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I'd be tempted to upgrade to a '16 GS F Sport, but in Canada, only a loaded F Sport "Series 2" is available now and it's just shy of $70K + fees+taxes. Loaded with ML, HUD, etc. etc. but pricey nonetheless.
The '16s are nice, but wasn't willing to pay extra for it, as my dealer only had one and they weren't offering any deals on it.
It's obvious that you took great care of her. You only miss her because she looks so good online. Go to the garage and check out your new girl.
I really enjoyed my time with the IS. If it wasn't for my expanding family, it would have continued to serve us well. But I always kept it pristine and loved taking care of it. I put a paint coating (OptiCoat) on it and I am a firm believer in the stuff. It really helped keep it looking nice and I will be putting a coating on my new GS soon.
Originally Posted by ISTORO
Looks like new!
It does, doesn't it? I managed to have it for over 2 years and avoid all rock chips and door dings. Not a scratch on her. Lots of careful washing (2 bucket method) also avoided swirl marks.
Originally Posted by akanick
Is there much of a performance difference between your old one and the new gs?
I plan on writing up a comparison review once I've had more time with the GS. I haven't flogged it very hard because of the break in period and the icy weather, but in my first impressions, the GS does not disappoint. It's about 200 pounds heavier than the IS, so imagine an extra occupant in your IS and you'll start to get the idea. My GS is an F Sport with AVS which my IS was not, so not all comparisons are equal or fair, but the GS drives much smaller than it is. It's very easy to toss around and acceleration feels just as fleet, or maybe just a few ticks slower, but not really noticeable. The main difference is that the GS is so remarkably quiet that even under full throttle it feels more relaxed and subdued. The IS always felt so glued to the road, which I loved, and I am happy to report that this characteristic is alive and well in the GS too.
Originally Posted by AndyL
You did take good care of it. Looks pristine and I bet the resale value is good because of the condition. Also congrats to getting your more GS!
The excellent condition of the car on trade in really did help. That excellent resale is part of what made the move to the GS so easy. As I said up thread, I still had 10 months remaining on my lease, but was able to trade out of it without any negative equity.
Based upon my impressions so far, I highly recommend the GS to any IS owner who loves their IS but needs more room. I still think the IS is the better looking car, but the transition to the GS has, thus far, been an easy one.
We always use Lexus of Seattle and have purchased several cars from them. I highly recommend them, as they've always treated me fairly and with respect. Great place, in my experience.
Well guys, it's been about 2 months and 1200 miles since I got the GS. I've had a few requests for info about how the two cars compare, so I thought I'd provide a little comparison of the two, detailing what I find are the positives and negatives of each in relation to each other. Again, just my opinions and experiences thus far.
What I liked more on the IS:
- The looks. I do like the styling of the GS, but the IS is still the looker of these two.
- Handling. The IS and GS handle very similarly, which shouldn't be a surprise since the IS chassis is based off the GS. However, the IS has a lighter, more toss-able feel to it that I miss.
-TFT dash display. The information display in the instrument cluster of the IS is worlds ahead of the one in the GS - note that this has been remedied for the '16 GS, which received an update. You can view more information (like nav directions and music) on the IS, where the GS display limits you in what can be displayed.
- The NuLuxe material. Call me crazy, but I still prefer NuLuxe to leather. After 2+ years, the NuLuxe in my IS looked new. While I can minimize wear/tear on the GS leather, I have no doubt it will not look new after 2 years.
- The LED headlights. My GS has HIDs, and I prefer the color and sharpness of the LEDs more than the HIDs.
- Fuel mileage. My normal driving in my IS350 AWD would yield averages around 18-20, almost always in Normal mode with occasional stints in Sport mode, but never in Eco mode. In the GS, if I use Eco mode and baby it I can get 16. In normal mode I'm down around 14 mpg. Let's not even discuss Sport + or Sport S+.
What I like more on the GS:
- The room. This one is rather obvious, but the GS offers a lot more interior and trunk room. Given I have a family, the space is well used.
- Interior materials. While I had no real complaints about the IS interior materials, the GS is just in another league. Everything is soft touch material, full interior LED lighting and great accent lights on the doors. Even the door pockets have rubber bottoms to keep things from sliding around.
- Refinement. This thing is incredibly smooth and refined. It's a lot quieter on the road and even though it's the same engine, it feels smoother than it did in the IS.
- Features in an F Sport. When you select the F Sport package on the GS, you don't have to sacrifice things like memory seats or power folding mirrors. My IS was fairly minimally equipped, so on the GS I am enjoying things like memory seats, Mark Levinson, heated steering wheel, remote start, 16 way driver's seat, automatic seat heating/ventilation, dual pane glass, etc.
- The navigation system and display. OMG the 12.3 inch screen. Incredible. Makes it so easy to view lots of data at once and is a great focal point in the interior. The system is far less glitchy/laggy than it was in my 14 IS.
Overall I'm very happy with the GS, just as I was with the IS. I think they are both fantastic cars and there are no wrong choices here. For me, with a 4 member family (two of which are in car seats), we fit better in the GS. The GS is a lot more car, and since I bought my IS when deals were few and the GS when deals were plentiful, I didn't have to pay much for it. For reference, my IS had an MSRP of $47,800 and I got it for $46,800. My GS MSRP was $60,200 and I got it for $50,200. Enjoy your rides, fellow CL members!
Thanks for the comparo JDR76. Although I don't own a GS, I have driven one on several occasions and I echo your comparison precisely. One comment though is the fuel economy. I would think your GS' mpg should get closer to the IS once you hit Spring/Summer.
Well guys, it's been about 2 months and 1200 miles since I got the GS. I've had a few requests for info about how the two cars compare, so I thought I'd provide a little comparison of the two, detailing what I find are the positives and negatives of each in relation to each other. Again, just my opinions and experiences thus far.
What I liked more on the IS:
- The looks. I do like the styling of the GS, but the IS is still the looker of these two.
- Handling. The IS and GS handle very similarly, which shouldn't be a surprise since the IS chassis is based off the GS. However, the IS has a lighter, more toss-able feel to it that I miss.
-TFT dash display. The information display in the instrument cluster of the IS is worlds ahead of the one in the GS - note that this has been remedied for the '16 GS, which received an update. You can view more information (like nav directions and music) on the IS, where the GS display limits you in what can be displayed.
- The NuLuxe material. Call me crazy, but I still prefer NuLuxe to leather. After 2+ years, the NuLuxe in my IS looked new. While I can minimize wear/tear on the GS leather, I have no doubt it will not look new after 2 years.
- The LED headlights. My GS has HIDs, and I prefer the color and sharpness of the LEDs more than the HIDs.
- Fuel mileage. My normal driving in my IS350 AWD would yield averages around 18-20, almost always in Normal mode with occasional stints in Sport mode, but never in Eco mode. In the GS, if I use Eco mode and baby it I can get 16. In normal mode I'm down around 14 mpg. Let's not even discuss Sport + or Sport S+.
What I like more on the GS:
- The room. This one is rather obvious, but the GS offers a lot more interior and trunk room. Given I have a family, the space is well used.
- Interior materials. While I had no real complaints about the IS interior materials, the GS is just in another league. Everything is soft touch material, full interior LED lighting and great accent lights on the doors. Even the door pockets have rubber bottoms to keep things from sliding around.
- Refinement. This thing is incredibly smooth and refined. It's a lot quieter on the road and even though it's the same engine, it feels smoother than it did in the IS.
- Features in an F Sport. When you select the F Sport package on the GS, you don't have to sacrifice things like memory seats or power folding mirrors. My IS was fairly minimally equipped, so on the GS I am enjoying things like memory seats, Mark Levinson, heated steering wheel, remote start, 16 way driver's seat, automatic seat heating/ventilation, dual pane glass, etc.
- The navigation system and display. OMG the 12.3 inch screen. Incredible. Makes it so easy to view lots of data at once and is a great focal point in the interior. The system is far less glitchy/laggy than it was in my 14 IS.
Overall I'm very happy with the GS, just as I was with the IS. I think they are both fantastic cars and there are no wrong choices here. For me, with a 4 member family (two of which are in car seats), we fit better in the GS. The GS is a lot more car, and since I bought my IS when deals were few and the GS when deals were plentiful, I didn't have to pay much for it. For reference, my IS had an MSRP of $47,800 and I got it for $46,800. My GS MSRP was $60,200 and I got it for $50,200. Enjoy your rides, fellow CL members!
Wait.. I just want to clarify... Your IS was 47,800 OTD ? and the GS was 50,200 OTD?!?!!? 50K OTD FOR A GS Fsport 2016?!?!!?
Wait.. I just want to clarify... Your IS was 47,800 OTD ? and the GS was 50,200 OTD?!?!!? 50K OTD FOR A GS Fsport 2016?!?!!?
WHAT
I scored my 15 GS on close out as they were making room for the 16s. Lexus had a $5k rebate and dealer knocked another $5k off. The prices I discussed were the negotiated sales price, so taxes and fees on top of that.
