The statement is getting old and tired, but bears repeating – Lexus needs to attract younger buyers; ideally yesterday. While the affable local MD, Sean Hanley, has been known to scoff at his German competition for their definition of luxury, they’re taking the buyers Lexus wants with their niche-filling model range.
Lexus made their first foray into going younger with this GS, which has been around a year or so. It’s much sharper looking, looks like it’s related to halo cars like the LF-A and IS-F but also carries the ‘h’ tag – hybrid.
Younger person friendly? We’ve got one for three months to find out.
VALUE
The GS300h range kicks off with the Luxury at $79,000 before topping out at a heady $102,000 for the Sport Luxury. We’ve got the mid-spec F Sport, which starts at $87,000 before options.
The standard equipment list is long. There are heated and cooled front sports seats, the driver’s seat has a memory function, a 12-speaker stereo with sat-nav and DAB, paddle shifters on the steering wheel, bi-xenon active headlights, keyless entry and start, multi-function steering wheel controls, auto-wipers, voice recognition and voice recognition.
Our car also has the $6000 Enhancement Pack 2 – adding head-up display, sunroof and active cruise control.
DESIGN
The Lexus F Sport version takes the sharp-looking GS and adds black honeycomb to the signature Lexus spindle-grille, arguably improving the look of the car. The F Sport pack also comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, lower suspension and a generally more aggressive look.
From some angles some of the bulging is a bit awkward, but down low and dead ahead, it looks like it might eat you. The LED daytime running lights add a high-tech feel as do the LED rears. It looks the part, just like every Lexus bar the ES or non F Sport CT200h.
SAFETY
There’s airbags everywhere in here: ten to be exact, including side and curtain airbags for both rows of passengers as well as knee bags for both front occupants. Added to that are the usual ABS/EBD, traction and stability control and pre-tensioned seatbelts.
There’s no ANCAP performance rating because the GS has not been tested by either ANCAP or EuroNCAP. We will be extremely surprised if it isn’t given a five-star rating.
INFOTAINMENT
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about Lexuses is the infotainment system. As with the CT200h and ES line, there’s a fabulously irritating mouse clicker on the centre console that is painful to use. The interface is dated (but works very well once you’re used to it) and offers a range of functions.
The 12-speaker audio is crisp and clear, especially when you’ve got the DAB digital radio going, which in these early days seems excellent at resisting drop-outs. We will report on this again as we spend our months with the car.
The screen also hosts the now de-rigeur diagram of the car showing where the power is flowing – into or out of the electric and internal combustion engine. That keeps passengers entertained for hours.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
Here’s where it gets really complicated. The 300h combines a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor.
The petrol unit develops up to 100 kW and the electric motor reaches a peak of 130kW. This doesn’t mean a combined 230 kW because of the two power sources develop their peaks at different revs – Lexus quotes a maximum combined power output of 164kW.
What Lexus won’t do is quote a combined torque figure. Electric motors produce torque instantly and the 300h has 300Nm from the electric motor and 221 Nm from the petrol. Again, you don’t add the two together (that would be an impressive 521Nm) but neither will Lexus quote a total torque figure.
Drive goes through the rear wheels, with a CVT automatic carrying the power from the two sources. The automatic can be overridden by paddle shifters which allow you to switch between pre-determined ratios if you disagree with the ratio chosen by the computer.
Drive goes through the rear wheels, with an auto carrying the power from the two power sources.
Lexus claims 5.2 litres per hundred kilometres for the combined cycle.
DRIVING
If you’re hoping for a cheaper 5 Series or E-Class rival in the dynamics department, this isn’t it. The 300h can’t match the punch of even the 520d’s diesel engine or the performance of the traditional automatics in the German competitors.
Where the Lexus does excel is comfort and refinement. It’s an incredibly quiet car, no matter which combination of power sources is in operation, as long as you keep the accelerator away from the carpet.
Even in F Sport trim, you’ll waft around, with only really serious bumps affecting your impression of being shut away from the world. It is in every sense a Lexus in that regard, comparing favourably with the hushed, almost silent cabin of the larger LS460.
While Lexus claims you can get around purely on electric power, don’t think you’ll be purring through town with a smug green look on your face – as soon as you get any sort of momentum, the petrol engine cuts in and you’re pumping out the CO2 again.
So far, we’ve only had the GS to try around the city, where it has performed admirably, if slowly – the 9.2 second dash to 100km/h sounds slightly optimistic and going for gaps requires the occasional deep breath.
SUMMING UP 3.5/5
For the first of its three months, we haven’t exactly exercised the GS but it has done a terrific job of carrying us around to various mundane, domestic activities like work, school and shopping. The huge list of standard features makes the cabin a nice place to be and even in horrible stop-start traffic is calming.
Over the next couple of months we’ll stretch it a bit, with longer trips planned and an eagle eye on the fuel consumption. We’ve so far averaged 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres almost exclusively in Sydney peak hours, so it’s doing well.
We’ll see if we come to not only admire, but love the GS over the next ten weeks.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
GS 300h Luxury 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid four-door sedan: $79,000
GS 300h F Sport 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid four-door sedan: $87,000
GS 300h Sport Luxury 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid four-door sedan: $102,000
Note: Prices do not include government or dealer charges. Contact your local Lexus dealer for driveaway pricing.
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Electronic Stability Program: Standard in all models
Rear Parking Sensors: Standard in all models
Reversing Camera: Standard in all models
USB/Auxiliary Audio Inputs: Standard in all models
Bluetooth: Standard in all models
Steering Wheel Mounted Controls: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Lexus GS 300h F Sport 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid four-door sedan)
ENGINE
Engine Capacity: 2.494 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 12.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 83.0 x 77.0 mm
Maximum Power: 164 kW @ 6000 rpm (combined)
Maximum Torque: 221 Nm @ 5400 rpm (engine only)
DRIVETRAIN
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Continuously variable
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4850 mm
Wheelbase: 2850 mm
Width: 1840 mm
Height: 1455 mm
Turning Circle: 11 metres
Kerb Mass: 1820 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 66 litres
Towing Ability: Not supplied
Boot Capacity: 451 litres
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Double wishbone
Rear Suspension: Multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.2 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Fuel Type: Petrol 98RON
Fuel Consumption – Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 5.2 L/100 km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 8/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Four years/100,000 km
Related Posts:
Powered by Contextual Related Posts
