Here’s an absolutely brilliant commercial from Lexus Australia introducing the 2006 GS redesign:
I wasn’t all that sure what was going on in the first ten seconds, but once the car started bleeding and sweating, it all came together. The thing that impressed me the most, though, was that although it’s a fantastic concept, the implementation is even better. Just perfect.
Sure, the Japanese Elegant White Interior edition of the Lexus IS was nice, but this new special edition of the GS with its “Passionate Black Interior” almost rocked my socks right off:
This interior is a limited run of 500, and there’s a choice of any GS, including the 450h. THe upgrade costs ¥780,000 ($7,300 USD) more than the regular GS, but in my mind, it’s a price fully justified. This is simply stunning, from the two wood trims to the blood-red carpeting.
(I wonder why these special editions are limited to such a low number?)
[Source: Lexus Japan]
I read about the Jaguar XF’s passing resemblance to the Lexus GS 460 in Motor Trend, but I didn’t realize the extent of it until I saw this Le Blog Auto visual comparison:
Mind you, this is only a side profile comparison, the front and rears are entirely different, but the similarity in the photos is undeniable. It almost seems possible, were these made from clay, to start with a GS and with a tuck here and a nip there, end up with a XF.
In sync with the new Lexus GS commercial, the 2008 GS lineup has been added to the Lexus USA website, including the GS 460. I’m not sure if the introduction of the refreshed top-end GS could be any more low-key, though that might just be the enthusiast talking.
The updated GS page has a slew of great photos, I’m all over this black-on-black:
The GS has done a good job of winning me over since starting this site. I had always found it a little too frumpy in the rear, but it doesn’t seem to bother me as much. In fact, the only thing I’m not overly crazy about are the wheels, though the optional G-Spider rims pictured above look pretty good to me.
(Thanks Kev!)
It would be easy to write off the new Lexus GS commercial as a late reply to Audi’s Parking Assist mockvertisement, but in truth, it’s a much bigger statement than that:
What a great distillation of Lexus — it may be a lot flashier than the ES 350 commercial I featured on the weekend, but they both show a clear and precise message.
Really, this commercial’s tagline, “We believe that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should” is another perfect representation of the Lexus brand. (Let’s just ignore how that relates to the IS-F for now.)
The news today is that the AWD versions of the Lexus GS, along with two Toyotas, have been dropped from Consumer Reports’ 2007 Recommended list. The net result, Toyota as a whole (including Lexus and Scion) has dropped from first overall to third, behind Honda and Subaru.
What were the problems with the AWD GS, which now ranks Below-Average? Consumer Reports asserts that the drop is due to the “accessories and audio system in the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS sedan”, which makes very little sense, as the AWD and RWD both share the same components. For some background, the prevailing complaint among Club Lexus GS owners is of creaks and rattles, as well as overall interior material quality, but nothing to add any weight to CR’s reasoning.
What I found startling is that Consumer Reports was essentially giving all Toyota models a free-pass to their Recommended list until now:
Still, because of these findings, CR will no longer recommend any new or redesigned Toyota-built models without reliability data on a specific design. Previously, new and redesigned Toyota models were recommended because of the automaker’s excellent track record, even if CR didn’t have sufficient reliability data on the new model. If Toyota returns to its previous record of outstanding overall reliability, CR may resume this practice. Typically, CR will only recommend a vehicle if the magazine has at least one year of reliability data for that specific model.
Seems like a bad practice to me, recommending any car on reputation alone, and I’m glad to see them discontinue this behavior.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
With the Tokyo Motor Show happening in less than a month, it’s no real shock that Lexus’ presence at the Frankfurt Auto Show was more than little subdued.
The extent of their attendence seemed limited to only to a plastic molding of the LS 600h, pictured above, and the debut of the new GS refresh. Hardly newsworthy when compared with the likes of the BMW X6, the Porsche GT2, or the Mercedes F700, and rightfully so. This was not Lexus’ time to shine.
The only other Lexus news that has emerged from the show was in regards to the European release of the IS-F. According to Dutch auto-site AutoTeleraaf, the automaker, feeling overshadowed by the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG, has bumped the release date to spring 2008, though in all honesty it reeks of sensationalism. To know that the date had been bumped would requiring knowing when the original release was expected, and Lexus doesn’t strike me as a company that could be scorned into action.
As to what we can expect from the Tokyo Motor Show, it’s anyone’s guess, but it’s all but guaranteed to be bigger and better than what we saw this week.
Lexus has issued a press release regarding the upcoming 2008 GS models, which confirms the previously leaked GS 460 details:
Here’s a photo of the revised interior:
From the photos, you can see the steering wheels has been changed somewhat, with a different button layout, and the shifter base is now chrome. Can’t really spot the changes in the instrument panel, though.
Overall, while the horsepower figures remains a hot topic, I’ve found my own opinion of the GS changing; the rear of the car remains quite frumpy, but these subtle tweaks and additions have me looking at the car in a different light. In fact, I found myself behind a 2007 GS 350 yesterday and was surprised to discover the rear-end doesn’t really look all that bad…
[Via: Carscoop]
Click here for the full Lexus Press Release for all 2008 GS models
Lexus has announced that the 2008 Lexus GS 450h will be debuting at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. In preparation of the event, a press photo, shown above (higher resolution here), has been released, revealing the expected front-end redesign that will be applied to all GS models.
The changes are subtle, but numerous. First off, the headlights have been ever-so-slightly tweaked, and look to be expanded by mere milimeters. The bottom grille has a new design, and the entire under bumper has been deepened and given some additional height. The most noticeable difference to the front-end, though, is the new chrome surrounding the grille, which has been extended significantly on each side. Also added are embedded turn signals in the rear view mirrors.
The new bumper is a nice change, as are the tweaked headlights, but the chrome extension diminishes the foglights, which I feel is the most distinct GS feature. Still, as is the case with most redesigns, I’ll have to see it in person before I can make an accurate assessment.
[Via: Carscoop] (Thanks, Kev!)
Lexus has issued a press release with the specs for the new GS 460, and there’s some serious disappointment ahead if you were hoping for similar numbers to the LS 460.
The GS 460 will be getting the LS 460’s 1UR-FSE V8 engine, but detuned from 380hp to 342hp, and if you can believe it, no direct injection. Also carried over from the LS 460 is the eight-speed transmission, the one lone bright spot.
But have hope, my GS hopefuls, there’s a number of mistakes in the press release, which could call the entire thing into question. For instance, the V8 peaks at 6400rpm, yet the maximum engine speed (redline) is 6350, which simply doesn’t add up. Another error is the engine displacement, shown as 4,293cc, which is 4.3L, not 4.6.
Beyond the engine hoopla, there are some other changes coming for both the 2008 GS 350 and GS 460 models:
If you’d like to pour over the entire specifications, here’s a PDF link to Lexus’ press release. Remember, it’s quite possible this is a work-in-progress, and may not be entirely correct.
(Note: Image above is a GS 430, not a GS 460.)
[Via: Club Lexus]
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