather trim on the dashboard in the 2017 as opposed to the 2015 (there was leather under the navigation screen in the 2015)
-I thought the LED headlights are better than the HIDs on the 2015 model because it has really sharp cutoffs. I'm thinking about switching the headlamps to the triple beam LEDs.

I noticed the handling for the 2017 model was a lot better than the 2015, but I'm not sure if it's because the tires are brand new. Sometimes pull up next to the older models and think that they are better looking aesthetically on the exterior than the new models. All in all, however, I'm still content with the car and glad I got it.

Needed to respond to and correct a few things you listed.

[QUOTE=vtp86;9706510]I share the same sentiments. My original post was kind of short because I wanted to see what other people's inputs on the difference were, but after having my new car for a week or so, there's just a few things that annoyed me just a bit:

Illuminated door sills have always been optional. You can easily buy them and install them yourself.
Heres a link for a good priced set: https://www.ebay.com/itm/331992188595

I thought I was going to feel the same, but I've come to like the new shift knob. Just wish it wouldn't attract so much hand/finger prints.

I like the new steering wheel because it has less of the silver painted plastic.

I haven't really noticed much of a difference, but you can adjust the contrast and brightness of the screen during camera mode to suit your taste. Just go to the Display button on the upper corner of the Main Menu.

Just checked my windows on the 2017, and they still do the slow down when closing.

The amount of leather is still the same; there was never any leather under the navigation screen.

I like these new LED headlights for their brightness, but I adjusted them to be a little higher. The auto high beam really helps on dark roads. Switching to the triple beams will cost quite a bit. Expect to pay $4-5K to get it done properly. If you leased this GS too, it might not really be worth it.

I noticed this too, but like you said, it could be the new tires and tighter suspension (from being new).

The new steering wheel is much nicer aesthetically, old one was too bloated looking

the area below nav screen was never leather type material, only the top

my 2016 has illuminated door sills, it has always been options, but in previous years a lot of cars came with that options installed. the same thing goes for spoiler, a lot of 13-15 have it. for 2016 it's rare.

these are all measures by lexus to keep the price of the car about the same as previous years (but in fact gone up)