Lexus GS450h

[garcon magnifique]

The New Lexus GS450h

It's here. On sale from today.

Unrivalled refinement and equipment.

340+bhp, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds.

30mpg around town.

I do lust for the exhaust note of a V8, but this car ticks every other box. The only question is how soon can I afford one...

[garcon magnifique]

Had a quick look at a GS450h yesterday at Lexus Reading.

Looks fantastic, nice purposeful stance on 18s, stunning cabin. Boot space is fairly significantly reduced to accommodate the batteries - but it's still a decent size (more than adequate for all but the most demanding road trip). Of course the batteries do add a bit of weight (around 200kg), but positioned over the rear axle they give the car 50/50 weight distribution meaning it's not only quicker than the V8 GS430 but handles better too.

Interior was very nice, in grey leather with dark stained (almost black) wood. Would be interesting to have a proper look at one with black leather and 'red walnut' trim - it looks a little too red in some photos...

They've introduced a new colour - Nordic Blue - exclusively for the GS450h. The showroom car was in this colour, and looked truly stunning under the lighting. Not a million miles away from BMW's Silverstone, though not quite... it may have been the lighting, but I thought I detected a hint of <font color="purple"> mauve </font> about it...

[Golfer]

Being one of the first owners of the new GS300se ( kept it 3 months)I feel qualified to compair it to the GS450h.

The 450h feels much heavier and in wet conditions as per my test drive proved unstable around tightish bends and small roundabouts, stablility controls screeming at nothing speeds. The interior is much unchanged as are the uncomfortable front electric seats, the seats do not have enough adjustments and are booth narrow and short IMHO.

The finish is very good all round BUT the paint and wheel finish is still an issue.

My demo had covered all but 200 miles and "stone chips" were in evedence already!!!! ( paint being soft).

The wheel finish is again looking cheap and will not last long as per all the other models.

The Sat-Nav screen has been upgraded and is very good showing areas to aviod as well as roadworks ect, however you may NOT give any verbale or other commands to the system if the car is moving!!!!!, so no good if you want to be taken to a new or any destination whilst say on the motorway, thats poor.

Boot space (a lexus after thought mistake) is all but usless to cover this fact they have found a 5/6 piece luggage set that just goes in and left it there to discise the fact that the boot is small.

Economy, The GS300SE was all but a failiar in this respect 25 MPG on a "boot free" drive, push it and 20MPG is the norm.

The 450h I drove under every speed limit on "A" roads an motorways retured 24.5MPG NOW THATS CRAP.Ride quality poor it felt EVERY bump and road imperfection.

The good point was the almost Instant throttle responce and acceleration was IMHO good although noisey, the engine screems and stays screeming.

Overall if you can stand the economy, soft paint,poor ride and no sat-nav/phone on the move go for it, personaly I'd give it a big miss.

[garcon magnifique]

Interesting stuff, and thanks for posting.

On paper, the GS450h represents exactly what I'm looking for. A performance executive saloon that looks good (the GS is the best looking car in its class IMO), feels good inside (interior is almost up there with Audi, and better than the rest, again IMO), has genuine performance (335bhp, 0-60 in 5.9) but reasonable economy.

On top of that, I have no doubt Lexus are simply the best out there both for customer service and reliability. Having had mostly Japanese cars, I'm used to my cars only ever having to visit a dealer when it's service time - a concept that's little more than a faint dream to most VAG owners it would seem...

I knew the boot was poor (specifically had a look at it on the showroom car). For me, it's definitely big enough for 99% of journeys, but with a car that size there's always going to be times you need a bit more space - and the shape and entry to that boot are as big an issue as its size. Yes you can fit all that specially selected Samsonite luggage (wonder how much they cost?!), but if I drive a big exec car I don't want boot space to be an issue on any trip.

The exterior finish is a bit of a worry, soft paint does seem to be a Japanese trait. It'll be interesting to see how the new model GS looks when they're 3 years old... I have to say older Lexus models still look fantastic when prepared for sale.

On handling and ride - did you have the suspension on Sport or Normal setting? You would hope the Sport setting would help on the twisty stuff, and the Normal setting would soak up the bumps and give a comfortable ride. Mind you, it surely has to be better than the 5 series Sport on runflats?! I guess the extra weight of the 450h will inevitably make itself felt when pressing on, though you would hope the more even weight distribution than (for example) the GS300SE you had would help.

Fuel economy is clearly a key selling point, though it ought to be remembered this is a relative thing. Mid twenties mpg isn't as good as the official figures would have you hope for (30mpg urban, 35.8 mixed cycle), but it's still better than the V8 petrol engines it's up against and pretty similar to direct competitors like the 535d. The gain is the better economy (and low emissions) around town/in traffic.

I expected the performance to be good - the set up should easily match similar powered V8s - though it had crossed my mind that it might not sound great... a high-ish revving V6 (plus whine from the electric motor??) is always going to sound harsher than a lower-revving V8. Still, you wouldn't expect excessive noise intrusion into the cabin even under full acceleration.

No satnav/phone commands on the move sounds like a pain - clearly it's a sensible safety feature to limit the commands you can use when driving (as is the case on my Subaru), but you still want to be able to make phone calls (that's the point of having blutooth!), and there are still times you want to make some simple satnav changes.

From a purely environmental viewpoint, you only have to look at the emissions figures for the GS450h and its competitors (both petrol and diesel) to know that it is the cleanest of the lot, though it would be interesting to see how it really measures up when you take whole life impact into account (including manufacture and disposal, and real world differences in emissions).

I believe the GS450h is a remarkable piece of high-tech engineering, but as with enything genuinely new I guess it'll take a while to iron out the flaws. As to whether hybrid is going to be the next big thing or merely a technological backwater, only time will tell. Toyota are clearly convinced, and it won't be long before they're the world's biggest manufacturer, but many of the others are less sure.

For my own part, purely in terms of my next car, I now have some doubts in my mind as to whether the GS450h is 'the one'. But trust me - that's a good thing. I might actually trawl around the different dealerships trying out all the options for once instead of plunging in headfirst...

[Golfer]

[ QUOTE ]

Interesting stuff, and thanks for posting.

On paper, the GS450h represents exactly what I'm looking for. A performance executive saloon that looks good (the GS is the best looking car in its class IMO), feels good inside (interior is almost up there with Audi, and better than the rest, again IMO), has genuine performance (335bhp, 0-60 in 5.9) but reasonable economy.

On top of that, I have no doubt Lexus are simply the best out there both for customer service and reliability. Having had mostly Japanese cars, I'm used to my cars only ever having to visit a dealer when it's service time - a concept that's little more than a faint dream to most VAG owners it would seem...

I knew the boot was poor (specifically had a look at it on the showroom car). For me, it's definitely big enough for 99% of journeys, but with a car that size there's always going to be times you need a bit more space - and the shape and entry to that boot are as big an issue as its size. Yes you can fit all that specially selected Samsonite luggage (wonder how much they cost?!), but if I drive a big exec car I don't want boot space to be an issue on any trip.

The exterior finish is a bit of a worry, soft paint does seem to be a Japanese trait. It'll be interesting to see how the new model GS looks when they're 3 years old... I have to say older Lexus models still look fantastic when prepared for sale.

On handling and ride - did you have the suspension on Sport or Normal setting? You would hope the Sport setting would help on the twisty stuff, and the Normal setting would soak up the bumps and give a comfortable ride. Mind you, it surely has to be better than the 5 series Sport on runflats?! I guess the extra weight of the 450h will inevitably make itself felt when pressing on, though you would hope the more even weight distribution than (for example) the GS300SE you had would help.

Fuel economy is clearly a key selling point, though it ought to be remembered this is a relative thing. Mid twenties mpg isn't as good as the official figures would have you hope for (30mpg urban, 35.8 mixed cycle), but it's still better than the V8 petrol engines it's up against and pretty similar to direct competitors like the 535d. The gain is the better economy (and low emissions) around town/in traffic.

I expected the performance to be good - the set up should easily match similar powered V8s - though it had crossed my mind that it might not sound great... a high-ish revving V6 (plus whine from the electric motor??) is always going to sound harsher than a lower-revving V8. Still, you wouldn't expect excessive noise intrusion into the cabin even under full acceleration.

No satnav/phone commands on the move sounds like a pain - clearly it's a sensible safety feature to limit the commands you can use when driving (as is the case on my Subaru), but you still want to be able to make phone calls (that's the point of having blutooth!), and there are still times you want to make some simple satnav changes.

From a purely environmental viewpoint, you only have to look at the emissions figures for the GS450h and its competitors (both petrol and diesel) to know that it is the cleanest of the lot, though it would be interesting to see how it really measures up when you take whole life impact into account (including manufacture and disposal, and real world differences in emissions).

I believe the GS450h is a remarkable piece of high-tech engineering, but as with enything genuinely new I guess it'll take a while to iron out the flaws. As to whether hybrid is going to be the next big thing or merely a technological backwater, only time will tell. Toyota are clearly convinced, and it won't be long before they're the world's biggest manufacturer, but many of the others are less sure.

For my own part, purely in terms of my next car, I now have some doubts in my mind as to whether the GS450h is 'the one'. But trust me - that's a good thing. I might actually trawl around the different dealerships trying out all the options for once instead of plunging in headfirst...

[/ QUOTE ]

Use this link to check out what the owners say about these cars.

www.lexusownersclub.co.uk

The bluetooth will allow answering of the phone through the cars controls and allow some pre-programmed numbers to be dialed.

The economy was NOT tested on the best of days and I am sure improvements can be had.

BUT build quality IS an issue and in particular paint and wheel finishs.These cars are IMHO not the most economical, I have had a new RX300SE and a new GS300SE both failed to come anywhere near the manufacturers recommened fuel economy numbers.

Many Lexus cars are re-sprayed before sale both new and secondhand, yes I here sceptics say "what crap" but it's true and quite a few are re-sprayed when NEW before the customer has taken delivery, and I know this for a fact.The technology in these cars is truely remarkable and the acceleration is as brisk as my A8TDI3.0 which is "chipped"

However it is not as quick as the 4.2TDIA8 which I drove back to back with it and I am ordering the sport model of the 4.2TDI for september, and the economy of the TDIV8 on the same day over the same roads was 36MPG and thats no bull. So you pays yer money and takes yer chance.

Test drive one for the day and see what you think. best regards AJ

Another link

www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forums/index.php

[garcon magnifique]

When the time comes, I'll definitely be aiming for 24 hour test drives in all my alternatives.

An A8 4.2TDi will almost certainly be an option - if used prices come down enough!

Having sat in CraigyB's A8 W12 last weekend, I know there are few nicer places to be than in an A8. Quality of materials and fit/finish is simply stunning.

[Golfer]

Garcon all the best and push for the best deal you can get.

I got 20% off the 4.2TDI

[garcon magnifique]

20% ?! Feck me! Well then - let's see how the finances are looking in 12 months time then...

Thanks for indulging me!

[DanG]

These have been out in the US for a while in the GX400h SUV form.

Its very odd to see one sat there at the light and then move off silently. Not even much noise from the Electric motor either.........

However, its still got a 4 liter engine! cant thing the MPG will be that great from that lump!!

[garcon magnifique]

The SUV, RX400h, has been out for a few months in the UK too.

It isn't a 4 litre petrol engine though - it's a 3 litre V6. The '400' is how Lexus rate it as an overall set up, i.e. in the RX the 3 litre petrol and two electric motors give performance equivalent to a 4 litre petrol.

Same goes in the GS450h (which has been out in the US for a month or so I think). It's a 3.5 V6 petrol plus one electric motor - slightly different set up to the RX400h, giving better performance (in Lexus speak, equivalent to a 4.5 V8 petrol).

You might be surprised at the mpg figures - both the RX SUV and GX sedan/saloon will do 30mpg around town. They're not as frugal as diesels on the motorway though.

[JaffaCake]

Just to add my 2p, albeit late.

I just swapped my MY05 GS430 for a MY05 GS430 so I'm reasonably qualified with some comments too.

My old car had a defect in the alloy 18s which showed some pitting, they were swapped out under warranty at the first service with no charge.

The paint, however, was utterly perfect and there wasn't one stone chip after 15k miles.

The sat nav is controllable whilst driving, you can choose pre-set destinations, divert around traffic, zoom, rotate map etc. The only thing you can't do is choose from a destination that hasn't been preset.

Sat nav is excellent and has always featured traffic avoidance etc. on all GS models since the MY05 launch - implication was made that this was new above. My newer car even feature the M6 Toll in the mapping for the first time.

The phone is also fully usable, you can happily receive calls and re-dial last number or from presets. Also, you can dial out using the phone. You can't dial-out from the dash though.

Both the above limited functionality is for safety reasons.

The radar adaptive cruise is the best feature I've had on any car.

audijohn - where did you get the info on Lexus being resprayed BEFORE sale?

On the 4.3 V8 GS430 I get fuel economy figures from 19-28 with 'power' mode engaged and 24-31 with 'power' mode off. The lower figures are for traffic and town driving.

If I really boot it I can get the mpg down to 14mpg, but you really have to rag it hard for the whole tank.

If you have a heavy right foot and can't learn to control it, a diesel would likely get you closer to quoted figures, but they clatter like a taxi!

Handling is subjective, but considerably better than the RX-300 for sure. Not as light and nimble as the IS.The GS-300 mentioned above has a 'mid' suspension set between the 'normal' and 'sport' switch settings on the GS-430. The 'sport' setting really helps to reduce body roll and assist in handling and grip during acceleration.

Boot space in the 430 is huge and pretty practical.

I don't like the red wood much and prefer the dark coloured stuff available on other models. I'd prefer a full leather wheel too.

Toyota/Lexus hybrid technology has already been licensed to many manufacturers including Ford and Porsche.

Lexus recently took the JD Power customer satisfaction survey for the 6th year running and even managed to be the most improved brand whilst already being first!

[ian_m]

Ahh I think I remember your posts