What is it?

Now nearing the end of its third generation, the GS slots in above the sporty IS and below the luxury-laden LS. It’s sized about like the tremendously popular ES 350, but the GS offers rear-wheel-drive and a much higher price tag – not to mention the optional V8 seen in our tester.

Its basic style is derivative of the original Giugiaro-penned 1991 GS300 (a rebadged Toyota Aristo), but the latest car was introduced for 2006. Smoother and suaver than the second-generation GS – notable for its Shakespearean “Something wicked this way comes” ad campaign – the S190-platform car retains the two-engine configuration of its predecessor.

As enthusiasts, we jumped at the range-topping GS 460 with its 342-horsepower 4.6-liter V8. A hybrid – dubbed GS 450h – was briefly on offer before sluggish sales forced its removal from the North American market.

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    Luxury Options
    Within the ultra-quiet Lexus GS interior, all styles of music come to life with the optional Mark Levinson® Premium Sound system. Featuring 11 channels of amplification with a total of 330 watts p ...

    Front passenger occupant classification system
    Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classification system. This system detects the conditions of the front passenger seat and activates or deactivates the devices for front pa ...

    Head restraints
    Head restraints are provided for all seats. 1. Up. Pull the head restraints up. 2. Down. Push the head restraint down while pressing the lock release button. Removing the head restraints P ...