The Lexus interpretation of high performance doesn't sacrifice comfort and quietness, so it's sometimes easy to overlook the accomplished road manners of the Lexus GS. Its fundamental sense of balance makes driving enjoyable, yet its resilient ride and quiet cabin can take the sting out of commuting.The GS can rip down the road if you like. Wide tires furnish plenty of cornering grip: 245/40ZR18 tires are standard equipment for both the GS 450h and GS 430, while the GS 350 carries 225/50WR17 tires.
The suspension configuration delivers optimal suspension geometry for good handling, while gas-charged dampers and coil springs promote a resilient, long-legged ride. The GS 450h and GS 430 both have three-position, electronically adjustable damping control to help the car adapt to driving conditions, while the GS 450h also incorporates active roll control, which minimizes body roll during fast driving and further enhances the sensation of effortless speed.
The gear changes of the six-speed automatic transmission are virtually undetectable, although there is a rewarding climb through the gears that's missing from the seamlessly smooth CVT used on the GS 450h hybrid. The GS is not the sort of car that encourages manual shifting, yet this is a performance car, and the feeling of acceleration is a large part of its appeal.
The high-tech electric power steering is exceptionally sophisticated. Its Variable Gear Ratio Steering reduces the amount of steering lock (not just steering effort) at very low speeds and accelerates the steering effect as the wheel approaches full lock. The system matches wheel angle to the speed at which the driver is turning the steering wheel in order to offset any delay in the car's response to steering input. This works especially well on winding roads. A correction feature offsets the effects of crosswinds, making small steering adjustments automatically.
The steering system makes it possible to manage a powerful, rear-wheel-drive car in all kinds of driving and (more important) all kinds of weather. But we felt that both the electric power steering and electric brake system occasionally deliver an unnatural feel through the controls. During ordinary driving, we adapted quickly, but the combination of these electric systems with VDIM proved faintly distracting during enthusiastic driving. In fact, the hybrid GS 450h actually annoyed us because the transition from conventional friction braking to hybrid-style regenerative electrical braking frequently proved clumsy and unpredictable.
Overall, the heavy, 4134-pound GS 450h is the quickest of the GS sedans, getting to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, although it's capable of just 131 mph. The 3748-pound GS 430 gets to 50 mph in 5.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 149 mph.
Fuel economy for the GS 450h is rated 25/28 mpg City/Highway on the government's EPA cycle, while the GS 430 is rated 18/25 mpg.
Now that the new 3.5-liter V6 engine has been added to the GS 350 for 2007, we discovered that this car proved livelier and more enjoyable to drive than its up-market siblings.
Conventional steering and braking helped the GS 350 feel more natural than the more-expensive models with all their drive-by-wire technology. And the available 18-inch tires provide more cornering grip for drivers who feel they need it. In particular, the all-wheel-drive model feels surprisingly alert and maneuverable thanks to its rear-biased power delivery and the added horsepower of the new 3.5-liter engine.
The 3704-pound GS 350 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 143 mph. It delivers an EPA-rated 21/29 mpg, while the 3869-pound GS 350 AWD version gets to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 130 mph and manages 20/27 mpg.
The GS 350 gives up some dynamic control at the outer limits of its performance envelope compared to the GS 450h and GS 430, but it's more enjoyable to drive at conventional speed. The all-wheel-drive version of the GS 350 copes with a wide range of weather conditions and doesn't seem to offer many compromises in terms of speed, handling or even fuel economy.
Intuitive Park Assist considers steering angle input as well as the usual distance-warning sensors to offer contact avoidance advice through graphics in the dashboard-mounted information screen. This advice also is displayed in the lower center of the speedometer, an area that is also used to show information from the trip computer, radar cruise status, distance monitoring and various warning messages. This system is the last word in ding prevention in the supermarket parking lot.
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