The G Man

I thought leaky sunroofs are a thing of the past, and no, its not normal on new cars. Give Lexus headquarter a call and file a complaint.

Try listing all categories in the point of interest page, I would think Costco is listed under shopping, but I am not sure if thats true.

It looks like Lexus is a fan too, they like the new GS' front end so much, they made a SUV out of it. I am not sure I like the direction of this new exterior design, but I think they are on the right track with the new interior.

The blink light is a early warning, then it turns into a solid after a while.

The magnetic Fuel saver works as good as the tornado air saver :) :) http://www.tornadoair.com/

The wife and I went on a few test drive over the President's day weekend. First up was the BMW X3, we drove the non turbo version. The X3 has plenty of power for everyday driving, but we both expected more from a BMW acceleration wise. The interior is typical BMW, it look cheap but nice to the touch. Handling is classic BMW, a lot of steering feedback and not artificially tight like our RX450h. While I was at the BMW dealer, I test drove the 528iX for the heck of it. Overall, every aspect of the car was what I expected from reading the reviews. The 4 cyl. turbo is very quick, it’s a bit more responsive than the X3 in my opinion. The 8 speed transmission really took advantage of the turbo engine's power band, the power train always seems to be in its sweet spot. The handle was a bit better than the 535iX I test drove last year, probably due to the lighter engine. The biggest disappoint was again the interior, it look cheap and un-inviting when compare to the competition. The few 528iX we look at had MSRP of around $55000, which is bit over priced in my opinion. The same power train will go into the lighter 2013 3 series, the new 3 series should be a blast to drive. Next up is the redesign 2012 MB ML350, the new direct injection engine provides more power than last year and fuel economy has also been improved. The interior of any Mercedes is a nice place to be and the ML is no exception. The MB tex, fake leather looks and feels very real. The ML drove more truck like than our RX450h and a took a while for my wife to get use to gears again. The MSRP was a bit more than the X3, $58000, but MB is discounting the ML pretty aggressively. Our last stop was the Land Rover dealer, we test drove the Land Rover Evoque. The wife like the way it look every since it was introduce last year. The Evoque is still in limited supply and there is a waiting list for the car. The Evoque handled very well during the test drive, handle is as good as the X3 and better than the ML. The Ford 2.0 turbo engine has plenty of power and build quality is up to the Range Rover standards. The interior was a bit nicer than the ML and blows the X3’s interior away in my opinion. The back seat were tighter and cargo space is even less than the X3. Exterior design is very sharp all around, my only complaint was the back window is a bit too small. We kind of lost interest as soon as we learned that it was selling at MSRP with no discount. The Evoque is a nice SUV, but not worth the $57000 they were asking for.

The ride wasnt too bad, better than I thought it would be. I would say the ride is about the same my 08 GS350, but the 08 GS had run flats which made the ride rougher than it need to be. Handling wise, there is no comaparison between the two.

Sad to say, the front end look just like the new GS. I think Lexus is going in the wrong direction as far as exterior design wise. The new steering wheel looks pretty good. The wife and I were thinking about trading in the 2011 Rxh for the 2013, those pics just changed our mind.

I just had a test drive in the GS350, all I can say is wow. The handling and the interior is amazing, the front seats are much more comfortable than my A6's. Handling is very quick and precise, the car feels very agile and light. In my opinion, it handles better than my A6 and the interior is just as nice. The interior material quality is a bit better than the A6 as well, the front end is my least favorite part of the car, it looks after market and added on. It doesnt pull like the A6 accelartaion wise, you really have to rev up the GS to get any kind of pull. MSRP is about the same as the A6 if you get the GS with AWD. Overall, a gaint step forward for the GS compare to my 08 GS, but I dont think the Germans will lose sleep over the new GS.

The charging and discharging cycle on a RX450h is different from the last gen. On long trips, 150+ miles, if you monitor the battery meter, the battery never goes below 1-2 bars from the top. I have driven the RXh on a few 250+ mile trips and I can average about 28 MPG or more on the highway.

I just did a 20 mile trip on the highway with my 2011 RXh and I drove in a manner that would maximize my gas mileage, I got 32 MPG on the highway according to the computer.

The A5 has to be one of the best looking Audi ever made. The lines and shape are almost perfect. The 2.0T engine is a bit under power, but its a fun car ro drive.

The Prius shares the engine as the CT200h but the Prius is much lighter. Lexus had high hope for the GS line, it started out very nice as the 1st gen of GS were selling pretty well. The last gen of GS sold so poorly due to poor build quality and rattles that Lexus at one point almost discontinued it. Sales number were well behind the 5 series, A6 and E350 globally. In my opinion, I think it will take more than one generation of GS to make up for lost ground. Although I think the new GS will improve sales somewhat, it is not the home run that Lexus need to make the GS line a top contender.

The A8 has one of the most comfortable front seat I have ever sat in. The LED headlights are nice too :)

Vaughn, thanks for sharing the info, $9.99 is a good price.

The GSh is a fast car but the price is right up there with the Corvette. If I were to pick between the two, I would pick the Corvette. The last time I check, the CT200h were selling very well, much better than the GSh.

The RX450h's battery management is a bit different, I have never seen the batteries drain down in my RXh before. Most of the time its full or 1 bar below full. The RX400h is a bit quicker than the RX450h, but its not a full second faster to 60 MPH. The RX400h is a lighter car, it can give you the affect that it is going faster than it really is. For example, when I test drove the Lexus CT200h, that car felt fast, it felt a lot faster than the 0-60 time of 10.4 sec. as tested.

Unfortunately, poor gas mileage is not a warranty item. We get 29 MPG in the summer on the highway consistantly. Many variables can affect gas mileage, wind, winter gas, incline tire pressure or tires.

I dont think that was condescending at all, I did say "WE" and not "YOU".

I like the CTS coupe as well, the sedan not as much. The sharp angles of the CTS is carry thru out the whole design, where as the GS only sharp angles in the front and the angles rounded off in the rest of the car, almost looks like two different cars from the front to rear. The A5 use to be my favorite Audi design, if it had 4 doors, I would have bought one. The new A7 design is very nice as well, its a bit too pricey for me though. The new 5 series' design is very traditional, certainly a big improvement over the last gen. The interior remains very boring and performance not worthy of the BMW badge. Not sure how anyone can justify apying $10K more for the 5 series over the A6 and $15K more than the GS350. Globely, the A6 out sells the 5 series, in the US, the 5 series is the number 1 selling mid size luxury sedan.

Are you using 91 octane?

Are you using 91 octane?

Unfortunately, I cannot find a long term road test by car and driver for the GS350, but I can tell you that my 08 GS350 AWD had more than 5 unscheduled visits in less than one year. It might have been my bad luck, the other 4 Lexus I had owned in the pass have been very relaible. Did I say TL in my last post, I mean the RL. You are correct, the GS in the test is a non F Sport and the A6 had the 19" sport package. Its a bit surprising to me that a non sport packaged GS ride stiffer than a A6 with the sport package. The A6 SP rides pretty stiff already, I hate feel how stiff the ride is on a F-Sport equipped GS. I think Lexus might have gone over board a bit with the suspension on the GS, but I will reserve that comment until I test drive the GS350 next week.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I must say, most people disagree with you. Audi has won many design award for its current line up. The most recent being the EyesOn Design Award At Detroit Auto Show for the redesign 2012 A6. http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1053588_2012-audi-a6-wins-eyeson-design-award-at-detroit-auto-show

You mean HIR bulbs right? Its too bad HIR bulbs are not widely used in the auto industry, it produce 75% more light than halogen. GE has the patent and they are using it mostly for household bulbs.