Lexus GS 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Stable comfortable ride
>> Very quiet and refined
>> Quality materials and finish

Not so much
>> Steering lacks weight/feel
>> Rear seat foot room
>> V6 lacks a bit of urge

OVERVIEW
The GS was a car that aimed to give the brand a dose of sports performance among the traditional and conservative, but nevertheless very well-built and refined, luxury of the LS and the Camry-based ES sedans.

Firmly in its sights was BMW's 5 Series, the benchmark in sporty sedans. As a result the first GS borrowed much of its mechanical configuration from the Beemer using an inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder to drive the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic.

With the new generation, however, the car no longer slavishly follows fashion and draws power from a new V6 and for the first time in Oz, a V8 as well. It is also the first model to emerge from Lexus' so-called L-Finesse: a new design philosophy/PR spin that the company is using to further distinguish the luxury arm from its Toyota parent.

For Australia, three models are offered - GS300 Sports, GS300 Sports Luxury and top of the range V8 GS430 - with the base model going on sale here priced $5500 below the previous generation at $95,000.

FEATURES
As the 'performance' model in the lineup, the GS has always been Lexus' showcase for new technology and that continues with the debut of a new direct-injection 3.0-litre V6 and advanced stability system dubbed Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM).

VDIM integrates steering into the vehicle stability control equation that already uses electronics to help control brakes and power. Other new safety technology includes active cruise control with the system's radars doubling up to provide the input for a pre-collision safety system.

Despite the new design philosophy, there are distinct connections with the past. Although the new GS sits on a wheelbase that has been stretched 50mm, with a body that features a long cabin and short rear overhang, overall length has only increased by 20mm.

All the luxury and technology the new model boasts sits on a chassis suspended by a new multi-link rear suspension and redesigned front double-wishbone system. On the range-topping $137,000 GS430 the new suspension set-up is electrically adjustable and adaptive to driver input for conditions and attitude.

COMFORT
Driver comfort has always been one of the hallmarks of Lexus products - often to such a degree that it can almost be alienating how little connection one has with the outside world when piloting the car. And the GS is no different.

Slip into the plush leather multi-adjustable electric leather seats and you come face to face with a vast array of technology to make your trip more comfortable and convenient.

First up, the key can remain in your pocket as you unlock and enter the car, simply by grasping the door handle. Starting the engine is a matter of hitting the start button and as you engage reverse the rear view camera comes alive and the additional eight parking sensors help ensure you don't collect anything as you back out the driveway.

The GS's electro-chromatic instrument panel - which Lexus is claiming as a world first - allows a clear view of the instruments under any light conditions. As you'd expect there's DVD-driven satellite navigation, dual climate control and a 14-speaker Mark Levinson six-stack in-dash CD audio system.

Space inside the well-finished and very quiet cabin is good up-front and in the rear, although toe room under the front seats is tight. Despite the short boot lid, the space inside is commodious at 430 litres and able to consume the Lexus standard of multiple golf bags.

SAFETY
Come unstuck in a Lexus GS and there is no shortage of safety acronyms on hand to help you through the worst of it… And should the unthinkable occur, keep injuries to a minimum!

Heading the list is VDIM, which takes the previous VSC to another level. If you want VDIM protection, however, it is only initially available on the V8 GS -- a car that Lexus expects will make up just 20 percent of sales.

In combination with the latest-generation ABS brake and stability system that operates on brakes and power, VDIM adds in electronic steering control to the mix to provide braking and acceleration control on split surfaces with different traction properties, and understeer and oversteer correctional control.

In an oversteer situation, where the rear of the car slides out, the system takes control and dials in a degree of counter steer to guide the car back onto the right line. In an understeering incident where the front end pushes wide through a corner, the VDIM steering component alters the variable steering gear ratio reducing potentially incorrect driver input.

On the passive safety front 10 airbags and a pre-collision system that pretensions the seat belts under hard braking assist in reducing potential injuries.

MECHANICAL
For the first time in Australia, the GS is offered with a choice of two engines with a new V6, and the larger 4.3-litre V8 that can be found under the bonnet of the LS 430.

The 3.0-litre V6 uses direct petrol injection and dual variable valve timing to lift power and torque over the previous 3.0-litre straight-six engine by 12 percent and four percent respectively (to 183kW and 310Nm). This makes it presently the most powerful naturally-aspirated 3.0-litre engine in Australia. That is, until BMW ups the ante to 190kW when its new 3.0-litre straight-six arrives under the bonnet of the 3 series in June.

As well as the extra power and torque, the new all-alloy engine in the GS is also about 39kg lighter than its predecessor.

The V8 - also fitted with variable valve timing and 13kg lighter than the old six - lifts power output to 208kW and torque to 417Nm. Both engines drive the rear wheels though a six-speed automatic transmission (the previous generation was only a five-speed) that offers the option of a sequential manual shift function.

As mentioned before, the rear suspension does away with the previous double-wishbone setup for a new multilink arrangement that also widens the track by 35mm to 1540mm. The front is still double-wishbones but has been redesigned.

COMPETITORS
Lexus has always sought to rival BMW first and foremost and with this latest GS, there is no denying its prime target is the 5-series. However, with the Mercedes-Benz E-class leading the local market last year with 2520 sales followed by BMW's 1982 5s, and Lexus moving just 116 GS300 models, it can't afford to focus on any one competitor too closely.

So also in the mix are the new Audi A6 and rejigged Jaguar S-Type. The 5 series, E-class and A6 all start off with lower stickers than the GS but for the 2.5, 2.6 and 2.4-litre engines respectively. In practice, once 'normal' options are added the bulk of the rival model ranges sit a bit higher in price than the Lexus.

ON THE ROAD
After a couple of hours analyzing the benefits of the new VDIM system on a wet skid pan (which appears to work very well in maintaining your desired line although there wasn't anything with which to compare) all the while pushing the car to its limits, the real world drive program for the launch in February was brief.

So for CarPoint, we were limited to driving the GS300 on the roads and on the first brief impressions, it drives as expected. Smooth, unequivocally refined, quiet and competent, but we had a little difficulty perceiving the sports element of the package.

Bury the right foot and the car accelerates with plenty of grace but hardly exceptional pace, and even overtaking on country roads required quite a degree of forethought and consideration. Using the manual shift option was preferred but tip the gearshift lever and the car's computer still needs to think before accepting your instructions.

Ride comfort is assured, the seats reasonably cosseting and there are no complaints about the suspension component of the handling equation - it sits quite flat and with the bevy of fairly non-intrusive electro-nannies to assist, keeps all four wheels firmly planted.

But what is going on with the front wheels is largely anyone's guess. While you can feel the bumps and ruts in the road surface through the steering wheel, there is no sense of any real weighting with the steering offering little feedback of any use.

It is relatively direct - turn the wheel and the car turns - but for all its electronics and variable assistance, it feels particularly alien.

After a short test, the GS300 comes across as a comfortable place to spend time cruising the freeways and highways and is competent once you get off the straight and narrow. Just don't expect a great degree of excitement in the drive experience.