Lexus GS facelift debuts in Malaysia – new GS 200t

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The Lexus GS facelift is now in Malaysia, with the new turbocharged Lexus GS 200t replacing the pre-facelift’s GS 250 variants. Three versions of the GS 200t are available – the GS 200t Premium which retails for RM439,200, the GS 200t Luxury which is on sale for RM484,100 and the GS 200t F Sport which goes for RM496,100.

With the facelift, the GS gets an updated signature spindle grille as well as new headlamps similiar to the design found on the IS, with the daytime running lights as a separate piece in the bumper. The rear gets revised taillights and a new lower bumper.

Under the hood, the GS 200t gets a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine making 241 hp and 350 Nm, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission powering the rear wheels.

The GS 200t Premium gets bi-LED headlamps with auto levelling and a washer system, rain sensor wipers, a leather interior and steering wheel, steering column power adjustment, paddle shifts, keyless entry and start, ECO, NORMAL and SPORT drive modes, cruise control, dual zone air cond, a 12-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system with 8″ display screen, and 10-way power adjustment with lumbar support, heating and ventilation for the front seats. There’s also memory function for the driver seat. Wheels are 17 inch with 225/50R17 tyres.

The GS 200t Luxury adds on Triple-L-Shape LED headlamps, a smart card key system for the keyless entry, uprated Luxury trim for the interior, wood on the steering wheel, a triple-zone air cond system with Nanoe ioniser, a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system with a larger 12.3″ display, 18-way adjustment for the front seats, memory function for both driver and passenger seats, four-way lumbar support and additional SPORT+ and CUSTOMIZE drive modes. Wheels are 18 inch with 235/45R18 tyres.

The 12.3-inch central display screen now has a new full-width map capability, while the Remote Touch Interface controller gains new shortcut buttons and a more user friendly interface. Curiously, the spec sheet seems to indicate seat heating is not available for the Luxury spec.

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Other than the F Sport exterior, the GS 200t F Sport switches the front seats to 16-way adjustment for the driver and 10-way adjustment for the passenger. The seats are wrapped with exclusive F Sport leather to go with the specific F Sport trim on the rest of the interior. The meter panel is also exclusive to the F Sport variant, with a larger 8″ multi-info display. Wheels are 18 inch with 235/45R18 tyres.

In terms of safety, there’s ten airbags, a rear view camera, and the full suite of Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management, VSC stability control, ABS, Brake Assist, traction control – basically the works. The GS 200t Luxury and F Sport add on a Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

If you prefer normally aspirated power and have much deeper pockets, you can have a look at the GS 350 which can be had as either a GS 350 Luxury for RM543,400 or a GS 350 F Sport for RM562,510. Output is 311 hp and 380 Nm. Mated to an eight-speed auto driving the rear wheels, the 100 km/h sprint is done in 6 seconds compared to the 200t’s 7.3 seconds. Specs-wise, the GS 350 is loaded like the top of the line 200t.

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For those who want hybrid power, there’s the GS 300h which combines a 2.5 litre four-cylinder engine with the Lexus Hybrid Drive system. It’s not the same system as that found in the Camry Hybrid – this one is rear wheel drive and the 2.5 litre 2AR-FSE engine now gets a next generation D-4S direct injection system.

The GS 300h is CBU with no hybrid tax incentives so it’s priced at a lofty RM631,700. The engine itself has 178 hp and 221 Nm output, but the hybrid motor has 140 hp and 300 Nm. Combined output is 220 hp. The system uses a 192 cell NiMH battery, backed by an eight year warranty.

All Lexus GS come with a 3 year, 100,000 km warranty. The facelifted car is now in Lexus showrooms – we’ll have a live gallery up soon.


GALLERY: Lexus GS 200t Luxury in Malaysia

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • The Saint on Mar 01, 2016 at 11:27 am

    This GS200t has to be 100k cheaper to have any realistic chance of competing for sales in Malaysia.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 2
  • Henry Fong on Mar 01, 2016 at 11:34 am

    Almost half a million ringgit for this thing? Are those ppl at Lexus Malaysia serious about doing business? No wonder they are selling in such small numbers in comparison to the German duo of BMW and Mercedes.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 3
    • Same L0rrrr on Mar 02, 2016 at 1:58 pm

      Lexus has break sales record last year while a lot of Merceds/BMW on the road are bought used unit or recond.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • eklass on Mar 01, 2016 at 11:36 am

    Uncles prefer Lexus ES. More value for money^^

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 0
    • I would go for the ES too, given that the facelifted ES looks so elegant, and the rear seat legroom is a huge bonus. More importantly, it costs so much less, but offers good specs too. FF or FR makes not much difference if I were to drive it in cities for 99% of the time.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1
  • Is a nice car, I sat in 1 before and that Mark levinson sound need to be experienced.

    But the price seem steep compare to its rivals.
    And Lexus always have very expensive options. Just look at the price difference between Luxury and Premium.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
  • Fanerbuyer on Mar 01, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    439K for the standard GS200t?? Might as well get a Mercedes E300 or BMW 523i for that case. Top spec at 494K?? Better off with a 528i or the E400 or the A6 3.0 TFSI. Lexus staffs are pretty much gone bonkers with those pricing.. So the GS350 would be in that 500K-600K mark

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1
  • Fanerbuyer on Mar 01, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    The management at Lexus Malaysia has definitely gone bonkers. Better off with BMW or Mercedes or Audi for that case. So the GS 350 would then range from 500K-600K perhaps.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • shawal on Mar 01, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    E250 avantgarde is 40k cheaper than the base GS200t, 80K cheaper than the luxury trim , looks better , and has a more recognizable badge…

    but the lexus is CBU from JAPAN , and luxury trim has 17 speakers by mark levinson…which is nice to have…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr (Member) on Mar 01, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    Like the design and it looks huge and menacing besides say an E200 or 520i but c’mon, with that kind of pricing I think Lexus is going to put many people out of jobs….I’m talking about the sales people.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
  • heybadigol (Member) on Mar 01, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    Very nice car. Sat in the luxury variant before (but the GS250 lah). The interior is oppulent South of a Rolls Royce. The semi aniline seats felt like sitting on french butter. Everything that can be touched felt either soft or solidly built. The Mark Levinsons sound amazing, and is about the only thing you can hear, until you hit the loud pedal).

    Too bad about the high price (it is CBU from Japan if I am not mistaken, so that partially explains the price tag). But at least you will have a unique ride, as not many will be driving this here. Nice new steering wheel too. But in the pictures here, looks like its still using the old rim design. Though its still possible the actual car here will have different rims.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Y new Vios no testing in Asean NCAP?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • DPCraft on Mar 01, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    The is ES have better looking interior and also more cheaper.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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