Drove the new 2006 Lexus GS!

GoodnClean · 02-23-05, 07:19

I did this little writeup for the LOC board and thought it might be of interest here too.

So...here it is!

Well, after reading the thread below about the member that just took delivery of his new GS430, I decided I would saunter on down to the Lexus dealer and take a new GS for a spin. I drove it on a test loop, followed by a new LS430, and followed by my ES300, all the same loop. Overall I was impressed with the car, but it didn't blow my socks off. The car I drove was a fully loaded GS300 AWD with nav, the new ML DVD Surround stereo with an MSRP of just over $51,000 (yikes).

EXTERIOR

The exterior of the new GS is very clean, definately more attractive than the aging body of its predecessor. It is very smooth and italian looking, and I feel it looks like a Lexus. If this is the future of Lexus styling, I'm happy. The car definately is more attractive in person than in photos as I knew it would be, and it doesn't look anything like an Avalon.

One thing that really struck me is how small the car is. Its about the same height as an ES, but its at least 4 inches shorter and a couple inches narrower with a sportier stance. Its absolutely dwarfed by the LS430. The car I drove was as loaded as a 300 comes, and it had the 17s with runflat Dunlops we've all seen. It was Matador Red with a Cashmere interior.

INTERIOR and ELECTRONICS

I like the syling of the interior as I did the quality for the most part. There were some rough edged and thinner plastics around the radio face than I'm used to in a Lexus, and sadly the interior colored rearview mirror is replaced by a black one that is made of pretty shoddy plastics. I'd say the plastics in these areas were lower quality than those found on my ES and certainly on the LS, dissapointing. I also have to say I prefer the styling of the LS and ES with the wood high on the door and dash panels, feels more luxurious to me having the wood in your sightlines as you look around the car. The leather is top notch and the seats are amazingly supportive, the lack of support in the LS was immediately apparent after driving the GS, as it was in the ES but to a lesser degree. I love the styling of the center console with the consealed seat warmer ECT switches under the sliding armrest and the concealed mirror and instrument panel buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. Makes for a much cleaner look. All the lighting is LED and it casts a cool HIDish glow over the interior. Better light staging than on the ES or LS, opening the door to the GS at night is an event it is very, very cool.

Space in the rear is no better than my ES which is as I feared, and the LS has 5-6 inches on both of them. With the drivers seat positioned like I like it my knees touched the seat in the ES and GS, but I could cross my legs in the LS. Not a big deal for most people, but this alone will keep me out of a GS as I need the car to carry clients as a Realtor. The trunk is also much smaller than the trunk on the ES or on the LS.

The new gauges are AWESOME, Lexus did such a nice job with them. They really needed to do something as all carmakers have optitron gauges now, and they did. They look very high tech and very expensive. The readouts under the gauges are also much improved. The gauges have 7 different settings and they change automatically depending on the ambient light. All the buttons have a nicely damped feel and operate silently.

Stereo/Nav.

Well, I'm dissapointed in the nav screen. Yes it may be big, but its lower resolution than the one found on my ES and the LS and graphics and backgrounds appear granier. The screen is also positioned in such a way that having the shade pulled back on the moonroof glares on the screen and it cannot be adjusted like on my ES, nor is it inset like on the LS. I also wasn't blown away by the new DVD ML system, the surrpound feature sounded good but it doesn't really sound any better than the ML system in my ES, and I liked the ML in the LS better.

RIDE and DRIVE

Lexus did a great job on the suspension on the GS. Its taut with very little dive when braking or lean in the corners yet it is also very smooth and refined. It drives very much like a BMW now, with a lot of confidence that the ES and LS blatantly dont have and a tauter overall feel. The engine is very responsive and smooth, I would bet the 430 is an absolute screamer. Nicely damped gas and brake pedals, definately a better driver than the previous GS that I wasn't impressed at all with. The runflats were surprisingly smooth and only let you know what they actually are over expansion joints, they'd be the first thing to go for normal tires though.

Overall I'm very impressed with the GS, Lexus did a great job with this car not only in form and function but in the engineering of the suspension also, a great drivers car. My only complaints are the rediculously small trunk and the small quality foibles some places that shouldn't be there on such an expensive car. I won't be buying one, but thats because the size of the car doesn't fit my needs not because of any fault.

GoodnClean · 02-23-05, 07:23

Just occured to me you guys might need pics. These are just the press released pics, they're all over the internet.

MongooseGA · 02-23-05, 07:39

I love the looks! I love the center stack.

Corey Bit Spank · 02-23-05, 09:49

I like it.

I like the dash design but I see what you mean. The wood is in the wrong places.

I prefer when it is up higher like you said--the RL has this and it makes the interior a lot richer (although that faux metallic crap in the middle of the RL is kind of an eye sore).

I like this direction for Lexus. It's a good road between conservative and sporty (appearence wise, anyway, i haven't driven one).

DCopp · 02-24-05, 09:20

Looks like someone is trying to be a Nissan...nearly same shape as an Altima, Maxima, G35 Sedan, etc.

ben54 · 02-24-05, 09:54

Is that a V6 or I6? I'm a big fan of the 2jz-ge motor and hope that Toyota continues to use it. For more power, Toyota should just slap on some turbos like they do everything else in Japan. Actually, I'm hoping they put the IS430 into production. From a friend at the local Lexus dealer, "it won't be anytime soon." I sure hope he's wrong.

LightngSVT · 02-24-05, 10:49

Nice looking seats and exterior styling. But dare I say that the dash looks "cheap"?

GoodnClean · 02-24-05, 12:05

It actually doesn't look like a Nissan at all in person, gotta see one in the flesh. If anything it looks like a combination of the previous generation SC, the first generation GS, and the second generation.

As for the dash, the plastic is high quality rubberized plastic so its certainly not cheap, but it doesn't look as high line as it could with some wood trim I think.

LightngSVT · 02-24-05, 12:30

Maybe inexpensive is a better word than cheap? The materials looks quality, but the design looks like it could come from a $20k car.

kartoon · 02-24-05, 12:56

To me the rear-end looks like a mix of 5-series and G35.
Overall, a nice vehicle, I wish it was less expensive

GoodnClean · 02-24-05, 01:09

Eh gotta see it in person. Cheaper cars have come a long long way in the interior departments, you can buy Kias nowadays that look like Mercedes inside. So, you can't trust by look. When you sit in the car there's no question its a quality and expensive automobile in the way the switchgear works, the cubbies and spaces are finished, the wood and leather are laid out, the layout of controls in a classy and ergonomic way, and the materials all fit together. I think the interior is much nicer than the new BMW 5 series for instance.

I think one problem is mid level cars like the Nissans and Toyotas have come so far luxury carmakers are kind of scrambling about how to create more distance.

MongooseGA · 02-24-05, 01:32

The back end to me, screams new 7-series and VW Phaeton. I mean, there's no denying the similarities.

I think the dash looks kind of plain, but not tacky.

Steve- the Kia Amanti (I assume that's what you were referring to) is meant to be entry level luxury. They can put as many goodies in it as they want, but to me, it's still a Kia.

The front end of the new GS does resemble the previous SC. If you look at the Lexus emblem in the grill for a second, the front end slightly resembles the Scion tC.