Lexus GS- Under Appreciated or not Good Enough

[mikeavelli]

As a FYI, Nuum knows quite a bit about Lexus and he was one of the first modifying the GS years ago.....

 

[GSCT]

Another positive review also lamenting the GS as an unsung hero at http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2015-lexus-gs-350-awd-f-sport/ Best quote: "It would be exaggerating to say that trumpets sounded and angels sang, but maybe not by much."

 

[CIF]

The situation is much better since Lexus made the ES larger -- it's very clear that the ES is meant to be a cruiser while the GS is a proper sports sedan.

The GS is going to get a much needed sharpening with this year's update, and that might be the final nail in the "ES steals GS sales" train of thought.

Yes, that and the addition of the GS F I think makes things more clear. Lexus needs to follow that up with a big marketing blitz for the GS F, and to really associate the image of the regular GS with that of the GS F. They need to use the halo effect to the maximum potential here.

Also I hope that the coming ES mid-cycle update further improves the pure luxury and cruiser aspect of the car, further distancing it from the GS. It would also be nice to see a bit more separation between it and the Avalon.

Also the other problem as mentioned by others is dealer salesmen that are too willing to push an ES over a GS. I think Lexus needs to make some serious changes in that regard too.

 

[mikeavelli]

Every time I drive my wife's GS F-Sport I get a grin just thinking how this car will be with 469hp.....I love my LS but I prefer how the GS drives sportier....

 

[CIF]

Every time I drive my wife's GS F-Sport I get a grin just thinking how this car will be with 469hp.....I love my LS but I prefer how the GS drives sportier....

I'm with you there myself. I love both the GS and LS, always have. Specifically I love virtually everything they did with the 4th gen GS. The GS F is too early to judge. The LS, I expected a bit more from the 2012/2013 mid-cycle update, but I still like it overall. I got very high expectations for the coming 5th gen LS. Personally the LS is just a tad too big, were I looking at owning one. I definitely see an LS in my future though .

 

[GSCT]

Every time I drive my wife's GS F-Sport I get a grin just thinking how this car will be with 469hp.........

I agree - another forum had a post with a GS 350 AWD posting 13.8 in the quarter mile - makes me really curious what the GS F will do.

 

[mikeavelli]

I'm with you there myself. I love both the GS and LS, always have. Specifically I love virtually everything they did with the 4th gen GS. The GS F is too early to judge. The LS, I expected a bit more from the 2012/2013 mid-cycle update, but I still like it overall. I got very high expectations for the coming 5th gen LS. Personally the LS is just a tad too big, were I looking at owning one. I definitely see an LS in my future though .

Gotcha...I hope the next LS has some more of the dynamics of the IS/GS...as with all cars it will likely will get larger in SWB and LWB form....

I agree with your sentiments on the L10 GS...

 

[CIF]

Gotcha...I hope the next LS has some more of the dynamics of the IS/GS...as with all cars it will likely will get larger in SWB and LWB form....

I agree with your sentiments on the L10 GS...

Yeah, I hope they learned a few things from the TMG LS650.

 

[mikeavelli]

Yeah, I hope they learned a few things from the TMG LS650.

650hp would be nice

 

[krew]

Gotcha...I hope the next LS has some more of the dynamics of the IS/GS...as with all cars it will likely will get larger in SWB and LWB form....

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the next-gen LS come out as the best handling flagship sedan on the market. Lexus really has to knock it out of the park.

 

[Tinhinnh]

For GS to capture more sales it needs more body configuration, engine choices and more daring designs.

 

[CIF]

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the next-gen LS come out as the best handling flagship sedan on the market. Lexus really has to knock it out of the park.

Just thinking about this today, if somehow Lexus made the next-gen LS *both* the best-handling and most comfortable-riding flagship sedan, that would be an incredible achievement! Although on the metric of comfortable ride, it will be very difficult to beat the Magic Body Control on the S Class.

 

[Saabstance]

Have to agree with most in here that the GS simply is under appreciated. Even here in Singapore, most will take the ES over a GS for the sheer fact that it is so much metal for the money compared to the GS. The size, the space and some even prefers the design of the ES compared to the GS. Am really looking forward to the 2.0l Turbo engine and that has to be pumping out at least 245bhp / 370nm and above for it to trump over its closest rivals.

 

[mikeavelli]

With the new MMC updates with the 2.0t and GS F coming, will the GS get more mainstream love?

 

[Chase C.]

That's a great question, and only time will tell. The GS 450h, in what is likely starlight black, Krew posted today looks absolutely gorgeous and makes me hope others will see the incredible car that is the GS.

 

[Och]

There is another reason why GS doesn't sell in the quantities that it should be - it can't compete with some of the subsidized leases on E and 5 series. For instance a good friend of mine is leasing a well loaded E350 for just $418 per month. The ES probably leases for more than that. Personally, I'd rather take a bus than drive an E class, but most people just don't care.

That being said, GS isn't a high volume seller, but it does fine. It is also a lot more exclusive than the hordes of leased E classes and base 528s with their tasteless single exhaust. The upcoming refresh and GS-F should make the GS even more competitive. Of course GS could use some more attention from Lexus, but it doesn't need it as desperately as the IS and RC, and of course the aging LS flagship.

 

[spwolf]

There is another reason why GS doesn't sell in the quantities that it should be - it can't compete with some of the subsidized leases on E and 5 series. For instance a good friend of mine is leasing a well loaded E350 for just $418 per month. The ES probably leases for more than that. Personally, I'd rather take a bus than drive an E class, but most people just don't care.

That being said, GS isn't a high volume seller, but it does fine. It is also a lot more exclusive than the hordes of leased E classes and base 528s with their tasteless single exhaust. The upcoming refresh and GS-F should make the GS even more competitive. Of course GS could use some more attention from Lexus, but it doesn't need it as desperately as the IS and RC, and of course the aging LS flagship.

GS does pretty good worldwide actually... while we dont have complete facts, 1st year of sale (2012) was really good for GS and matched 1st year of 3GS, and it went up after that where 3GS collapsed completely after 3 yeaes... probably of this year, 4GS will likely outsell complete 3GS generation.

As you said, GS is not the core sales model, it does not get same marketing and lease support as ES and RX do... those models are what 3/5/C/4/A4/A6 are @Germans. Still, it should be doing around 50% of ES volume worldwide, which is pretty darn good for pretty expensive vehicle (especially outside of the USA).

Crazy front end for 2016 will help out with non-core markets, where Lexus has to be different in order to attract customers.

 

[Och]

GS does pretty good worldwide actually... while we dont have complete facts, 1st year of sale (2012) was really good for GS and matched 1st year of 3GS, and it went up after that where 3GS collapsed completely after 3 yeaes... probably of this year, 4GS will likely outsell complete 3GS generation.

As you said, GS is not the core sales model, it does not get same marketing and lease support as ES and RX do... those models are what 3/5/C/4/A4/A6 are @Germans. Still, it should be doing around 50% of ES volume worldwide, which is pretty darn good for pretty expensive vehicle (especially outside of the USA).

Crazy front end for 2016 will help out with non-core markets, where Lexus has to be different in order to attract customers.

The one other thing I'd like to mention - 4GS is VERY popular here in NYC. Its far more popular than 2GS or 3GS ever was. I'd say that I see as many 4GS here as 5 series and E class. But of course here in NYC we have a lot of young professionals that have cash to burn and want sportier cars. In other places wealthy folks probably go more for the traditional nameplates like MB and BMW.

Another phenomenon that we have in NYC, are small non-dealer leasing companies that often offer lease deals that dealerships just cant match. I personally would not lease from them because they don't have service departments, and you often don't get treated the same when you go to a dealership for warranty service if you didn't get the car from that dealership. Plus they sell every make/model under the sun, so they are clueless as far as what options are available, etc. But they'll get you an infinity q something for the price of a honda civic.

 

[spwolf]

The one other thing I'd like to mention - 4GS is VERY popular here in NYC. Its far more popular than 2GS or 3GS ever was. I'd say that I see as many 4GS here as 5 series and E class. But of course here in NYC we have a lot of young professionals that have cash to burn and want sportier cars. In other places wealthy folks probably go more for the traditional nameplates like MB and BMW.

Another phenomenon that we have in NYC, are small non-dealer leasing companies that often offer lease deals that dealerships just cant match. I personally would not lease from them because they don't have service departments, and you often don't get treated the same when you go to a dealership for warranty service if you didn't get the car from that dealership. Plus they sell every make/model under the sun, so they are clueless as far as what options are available, etc. But they'll get you an infinity q something for the price of a honda civic.

I am sure it is, its sales are close neck and neck with A6 and better than CTS, so it sells good for the class... in some markets it might be dominant, depending on strength of local dealer network.

 

[IS-SV]

One key aspect of 5 series sales success over GS is styling advantage in my opinion. To my eyes the 5 series is best-looking car in that class. (Of course styling doesn't explain E-classes success at all.)