2006 Lexus GS430 - A Sense of Classic Elegance

By Isaac Bouchard
Contributing Automotive Writer

A combination of refinement, reliability, and unsurpassed customer service have made Lexus a perennial winner of JD Power awards, and surveys show Americans rank the company with Mercedes Benz as the two 'most aspire to own' luxury brands. This is all the more remarkable in that the company didn't even exist prior to 1989.

Perhaps the only ingredients missing for the Japanese upstart have been hard-core performance and world-class style. The new smaller IS350 nails the performance angle, and its big-brother GS430 certainly has a sense of classic elegance. L-finesse is what Lexus calls its new aesthetic, and by the evidence of these two models, it appears to be more than lip service. Gone is the pastiche of German-lite design ques, replaced by taut surfaces, interesting detailing, and an aggressive stance. Note how the width of the chrome trim elegantly changes on the GS, and how the grill shape is echoed for the video screen surround.

The rest of the interior boasts fascinating shapes and surface textures, including the "S" shape embossed into the door panels. Perhaps a bit of the sense of occasion that Audis and recent Benzes offer is missing, but it is more than made up for with a generous count of standard equipment and comfort.

One area where the Lexus pulls clearly ahead of the German rivals is in the area of driver-car interface. You wont find any ATM-like control panels or mice running rampant. Instead, several clearly delineated buttons access menus for things like the (best in class) Mark Levinson DVD-audio system, climate control, and navigation. Then you simply use the large touch screen. Aside from fingerprint smudges, this concept simply trounces the opposition for ease of use and, more importantly, the ability to keep the driver focused on driving.

Ah, the drive, you say. This is the last bastion of superiority for the Europeans. Has Lexus finally cracked the code, allowing its sports/lux cars to both ride and handle well? Perhaps not completely. Most body motions are well damped, but sharp pavement blemishes are too faithfully transmitted to the GS430's occupants, undermining the otherwise fine ride. And despite boasting networked computer systems for brakes, steering, and chassis settings, the Lexus feels artificial and aloof when pressed hard. Since the various safety-nannies cannot be disengaged, there's no way to tell if the lack of communication with the driver is due to electronic intervention or a fundamental lack of precision in the bushings, damper settings, or suspension geometry. Maybe Lexus should hire Mike Cross, Jaguar's chassis guru, to show 'em how it should be done.

In the area of powertrain development, the GS is merely average. The long-serving Lexus V8 is silky smooth and fairly frugal, but never intoxicating. The six-speed auto box does its best to make up for any perceived lack of horsepower or torque, but isn't intuitive in manumatic mode, refusing to match revs on downshifts and sometimes overriding the driver's wishes. It's probably only a matter of time before this modest shortcoming is addressed, since the replacement for the top-tier LS model will boast a new V8 that should filter down the range. What keeps the Lexus in the hunt here is a comparatively svelte weight that helps it turn decent numbers on the drag strip and at the pumps.

In the final analysis we have a perfectly desirable ride that is just short of the perfection Lexus aims for; address the brittle ride and lack of driver feedback, add a truly lusty engine (the upcoming hybrid GS450h may be the answer), and Lexus' plans for world domination may be complete.

For more information www.lexus.com

COMPETITION: BMW 550i, Cadillac STS, Infiniti M45, Jaguar S-type, Mercedes Benz E500.

HIGHS: Style, user interface, quality, durability, Lexus' first rank customer service.

LOWS: Fussy ride, slightly sub-par powertrain, lack of involvement.

VEHICLE PRICING: $52,025 base; $59,550 hard-loaded

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