Daytime Running Lights of the GS form an L-shaped arrowhead motif, signifying Lexus’ L-finesse design scheme.
The original GS, along with the LS flagship that launched the Lexus brand, broke new ground for Toyota, bringing the Japanese automaker straight into hostile luxury territory.
The LS400 targeted the established S-Class and 7 Series, while the GS300 competed against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series of its day. Refinement was the LS hallmark, with the GS boasting refined sportiness instead – a formula used since 1993 for all four generations of GS.
The first GS has a 3-litre 223bhp inline-6 engine, with a remarkably responsive 4-speed automatic transmission by 1990s standards. But this solitary drivetrain severely hampered the car’s market penetration, and it would take a full model change to expand the GS engine line-up.
The 2012 GS, like its immediate predecessor, is available with either a petrol-electric hybrid setup or a conventional V6 powerplant – both with the same 3.5-litre displacement. The previous entry-level GS300 has been replaced by the 2.5-litre GS250. Not revealed yet is a new GS460, primarily for V8 junkies in the US market.
Fans of Lexus’ L-finesse design philosophy will love the bold new look of the GS. Its two forerunners can be said to be pioneers in fastback saloon styling, but this has been abandoned in favour of a typical three-box shape, “decorated” aggressively to attract younger drivers (probably in their late 30s instead of late 40s) to the Lexus fraternity.
The aluminium timepiece is nice, but a Lexus-Seiko collaboration would have been even nicer.
The front end is indeed aggressive. Taking its cue from the compact CT200h, the GS has combined its inverted trapezoid upper grille and slanted lower grille into a single element, which bridges the bumper mid-section to create a prominent “spindle”. Its base is “book-ended” by a pair of brake cooling ducts. This “spindle” prow will literally spearhead the Lexus family identity for the next few years.
In terms of dimensions, the new GS has retained the previous model’s 4.85m length and 2.85m wheelbase, while the front and rear tracks have been increased by 40mm and 50mm respectively. The body is 20mm wider and 30mm taller. Stylists have also honed the aerodynamics to give the GS an impressive drag coefficient of 0.26, employing aero tricks such as a flat underbody.
Drive mode selector behind the transmission gate modifies the way the GS accelerates; press “EV” for some slow stealth on the street.
Some oily bits were carried over from the earlier GS, but the hybrid battery module has been cleverly repackaged to “return” some space to the boot, whose 465-litre capacity is 55 per cent bigger than before.
An official F Sport bodykit, complete with 19-inch alloy wheels, is available to sharpen the appearance of the GS. Three of the paint jobs are new to the Lexus colour palette – Crimson Red, Meteor Blue and Sonic Silver. The “metal” paintwork is the first application using an advanced coating process that the Lexus factory has just introduced.
Front seats get multi-adjustment support, “butterfly” headrests and “stretchable” squabs; the driving position is lower and sportier now.
Inside the cabin, rear headroom has seen a significant improvement, made possible by the higher roofline, revised seat-back angle and reshaped cushions. Lexus also liberated an extra 10mm for the knees of rear occupants by “slimming” the front seats. Said chairs provide improved comfort for their occupants, while soft leather padding surrounds the place.
An ornamental analogue clock in the middle of the dashboard adds to the classy ambience, although it is Lexus-branded rather than a Grand Seiko (GS, geddit?). An all-white LED interior lighting system injects yet more classiness into the GS cabin.
Staying connected is easy if you specify the GS’ most expensive navigation option, which includes voice command, audiocasts and smartphone-style apps.
Another highlight is the whopping 12.3-inch full-colour display, the largest ever installed in a production vehicle. This screen size allows the simultaneous and crystal-clear display of two info types, such as map-plus-audio or navigation-plus-telephone.
Multimedia and infotainment features are accessed using a second-generation Lexus “mouse”, which the automaker calls Remote Touch Interface (RTI). Ergonomically placed and with an easily controlled cursor on screen, RTI has been designed for optimal operation.
The driving position, too, has been optimised – the steering wheel provides 50mm more telescopic adjustment and a “zero pressure point” cross section to provide a stress-free grip, the brake pedal’s shape and angle have been made more comfortable, whilst the footrest has been enlarged to accommodate a shoe (probably in posh leather) of up to US size 14.
In the hi-fi department, there is a standard 12-speaker setup and a “higher” 17-speaker Mark Levinson system – the latter one-and-a-half times more powerful than the older GS “concert hall”, yet its amplifier consumes less than a quarter of the energy previously required. Even the car’s “Nanoe Technology” air-conditioning is more powerful than before (by a factor of 10, Lexus claims), but far more important than how the air vents blow is how the GS goes.
The headline model continues to be the GS450h hybrid, now with second-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive. It boasts significant reductions in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions (CO2 and NOx), with no loss in performance. “No loss” in this case means a combined power output (engine plus electric motor) of 343bhp, enough for a century sprint timing of just under 6 seconds.
Lexus GS450h’s state-of-the-art petrol-electric powerplant is an eco-conscious creature with a high-performance sting in its tail.
Being a full hybrid drivetrain, it can also turn the GS450h into a temporary electric vehicle running purely on its batteries, albeit only for short distances in ideal driving conditions (like in cool California). Rear-wheel drive helps with the sporty handling (more of which later), but makes it harder to recapture kinetic energy during regenerative braking compared to a front-drive or AWD hybrid arrangement.
The conventionally powered GS350 offers 306bhp put through a 6-speed automatic, and it is less than half a second behind its exotic hybrid sibling in the 0-100km/h sprint.
Whether petrol-only or petrol-electric hybrid, the cockpit features a Drive Mode Select function that lets the driver choose from three tweaks – Eco, Normal and Sport S. There is a fourth mode, Sport S+, if the car is equipped with AVS.
As their names suggest, Eco is the least responsive (engine and transmission) but most fuel-efficient, Normal is for ordinary daily situations, and Sport S is for the man in a hurry. In the GS350, the sporty configuration also modifies the exhaust note, liberating a rich soundtrack when rushing through the gears.
The colour of the instrument cluster changes according to the Drive Mode selected – a tranquil blue in Eco and a racy red in either Sport mode. The GS450h goes one step further by “changing” its hybrid power indicator into a proper tachometer when switched to Sport.
By specifying optional technical features, you can boost the capability of the GS chassis. There is AVS, or Adaptive Variable Suspension, which offers a choice of two damper settings – Normal for everyday motoring and Sport for superior body control, especially in corners. Sport also makes the variable-ratio steering some 10 per cent quicker lock-to-lock. Then, there is LDHS, which stands for Lexus Dynamic Handling System and has all the bells and whistles.
The biggest “bell” is Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS) and the loudest “whistle” is Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) Step 5. Completely computer-controlled, DRS varies the angle of the rear wheels by up to 1.5 degrees between same-phase (similar direction as the front wheels) and counter-phase (opposite direction to the front wheels). DRS reduces the car’s turning radius at low speeds (below 80km/h) and enhances lane-change agility at high speeds (above 80km/h).
It also works with the VDIM to bring the GS back into line if it oversteers or understeers dangerously. The VDIM is the newest fifth-generation system, dubbed Step 5 by Lexus. An array of sensors for yaw angle, g-force and other relevant parameters provide the data needed by the VDIM to keep the GS “actively” safe by managing the anti-lock brakes, traction aids and stability control (and DRS too if needed).
Around the makeshift circuit at a Californian airfield, I tried the GS with and without the newfangled LDHS. Its basic behaviour is remarkably neutral, even at the limits of tyre adhesion, and the chassis gadgets always work in the background while you explore the handling envelope of the GS.
The Lexus GS450h is a sub-6sec luxury saloon that returns nearly 16km per litre.
On standard springs without fancy “assistance”, there is some body roll and the steering feels soft, while the ride quality is equivalent to Comfort on the adaptive suspension.
With LDHS and VGRS (Variable Gear Ratio Steering), the steering is sharper and the GS responds to directional changes with less roll and a greater sense of control. Further exploration of the car’s grip between the marker cones revealed how much foolhardiness the VDIM can tolerate before kicking into action. Quick, if slightly untidy, laps are perfectly possible with VDIM activated.
Back-t0-back against the GS350 through the same course, the GS450h is generally faster but it suffers in the corners because of the heavy hybrid parts it has to haul. The kerb weight is around 80kg more than that of the GS350 – enough to affect the handling. On straight tarmac, however, the hybrid is undeniably rapid.
The Singapore market is expected to receive the new GS350 and GS250 in the second quarter, followed by the latest GS450h in the third quarter.
Lexus GS250 2.5 (A)
ENGINE 2500cc, 24-valves, V6
MAX POWER 205bhp at 6400rpm
MAX TORQUE 252Nm at 4800rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 8.6 seconds
TOP SPEED 230km/h
CONSUMPTION 11.2km/L (combined)
Lexus GS350 3.5 (A)
ENGINE 3456cc, 24-valves, V6
MAX POWER 306bhp at 6400rpm
MAX TORQUE 375Nm at 4800rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 6.3 seconds
TOP SPEED 228km/h
CONSUMPTION 9.8km/L (combined)
Lexus GS450h 3.5 (A)
ENGINE 3456cc, 24-valves, V6, petrol-electric hybrid
MAX POWER 286bhp at 6000rpm (total system output 343bhp)
MAX TORQUE 344Nm at 4600rpm
POWER TO WEIGHT 188.5bhp per tonne
GEARBOX CVT with 6-speed override
0-100KM/H 5.9 seconds
TOP SPEED 250km/h (governed)
CONSUMPTION 15.9km/L (combined)
Check out the Lexus GS
