DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

There exist only two kinds of cars in this world with this level of noise inside the cabin – a hybrid and an electric. Both of which is what the new Lexus GS is not. Yet, the deafening silence keeps deceiving my noggin into thinking otherwise.

Right now, I’m in the Lexus GS 250 Luxury Trim. I’ve been told that in total, there will be three trim-levels and two engines choices for the GS. The three trim-levels are standard, Luxury and F-Sport. You can have your Luxury and F-Sport with either the 2.5 litre or 3.5 litre engine, or the GS 250 and GS 350 respectively.

The Luxury Trim falls in the middle, between the standard and the F-Sport. However, having the Luxury tag means that it gets all the pomp and circumstance, making this the crunchy peanut butter in a PB sandwich.

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

It has a huge 12.3 inch display in the centre console, plenty of leather, some nice tactile plastics, dark wood finishes and an analogue clock that is a must for all luxury cars.

What else… the indices of the meter cluster has a subtle matte sheen effect, the steering wheel has a nice meaty feel and the driver seat can be electronically adjusted to make it feel as if you’re in a bucket seat or a La-Z-Boy chair. And that Mark Levinson 17-speaker sound system sounds delicious.

One improvement that I can immediately tell is the Remote Touch Interface. It still retains the mousey configuration, but this time it is more of an Apple mouse rather than a PC mouse. You see, in its previous incarnation, you select your option by pressing a button on the side of the controller. This one, you press down on the controller to select your option, which makes it more intuitive.

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

And, Lexus has put more feedback, in the sense that there is some resistance when moving from option to the next. Elsewhere, the parking brake is fully automatic – pop the gear lever into ‘P’ and the parking brake engages automatically. Pop it out of ‘P’, well, you get the drift.

So, the car creeps out quietly out of the parking lot. The GS 250 is in ECO mode, which kills anything that remotely resembles power in the car. The accelerator pedal feels like a sponge and the engine response is almost two years too late. The upside is there are three more drive modes above ECO – Normal, Sport and Sport +.

There isn’t much difference between ECO and Normal, both having similar throttle and engine response characteristics. The only major difference in how hard the air conditioning blows, which for ECO’s case, it blows softer.

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

As for Sport mode, the GS 250 gets a sharper throttle and remaps the gear’s shift points. Sport + will give you everything from Sport, plus a firmer suspension and a tighter steering.

Dial the knob to Sport and the car gets more fun to drive. A nudge in the throttle quickly puts some speed into the GS 250. The 2.5 litre 4GR-FSE has 206 hp and 253 Nm. No official 0-100 km/h or top speed figures but it feels like it’ll do the century sprint under eight seconds. The engine is mated to a 6 Super ECT close-ration 6-speed conventional automatic gearbox that sends power to the rear.

Handling-wise, the GS 250 in Sport has a sizable body roll to deal with; the suspension is not altered in any way. Although the GS is rear-wheel driven, the nose tends to push itself away from the corner instead of sniffing the apex.

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

In Sport + mode, the GS 250 feels much quicker. The shift points are stretched deeper into the revs and sensitive to the throttle. Which means, you can hold the rev steady in the sweet spot while going through a fast corner. Then put your foot down for a speedy exit. The Sport + does a very good job in restraining the body roll. Again, there is a hint of understeer that makes it constantly want you to feed it a bit more steering; just a bit more.

I can’t say much for the steering wheel, except that it needs to be more chatty. It’s nearly uncommunicative, even in Sport mode. Sport + puts more feel into the wheel, but only just.

Is it boring to drive? Not quite. Push the throttle pedal closer to the floor and you’ll hear some encouraging noises coming from the front. Lexus has given the engine more roar by way of a Sound Generator at the intake area. They’ve also tuned the muffler to give a more sporty sound when taking off from standstill. That said, it still sounds soft in the GS 250. To really hear the noise, you need to be inside the GS 350.

DRIVEN: Lexus GS 250 Luxury & GS 350 Luxury previewed

Basically, the GS 350 has everything the GS 250 possesses, except that it has a bigger engine. The 3.5 litre 2GR-FSE engine generates 312 hp and 378 Nm of torque, and obviously feels quicker. Again, no official numbers on the century sprint, but it feels close to about 6.5 seconds. The transmission is the same one as found on the GS 250.

As for handling, the GS 350 does feel hairier around the corner mainly because of the entry and exit speed. I’d still wish for more steering feel though.

The drive for both cars ended far too soon. This was a preview drive after all, so there was only a short 15 minutes allocated to each driver for each car. As soon as we can secure an extended test drive, we’ll be bringing you a detailed review on these two. No word on the price yet, but the official launch will happen later in the day, so more to come soon.

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Chris Ng

Chris Ng believes that all cars are made equal, and each one has its own unique story to tell. As such, the ex-advertising man is here doing what he truly loves, which is authoring the allegories and anecdotes of automobiles. Having served time in a motoring mag, he believes there's nothing more sublime than keeping the pedal floored and things burbling in top gear.

 

Comments

  • albag on Mar 28, 2012 at 8:16 am

    a very nice huge sedan… after all its japanese motoring quality

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
    • Not bad but BMW,Merc and Audi r still r my fav…too bad i cant afford one of them and only can post comments here lolx…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
  • Im not a fan of Lexus steering wheel, dont you think the logo is humungous, it looks like a toy and a broken face dugong staring at you while you drive… Car does look beautiful though.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 4
  • mister potato on Mar 28, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Hard to be excited with such a nice car when you know it will be artificially priced up in the heavens. We want to own it, not to see someone else own it.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • auto-guy-but-not-quite on Mar 28, 2012 at 8:43 am

    its listed in the catalogue; 0-100 in under 9 secs (8.8 tbe) . its 6.3s for the 3.5L unit.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • the GS 350 is 5.9s

    the GS 250 is 8.4s

    these cars are stunningly fast.

    there is no replacement for displacement.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Yes there is. It’s called a turbo.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • turbo technology has improved, but the basic physics remain the same, you’re trying to jam compressed air into a small engine while keeping it cool and therefore oxygen rich

        It works great in cold climates, generating smooth, constant power from a small engine. But as soon as the outside temperature gets above 25 degrees or so, the intercooler begins to struggle and performance (and torque curve smoothness) suffers

        the latest engines have improved significantly with respect to eliminating turbo lag, but overcoming the thermodynamic limitations of the technology is a bigger challenge

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
        • Could you elaborate on torque curve smoothness? What I know that tiny turbos has a flat torque curve (hence where does the smoothness goes? does it revert back to a non charged mountainous torque curve?). Is there any scientific articles that you could link here?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Asd, you should go check out the current turbo cars sell in Malaysia. My RCZ with 1.6turbo manual version has no problem accelerating, even during noon time. I don’t see any difference driving it at noon or at night.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • KL Stray Cat on Mar 28, 2012 at 9:31 am

    The car does look good. What’s the price tag? (not that I can cough up the fur ball money !!)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • insperut on Mar 28, 2012 at 9:42 am

    LIKE a BOSS…. very nice car!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • carkrazy on Mar 28, 2012 at 9:48 am

    Wow, this Lexus has a really nice interior.the attention to detail is amazing.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Kiddo on Mar 28, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Regarding the handling issue, I suppose it is because they soften the suspension due to the trim level.

    The last time I checked the GS350 F-Sport’s review in the US, the reviewers all said it’s as good if not better to drive than the Audi A6, comparable to the 5series.

    So, we’ll wait for the test drive of the F-Sport then. ;)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hyundai De La Junk on Mar 28, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Remarkable Japanese Technology & Quality at its BEST.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • chicken nugget1 on Mar 28, 2012 at 11:58 am

    nicee

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Expensive Jap on Mar 28, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    The butt looks like a direct slap from the current Sonata. So now the tide has changed and it’s japs copying koreans instead of the other way round?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
    • Sam Loo on Jun 01, 2012 at 7:06 am

      Its an insult to compare Camry with Sonata. Its insane to even mention Sonata next to the Lexus Badge

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • Aaa rahman on Mar 28, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    I wonder, since paultan it’s a blog for people to read, why not include the test drive video which for me more easy to review the car in live-time. Hope you can consider my honest opinion..
    For me i would love to see the review in video.

    cheers

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • no one on Mar 28, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    damn!! Rm400k? isnt it a bit too much for a japanese car?
    Jap engineering not as gud as german after all… y not get a BMW or Mer for tat price?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 4
  • ahmadfaris93 on Mar 28, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Never a fan of Lexus except for the IS-F. The new GS looks like the CT from the front and IS from the rear. Nice car though.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Black Dog on Mar 28, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    The auto handbrake engage when push to P in a great feature, all cars shd hv it except rally cars of course. I dislike the ‘leg brake’, so rough & sometimes even forgot to disengage. At least with hand brake, we can still hv some fun in a wet field.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • amirad on Mar 28, 2012 at 2:16 pm

    Actually the japs can design very nice cars. They just saving them for their premium lines such as Lexus, Acura, Infiniti etc. The normal T, H and N get donkey designs. That’s the problem if you have premium lines. There must be a distinction from the normal lines.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • It’s just a matter of getting used to foot parking brakes… Nowadays I’m so used to foot brakes that when I drive cars with handbrakes, I still yank my foot only to find that the car has no food parking brakes… Foot brakes is also convenient that I can engage and disengage gear while operate the foot brakes at the same time as opposed to handbrakes immediately after gear engage/disengage… 1 simultaneous step vs 2 steps for a quick traffic run… safety aside… :P

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • tricycle on Mar 28, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    Exterior looks promising, but interior, like a mercedes taxi in the 80’s

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 6
  • The rear lights bears some resemblance from current Hyundai Sonata model. But all their similarities ends there because Hyundai Sonata is totally not in the same league as this Lexus GS. I’m quite impressed with the cabin quality and design. It looks good on the outside too. It looks classy and quite sporty at the same time. Good job Lexus. I expect nothing less from the company that is pursuing for perfection.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • yybbnn on Mar 28, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    some how the tail light remind me, hmmmm a ”H” brand tail light.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • didie on Mar 28, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    I dont know if its just me, but the headlamp, looks like 8th gen Accord :D

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • konglokian on Mar 28, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    Not worth..bad interior

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • VOLVO FOR LIFE on Mar 28, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    turbo is great. if you are living in malaysia where our road tax laws are based on engine capacity (i hate and love this rule, good for my bmw, but really stupid at some other times eg when a turbo high emission high consumption sports car pays as much tax as a proton wira). but to be honest, a straight-six big capacity sounds far nicer than me and the smooth power delivery can never really be challenged by a forced induction.

    PS: great car this. nice alternative to the 5 series. an even better alternative compared to the audi a6 or merc e-class.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • You live in the dinosaur age of turbo engines. Modern turbo nearly invalidated on what you said.

      A recap of modern turbo on consumer based engine.
      + Downsizing so that the emission and fc is reduced.
      + Modern turbo is tuned to have minimal lag or threshold, it kicks in at very low rpm thus providing an even better power delivery. In short, it doesn’t accelerate you suddenly when you hit certain rpm like the old turbos.
      – Perhaps it wont sound as nice compared to a straight six. But if that’s all you want, this car here is all of it. :)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • VOLVO FOR LIFE on Mar 28, 2012 at 9:07 pm

        You really don’t get what I mean. Sure, the notorious lag is gone from the engine. But no matter how smooth they can tune it, forced is always forced, it’s not natural airflow. Emissions, since when does emission actually is a concern in Malaysia when our tax taxes people on their engine capacity? so i’m not too bothered. fuel consumption? it can be a debatable subject, the fuel consumption of cars have certainly dropped over the years, but I am not sure if it is because of the advancement in technology or because of a turbo engine.
        – and, i actually love the old turbo engines more, old 911 turbo’s always attempt to kill its owner unlike the softie 911’s today. sorry, im too old to live safely, im a dinosaur.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
        • I don’t understand your point on why forced is not good. Please explain.

          If you ever read any modern turbo hp/torque diagram, you’ll notice the flat max torque range from 1500rpm to 5000rpm. It’s a characteristic of modern turbo. Through that, you get max acceleration down from 1500rpm vs a normal aspirated, probably at 2500rpm. Getting you to your desire speed in lowest rpm (6 speed gearbox contributes to this as well) and shortest time will shorten the time you need on your gas pedal thus improve your fc. In scientific terms, forced induction maximize the potential of an engine from low rpm where else in the old conventional ones, you need to reach 3000rpm for max efficiency. This is why and how a tiny turbo (which i like to call) surpasses on what ever ivtec or dvvti that honda or toyota have (even atkinson cycle engine cannot beat the efficiency of a turbo, discounted hybrid versions).

          And no, the softie 911 turbo will still kill you, if you ever switch traction control OFF.

          The only reason I see manufacturer doesn’t switch to turbo is because of maintenance and their pure god belief of hybrids (in this case, toyota aka lexus).

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • VOLVO FOR LIFE on Mar 29, 2012 at 8:27 pm

            i did not say it’s not good. i just think a NA engine sounds better than a FI one. just compare audi’s bi-turbo v10 vs gallardo’s NA. ok whatever this is subjective and there could also be the exhaust pipe factors etc. i really do not know about other carmakers and how they utilise forced induction. but given a choice of paying the same amount of tax rate for a 2.0 Turbo 528i vs a 3.0 I6, i’d go for the 3.0 anyday, but in malaysia i’d be pretty happy with a small capacity turbo engine. i should have stated clearly i was referring to bmw’s turbos.

            ps : if you are getting killed by a softie 911 turbo. I really suggest that you check your tires if their threads are still suitable for driving, or you really need a proper driving course. old 911 turbo’s didn’t even have traction control.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • My RCZ road tax is just rm90.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • THOSE JAPS BRAND FAN CAN BUY THIS CAR.. DOESNT MATTER HOW THE DESIGN IS. WHEN IT LAUNCHED, WE DEFINITELY WILL SEE A NUMBER OF IT ON OUR ROAD.. BUT 528I M-SPORT I DRIVE STILL BEAT IT.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
    • you sound like a typical fanboy

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • cosmo on Aug 06, 2012 at 10:39 am

      and i shall see ur 528i breakdown or caught fire at the roadside, while driving my realiable Lexus pass by :) no offence, just fact…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • the steering wheel look like the better version of alza’s steering..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Lexus is Japanese yes. But it has the best quality in the car industry.

    Ask the guy with his BMW, how’s his hydraulics?

    Ask the Audi guy, how’s his gearbox

    Ask the Merc guy, how’s his electronics

    They will have stories for you.

    Ask the Lexus guy. He’d let you know that he heard stories about BMW, Merc & Audi.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • got to agree with you. I’m selling off BMW and getting lexus.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Totally agree with you.. i dad bought merc E270 diesel.. the electronic always got problem.., then my dad bought himself a lexus CT200h, not as powerful as merc, but the sound insulation of a lexus is really superb, like driving in a library. ( comparable with S class at below 100km/h , surely quiet than E class, camry , accord)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • WinterAngeLs on Mar 28, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    There is another car with this level of noise inside the cabin besides a hybrid and an electric – Its called The Phantom

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Maserati on Mar 28, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    You wont know why lexus is so expensive until u actually sit in one. Lexus is the most underrated brand in malaysia.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • Totally agree with you.. i dad bought merc E270 diesel for my mom.. the electronic always got problem.., then my dad bought himself a lexus CT200h, not as powerful as merc, but the sound insulation of a lexus is really superb, like driving in a library. ( comparable with S class at below 100km/h , surely quiet than E class, camry , accord)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • congke on Mar 28, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    400k here, 150k in the US. When u buy this car, u pay about 250k in taxes. That’s like 1 year salary of PM Najib. You deserve at least a federal govt medal for your “contribution”. If you want to pay Agung’s salary…….buy a porsche.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Statistician on Mar 28, 2012 at 10:49 pm

    I enjoy reading the brief review. But it is like learning sex via reading. You will never get the real feel :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Mr Jimbits on Apr 03, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Drooling

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • sakthi on Apr 05, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    it IS REALLY LIKE OL MAN CAR!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • sakthi on Apr 05, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    OLD MAN CAR,,,,,,,,,,

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pedobear88 on May 29, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    overprice compare 5 series and E class.
    Lexus car price is higher than them

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Sam Loo on Jun 08, 2012 at 7:08 am

      That is because 5 Series & E Class now predominantly CKD. Lexus is CBU to maintain qulaity

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Sam Loo on Jun 17, 2012 at 9:59 pm

      Yeah, seen new`E-Class 200 that has orange peel effect on the paint work and water leaks from windscreen.

      So much for CKD cars

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I owned a BMW 5 series E90, year 2009 model, and an Harrier. Regretfully I got to say that german car might seems solidly built, but in fact, the BMW is giving me more problems, while the harrier hardly broke. I would seriously consider lexus as replacement, rather than german car

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • Paul Tan on Jul 19, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      E90 is 3 series not 5 series. What do you have actually?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • oh. sorry. typo. E60.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • I have a group of friends that are using BMW, mainly 5 series and X5. All bought new. But most of us are facing problems with the car, after the 3 years warranty period. Some of the problems are rather ridiculous, like the oil tank indicator shown half tank, but in fact the tank has dried up. I bet Proton also won’t have this problem. I have to admit that the new 3 and 5 series have killer look, but, reliability is something you really have to consider.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • dear all, with regards to the above, i was in a fortunate position to test drive all 4 makes of the vehicles in this segment as i was planning to purchase a new vehicle this year. the audi a6 has certainly advanced itself since the mid-90s although not enough to be a clear winner. the mercedes e200cgi is a gem in itself but somehow or rather cannot shake off the old man’s car image. as for the lexus gs250, it is indeed well built and quite refined but not really a driver’s car. so i am left with the bmw 520i, yes it is not as silky smooth nor refined as the old in-line six, but the power delivery is decent and quite good, hence i ended buying this car. :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

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