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:
Past Lexus GS 300 Models
Consumers shopping for a used Lexus GS 300 will come across plenty of
examples from the second generation, sold from 1998-2005. Like the later
version, it was a luxury sedan at heart and really wa ...
But does it go?
With less horsepower on tap than its V8 rivals, the GS 460 won’t win
stoplight races. That hardly means that it’s a slouch, however, its eight-speed
automatic firing off quick shifts even when lef ...
Safety
Talk about fully loaded! The 2010 GX 460 is chock-full of safety features,
including front knee airbags, side-impact airbags for the first and second rows,
and side curtain airbags for all three r ...