So a friend of mine got it as a Loaner. Amazingly, he (who is not a car buff) thought it was an "old car" and was "upset at the Serviceman for giving me something that was so old and had a dash that reminded me of an old Cadillac with the huge gaping area".

Very rushed "Review" (might not be so coherent right now):

Styling: Having my (extremely dirty) E in front of it, to me really made the E look like it costs double, or triple. The E's complex yet restrained, tight and bulging sheetmetal made the GS's look bland, not as precise, generic, "thin", did I say bland?, etc. The E looks so much more dynamic, stately, solid, classic, aggressive, sporty all at the same time than the GS does. The chiseled and bulging yet lean and rigidly straight textures/lines of the E make the GS look slab-sided/formed. The E's angular cunning qualities give the GS a comparatively homely, matronly look, IMO, and I wasn't alone. Needless to say, to me the Benz oozes with "Soul", the Lexus seems to not know what it means.... On the other hand.... The GS, aside from an ugly front, isn't "ugly" at all I don't think. The sheetmetal is smooth, simple, fairly pure, the rear is pretty square, flat, and bland which makes it look quite Toyota-cheap. Overall it's an elegant design which is very mature, save for the ugly front and cheap-ish rear. In some sunset-style lights the very subtle lines show up and they can look even a bit sensual.

Interior: More soft touch surfaces than the E, but doesn't feel as solid, nor teutonic. The E's doors "clank" like it's a tank, everything feels heavy, solid, while the Lexus, everything feels light, though refined. I like the E's fit and finish better, and its design. The GS's screen is needlessly huge, and the interior design is not my thing really, but it's a great interior on its own. More "cuddly" than the E's. Something about the shapes, the forms, the contours of the parts' design in a Lexus (or most Japanese cars to me) just lacks "sexiness". The look/slant/shape of the A-Pillar from the interior for example.... something about them.... just ugly.

The Lexus infotainment system is HORRIBLE. I've NEVER used something so needlessly complex and difficult. I couldn't even figure out how to listen to the radio and switch stations! It's like they wanted it to be complex to make it appear "cool". The "mouse" is not intuitive or useful, etc. It reminds me of trying to use a Microsoft product after being used to an Apple product (complicated VS simple).

Drive: The drive is typical Lexus with a sporty flair. The motor feels peppy and effortless. Doesn't feel significantly more or less powerful than my E's, but I'd say a bit more pep and a tad extra "lightness" is where the extra HP show up. If I didn't know the HP differences, I'd probably think they're very closely powered. The tranny isn't as smooth as the 7G, and feels like it wants to kick around more. You find it downshifting a lot more and getting the engine to make more noise. On the other hand, this could be on purpose to make it feel more "sporty".... the tranny and motor tuning do feel more eager, but it's not as smooth operating as the E there. I feel like the tranny hampers the car from feeling all so much more powerful than my 38 less HP car.

(EDIT: I just realized the GS has a 6-Speed.... and that explains it.... you notice the lack of gearing in comparison.... it makes response less tight and you find the RPM's being more wild upon downshift/upshift.... i.e not in the right powerband).

Handling feels alright, the car can be tossed around a bit. It feels perhaps a bit more tossable than the E, though it doesn't feel as tight/firm/planted, so it isn't as confidence inspiring. It feels light and more nimble while the E feels appropriately heavy and "cruiser-ish" (the way I personally like it).

The E treks more solidly and heavily, while the GS is easier to drive. The E has more of a "sense of occasion" to me, but the GS has probably a more dynamic ride than the E. The GS is about as comfortable as the E350, it goes over bumps MUCH BETTER, it's about as quiet with perhaps less road noise, while handling pretty well. The E feels "safer", and it feels more "iron solid", more like it will plow through what's in front of it (I prefer the E's take again, but the GS has a ride that can please a lot of people due to it doing many things at once). I wanted to initially say that the GS might feel like it handles better, but considering both cars have that "float" when you turn, the E feeling more poised and planted makes me feel like it might feel better handling to me. Then again, the Lexus' steering feels more precise and on point, yet not as heavy as the E's. Considering I haven't truly tossed either around, it's comes down to what you prefer.

Other thoughts. Fit and finish on the E Class is much better in all areas I feel. The exterior of the GS I found to have some panel gaps that aren't perfect. Also, you have things like this.... Firstly, Lexus uses cheap looking plasti-chrome to line the windows, while M-B uses high quality aluminum. Also, the Lexus actually SHOWS YOU THE SEAM-LINE, which is unacceptable IMO, and something M-B doesn't do.



And for some bad pics (this was all I could get): *My car is WAY dirtier than it's ever been and the Lex is freshly washed, to note:*

 

The back looks like the new Camry.

 

Thanks, W212 is too good for LExus , I knew that and thankx for verifying that

4th pic , Lexus's rear end looks like it was compressed or rear ended by some sorta big vehicle

 

oh, my! the third and fourth pics make the lexus looks really like a corolla .

 

oh boy, another fooking lexus thread

 

When I read the title of your thread, I was hoping to read an informative, interesting, and unbiased review of the new Lexus GS350. Instead you have used the opportunity to once again showcase your own car and praise it's "teutonic" superiority while trashing the competition. Just to address a minor point of your review addressing the "infotainment system" as being so complex that it would take an electrical engineer to understand "how to listen to the radio and switch stations," allow me to help you. The little knob on the left side of the radio turns it on and off and adjusts the volume. The little knob on the right side of the radio tunes the stations, pretty much like all radios produced since the 1920's. That's really not too complex for you is it? The button marked "Mode" will switch between AM/FM/SAT, etc. Or you can get really complex and use the Mode Button right in front of you on the steering wheel. You can also use the buttons on the steering wheel to adjust the volume if you are really technically inclined. A little more time spent in acquainting yourself with the features of the car might have changed your predetermined and biased opinions of the car. I would heartily recommend a test drive with an informative salesman who could demonstrate some of the features of the car and how simple and intuitive it is to operate them. You also might like to test the GS350 Sport while you are at it, and after some aggressive driving, let us know how it compares to the performance of your E-350.The review appears to simply be another excuse for you to praise your German marvel of engineering and elegance and to trash the competition, whether it be Lexus, BMW, Audi, or whatever. As much as I generally enjoy yours posts, I was sadly disappointed with this one.

 

The faux exhaust tips look far worse than ours. They need some Italians to help design these cars, they're getting as bad as Acura and the hideous TL line.

 

To my eye, the new GS looks like a mix of the current Lexus IS and the new Camry. Not an ugly vehicle, but, this new GS just does nothing for me. Maybe it will grow on me.

 

Did I hurt your feelings?

C'mon now, It is, after all, MY review, and is 110% accurate from my point of view. If you read through it, you'll see proper praise to the cars driving. Design is very emotional to me, therefore you'll always get an emotional response out of me when it comes to that subject. And yes, I am always proud when my car aesthetically trounces the competition, and pay enough for it to happily gush when I deem fit.

I didn't have time to learn myself how the system works. I found the "mouse pad" to be sloppy and indirect, and every time I hit a toggle to change stations, be it the knob on the dash, the wheel buttons, or the mouse route, it switched from AM to FM. I got frustrated while driving and just turned the damn thing off. Sure, I could figure it out parked if I gave myself a minute, but I didn't really feel the necessity. Also, the toggle that switches to "Sport Mode" made no sense. Click it right and it goes to Sport, click it left and it does nothing? I couldn't even find how to change it from the sport mode. Again, all this stuff could be learned quick I'm sure, but it's not as intuitive as the Germans, who typically have it laid out for even the idiot in us.

 

Is that Lexus really considered to be in the same class as the E-350? Just looking at the pictures it isn't even close.

 

Seriously. It sounds like an exaggeration, but seeing them especially next to each other (I later pulled them out side by side), the E looks like it should cost an exuberant amount more. The GS drives very well, but THAT aforementioned aspect is priceless to me.

 

Nice review. I agree but I kind of like the new GS's styling, although very Toyota like. Fit and finish Im sure isnt as good as the E but the reliability is obviously better.

Also, I consider PC's far easier to use than Mac's...must be an Engineers thing

 

Thanks. Yeah it's funny, my real "techy" friends like PC's and find them so intuitive, but when they explain why.... it sounds like another language to me, lol, however for me and those similar to me (family, friends, etc.) in that aspect, we can't get around PC's especially after using the very user friendly Mac's.

 

I'm in the market right now and I drove the GS350. I was pretty shocked at how well it handled. Definitely a sporty feel to it. The only concern... and I mean the ONLY concern.... I have about going with the E350 Sport is that I'll be bored. I really enjoy driving and taking the occasional curves and while I've only driven the E350 BRIEFLY the experience (steering, handling) seemed very "disconnected" to me. Were there any changes to the 2012 (besides the DI motor)?

With regard to LOOKS... hands down, the E wins. I drool every time I see one and you feel like GOD behind the wheel of a TANK sitting in the drivers seat.

 

Very entertainning review, as always and as typical. But all I can think of is (based from the pics) why anyone prefer to drive mercedes (and the likes) over living in a better place/area? I dont think even for lexus deserve that kind of parking garage.

And yes K-A, I can see your car is extremely dirty

 

That E350 definitely spices up the garage!

 

Give me a BREAK! I'm gushing all over myself......with laughter!

For a minute there, I thought you were talking about a WOMAN.

So how did it feel to be sitting on Real Genuine Leather for a change instead of that cheap plastic MB Tex?

 

hi KA, ever consider some color matched side markers for your car?
that would look nice

 

Have not looked at the GS in person, but pictures so far do not impress me. Having seen pics of 2013 ES, I must say the front of GS is not near as ugly as the ES. However, the GS' shovel/scoo[/snow blower nose (IMO) is very ugly. It alone will be enough to keep me from considering Lexus products in the future. Rumor has it that all Lexus', including next LS, will have the scoop nose.
To me, the E class looks like a luxury sports sedan, inside and out, and the GS looks like a tarted up Totyota Camry. Even the 2013 Avalon looks better!
BTW, my other two vehicles are Toyotas and have owned them in past. In fact, I referred my sister and my attorney to Toyota.
The one thing Lexus has that MB doesn't, and probably never will, is a good solid reputation for dependability and reliability.

As for MB Tex vs. leather, give me the MB Tex every time. Have had too many problems with leather seats in luxury cars in the past. BTW, everybody who rides in my car is impressed with the "leather" seats and the "plastic" wood trim. Go figure.

 

Dick...

 

Lol. That's not my place nor garage. Though I AM the type to have a nice car cut into my "life's budget" more than a nice place, I must admit.

Actually, I like the MB Tex more. I couldn't tell if the Lexus had real or fake leather (having MB Tex spoils me to the point where sometimes it's hard to tell which is which). I did like the smell betterthough, however, my Mom has a Lexus ES and that nice new leather turns really ugly, worn out, and smelly after a while.... so I pick the Tex.

Seriously, right?! Lol.

Hype: I actually haven't really. I guess I'm used to the black markers but I've gotten constructive criticism online by some of my brethren that they stick out like sore thumbs.... I think if I keep the car after the Lease I'll probably think about painting 'em.

 

Cool review, thanks K-A!
Just curious...
I assume since you got it as a loaner so he is driving a Lexus not an MB product?

 

A friend of mine just got a 2006 IS350 and he was really pushing how great it is, and how "MB and BMW drivers are just paying for the badge." Beyond the fact that I found that insulting, I spent some time driving his Lexus and it just didn't do anything for me. The dash display looks like a video game, and the ride is not impressive. I'm a music buff, and the stereo stood out as being noticeably inferior to my HK system. When I got back into my C, I was reminded of how refined the ride and interior is compared to the Lexus.

Sure, the IS350 is faster, but that's because it has a bigger engine (among other things). Duh. I told my friend "Look, until you're in the 4 sec zone 0-60, you're not driving a sports car anyway."

I test drove many Lexus and Acura over the years, and they just don't compare well in my opinion, but it all depends on what you're looking for in a car.

 

Thanks and not a prob!

Yeah, he's got a newer ES.