Hello,
What are your thoughts on 2014 GS350 v 2014 E350?

 

Can you tell us a bit more about which model of each you are considering? The E350 came in both a luxury and a sport model, in rear wheel drive and all wheel drive. The GS350 came in a couple of trim levels as well. This will make a difference in the comparison. Also mention what warranties are offered or available.


I don't have direct comparison experience, but I now drive an E400 and previously drove a 2001 LS430 for almost 15 years.


If you can tell us more about which models/options you are considering, we can offer more specific opinions.


In general, my opinion is that your total cost of ownership will likely be less on the GS, but the E350 will be a more engaging car to drive.

 

Hi,
2014 e350 4matic sport
2014 gs350 AWD

 

I drive the 2014 E350 sport. Great pick up but trans is jerky. Not all the E350 sport have the jerky trans. Only some have it and happen to have gotten one. you get used to it not being smooth shifting. Interior is roomy and comfortable. I get about 33 mpg on highway. I have the 6 cylinder not the 4. Overall a great car. Never drove a GS350 so I cannot comment. Good luck on your choice either one is a good choice.

 

I will offer an admittedly biased opinion. I see based on your info you currently drive a newer Accord. A fine car by any right. Having owned ~ 10 Japanese cars, appreciating them all differently, I'd break it down to a simple question. Do you want to drive, or do you prefer an appliance? The GS is nice inside, exterior is subjective, quiet, and if you can deal with the mouse, a fine place to be. The facelift W212 E will seem a bit colder inside, but SO much more engaging to drive. I have fun in my E, but if what you really want is luxury and isolation, the Lexus will be the best option. The E, in this comparison, is the driver's car.

 

Get the gs350.

Transmission is better, better ride quality, less cabin noise, IMO more fun to drive, more reliable, and better resale value.

I would not buy another e 350 in the dated platform.

 

Really (Toyota) I mean Lexus???????

 

 

I test drove GS350 (F Sport, awd), BMW 535 xdrive sport and E350 sport 4matic back to back at least 3 times each, before pulling the trigger on E350.
I used to drive 2000 GS400 then 2007 E550 so I am very familiar with how Lexus and Mecedes differ in many ways.

I believe one of the biggest misconception is that Lexus is cheaper than Mercedes to maintain. That's totally false. I still own Lexus GX470 also. To get services from dealer, they are about the same. Failure rate on various parts are about the same, too, at least for E-class which one of the most reliable model among Mercedes line-up.

For the parts, Lexus tends to be higher than Mercedes for most wear and tear items as well commonly replaced parts on suspension.

On the driving side, GS350 feels somewhat sportier but overly refined compared to E350 which feels more raw and solid. Gear shifting is slower in GS350 as well. GS350 feels more cramped inside for both front and rear seats. However, it's a little quieter in GS350 and build material is a little better also.

Lexus really tried hard to make GS a sport sedan, but they just don't know how to make it right like Germans. They do make good trucks and luxury sedans with comfy suspensions.

 

I have to agree with most of the previous posters. The Lexus is a great car to ride in, but the MB is a great car to drive.


Also, if you want to spice things up a bit, go for the E400. It will run circles around the GS, although it is a bit more costly.

 

Drive both a lot and decide which features are more important. Also, both MB and Lexus have been altering this class of cars for various reasons so a 2013 or earlier or 2015/16 may not be same as 2014.
My experience has been Japanese build more reliable, less costly to own cars. Maintenance will be cheaper in a Toyota product if you keep the car a long time. MB parts and services for major items are expensive.
Incidentally, you are asking MB E Class people which they recommend. Not a totally unbiased group. Assume you have posted question on similar Lexus site.

 

I was going to say something like that, but my prior experience with MB was quite a while ago. I had a 1988 190E 2.3 (purchased new) for 8 years, and by the time I sold it, the annual repair and maintenance costs were equal to probably half the cash value of the car annually.


By the time my Lexus LS430 got to that point (annual repair costs equal half the cash value of the car), it was over 14 years old.


The Japanese cars seem to just keep going and going (think "Energizer Bunny") but the driver engagement factor is enough to bring me back to the German autos.

 

At the end of the day, drive happy. Of all the Japanese cars I have had, they have all been Nissan/Infiniti. I still have a 1995 300ZX. My wife and I now drive M-B, but I'll borrow the slogan from 90's Nissan...Enjoy the ride.

 

Have you been to the dealer recently? I was there for a different issue and they saw that my car, also a 2014 E350 sport, had an available software update for the engine or transmission control unit. Ever since they installed the update, the trans shifts much smoother, both in comfort and sport logic modes. Might be worth a look.

 

1+ to that. I asked them to update the software during my routine service and they "found" that there is an available update pending. Now the transmission is buttery smooth as I wanted it to be. My only regret is that I should have done this sooner.

 

When I dumped 2 brand new e550's over the clunky trans ... I never thought it would take TWO YEARS for Benz to finally figure out the special secret in the software to get the trans shifting smooth.

 

I've owed several E's, the latest was a 2013 E350 Sport. Currently I have a 2015 Lexus GS 350. So I thought I would chime in here with the Lexus point of view! But, honestly you can't go wrong with either car!


The GS350 is Lexus attempt to build a BMW 535 (Motor Trend said it succeeded), particularly if you get a model with the F sport option. I much prefer the drive train of the Lexus (engine & trans). The Lexus transmission is 8 speed and is much superior to the MBZ. The Lexus always seems to be in the right gear, downshifts without delay, and will hold a gear without upshifting too quickly under aggressive driving. It also has rev matching. Every Mercedes I have driven, my E's and even a brand new C that I recently drove, all up shift too soon under all driving conditions(even in sport mode) in my opinion. When you put the Lexus into sport mode, significant changes happen! The trans will really hold a gear, throttle gets more aggressive, the steering gets more aggressive, and suspension is tightened up.


So contrary to what a previous poster said, I think the Lexus is more of a drivers car. Also, Lexus comes with more options standard. Even standard sound system is far superior to the Mercedes HK premium sound system.


The E350 has a lot going for it too. It has MBZ prestige and style. Lexus is somewhat band and looks like other Toyota/Lexus models. MBZ is quieter inside, and has that stable German feel to the ride. The Lexus feels a little light somehow, and is very "pitchy" and dives forward easily when braking. I prefer a lot of the systems on the MBZ, although the Lexus appears more hi tech, it does not equate to easy or efficient operations. No folding down back seats in Lexus either. MBZ has better blind spot monitor system too.


But as I said you can't go wrong with either car!

 

Ahhh, the Lexus GS350, a face only a mother can love.

 

My thoughts, exactly!


Also, my comparison may not be an exact one, since I only drove the GS350 as a short-term loaner, and I am comparing it to an E400. I guess the debate could go either way comparing the GS350 to the E350. The E400 is a somewhat different animal.

 

I know its a year model but I am coming from a 2010 GS350 to the 2011 e550. But all the GS350 are still using the same drive train from 2007. The gs is definitely fun to drive and good on gas. You do get that dis connected from the road feel in the Lexus. The cabin isn't quite as quiet as the Mercedes also. But in my 4 years of owning the GS. All I had to do was regular maintenance. Never a single hiccup with that car. Reliability at its finest in my opinion. But after getting into my E class I would never look back. Two totally different driving experiences.

 

Reliability is sometimes the luck of the draw. I had a 2008 Lexus GS350 that spend a lot of time in the shop, the dash was taken apart a couple of times, rattles that the dealers could not fix and a starting problem. I also had two other Lexus prior to that which were super reliable.
The new GS350's engine is the same but the transmission is new, its a very nice engine, port and direct injection, but it does not have the low end torque found in the turbocharged E400. The new GS350 F sport is a very nice handling car, too bad the front end is ugly as sin and the profile and rear end is bland. Lexus spend a lot of money on the current GS350 and were hoping they would hit a homerun, sales wise, they barely made it onto first base.

 

I'm a certifiable Lexus homer with one still in my garage, but am now happily driving a Merc today. I never imagined that I'd jump ship. I truly wanted to stay with Lexus and kept waiting for them to make something that appealed to me, but I grew weary of waiting. I'm a mid-size sport sedan guy: I like them fast and stealthy (and if I can get it in AWD all the better). Lexus doesn't do that anymore, but the Merc fits the bill with their biturbo E550.

I don't want to see a thread about what's more reliable, but my experience with two Lexus has been outstanding. That said, we know our W212 rates exceedingly well in the various reliability tests so I've got my fingers crossed that it'll translate to a low cost of ownership.

More importantly, I'm disappointed with Lexus' product offering. Sales are up and they're making more money than ever, but they're NOT focused on the niche enthusiast segment anymore. I firmly believe they're catering to sheeple that want a lux badge and don't care about performance. It's admittedly working for Lexus, but enthusiasts are left out in the cold which drive me to leave the brand.
* They're STILL using essentially the same 3.5L V6 and 6spd tranny from the '07 GS350 AWD. Just over 300hp, big boring woop. The RWD uses the 8spd tranny, but the AWD still uses the old 6spd.
* They're STILL using the 4.6L V8 in their LS from '09 that is likely a derivative of their older still 4.3L V8 from '02 and maybe their origial 4L V8 from 1990... regardless, it guzzles gas with class-trailing performance.
* Their F-Sport pkgs are lipstick. They're just aesthetic pkgs. Aside from the overweight RC-F (new last year, not awd) and spendy GS-F (new this year, not awd), they use the same powerplants as the standard non-F variants.

All this said, I won't go so far as to say that my old GS was uninspiring or inspiring to drive. It's about as engaging as my E, but it's not like my E requires any special skills to drive or magically tells me what's going on down at the tire contact patches. It just goes down the road where I point it. The Lexus Camry err ES might be a modern day Buick (or LS for that matter), but my old GS and current E aren't much different. I don't get the "appliance" argument.

 

There's still no better advice than to drive both, likely more than once and preferably back to back and see what you think.