The G Man

Its a splite screen, so the actually main screen is really no bigger than the competition. This seems to be the new trend in interior car design now a days, less buttons and knobs, and put more controls in the main screen.

How about the IS350 or the new GS350?

Just out of curiosity, are you guys using high octane gas and synthetic oil?

I agree, if its 10-15 points different when switching from XM to regular radio, there is something wrong. On my Rxh, there is very little difference when switching form the different bands. On my other car that have HD radio, there is no difference at all, maybe it has something to do with the radio's incoming signal level.

That is pretty normal for all cars, some audio systems are better than others, but they all do that to some point.

The shifter never gets in that way of the controls and if you have the mouse controller, most of your controls are made from the mouse.

I would stop going to that dealer, they are misinformed. It clearly states that premium is require, not recommanded, in the owner's mannual.

cduluk, I am afraid you are starting to lose me, how does the old GS rate better just because it looks boring and doesnt handle well? A sleeper car does not make a world class car. Also, I can tell you have not been inside an modern Audi for a while. The interior of the Audi have been praised by many reviews. It is right up there with Lexus if not better. The BMW 5 series' interior however have been called boring and cold by many auto magazines.

I also like the 1st and 2nd gen GS when I was young, that is one of the reason I bought the 08 GS350, I must say, my 08 GS was a big disappointment. Before you blow anybody away with the GS450h, look at these stats, Both the GS450h and Audi A6 does 0-60 in 5.2 seconds according to Edmunds. The Audi A6 actually turn in a faster 1/4 miles by almost a half of a second. Torque numbers and combined gas mileage are about the same as well and Audi doing all of this without a Hybrid system. http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a6/2012/road-test-specs.html http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/gs-450h/2010/ All these acceleration numbers are nice to look at, but just straight line acceleration does not make a sport sedan. It has to handle well to be a complete sport sedan. That is one of the area that Lexus try to improve upon in this new GS. I think this new GS will sell better than the current gen, but then, that is not really saying much since the current gen sold so poorly.

Thats an easy one, if all specs are the same, I would buy the Lexus of course. It is more relaible and has better dealership, but they are not all the same. Each excels at different areas, it all depends on the buyer's priority.

I agree, Lexus should have put the 4.6L V8 in the new GS as an option and the 8 speed tranny as well. I hope Lexus design enough space under the hood for a future V8.

Another interesting comparison on that chart is the weight difference between the older V8 GS and the new V6 GS. The 2013 GS350 is almost a 100 pounds heavier than the 91 GS400 and the 2001 GS430 V8. I still think Lexus is heading in the right direction with the new GS. I had a 08 GS350, while it was a pretty quick car, it just didnt handle too well, the total sport sedan experience was lacking. If the new GS can handle even close to BMW and Audi, then it is a step forward. My guess is that a more powerful engine will be introduce at a later time.

I dont think that is possible.

Lexus sure does seem like they are going backwards as far as weight, the GS350 have gain almost 200 pounds since the 1st gen. Even with all the added electronics and safety items in the new Lexus, the additional weight should have been compensated with light weight material and engineering. I think Lexus have squeeze most of the power out of this 3.5L engine already. To gain significant more power, it will need a new engine or some sort of force induction. The big screen is nice, but 1/3 of it is use for other controls, so the screen is not really any bigger than the competition. Also, we are talking about a car here, its not a video game or a TV set we are buying. How well the GS handles remain to be seen, the 1st video already said the BMW had better steering. The GS in that video also have the F-sport package, for it to be a fair comparo, the 5 series should have had the M-sport package and the E350 should have the AMG package. As far as reliability, my old 2008 GS350 spend more time in the shop than my German counterparts. All my other Lexus has been very reliable, my GS350 was an exception.

Its the exact same warranty you buy from the Lexus dealer, you can use it nationwide at any Lexus dealer. This guy Troy works at a Toyota dealer in Greenfield, MA, I know people that bought from him before. $1730.00 for a 7 yrs / 100,000 miles warranty is a great deal.

How do you like the all Weather Rear Cargo Mat? I am thinking about getting one. $75 is a good price.

Interesting data, any info on the weight difference between the different gens of GS? The 2013 is a tad slower, and you are right, it should perform better than the last gen, not go backward. The BMW 535i is about the same as the 2013 GS350 from 0-60. Interesting that they did not comapare the new Audi A6 3.0T to those 3 cars, most of the reviews has the A6 ahead of the 535i in both accelartion and handling. Here is a video of the same two guys comparing the A6 to the 535i:

I havent got a quote for my 2011 RX yet, but a friend of mine bought a 7 yr / 100000 for her 2008 RX350 from fd-warranty for around $2400 if I remember right.

I agree, Mercedes use to mean last forever, now a days, it last until the warranty is up. The same can be said for Lexus though. My first Lexus was a 2002 LS430, that thing was build like a tank.

Do not forget the lexus owners club discount at Sewell Parts, I think the molding with the discount come out to under a $100. I also bought the mud guard with the discount for around $50.

The quailty of Mercedes have been questionable recently, it has been slowly improving, but it is still behind Lexus.

If there is no change to the engine in 2012, why havent Lexus change the octane requirement for all 3rd gen RX. It will lower the cost of ownership and make the CPO 3rd gen RX more marketable. My guess as to why is that there is a change in the 2012 engine rather it is a sofeware or hardware change, I am not sure. Also, 91 octane is require for the 2010 and 2011 RX, not recommanded. According to the owner's manual, it is ok to use 87 octane only when 91 is not available.

There are a few places to get discount Lexus extended warranty. Butler Lexus is one of them, they are pretty new to the warranty business, http://fd-warranty.com/ have been in business a bit longer.

We have a 2011 RX and no rattles so far. If you hear rattles during the test drive, do yourself a favor and keep looking. Rattles are a pain for the service department to fix, especially the type that comes and goes or its weather related.

Have anybody seen this video of the 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport vs Mercedes-Benz E350 vs BMW 535i? It looks like Lexus is pretty serious about making the new GS handle as well as the German counterpart.