Observations on the GS
02-19-2005, 10:20 PM
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Observations on the GS
I know you're probably thinking, "not another GS thread", but I went to check it out today and thought you might want to hear some comments from a fellow RL owner:
Exterior- You can put me in the pro-GS camp when it comes to this car's design. I actually think it's one of the nicest designs Lexus has introduced since the original SC Coupe. In person, I found it had great presence and nice lines from it's long hood/short deck design. I like it more than the RL's design, but I've always felt the RL exterior was its weak point.
Interior- I've always considered Lexus the benchmark in interior materials (along with Audi), but I was disappointed this time around. I felt the 2nd gen GS had better materials, especially the top of the dash. There were some nice convenience touches, typical of Lexus, but the overall look just didn't say luxury to me. The guages and lighting are pretty plain compared to the RL, and the nav/display is still touch screen. I remembered this from my '03 GS, and it was one of the things I didn't like. If you want to change an audio setting (bass, treble, etc.), you have to touch the screen each time you want to raise or lower the level. With the RL, you just turn the knob and click on it. The nav display in the test car had fingerprints all over it. IMO, the interior materials and technology in the RL are much better. The GS felt like it fit somewhere between the TL and the RL.
Drive- The dealership didn't have a GS430 for a test drive, so I drove a GS300. The steering is quick and greatly improved over the last gen GS, and the car corners pretty flat. The transmission is ultra-smooth. I just felt that it lacked a little power after driving the RL, plus it's hard to compare the handling of almost anything with SH-AWD. The car seemed extremely quiet, just like the RL.
Sound System- I took my own DVD-A to check out the Mark Levinson sound system. It did sound good, but I didn't hear the "surround" the way I do with the BOSE system. The instruments and voices come from everywhere in the RL. I didn't experience that with the ML system. I'm not sure whether that had something to do with the settings or whether it's the system. There were settings for "wide", "normal" and some other kind of sound, but the salesman didn't know what they were. I may have missed out. I also cranked it up to see if it seemed stronger than the BOSE system, but I didn't really hear that much difference. The subwoofer does its thing, but I think the BOSE is just as good.
Overall, the only advantage I felt the GS had was the exterior design, and that's just my personal opinion. I left the dealership thinking about the long thread in this forum re: whether the RL was worth $50k. After driving the GS, I'm even more certain it is. The GS300 that I drove was OVER $50k and the RL is arguably faster, handles better and has a more upgraded interior.
Not knocking the Lexus... I generally trade cars every 12-18 months, and the GS was on my short list. It's just that after owning the RL it's really hard to find something comparable in its price category. It was an eye opener.
Exterior- You can put me in the pro-GS camp when it comes to this car's design. I actually think it's one of the nicest designs Lexus has introduced since the original SC Coupe. In person, I found it had great presence and nice lines from it's long hood/short deck design. I like it more than the RL's design, but I've always felt the RL exterior was its weak point.
Interior- I've always considered Lexus the benchmark in interior materials (along with Audi), but I was disappointed this time around. I felt the 2nd gen GS had better materials, especially the top of the dash. There were some nice convenience touches, typical of Lexus, but the overall look just didn't say luxury to me. The guages and lighting are pretty plain compared to the RL, and the nav/display is still touch screen. I remembered this from my '03 GS, and it was one of the things I didn't like. If you want to change an audio setting (bass, treble, etc.), you have to touch the screen each time you want to raise or lower the level. With the RL, you just turn the knob and click on it. The nav display in the test car had fingerprints all over it. IMO, the interior materials and technology in the RL are much better. The GS felt like it fit somewhere between the TL and the RL.
Drive- The dealership didn't have a GS430 for a test drive, so I drove a GS300. The steering is quick and greatly improved over the last gen GS, and the car corners pretty flat. The transmission is ultra-smooth. I just felt that it lacked a little power after driving the RL, plus it's hard to compare the handling of almost anything with SH-AWD. The car seemed extremely quiet, just like the RL.
Sound System- I took my own DVD-A to check out the Mark Levinson sound system. It did sound good, but I didn't hear the "surround" the way I do with the BOSE system. The instruments and voices come from everywhere in the RL. I didn't experience that with the ML system. I'm not sure whether that had something to do with the settings or whether it's the system. There were settings for "wide", "normal" and some other kind of sound, but the salesman didn't know what they were. I may have missed out. I also cranked it up to see if it seemed stronger than the BOSE system, but I didn't really hear that much difference. The subwoofer does its thing, but I think the BOSE is just as good.
Overall, the only advantage I felt the GS had was the exterior design, and that's just my personal opinion. I left the dealership thinking about the long thread in this forum re: whether the RL was worth $50k. After driving the GS, I'm even more certain it is. The GS300 that I drove was OVER $50k and the RL is arguably faster, handles better and has a more upgraded interior.
Not knocking the Lexus... I generally trade cars every 12-18 months, and the GS was on my short list. It's just that after owning the RL it's really hard to find something comparable in its price category. It was an eye opener.
02-20-2005, 08:22 AM
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Always welcome your feedback since you are actually a previous owner of Lexus cars and know about them.
That is odd about the interior and it in your opinion not being up to GS2 standards. One would think as years go by cars would get higher class interiors. It especially is distubring since the GS2 interior wasa good deal behind the current gen LS430 interior and the RL interior is pretty much on par with the LS, which I still find pretty amazing since the LS interior is one of the best out there
Can you use voice command to change settings? I'd hope so...that is one thing I loved about the RL. When I first took the car for a test drive I didnt like using the knob to change stuff but then when I got the car and saw all the voice command prompts I was happy that I could use that to change settings like temp controls. As for touchscreens...I dont like them simply because they require you to look at the screen when wanting to do something and also because of the finger print issue. The control knob in the RL actually is a pretty good idea (since it has that voice feedback when you are using it) and I wonder how BMW fugged up their version of it.
I'd think something must have been messed with the ML system if you werent getting the surround action. Either that or the surround speakers are set much diff in the two cars. The RL's surrounds could be set too high or maybe the ML's are too low. Only way to see would be to run a test disk and use a SPL meter but I dont know if any test dvd-audios exist like they do for normal DVD. I do wish you could control each speaker level in the RL and not just the sub and center channel level. Kinda bugs me.
Thanks again for your feedback and I hope to see the new GS in the next couple months. If I come away with the same opinion you do I'll be a little upset and will hope it isn't the direction Lexus is taking with their future models. Throughout the years Lexus cars have become better in quality and more luxurious so it'd be a shame if this changes and they start to decrease in quality, specifically with the next LS.
That is odd about the interior and it in your opinion not being up to GS2 standards. One would think as years go by cars would get higher class interiors. It especially is distubring since the GS2 interior wasa good deal behind the current gen LS430 interior and the RL interior is pretty much on par with the LS, which I still find pretty amazing since the LS interior is one of the best out there
Can you use voice command to change settings? I'd hope so...that is one thing I loved about the RL. When I first took the car for a test drive I didnt like using the knob to change stuff but then when I got the car and saw all the voice command prompts I was happy that I could use that to change settings like temp controls. As for touchscreens...I dont like them simply because they require you to look at the screen when wanting to do something and also because of the finger print issue. The control knob in the RL actually is a pretty good idea (since it has that voice feedback when you are using it) and I wonder how BMW fugged up their version of it.
I'd think something must have been messed with the ML system if you werent getting the surround action. Either that or the surround speakers are set much diff in the two cars. The RL's surrounds could be set too high or maybe the ML's are too low. Only way to see would be to run a test disk and use a SPL meter but I dont know if any test dvd-audios exist like they do for normal DVD. I do wish you could control each speaker level in the RL and not just the sub and center channel level. Kinda bugs me.
Thanks again for your feedback and I hope to see the new GS in the next couple months. If I come away with the same opinion you do I'll be a little upset and will hope it isn't the direction Lexus is taking with their future models. Throughout the years Lexus cars have become better in quality and more luxurious so it'd be a shame if this changes and they start to decrease in quality, specifically with the next LS.
02-20-2005, 09:00 AM
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AcuraRLBlue- the car was fully loaded, but I never had the chance to try the active cruise control because we never took it out on the highway. I really didn't care since it was the GS430 I was interested in. I did notice the backup camera in the nav display and it was pretty cool. I don't think the car had AWD.
RobL- I know it's surprising re: the quality of the interior, but you'll have to check it out yourself. I sat in a red GS with grey interior/black wood in the showroom and didn't care for it. As a matter of fact, there was a girl (probably 19 y/o) with her parents there, and when the salesman asked if she liked the car she said "it's nice but it's kinda plain inside". (You have to understand the clientele at JM Lexus. They are the type that would buy their 19 y/o daughter a $50k car without blinking.) The grey/black reminded me very much of my TL with Quartz/carbon fiber, but slightly upgraded. The car I drove had a beige interior and I still didn't care for it. I did get to look in the window of a GS w/ black interior/red wood and it looked pretty nice. On a side note, I've noticed on CL that some of the die-hard Lexus fans have made comments re: the car not having the usual intoxicating Lexus "smell" inside. My theory is that the quality of the leather may not be as good as in past Lexuses. My last GS was a Sportdesign w/ saddle leather and it was heaven. I've noticed the RL actually has that same great smell. The GS didn't.
You are definitely right about the LS. I sat in one in the showroom and was completely blown away by the interior. Nothing can touch it. I've considered it on and off over the years and I've even driven a pre-owned Ultra with adaptive suspension, but even on Sport setting it wasn't very agile. My dad had '91 and '99 LS's, so I guess I've just always thought of it as a "when I get older" car. I'm sure Lexus will devote some time to the suspension on the next LS, but let's hope it's not at the expense of interior quality.
Again... and this is completely subjective... the exterior of the GS would make it the kind of car I'd go out to the garage to admire, but unfortunately I wouldn't be tempted to sit inside.
Maybe the RL has just made me set my standards higher.
RobL- I know it's surprising re: the quality of the interior, but you'll have to check it out yourself. I sat in a red GS with grey interior/black wood in the showroom and didn't care for it. As a matter of fact, there was a girl (probably 19 y/o) with her parents there, and when the salesman asked if she liked the car she said "it's nice but it's kinda plain inside". (You have to understand the clientele at JM Lexus. They are the type that would buy their 19 y/o daughter a $50k car without blinking.) The grey/black reminded me very much of my TL with Quartz/carbon fiber, but slightly upgraded. The car I drove had a beige interior and I still didn't care for it. I did get to look in the window of a GS w/ black interior/red wood and it looked pretty nice. On a side note, I've noticed on CL that some of the die-hard Lexus fans have made comments re: the car not having the usual intoxicating Lexus "smell" inside. My theory is that the quality of the leather may not be as good as in past Lexuses. My last GS was a Sportdesign w/ saddle leather and it was heaven. I've noticed the RL actually has that same great smell. The GS didn't.
You are definitely right about the LS. I sat in one in the showroom and was completely blown away by the interior. Nothing can touch it. I've considered it on and off over the years and I've even driven a pre-owned Ultra with adaptive suspension, but even on Sport setting it wasn't very agile. My dad had '91 and '99 LS's, so I guess I've just always thought of it as a "when I get older" car. I'm sure Lexus will devote some time to the suspension on the next LS, but let's hope it's not at the expense of interior quality.
Again... and this is completely subjective... the exterior of the GS would make it the kind of car I'd go out to the garage to admire, but unfortunately I wouldn't be tempted to sit inside.
Maybe the RL has just made me set my standards higher.
02-20-2005, 10:00 AM
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BTW, found this in CL. Could this be the reason I wasn't hearing the "surround" quality?...
"One might have to be careful on how to interpret "compatible with DVD-A." The press release was carefully worded, and while it said the ML system plays DVD-A discs, the same is true of any DVD-V player because DVD-A discs almost without exception carry a separate version of the main contents duplicated in the DVD-V zone. So what you are most likely hearing in the GS ML system from 5.1 DVD-A discs is either Dolby Digital or DTS encoded, not multichannel PCM/MLP from the DVD-A content zone.
I'm only saying this because the release was careful to avoid claiming it played the actual 96/24 DVD-A content. Of course it might really play DVD-A contents, but the only way I think that can be proved would be to play a disc with no DVD-V compatible content--and I don't know of any titles like that."
"One might have to be careful on how to interpret "compatible with DVD-A." The press release was carefully worded, and while it said the ML system plays DVD-A discs, the same is true of any DVD-V player because DVD-A discs almost without exception carry a separate version of the main contents duplicated in the DVD-V zone. So what you are most likely hearing in the GS ML system from 5.1 DVD-A discs is either Dolby Digital or DTS encoded, not multichannel PCM/MLP from the DVD-A content zone.
I'm only saying this because the release was careful to avoid claiming it played the actual 96/24 DVD-A content. Of course it might really play DVD-A contents, but the only way I think that can be proved would be to play a disc with no DVD-V compatible content--and I don't know of any titles like that."
02-20-2005, 11:08 AM
#7
Great review. In the off-topic threads, Beltfed had nothing but rave for the GS's interior. Here it's a different story. I can't wait to check out this car in person next month at the NYC auto show. Although I am biased because already from the pics I don't think the GS's interior is that impressive in terms of layout or design, but I can't gauge quality of materials from them.
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02-20-2005, 02:22 PM
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I have to agree here, i helped my father in law select a new car and i wasn't really impressed with the GS.. personally, i think the exterior looks 'old' (hard to explain) and the interior just doesn't 'add up' to what Acura has in the RL and BMW in the 530 (which were the other two cars he was thinking of).
He ended up getting a RL and is VERY happy with it (he came out of a 13 year old Acura Integra
)
Tracer
He ended up getting a RL and is VERY happy with it (he came out of a 13 year old Acura Integra
)Tracer
02-21-2005, 08:36 AM
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You are definitely right about the LS. I sat in one in the showroom and was completely blown away by the interior. Nothing can touch it. I've considered it on and off over the years and I've even driven a pre-owned Ultra with adaptive suspension, but even on Sport setting it wasn't very agile. My dad had '91 and '99 LS's, so I guess I've just always thought of it as a "when I get older" car. I'm sure Lexus will devote some time to the suspension on the next LS, but let's hope it's not at the expense of interior quality.
Still, I love driving that thing although I do prefer driving the RLI still am amazed at the RL's interior. I was at my folks' house a few weeks ago and I sat in the LS again to check out its interior (figured that having the RL for 2 months I could do a better comparo of the cars) and really, the RL's interior is IMO on par with it in terms of quality. The biggest thing the LS has is more leather but I feel the RL's control switches are of better quality and the RL dash material is IMO better than that in the LS. I was shocked to come to the conclusion the RLs interior is THAT good.
02-21-2005, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by jrock65
As far as I know, no GS's have been delivered with the active cruise control. It is part of PCS (Pre-collision System), and it is a special order option at like $2400 or something.
RobL- I continue to be amazed at the quality of the RL's interior. I thought it was kind of a weird layout when I first saw the car, but now it is hard to find anything else that stacks up. Maybe the GS's interior really isn't that bad after all, but I've been spoiled by the RL. I'll let you guys decide for yourselves.
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