RoadTest: LEXUS GS After 16 years, Lexus is waking up to the reality of the luxury market. You may have the soundproofing of a music studio, rock-solid reliability or the refined interior of a five-star hotel suite - but you've got to look cool, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
Luxury and refinement has been the raison-d'être of Lexus, but it also had a reliability record that saw it top many consumer charts. Yet, it lacked the eye-catching appeal of its European rivals.
Premium customers expect their cars to start every morning. There's zero tolerance of poor reliability - consider the plight of Mercedes and the troubles it has had with the E-Class range. Lexus has realised it must bring something more than reliability to the forecourt.
Hence the arrival of L-Finesse, the family makeover designed to bring in the missing wow-factor. The new GS is the first model to get the design overhaul. Next up will be the new IS, due here in November. Eventually all models will carry the new, more muscular look.
On the GS, the slung-back cabin and long bonnet give it a muscle-car air. It's aggressive without being too boy-racer. Nowhere near as boxy as its predecessor, it retains a certain discretion on the road, but is not as avant-garde as the 5-Series or as imposing as the new A6 with its big, brash grille.
Of course, Lexus could have been more daring with the look. If it wants to succeed in this market it needs to get out and make its presence felt, not just with the conservative set, but also with younger drivers who want their new cars to be noticed and admired.
The GS is an enormous step in the right direction, but there's still plenty of room to push the boundaries. The problem is that Lexus has been too caught up with its US success - and Americans don't care about driving dynamics or sporting appearance as much as Europeans. Interior luxury and comfortable cruising impresses them. The key is to cater to both tastes.
An example of the US-centred attitude is the continuing lack of diesel powertrains. If Americans don't want it, we don't get it. So, for now, the new GS is powered by an all-new 3-litre V6 alloy petrol engine or a 4.3-litre V8. A hybrid version is due in the near future.
Our test car, the V6, offered plenty of cruising power. The all-new platform is much better than the previous model, reducing wallowing in corners. Overall the car handles well and, though the theme is supposed to be comfort and cruising, the ride is hard enough to offer something of a more sporting drive, if not quite on a par with the BMW 5-Series.
The biggest disappointment remains the steering. It's the same issue we have with the RX and the LS: the driver feels anaesthetised to what's happening on the road.
It's somewhat made up for by the ultra-smooth six-speed automatic gearbox, though this could do with tiptronic buttons or paddles on the steering wheel. Changes are silky smooth, but you'd probably need the larger V8 to get the real performance benefits. While the GS 300 comes in lighter than its predecessor and the all-new engine seems better on paper, it lacks the sparkle of its rivals.
Overall, the GS is an easy undemanding drive, with power on tap when you need it, but it seems more at home in cruise control, gliding down the motorway in a whisper-quiet cabin than threading through Irish back roads.
The previous GS was criticised for being cramped inside, but there's now enough legroom for four adults to travel comfortably. The boot remains sizeable enough, though sacrifices have had to be made to the aperture due to the slung-back cabin and sloping rear window.
The GS surpasses all competitors for gadgetry. On standard specification alone, it puts its German rivals to shame - Lexus Ireland makes much of the fact that there's an extra €10,286 worth of standard equipment on the new GS300 Executive over its predecessor, yet the price has gone up just €410.
The touch-screen system for sat-nav, climate control, audio controls and the like is more user-friendly than BMW's iDrive or Audi's MMI controls. Some controls - trip computer, rear sunblind, mirror settings - are in a neat, fold-down console by the steering wheel, reducing button-clutter in the cabin.
Dials now have aluminium facings. They look the part, even if some of the plastics around them seem out of place. We were disappointed by the fake wood trim of the central console. Several other features disappoint slightly, but overall quality can't be questioned. You feel you're in a much more expensive model.
An impressive crash-sensing kit - optional on the GS300 and standard on the GS430 - detects an imminent collision, tightens seatbelts, primes brakes, smoothes brake application and backs up foot pressure. Even if you do end up in a collision, there are up to 12 airbags.
The GS scored a class-leading five stars in the Euro NCAP tests, with four stars for child protection (using Lexus' own child seats and ISOFIX anchorage points). It scored only two stars for pedestrian protection, but it's still best-in-class on that count.
The GS is the epitome of refinement, bursting with toys and gadgets, and now more appealing to the eye. It doesn't match the 5-Series for driver enjoyment, but there are many who just want comfort, looks and reliability. In all three the GS delivers. Perhaps its real target will be the frustrated E-Class owners.