Lexus Enthusiast editor Kevin Watts will be driving a 2013 GS 350 AWD over the summer, and will be posting updates about his experience on this dedicated GS blog.
(The best place to start is with the introductory post.)
Right before returning the GS 350 to Lexus Canada, I decided to give the NightView system one more chance — here’s video demonstration:
As I expected, night vision is more functional in the city — in particular, pedestrians are well lit and noticeable. I’m still unsure about having a bright screen divert my attention away from the road while driving, but is does seem to have some usefulness in an urban setting.
As mentioned, I was finally able to take some decent photos of the GS 350 interior in the dark, so to show off the ambient lighting:
At night, the GS brings a real sense of occasion. The modern lighting makes for a comfortable driving experience, and the door-trim LEDs and super-bright blue light temperature is just-plain-cool.
After months of trying, I was finally able to get some good interior night photos — full gallery to be posted shortly.
With only a couple weeks left with the GS, I’m starting to get the impression my two-year-old daughter may miss the car even more than me.
At the request of TLE commenter Yong Thian Ding, here’s a video demonstrating the new Lexus turn-signal-stalk that debuted with the GS:
I wasn’t a fan the first time I tried out the new return-to-center stalks, but I’ve grown to appreciate them — the new controls have an expensive, solid feel that’s better suited to a Lexus.
I may have mentioned this before, but last month, I packed up the 2013 Lexus GS 350 AWD with my wife and some luggage and headed out for a week-long road trip through Ottawa and Montreal — the full story can be seen over at Lexus Magazine, but I also wanted to talk about how the GS handled the week of travel.
Even though I’ve been driving the GS since the beginning of the summer, in some ways the character of a car can only be discovered with an extended journey.
The first thing with any long-distance drive is comfort, and in the seven days behind the wheel, I never once felt sore or stiff — the eighteen-way adjustable seats in the Technology Plus package are infinitely customizable, yet simple enough that it’s possible to find the optimal position easily. My wife also liked the fact that she could sit cross-legged in the passenger seat.
The comfort also extended to the technology — maintaining focus over long stretches of highway driving can be tiring, and the dynamic adaptive cruise control allowed me to relax knowing that the GS was always paying attention:
(The actual dynamic cruise control system appears to be much improved over previous models, with a more gradual throttle application and lighter braking — I relied heavily on it during the trip.)
Driving in unfamiliar territory also meant some quality time with the GS navigation software and its compu-female voice, which my wife and I affectionately referred to as Janet. With no Enform remote-assistance service available in Canada, I used the voice controls to program locations on-the-fly, and I was satisfied with the experience — I also appreciated the split-map mode with its micro & macro views:
As someone with well-tuned sense of direction and a tendency to improvise, the constant route recalculations did grate on my nerves — that is, until we turned Janet’s voice to a little whisper and accepted her quiet advice.
Covering so much distance, the GS Drive Mode Select spent much of its time in ECO mode, with gas mileage on the highway averaging 9.0L/100km (26.1 mpg):
As to be expected, city driving pushed the overall numbers up — the GS ended the trip at 9.6L/100km (24.5 mpg), more or less on target with its official U.S. numbers.
There was only one real opportunity to let the GS stretch its legs during the trip — once we started through the Laurentian mountains and the up and downs and lefts and rights of Route 323, I turned the Drive Mode Select to SPORT+ and opened up the throttle:
Surrounded by nothing but rock and trees, the curves of the road and the sound of the engine combined into a series of perfect moments, the afternoon over in the blink of an eye — one day later and we were in the thick of Montreal traffic, prepared for four days of busy streets and aggressive drivers (and cyclists, and pedestrians).
Again, the GS dealt with the situation gracefully — the cabin shielded us from the hustle and bustle, and with a little patience, cruising around the city was almost as enjoyable as the mountain roads the day previous.
It wasn’t until the drive home that I pieced together the bigger picture — Lexus has focused almost exclusively on the new styling and improved performance of the fourth-generation GS, but behind the spindle grille is a sedan of great versatility. There are few vehicles that can do so much so well, and it’s this well-rounded nature that I enjoyed so much on the road– no matter the circumstance, the GS always felt like the right vehicle at the right moment.
(The GS 350 goes back to Lexus Canada at the end of this month, but I still have a couple stories to go along with my wrap-up final review — stay tuned!)
Here’s an image that didn’t end up being used in the Lexus Magazine story, taken in Old Montreal:
It was early, on the morning my wife and I were heading home — I had to keep jumping in and out of traffic to get the right shot. Such a fun trip.
For the last weekend of summer, Lexus Magazine has published the story of my GS 350 road trip from Ottawa to Montreal — not to give too much away, but here’s a couple photos from the photo essay:
I’ll be posting details on how the GS handled the trip later this week, along with some photos that didn’t make it into the final rotation — until then, head over to Lexus Magazine for the full story!
While driving through Quebec on my GS summer road trip, I stopped at Lexus Laval in Laval, a city just north of Montreal.
It was a beautiful morning, and after my tour of the dealership with sales manager Gerry Cicciu, I snapped a couple photos of the showroom:
One thing that really stood out was the vehicle arrangement — even with so many models on the showroom floor, it felt airy and spacious. Noticing such a thing is probably a sign that I’ve visited too many Lexus dealerships, but I was impressed nonetheless.
There was also an unexpected surprise, as LFA #343 was sitting in the vehicle delivery area.
Purchased by the dealership’s president, Christian Dagenais, this Starlight Black LFA comes very close to my ideal configuration, and I was thrilled to see it in person — too bad it was so difficult capturing the true color.
Without fail, I’m always impressed by the sincere friendliness of Lexus dealership employees — it was a pleasure to spend the morning with the folks at Lexus Laval, and I have to extend my thanks to Christian Dagenais & Gerry Cicciu for taking the time to meet with me.
As a bonus, Gerry sent over this video showing LFA #343 being delivered to the dealership:
Just enjoying the final days of summer, getting prepared to write my giant final review of the GS.
Going through some photos, and found a shot of the GS 350 with Sebastien’s CT 200h taken at the top of Gatineau Park, Quebec:
There was also this shot of the GS on its own:
As mentioned last week, I went on an extended Canadian road trip in July with the 2013 Lexus GS 350 for a Lexus Magazine photo assignment.
During my visit to Ottawa, I asked local Lexus CT owner, hybrid racer, & Bel-Air Lexus sales associate Sebastien Kroetsch to help me with some in-motion photos of the GS, and all he asked in return was a couple shots of his CT 200h — here are the results:
Download: 2560 x 1440 | 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768
Download: 2560 x 1440 | 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768
The folks at Bel-Air Lexus have been great to me since the very start of this website, and Sebastien is true Lexus enthusiast — big thanks for everything!
(Next up in my summer road trip coverage — a visit to Lexus Laval to see LFA #343.)
I wanted this shot to work so bad while in Montreal shooting my Lexus Magazine story:
The Geodesic dome from Expo 67 is so startling, pure futuristic surrounded by trees like a crashed spaceship. An amazing monument to an amazing time.
Last month, I went on an extended Canadian road trip with the 2013 Lexus GS, traveling through Eastern Ontario and Quebec for a Lexus Magazine photo assignment that will be posted in late August.
I also had a couple road trip adventures along the way that I’ll be sharing over the next couple weeks, but let’s start with a photo sampler — two desktop wallpapers featuring the GS 350:
Download: 2560 x 1440 | 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768
Download: 2560 x 1440 | 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768
These photos were taken in Gatineau Park, Quebec, just outside of Ottawa — there’s a road that weaves through the park that leads to the Mackenzie King estate, the summer home of Canada’s tenth Prime Minister.
To get the shots, I enlisted the help of a local Lexus CT 200h owner named Sebastien (who also happens to work for Bel-Air Lexus in Ottawa) — I hung out the window of the CT while my wife drove the GS.
(Next up, I’ll have some photos of Sebastien’s awesome CT, followed by a visit with LFA #343 in Laval Quebec.)
While attending the ES preview event in Oregon last month, I was surprised to find out that the U.S. version of the 2013 Lexus GS doesn’t include the powered trunk — it’s a rare occurrence to see Canadian vehicles equipped with an option unavailable to Americans, especially one this useful.
(No word of a lie, this is my wife’s favorite feature.)
The Lexus GS really shines at night, and one of the best elements of the ambient lighting is under the door’s wood trim — it’s very difficult to capture, here’s my best attempt:
A real standout feature, and a wonderful detail.
The cool summer night, my friends loaded into the GS, heading out on the town, great laughs, good music on the stereo — a perfect moment.
Love the ambient lighting detail in the clock — as a matter of fact, it’s easier to read the time at night than during the day.
After questioning the Lexus GS’ NightView system in an earlier post, I received an interesting email from Tomáš in the Czech Republic, who had this to say about its usefulness:
I have a GS 450h, and the hybrid powertrain is SO QUIET that it doesn’t scare away animals – even birds do not leave the side of the road!
This is no problem during the day when you can see them and they might see you, but twice at night, NightView has helped me avoid hitting birds on the road while I was driving in EV mode.
This sort of situation in a GS hybrid is something I didn’t consider.
In my experience using the NightView on rural roads, I’ve only had one encounter with wildlife, and I spotted a raccoon long before I saw it on the display screen — it’s worth mentioning that I have very good eyesight though, and believe that’s the most significant reason why I’m having trouble utilizing the NightView system properly.
Interestingly, Car & Driver just did a comparison on Night Vision systems, and although it doesn’t include the GS, I still think it shows the limits of the technology:
As mentioned on the main blog, I visited the Toronto Lexus Downtown dealership to take photos of long-term GS in their vehicle delivery area, which features the art of painter Andrew Plum — here’s the full gallery:
Here’s my favorite photo as a desktop wallpaper:
Download: 2560 x 1440 | 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768
Once again, my thanks to Lexus Downtown for their hospitality and the use of their facilities, and also to Lexus Canada for arranging this opportunity.
(Next up for the long-term GS is a week-long working vacation, but more on that in a couple days.)
I visited the new Lexus Downtown dealership in Toronto last week, and spent some time taking photos of the GS in their vehicle delivery area — here’s a quick sample:
I’m putting the final touches on the full gallery — expect to see something later this week.
In the mid-1980′s, my hometown of Welland commissioned a series of murals highlighting the creation of the city’s most famous feature, the Welland Canal.
Now six weeks into my summer road test with the 2013 Lexus GS 350, I’ve become increasingly familiar with the car — as an update, I’ve put together a list of the things that have stood out so far.
1. The handling, the growl, the paddle shifts, the Drive Mode Select — everything about driving this car is a blast. The difference between the drive modes is noticeable — on some of my favorite local roads, *Sport +* mode is a perfect fit with its tighter suspension and looser accelerator pedal, but put the GS into the *ECO* mode and it’s a natural highway cruiser.
2. Over these six weeks, I’ve travelled over 4,000kms (2,485 miles) and am averaging 9.7 L/100km, or 24.2 mpg — much better than the EPA rating of 11.2 L/100km, or 21 combined mpg.
For one tank, my wife and I even managed to hit 8.9 L/100km (26.4 mpg), and I’m looking forward to trying to improve on that when we take our big road trip in July.
3. As much as I enjoy driving the car, I’m hopelessly addicted to using the dynamic radar cruise control. There’s always a concern that these advanced-tech driver aids lead to distraction, but having the car adjust for traffic speed on the highway helps me maintain my focus and reduces my stress considerably.
4. On the topic of driver aids, I’ve tried out the Night View system on multiple occasions and have yet to find any use for it — definitely something I have to figure out.
5. I’m a big fan of the headlights — not only do they have a distinctive look with the L-styled daytime running lights, the HID headlamps cast an impressive light out on the rural roads at night.
6. It’s no different than any car, but the wheel wells are driving me crazy with the way they pick up dirt — keeping them clean is a thankless job, and it’s made worse by the felt material surrounding the rear wheels.
7. The new Lexus interior design is modern but comfortable, and even with all the black interior elements, it feels warm and inviting — really enjoy spending time behind the wheel, especially at night.
(It was interesting to compare the GS interior to the new 2013 ES — the shared design language definitely has some flexibility.)
8. Even with the giant 12.3″ screen and the *Remote Touch* revisions, I’m still having trouble using the navigation system distraction-free — so it’s pretty ironic that I’m also disappointed that Canada doesn’t offer the app integration that’s available in the USA.
9. It’s a small thing, but I don’t like the arm rest. The two-stage slide & lift opening mechanism is awkward, and my USB cable is always getting stuck in the tracks.
Note: I am in no way qualified to judge audio systems.
Last week, I got into a discussion with a couple guys from Lexus College about the best Mark Levinson sound system, with me preferring the LX 570, and both of them choosing the system in the new GS.
For me, the LX 570′s 19-speaker system is the absolute top — when it comes to music, I am generally a man of simple tastes, and have a tendency to listen to heavy bass. Due to its size (I would imagine), the LX has an airy, open sound that gives those two extreme opposites room to breathe.
In contrast, the Lexus College guys are classic rock listeners, and the GS ML system is tighter, crisper — it brings out the complexity in music, .
With this in mind, I went back through some of my old favourites — mostly Led Zeppelin & Fugazi — and it’s been an absolute revelation, to a point where I wonder if they will ever sound the same again.
Bottom line: Mark Levinson FTW.
It’s been four weeks since I picked up the 2013 Lexus GS 350 from Lexus Canada for an extended summer road test, and as I put together some initial thoughts on the first month, I wanted to share this set of parking lot night shots:
These photos came out of a failed attempt to photograph the interior ambient lighting of the GS — something that was decidedly more difficult than expected. Instead, I set about getting night shots with a very specific look, and ended up very happy with the results.
Just finished up a late-night photoshoot with the GS, and wanted to share a quick rough draft:
(My plan is to post the full gallery later this week.)
For the first five tanks of gas in the GS, it’s been mostly city driving, and I’ve been averaging 9.76L/100km, or 24 mpg — 3 mpg better than the EPA number in the U.S., but 1 mpg less than the Canadian rating.
However, with the latest tank I managed to get in a little more highway driving than usual, and had my best “score” yet:
(9.0L/100km translates into 26.1 mpg.)
Last week, I gave the car its first hand wash and ended up discovering some light scratching on the rear bumper, most likely from its early life as a test car on Laguna Seca.
Of course, I couldn’t let them stand, so I set to work with my Porter Cable 7424 & Optimum Compound:
As a former professional detailer, I was amazed at how quickly the Liquid Platinum responded to such a light treatment — the scratches might have been barely noticeable, but they disappeared completely with very little work. Very impressed with the results.
(I’m working on my next story with the GS, and it has to do with this very topic — should be ready by next week.)
For my first photo gallery with the GS 350, I scoured the city of St.Catharines for a derelict building — eventually, I lucked out and found this abandoned gas station:
The Liquid Platinum exterior makes it an absolute joy to photograph — every single curve and crease pulls in the light, and it really brings the GS to life. Really happy with the way these photos turned out.
(The reason I wanted to find a derelict building was because of how these photos with the third-generation GS turned out — makes for a great contrast between subject and background.)
Made my first visit to the gas station with the GS 350:
Let’s hash out some numbers:
- 9.9L/100km equals 23.75 mpg.
- According to the Lexus Canada website, the GS 350 AWD is rated at 9.5L/100km (24.75 mpg) in combined city & highway driving.
- On the Lexus USA website, the GS 350 AWD is rated at 11.2L/100km (21 mpg) combined driving.
Given the stricter EPA rules in the USA, I’m inclined to use the American rating as a more accurate measure — meaning that I’m not doing too bad as far as gas mileage goes.
(For the next tank, I’m going to drive in ECO mode exclusively and see what effect it has.)
Last weekend, I made the trip to Lexus Canada outside of Toronto and picked up a 2013 Liquid Platinum GS 350 AWD for a long-term summer road test.
With only 990kms on the odometer, the GS is basically brand new, with a knockout Saddle Tan & Linear Espresso Wood interior:
Here’s a closer look:
In terms of features, it’s decked out with the $13,950 CAD Canadian Technology Plus package — this includes the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) & Drive Mode Select with Sport S+ mode.
Inside, it has the full-on 12.3″ display with navigation, 18-way-adjustable front seats, the Mark Levinson 17-speaker, 835-watt sound system, and a bunch of advanced driver assistance tech:
- Blind Spot Monitor system
- Dynamic radar cruise control
- Heads-up Display
- Night View system
- Driver Attention Monitor system
As far as I can tell, the only missing feature is Lane Keep Assist, which is not offered in Canada — otherwise, this GS is essentially “fully loaded” with a price to match: $70,935 CAD all told.
To kick things off, I finished up the first photo session on the weekend — I’ll be posting the results shortly, but in the meantime, here’s a sample:
My very sincere thanks to Lexus Canada for providing this Lexus GS 350 AWD — please visit this webpage for more GS information.
Lexus News by Email
Daily Email Subscription
