Excerpts from Car and Driver Magazine's review
of the 2013 GS:
The new GS350, the fourth generation of the company’s
mid-range sedan, will be the standard-bearer of Lexus’s
new, more “passionate” approach to the premium-car
market. Our first driving experience in camouflaged
examples of the car, in both standard and F-Sport versions,
bear out that oft-repeated passion claim.
The ’13 GS sits on a two-inch-wider track, giving it a more
planted look. It is, as is the fashion, festooned with LEDs
front and rear. Its one truly distinctive visual signature is a
new front grille shape that Lexus calls “spindle” shaped.
Okay. It looks something like a large square grille that been
cinched in about two-thirds of the way up either side.
Expect to see a lot of this shape in the coming years.
When the GS350 goes on sale in February of 2012, it’ll be
powered by a largely carry-over 3.5-liter V-6, which uses
both port and direct injection. The engine makes 306 hp
at 6400 rpm (a bump of 3 hp from the last GS350) and
277 lb-ft of torque at 4800. The car carries a six-speed
automatic transmission. It will be available in rear or
all-wheel-drive versions.
Inside the slightly larger interior is mounted a massive
12.3-inch infotainment screen on which owners can
noodle with Pandora, conduct local searches on Bing,
and a host of other options. Lexus has packed that interior
with all manner of standard and optional electronic
whiz-bangery. The optional Mark Levinson audio system
pumps out 835 watts. Sensors in the seats allow the
climate-control system to direct flow to passenger and
not empty seats, says the company, which also claims
a nice bump in system efficiency for the effort. There’s a
new infrared camera mounted to the steering column that
keeps an eye on where your eyes are pointed. The camera
is integrated into the car’s pre-collision system, so that if a
crash appears imminent and the driver is not looking ahead,
he’ll get an earlier warning signal than the system would
otherwise provide. The system can, of course, initiate braking
as well. There’s a bevy of other tricks too, including night vision,
a head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, and active lane-keep assist.
