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:
RX 450h in the Market
I've personally never understood car shoppers' desire to get a hybrid version
of a luxury car or SUV, even if the mileage gains are significant, as they are
in the RX; these buyers can afford more ...
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 ...
Power windows
The power windows can be opened and closed using the switches.
Operating the switch moves the windows as follows:
1. Closing.
2. One-touch closing*.
3. Opening.
4. One-touch opening*.
*:Pushin ...