I think the new 2012 tl is a better looking lexus gs. They both run about the same price tag, but the TL has better looks, and more tech. Just wanted to see what other people thought. I dont know much about the GS but i know it a close competitor is TL buyers. Which one is overall better??

 

 

While living in Maryland I look at the Lexus GS, then I moved, a friend bought one where I live and I just didn't like it, outdated. It's like the Lost Boy of Lexus...

 

2012 Acura TL SH-AWD

Base Price: $40,015

Engine: SOHC 3.7-liter V6

Gearbox: Six-speed automatic with paddle shifters/ Six-speed manuel

Power: 305 hp at 6,300 rpm
273 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm

EPA Rating: 18 city/26 highway

0-60: 5.7 seconds

2012 Lexus GS AWD

Base Price: 48,050

Engine: 3.5 liter V6

Gearbox: Six-speed automatic

Power: 303 hp at 6,200 rpm
74 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm

EPA Rating: 18/city/25highway

0-60: 5.8 seconds

 

The GS has 74 ft lbs of torque at 3,600??? 303 hp at 6,200?? Damn... people gotta get revving thier engines!

 

I prefer the TL, but the GS does have some features that the TL does not, like power folding mirrors, power steering wheel adjustment, power rear sunshade and few other things that would be nice to have in the TL.

 

it also has:
-wood trim
-1 touch up/down rear windows
-touchscreen nav
-power trunk closer
-sliding armrest
-brighter led footwell lights
-10 way front seats
-auto leveling hid's w/ AFS (like the RL)
-quieter interior, both for road noise AND bump absorbtion
-faster (gs350 RWD)

I might have actually gotten into either an IS350 or a GS350 if lexus sales people weren't such dicks

 

they do not run the same price tag.. lol

a SHAWD TL with Tech only runs 43k before taxes

a fully loaded gs runs 53k before taxes.

Base MSRP $48,050 Package A: Luxury Value Edition with Additional Options $4,039 Delivery, Processing & Handling Fee $875 Total MSRP $52,964


there is a 10k price tag difference.. so no, they are not the same price range.

gs is actually more near the RL price range instead.

and they are both AWD v6 versions..

 

I'm going to go with GS if someone were to just give me the choice of either because a little extra luxury is nice. If money comes into play then I might have to go with the TL. It's been a while since I've driven a GS but last time it was a 430 and I was not impressed with what it had for the price.

 

The GS was one of the cars I test drove before I bought the TL. The trouble with the GS is if you are a tall person your head touches the roof unless you tilt the seat back more than I like.The only reason I bought a TL shawd is because I retired and wanted a reliable car. If I was still working I would of bought a MB E500.

 

The 12 TL makes the GS a ridiculous buy. It's not worth the 10K price difference.

 

Speaking of ridiculous. What will happen to the RL now?

I wonder if the TL advanced will force it's sales into the double digits?

 

the gs has been in the market for a relatively long time without much updates....it looks so outdated

 

The new redesign Lexus gs is actually suppose to come out in the fall. So maybe we should wait and see.

 

The 3rd generation GS has been a failure for Lexus. It is a bit of an odd-ball in the Lexus line-up considering how successful the last GS was. Some problems with the GS:

1.)They introduced this current GS with the same exact engines as the last GS for one.

2.)The build-quality is bad.

3.) Lexus firmed up the suspension to make the car sporty, but it still handles like a Lexus (no explanation needed).

4.) It is loud.

5.) Outdated technology (cassette player anyone?) that makes an RCA VHS player look modern.

6.) Nothing significant about it. The GS doesn't give us anything special that any of the other cars in the market don't have.

7.) The 340hp GS450h Hybrid doesn't get any better gas mileage than the 420hp Infiniti M56.

8.) It looks like a previous gen Nissan Maxima.

 

Is that torque number for the Lexus accurate? Wow.

 

OP, what two trims in comparison specifically? Are you willing to spend over $50k on a well equipped GS or will it be something closer in price like a loaded TL vs a base GS?

 

15 months ago I was buying a new car and it came down to a GS350 or Acura TL. I couldn't get passed the looks of the TL, the lack of ventilated seats and six speed transmission (there was a definite "dead spot" in performance at certain speeds that I think the six speed will fix).

I can honestly say I was pulling for the TL because I liked several things about it more than the GS, including the fact that a lease would have been $100-200 a month cheaper depending on whether I got the SH-AWD or not. But the Lexus won out. I love the Lexus, but I can say that if I were buying a new car today it would be the TL.

And the post above is correct. The Lexus with Nav and Mark Levinson listed for $51,000 or so. That is a lot more than a FWD Tech Package TL that would be comparable.

 

Almost everything you post here is completely wrong. Lexus made a lot of changes to the GS in the past three years or so. The current engine is fantastic, build quality on mine has been perfect in 17,000 miles, no cassette player any more (and the ML stereo is great). Yes, it's does not handle as well as many sport sedans, but that is what Lexus wanted for the car.

I find you point about the hybrid mileage to be impossible - would love to know where you are getting that information. If you think it looks like a previous gen Maxima, you are only looking at it from a very vague side view. Front and rear are not even close.

 

If they were the same money, I'd pick the GS. but there's a big difference in price and I dont think the GS is worth 10k more than the TL.

Also to the 'looks like a maxima' point 2 posts above. The GS has looked fairly similar since its inception (not drastic gen changes like the TL), so the previous gen maxima looks more like a GS (since the original GS came way before the maxima).

 

Too funny though, asking this question on a TL forum.. but still, the TL looks better by far and, IMO , is a better value and more fun all the way around

 

OP - on the GS I suggest taking into consideration that the model is pretty outdated as others have noted above...and it is due for a redesign in the next year or two...just like the ES and IS. Edmunds insideline has more details. You have to be comfortable with buying a model that will no longer be current soon after you get it, although, on the positive side as the change gets closer you will probably get good deals. Also, I have stayed away from Lexus as the ipod intergration is important to me and all Lexus could offer me was aftermarket add-ons which do not work like factory integration. I don't know if the Mark Levinson system provides the integration, but from what I recall when I checked a couple years ago before buying my TL it did not. The TL is of course TOPS when it comes to technology features.

 

I understand you are an owner, so you are taking this to a personal level, but once you get passed that, you will see that everything I said is indeed true.

1.) Was the car not introduced with the SAME EXACT engines as the 2nd gen GS? Yes. So that's true.

2,) The build quality is bad. I'm glad your 2010 has been great for you, but try speaking to the people who still own their 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 GS's and ask them how their long-term experiences have been. If you go by what owners are saying on actual LEXUS forums, it is far from stellar. Lets also not ignore the fact that the GS was given a "NOT RECOMMENDED" rating by Consumer Reports due to it's BELOW AVERAGE rating in several categories.

3.) We all know that a sporty Lexus still handles worse than a Honda Accord, nothing to debate here.

4.) It IS loud! According to Edmunds, the dB rating of the GS350 at a 70 mph cruise is 64.7. Compare that to a KIA Amanti which is 63.0. A Lexus should not be louder than a Kia.

5.) The technology is outdated. What does the GS offer that none of the competition or even cars a class below it don't offer?

6.) See above

7.) Instead of finding things hard to believe, I suggest actually looking up the hard facts. According to LEXUS.com, the GS450h hybrid gets the same exact hwy mileage as the 420hp V8 M56. An even bigger slap in the face is the fact that even the standard GS350 gets better hwy mileage than the GS hybrid.

8.) The GS looking like a previous gen Maxima is a subjective opinion. However, it has been debated on Lexus forums for pages and pages so there is clearly some heavy support behind my opinion if even some Lexus owners are saying the same thing.

 

GS is an old lady car, nuff said.

 

It's 2 different cars that can't really be compared. Gs Is great but you will get more bang for your buck with a TL.

 

Building and wall in your pic:



The building and wall in a picture I took today:



Haha Ed Martin Acura? Love cruising through that back lot.

 

So, it comes down to this:

Drab styling

Cow-catcher grille

I'll wait for a redesign of both. Just sayin'.

 

The answer is NO, NO, and NO. Yes, they have the same number of cylinders, and liters, but that's all. If you had done any research you would have known that there was a significant change to that engine. Furthermore, it was enlarged from 3 liters to 3.5 shortly after that. Please get your facts straight before you post.

 

2) Only the 2007 GS AWD has issue, no other models had problems beside a rattle in the dash.
3) The GS has a 3 settings suspension, and in the sport mode, it handles quite well.
4) I have owned both the TL, and the GS, and I'd have to say the TL is much louder.
5) You are comparing to a mid cycle vehicle to one that came into production back in '06 so anything that's 5 years old will seem outdated. Your home PC will be outdated in 6 months.
6) I do not trust MPG rating a whole lot. Look at the rating on the Ford Focus Hybrid, and look at the real world rating in Motortrend's article. It compared the Fusion to other cars that were rated lower on paper, but in the real world, it's the opposite.
7) OK, so you got 1 out of 7 correct. It does look like the previous gen Maxima, but why is that a bad thing? I think the previous gen Maxima looks better than the current.

In summary, you've missed the mark buddy.

 

Hey, both cars have 4 wheels, can get you there in style and within a few seconds of each other... get what you like and enjoy.

 

This is a no brainer for me. TL for the win!

 

whats with all the bickering?


all in all gs is not worth the extra 10k...

the SHAWD TL has same amount of hp, better performance. plus it comes in stick..

its funny how the TL's competitor is the IS350 but its so high up there that we have to even compare it to the GS.

the gs suppose to be compared to the RL but i guess it wasn't up for the challenge.

 

Did you bother to read my post? Please do yourself a favor and look up the following information: What engines did the 2005 GS have (2nd gen) and what engine did the 2006 GS have (3rd gen). Two different gens with the SAME EXACT engines. Was the 3rd gen GS not introduced with the same exact engines as the 2nd gen? How could you try and argue with facts? I just don't get it.

 

2.) What exactly changed with the GS that all of a sudden makes it so much better than the 2007 model?
3.) As EVERYONE knows, "quite well" handling for a Lexus is average for the rest. Please don't try and defend this.
4.) I wasn't comparing the GS to the TL (which is a class below the GS). For what it is, the GS is loud.
5.) Just because the GS has been here since 2006, does that mean Lexus cannot update it? The RL has been here since 2005 and it still has gobs more technology than the GS. Yes, Lexus took away the cassette player recently, but does that all of a sudden make the GS more modern? No, they just took something away, they didn't add anything.
6.) If you don't trust EPA testing then we could all argue that maybe even a Camaro SS might get better mileage than a Lexus HS. EPA numbers are a standard that can be used to compare all cars and no other test can equal it in validity. Motor Trends real world tests might not be equal to R&T's real world test and they both could get totally different numbers. EPA tests are equal for all cars.
7.) The only subjective opinion of my post and you agree with it. Why should a $50,000 look like a car that is half the price?

 

Ugh I misclicked...add +1 for the TL and -1 for GS please

 

 

The GS is outdated and overpriced IMO. I looked at it in the past, but couldn't justify spending the money and at this point I am staying away from Toyota vehicles till they get their shit together.
Go for the TL.
Love my 1997 4Runner though!

 

all i have to say is that the TL competes with the IS350.. but even that is not a comparison... because the TL is so high up in ranks that a IS350 just couldn't cut it, had to compete with his older brother.. the GS300... what a shame.. my brother has a gs and sadly to say.. he does not like it.


All in all, TL provides almost same features as the GS with same/better performance with 10k price difference.. that is enough to change my mind about the GS.. can anyone agree?

and like i said before.. it comes in stick

 

Personally I wanted the previous generation of the GS.. then I saw the new one and it's insane price bump without a proportionate increase in features, power, etc.

The last gen GS started at about $38k, this new one starts for $46k..... Are you kidding me?

I think it would sell in larger numbers if the price bump was smaller. It would then basically be priced like the TL +4-5k, instead of the current 7-10k+

Also, it's not "loud"

 

I'm not sure how you can say I'm taking it personally when I said today I would buy the Acura.

If you read what I said, I said they made changes over the past three years. I didn't read this thread to ask would you buy a TL or a five year old GS. I was referring to a current model year GS.

Please tell me what technology you are referring to. The GS has had a direct injection engine for four years now along with a six speed automatic. If you are referring to the stereo then you are correct, but I really don't have an issue with the technology of the stereo or nav - they work just fine for me and the ML sounds fantastic.

You are correct about the 450 gas mileage if all you care about is highway mileage. Hell, I'll give you the whole point because neither I nor anyone else could give a shit about the hybrid. Frankly I have no idea why you felt compelled to point that out - it has no bearing on this thread. You are right though - I just got back from a trip in my 350 and got 29mpg on one tankful running 75-80 mph.