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:

    Suspension
    The Lexus CT 200h features a bespoke suspension design which combines an L-arm type MacPherson strut front system with a new, fullyindependent double wishbone and trailing arm architecture to the ...

    Overview
    Lexus is expanding choices in its popular IS sport sedan line for 2011, adding a 306-horsepower Lexus IS 350 all-wheel drive (AWD) model and offering a new F Sport Package for the IS 250/350 rear- ...

    Safety/Security Features
    A reinforced passenger compartment helps protect the occupants with front- and rear-crush structures. Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters are used for the front and outboard rear seats. In a ...