What Does the New Toyota Crown Mean for the Next-Generation Lexus GS?

Posted by Kevin on June 28th, 2018

Toyota has just released a next-generation Crown sedan exclusively for the Japanese market, making it the second such model I’ve posted about this week. However, unlike the Toyota Century, this new sedan might actually make an impact on the Lexus lineup.

There has been much discussion on the future of the Lexus GS, and that makes the Toyota Crown very important indeed. The two models have shared platforms and engines since 1993, this new Crown has been extensively redeveloped. It now uses a modified version of the GA-L platform from the new Lexus LS sedan & LC coupe, and the same hybrid powertrain also offered on both Lexus flagships. For all intents and purposes, this Toyota is already a Lexus underneath the sheet metal.

Not to discount the additional development required, but the Crown offers a basic shell that could be used for a next-generation Lexus GS. Exterior and interior styling would have to change, but then that plays exactly into the brand’s strengths. It should be noted that Lexus no longer needs a second mid-size sedan, but the GS could be refactored into a four-door coupe and be elevated to a more prestigious (and lucrative) segment.

It may all be in the timing, as Lexus has brought out three new cars (LC, LS, ES) into a market that prefers SUVs and crossovers. There’s been an understandable shift in priority for the brand, with the focus now shifting to the UX and the fast-tracked production version of the LF-1 Limitless crossover. But the pendulum will swing back at some point, and with the Toyota Crown, Lexus can easily have a new GS just waiting in the wings.

Lexus GS: Fourth Generation
Popular Stories

Sorry. No data so far.

Comments
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
Gecko
maiaramdan
@Gecko that makes a lot of sense of all the difference in the articles
Maybe just maybe there will be a 4 doors coupe as it rumored to be on the GA-L
I hope they have something planned... 5LS is longer than the old LS 460L and starts at $75k. If they keep ES at ~$40k, there's just too big of a hole between the two to make much sense. As a premium brand, I would have rather seen Lexus do IS, GS/ES and LS all based on GA-L. This makes it much easier to share engineering costs and components while giving those vehicles the dynamic abilities they need to compete with the Germans, Koreans and Americans.

300hp FWD ES will not be any match for BMW 540i and others, but perhaps Lexus just doesn't care about that segment anymore and feels that FWD is "good enough." Plus, as good as the reviews of the 8th gen Camry were, most indicated that the V6 was "too much" and resulted in torque steer with front-heavy driving dynamics. I assume ES would be similar unless they fit it with an active AWD system which Toyota nor Lexus have. As I have mentioned in other threads, Dynamic Torque Control AWD is not good enough for a premium FWD-biased performance application.

I can live with that solution so long as we start getting midsize and 3 row SUVs on GA-L with 350+hp. But as far as I know, that's not on the horizon either.
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future
maiaramdan
But if you put the words of Lexus Australian manager that they want a 4 doors coupe and a sport cross model to go for allroad and outback, this gives very much a clear view on 2 new lines we may see it in the near future

M