Discussion
After my beloved E60 550i Clicky had an unfortunate coming-together with some German tourists in a rented (for context, I live in the picturesque Cape Winelands, so we're always overrun with tourists who seem to leave their driving knowledge on the plane), I needed a replacement barge because, versatile though the SO's Volvo C30 T5 is, it isn't especially wafty. I tried a number of exciting wallet-emptiers from an S80 V8 (we like Volvos, as all good people should) to a V8 Disco 4 (how do you crack that rear alpine glass from the inside?!) to a Jag XF 5.0 (scarce and the one example we found had a beautiful spec, but was lived in by people who hated themselves). I'd almost settled on an LS460, but the nagging thought that it was perhaps a touch too big undid my conviction. Then this popped up at a small dealership in a dodgy part of town. Owners had obviously traded it in on a Land Cruiser. Some signs of having been owned by an old codger, but overall far neater than anything I'd seen, and it seemed like a rather more sensible buy, albeit still with a fruity engine.
It's a 2012 GS350 in EX trim (that means non-sporty). 3.5 litre direct injection V6 with 312bhp sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed auto. Obviously down on power compared to a 4.8 litre BMW, but the "little" V6 is quite the over-achiever in its own right. Performance is broadly similar to my old E34 540i but with a wilder top-end - it gets a move on from around 3000rpm, and from 4000 to redline it takes off in a way that makes passengers ask if it's turbocharged. The sense of a n/a powerband is obviously augmented/manipulated by the mapping, and like many modern petrol V6es, it suffers from that unpleasant "we'll map it so it responds very sharply to the first brush of the throttle" syndrome, making it feel faster than it is. Our C30 would definitely keep it honest, and in fact the 227bhp Volvo feels much pokier until the Lexus is wound up (to be expected, being somewhat lighter, turbo and manual). Best to waft around in Eco mode, which dulls the responses to something more seemly, and then prod it into Normal or Sport on the open road when you want to wake it up a bit. I think large saloons suit a slightly more effortless form of power, though - I miss the low-down runaway torque of a big V8.
I'm doing it a bit of a disservice. It's actually a lovely powertrain - gearbox shifts snappily, responds to the paddles with crispness and no noticeable delay (I'm no driving God, mind you), and it emits the most glorious noise at full chat. It's no Busso, but it's not as American/agricultural as a Benz V6, for example, and when you want to calm down, all the noise disappears and it wafts near-silently. It's still a nice to have in this age of bland 2.0T four cylinders.
As you might suspect from my potato-cam pics, it's a rather large thing. The tape measure says it isn't that much bigger than the E60, but it feels considerably larger, and it doesn't shrink around you like the 550i did. Visibility is much better, though. Huge mirrors, which are silent at speed (some aerodynamic voodoo there), and a reverse cam takes the guesswork out of maneuvering. The parking sensors are somewhat fuzzier in their logic than the BMW ones, however.
Father in law's MX5 for scale. The Lexus is very wide, which makes me think I didn't actually save much by not going for an LS (other than length). I've ditched the naff dealer plate surrounds. It's nowhere near as pretty as the E60, but it has that thing where the more you look at it, the more interesting details you spot. The bonnet lines from behind the wheel are surprisingly prominent, and it feels like you're driving some sort of muscle car, lol.
I'll take some interior snaps, but the other highlight is definitely the interior design. Nice brushed metal, some sort of dark wood (finger-print attractor), and lots of lovely leather/stuff that looks and feels like leather. It feels expensive and exotic and restful, even though the ergonomics are actually a bit of a hodge-podge. The infotainment screen is massive for its age, which goes some way to making it feel newer than it is, and the Lexus joystick is a rather silly thing that reminds you of how good iDrive is/was.
Anyhow, We did a 3500km trip in it over December/January, which was revealing in both good and bad ways:
Good:
1) Climate Control is amazing. That photo was taken in the Northern Cape when it was 10am and 35 degrees already, and you wouldn't know it at all when you're in the car. You blast across the country in an airconditioned cocoon while the world boils outside.
2) NVH is wonderfully low. It's super-quiet, which eliminates that aspect of fatigue on a longer trip. Add to this a fantastic sound system (alas, not Mark Levinson, but he is only available with the GS450h) and you have a lovely experience.
3) Build quality. The lack of rattles is great. Not that the E60 was bad in that regard, but the Lexus solidity is a clear step up.
4)Headlights. They're excellent. Again, makes for a more relaxed time of things.
5) It handles and feels like a driver's car - we drove back along Route 62 (google is your friend), which meant some lovely passes. At one point, I just turned off the stereo, dropped the windows, and powered through this deserted pass, dropping back between 2nd and 3rd for the switchbacks, until the fuel needle started dropping alarmingly. Brilliant. Then we had to turn the wick up to get off the road before curfew struck, and that blast through the mountains to Wellington will always stay with me as a fantastic drive. Always good when you can make progress without alarming a passenger unduly.
Bad:
1) The seats. They're surprisingly uncomfortable. I know I'm spoiled by swapping between an E60 with comfort seats and a Volvo with Volvo seats, but the Lexus seats are unyieldingly firm (strange, because most other Lexii I've sampled are quite the opposite). The backrest looks supportive, but is contoured in a way that leaves you with no upper back support (the headrest ironically exacerbates this by pushing your head forward). At each driver swap, the SO and I felt like a chiropractor would be needed.
2) The ride is weirdly unsettled in a way that feels like it's not damped properly - it reacts to large bumps as though they've caught it by surprise, which is a tad annoying. The big 18s don't help, I'm sure, especially as the dealer fitted some rock-hard ditchfinder 5000s which need binning sooner rather than later. I'd hoped it would be more mini-LS than 4-door sports car in this regard, but it's too firm.
3) Again, I expect that this is just a 1st world problem/me having grown lazy after two V8 BMWs, but sometimes when overtaking, I wished there was more Go lower down. I ended up stoking it by preselecting 3rd/4th to get the revs up, because you can't just roll into the torque like you do in the Volvo or the Bimmers.
Overall, it's more flawed than the E60 was, but despite that, it has enough of its own character to make up for it. Without going all Partridge, it feels special in a way that makes me look forward to each drive (ironically I don't think an LS would have done this, because that's not what it's about). It's a surprising vehicle which belies the stereotypes about bland Japanese cars in many ways. And it feels like it will hold together until my back gives out.
It's a 2012 GS350 in EX trim (that means non-sporty). 3.5 litre direct injection V6 with 312bhp sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed auto. Obviously down on power compared to a 4.8 litre BMW, but the "little" V6 is quite the over-achiever in its own right. Performance is broadly similar to my old E34 540i but with a wilder top-end - it gets a move on from around 3000rpm, and from 4000 to redline it takes off in a way that makes passengers ask if it's turbocharged. The sense of a n/a powerband is obviously augmented/manipulated by the mapping, and like many modern petrol V6es, it suffers from that unpleasant "we'll map it so it responds very sharply to the first brush of the throttle" syndrome, making it feel faster than it is. Our C30 would definitely keep it honest, and in fact the 227bhp Volvo feels much pokier until the Lexus is wound up (to be expected, being somewhat lighter, turbo and manual). Best to waft around in Eco mode, which dulls the responses to something more seemly, and then prod it into Normal or Sport on the open road when you want to wake it up a bit. I think large saloons suit a slightly more effortless form of power, though - I miss the low-down runaway torque of a big V8.
I'm doing it a bit of a disservice. It's actually a lovely powertrain - gearbox shifts snappily, responds to the paddles with crispness and no noticeable delay (I'm no driving God, mind you), and it emits the most glorious noise at full chat. It's no Busso, but it's not as American/agricultural as a Benz V6, for example, and when you want to calm down, all the noise disappears and it wafts near-silently. It's still a nice to have in this age of bland 2.0T four cylinders.
As you might suspect from my potato-cam pics, it's a rather large thing. The tape measure says it isn't that much bigger than the E60, but it feels considerably larger, and it doesn't shrink around you like the 550i did. Visibility is much better, though. Huge mirrors, which are silent at speed (some aerodynamic voodoo there), and a reverse cam takes the guesswork out of maneuvering. The parking sensors are somewhat fuzzier in their logic than the BMW ones, however.
Father in law's MX5 for scale. The Lexus is very wide, which makes me think I didn't actually save much by not going for an LS (other than length). I've ditched the naff dealer plate surrounds. It's nowhere near as pretty as the E60, but it has that thing where the more you look at it, the more interesting details you spot. The bonnet lines from behind the wheel are surprisingly prominent, and it feels like you're driving some sort of muscle car, lol.
I'll take some interior snaps, but the other highlight is definitely the interior design. Nice brushed metal, some sort of dark wood (finger-print attractor), and lots of lovely leather/stuff that looks and feels like leather. It feels expensive and exotic and restful, even though the ergonomics are actually a bit of a hodge-podge. The infotainment screen is massive for its age, which goes some way to making it feel newer than it is, and the Lexus joystick is a rather silly thing that reminds you of how good iDrive is/was.
Anyhow, We did a 3500km trip in it over December/January, which was revealing in both good and bad ways:
Good:
1) Climate Control is amazing. That photo was taken in the Northern Cape when it was 10am and 35 degrees already, and you wouldn't know it at all when you're in the car. You blast across the country in an airconditioned cocoon while the world boils outside.
2) NVH is wonderfully low. It's super-quiet, which eliminates that aspect of fatigue on a longer trip. Add to this a fantastic sound system (alas, not Mark Levinson, but he is only available with the GS450h) and you have a lovely experience.
3) Build quality. The lack of rattles is great. Not that the E60 was bad in that regard, but the Lexus solidity is a clear step up.
4)Headlights. They're excellent. Again, makes for a more relaxed time of things.
5) It handles and feels like a driver's car - we drove back along Route 62 (google is your friend), which meant some lovely passes. At one point, I just turned off the stereo, dropped the windows, and powered through this deserted pass, dropping back between 2nd and 3rd for the switchbacks, until the fuel needle started dropping alarmingly. Brilliant. Then we had to turn the wick up to get off the road before curfew struck, and that blast through the mountains to Wellington will always stay with me as a fantastic drive. Always good when you can make progress without alarming a passenger unduly.
Bad:
1) The seats. They're surprisingly uncomfortable. I know I'm spoiled by swapping between an E60 with comfort seats and a Volvo with Volvo seats, but the Lexus seats are unyieldingly firm (strange, because most other Lexii I've sampled are quite the opposite). The backrest looks supportive, but is contoured in a way that leaves you with no upper back support (the headrest ironically exacerbates this by pushing your head forward). At each driver swap, the SO and I felt like a chiropractor would be needed.
2) The ride is weirdly unsettled in a way that feels like it's not damped properly - it reacts to large bumps as though they've caught it by surprise, which is a tad annoying. The big 18s don't help, I'm sure, especially as the dealer fitted some rock-hard ditchfinder 5000s which need binning sooner rather than later. I'd hoped it would be more mini-LS than 4-door sports car in this regard, but it's too firm.
3) Again, I expect that this is just a 1st world problem/me having grown lazy after two V8 BMWs, but sometimes when overtaking, I wished there was more Go lower down. I ended up stoking it by preselecting 3rd/4th to get the revs up, because you can't just roll into the torque like you do in the Volvo or the Bimmers.
Overall, it's more flawed than the E60 was, but despite that, it has enough of its own character to make up for it. Without going all Partridge, it feels special in a way that makes me look forward to each drive (ironically I don't think an LS would have done this, because that's not what it's about). It's a surprising vehicle which belies the stereotypes about bland Japanese cars in many ways. And it feels like it will hold together until my back gives out.
Great write up and the car looks fantastic.
I agree with all your points.
I have come from various bits, including an E500 with the 5.0 V8 and an F11 535d with similar power and torque, and have just got a GS300 of 2006 vintage as a stop gap.
The engine is not as powerful as yours but a good companion, very smooth and as happy slurring away below 2000 rpm as it is hitching up its skirts and hurling around to the redline. Most of my driving is on motorways so not often chasing the redline in this one!
The ride is regarded to be more ‘choppy’ than German rivals, which seems strange based on what Lexus aim for, and it does seem to be between my F11 M Sport and E46 sport which both have reasonably firm suspension.
However, as a cheap ‘do it all’ type of car it is fantastic!
I agree with all your points.
I have come from various bits, including an E500 with the 5.0 V8 and an F11 535d with similar power and torque, and have just got a GS300 of 2006 vintage as a stop gap.
The engine is not as powerful as yours but a good companion, very smooth and as happy slurring away below 2000 rpm as it is hitching up its skirts and hurling around to the redline. Most of my driving is on motorways so not often chasing the redline in this one!
The ride is regarded to be more ‘choppy’ than German rivals, which seems strange based on what Lexus aim for, and it does seem to be between my F11 M Sport and E46 sport which both have reasonably firm suspension.
However, as a cheap ‘do it all’ type of car it is fantastic!
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