Autoweek has picked up a 2007 Lexus GS 350 for their fleet, and their first impressions are decidedly mixed:
Some of our drivers loved the exterior styling of the GS, while others found it amorphous. The interior also divided drivers; they called it either comfortable or eerily numbing.
I have to agree with any criticism of the GS’s new styling. While the front end is a satisfying amalgamation of the standard GS cues & the new L-finesse design language that’s shared among all new Lexus models, the backend of the vehicle is exactly as Autoweek says, “amorphous.” Far too large in proportion, the expansive derrière is no doubt a result of trying to differentiate the GS from the latest ES (which, in my opinion, is a much better looker of the two).
One interesting fact in Autoweek’s first impression regards the V6 of the GS 350 as compared to the GS 430’s V8:
Lexus says the GS 350 awd gives up 0.6 second to the [GS 450h] hybrid from 0 to 60 mph (5.8 seconds versus 5.2), and — for now, at least — this new direct-injected six actually outpowers the 290-hp V8 in the GS 430.