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.
See also:
Hill-start assist control
Hill-start assist control helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards
when starting on an incline or slippery slope.
To engage hill-start assist control,
further depress the brake
peda ...
Clock
Without navigation system
1. Adjusts the hour.
2. Adjusts the minutes.
3. Rounds to the nearest hour.*
*: e.g. 1:00 to 1:29 → 1:00
1:30 to 1:59 → 2:00
With navigation system
1. ...
Seat position memory (front passenger’s seat)
Your preferred front passenger seat position can be memorized and recalled with the touch of a button.
Two different seat positions can be entered into memory.
Entering a position to memory ...