My buddy just called me from Austin, Texas. He test drove the GS350 at his local dealership.
He said the GS350 was sluggish. The G300 was more responsive. Dunno....I gotta test drive it myself.


They are here folks!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally.

 

Can't imagine 303 HP versus 245 HP could be sluggish I'm looking forward to test driving a 350 and seeing how it compares to the 430.

 

Lexus might have reduced the throttle response on the new GS350 to maintain the "Lexus smooth" character. If I'm not mistaken, an average GS buyer is 40+ years old with fairly conservative driving spirit. Lexus probably tries to avoid the demographic that BMW owns. i.e. "Sport" sedans.

I'm a big fan of the current GS but one thing that is holding me back is the lack of a factory sports package. I know I know, yall might say that I could always get after-market custom wheels, springs, etc. but I'd prefer that peace-of-mind from factory-designed, factory-tested, and non-warranty-voiding set up. BMW (which I currently own) and Mercedes understand this.

Well, I can't wait to see what Lexus has in store for GS350 & GS460 ...

 

I speak for all current 300 owners... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

 

exactly..NOoooo!!!

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo is right! The more days that go by the more I feel toyota has ripped us gs300 owners. With the next year getting the CURRENT is engine when they could have done it with this year is enough. Then I found out today that the new Camry has 268 hp, wtf?

Can someone explain where the $15k difference comes in?

 

It sucks, but that's why you have to do your due diligence. This forum is a great resource for information. The rumors of the GS350/460 have been around for over a year. When I got my GS430 in May of '05, I had heard the GS460 was coming w/in the next couple of years. That's why I decided to lease my 430.

And for the Camry comparison, come on. How can you honestly compare the GS and Camry?

 

Son of a *&^% ........ oh well, i've had mine for 13 months already, you gotta live in it for the now, not for a yr from now, etc, besides it may be a few months yet before you get down to 500 over invoice, which is what i paid....besides, the 06 gs is pretty quick anyways

 

Will the GS350 be an addition the GS lineup or will it replace the 300?

 

I think it will be a replacement for the GS300.

 

yes it's replacement of the 300. and next yr the 460 will replace the 430

i would be surprised if they reduce the throttle response on the 350 from the is350. that's no good. this is a sport sedan, keep up the sportiness

 

The worst thing about buying the GS300 is they are getting crushed at the auctions. Yo can get an 06' with under 10k for 38K!! Thats where i would buy mine. A 50+ k car for 38k or lower. Lexus really did get over on the people that bought the first GS 300's. The bottom line is your car drop out of sight! To me that hurts.

 

This is where I hate certain features about Lexus. Lexus may be a 'separate' company now, but there is no excuse for this car to have less power than a car that is 15-20k cheaper. I'm just not a fan of Lexus engines, unless they are V8s. The one in the IS is great, but I don't know why they have to reduce the throttle response in the GS350 (if this is the case). Does it really make the ride smoother? Shouldn't the driver have the ability to control a smooth controlled acceleration vs stepping on the pedal and wanting immediate pick-up.

 

Well what's the deal? Is it sluggush or not? Was that just one person's opinion?

 

This isn't a case of Lexus "getting over on the people." It's true of virtually any new product, and it isn't limited to cars. It go's to show that the laws of supply and demand and free market capitalism work like they should. If you want to drive a new car before volume has had a chance to accumulate, you should expect to pay more.