Drive Compares the Lexus GS 250, Audi A6 2.0, BMW 520i & Mercedes E200

Big F***ING whoop, you want to save in gas? Then purchase a PRIUS!! And I don't know what the bitching is about, compare the low end A6 and it has a 2.8L FSI engine which puts out only 150kW! GS250 is 152kW !

I really do see your point. But the GS is indeed more powerful, and it's a V6, which drinks more fuel. To address the fuel issue,  a GS300h is on the way. The thing is, Lexus is unlikely to offer a diesel option. Lexus engineers once said (KREW, help me out), diesel engines are expensive to develop. But personally, I don't like diesel engines. They are relatively noisy, sound horrible and the exhaust fumes are even more polluting than normal petrol exhaust. When the GS300h arrives, I am guessing 'official claimed' fuel consumption figures will be about the same as an Audi A6 2.0T, but it will have significantly less power and torque.

Why didn't Lexus use the 3.0L 3GR-FSE for the base instead of the 2.5L 4GR-FSE ?? People tend to forget about that motor

I think Lexus is aiming for good fuel economy. (I don't like banging on about fuel but I'll have to) The 3.0L engine would drink more fuel. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the 4.6L V8 would be nice. 

i think they modified it because the article said  " The GS doesn't match the BMW and Mercedes through corners, but is capable and composed, with good steering feel. It also has the most luxurious ride."so i think they modified it to be some how soft

It seems so.

Does it matter how many gears the autotransmission has?  It could have 1 gear for all I care. The most important question is : does it shift smoothly and does it allow sporty driving while delivering good fuel economy? (Hint: the answer is yes). In the GS350, the drivetrain is still competitive with MB/BMW/Audi/Infiniti/Jaguar's offerings.

 "... the drivetrain is still competitive..." Seriously? Did you read the article? "The engine is a weak point, though. It lacks the low-rev push of its turbocharged German rivals and was slowest in our 0-100km/h test run. It's also more raucous when revved, although the exhaust note had a sporty element that some judges liked" I do like Lexus, and wouldn't be here otherwise, but just accept a fact as a fact, even if it means that the Lexus is sub-par engine-wise. The 2.5L V6 was already lagging compared to the last-gen German six-pots. Now, that they have moved on to their current-gen turbos they're simply outclassing Lexus in every aspect of engine performance, be it fuel economy, power, refinement,.... you name it! No point in trying to pretend this is a competitive engine (especially in the combo with that ancient 6-speed auto), just because you're a Lexus fan.

 I'm talking about the GS350 not the GS250. The loud noise is intentional as Lexus tuned the 4GS engine note to be louder under acceleration. The GS350 is as fast as the BMW 535i 0-60mph and beats it 0-100mph with faster 1/4 mile times as well. The MB E350... well it's simply not competitive at all. The A6 3.0T is the ONLY German 6 cylinder that is faster. It's not some hidden secret : The 0-60,0-100,1/4 mile times of all 5 cars are all over the internet and it's pretty conclusive. The GS350 is faster than the 535i,E350 and Jaguar 3.0 petrol. Only the A6 3.0T is faster

Yes, but half of the world aren't getting the 350. We are stuck here with either the heavy consumer 250 or the wonderful (but very expensive) 450h. Here in Austria we pay taxes according to horsepower numbers. And the 450 cost a fortune every year. The small hybrid better come sooner than later. And it better not have some hybridized version of the 4GR. But either way i found out that the GS was done by the same chief engineer as my Auris. And that one failed terribly on the Euro market. It also had a 5 speed sequential when all others were selling 7 speed dual clutch transmissions. They had to update the transmission after two years as it failed miserably to be accepted by the market.

How is the identity of the Chief engineer germane to discussion of the merits of the car?  The GS350 stands on its own merits and compares favorably to the 535i,E350, XF and A6 based on driving appeal, handling, ride comfort and interior fitment/finish.  Besides, it's well known that Akio Toyoda (Toyota CEO) basically took over the reins of the new GS development and personally test-drove the GS in its development phase and forced the Chief Engineer to make ride-handling changes to the chassis until it matched his expectations. And his expectations are pretty high considering that Toyoda is a passionate race car driver.

"The GS350 is as fast as the BMW 535i 0-60mph and beats it 0-100mph with faster 1/4 mile times as well." And the vast majority of consumers don't care about 0-60 or 1/4 mile times. The people who buy these cars care about the luxury experience, the badge, comfort, technology, safety and everything else except all-out-performance. For the record, every single car in this class is FAST and more than adequately powered. Nobody is seriously going to buy Car A over Car B because Car A does 0-60 in 5.6 seconds whereas Car B takes an eternity at 5.7 seconds. It doesn't happen in real life no matter what people or magazines say. There are exceptions, of course, but no sane person is going to waste their time deciding which car to get based on 0-60 times, especially when it comes to luxury/family sedans like here. And as many here might know, I have an E350 convertible with the 268-hp V6 and this car is plenty fast for my needs. I can merge unto freeway, I can overtake and I can have driving fun, to. Do I want a BMW 335i just because it's faster? No. It might be faster but so what? So what? I bought the Benz because I wanted something comfortable and sporty and also topless. Lexus didn't offer anything in this class, I'm not a fan of the Audi A5 and the 335i was overkill to me. The E350 convertible was perfect. That's how people buy cars. Based on their needs, not 0-60 or 1/4 mile times.

so i am Mr. Exception Nobody i did it twice actually ;)