Tone the Bone

Give me half an hour, guys. Tony

I am going to claim it :D My car was delivered on April 15th, first day. Re: Photos: I agree with you, but any photos I can take do not match the standards possible by the professionals, and there have been loads of those available on Lexus UK, Lexus Europe, Toyota media website, etc I have been trying to take some pics of some of the details not shown on those pictures, but these LED interior lights are very difficult. Some only come on when it is dark, and give a diffuse glow. A picture would not be interesting - an example - there is an LED light under the each of front seats lighting the rear passenger footwells. Doesn't make an interesting picture. :) Another example is that as well as putting on the cabin lights, opening the door [when dark] puts on five lights within the door - a white one pointing down to the floor under the door, a red one for safety [as in the past], a further white one pointing inwards but at the floor, one within the door handle recess, and one shining down from under the external mirror. I write this as other driving innovations are not noticeable, the car is smooth and quiet, as before, so the many technological improvements that there must be are not obvious to the driver. In the metal, the car is better loooking than the MkII GS. I was never under the illusion it was a good looking car [i had 2 :) ] . It looks sleeker and lower, but isn't lower. Dimensions are very similar. Probably the best view photographically is from the side as in John's avatar [a professional shot]. Even then, it looks better in the metal, with sunshine :P All of this is my humble opinion ;) Regards, Tony

Hi John, Congratulations on the new car :D It's a great feeling, and another novelty for me is having a car when there are very very few like it on the road. Have you worked out the sequences for when the blue interior lights work? For example the steering wheel is only lit up after dark on entry and exit. Re phone: I have an XDA type phone, and this makes a Bluetooth connection, but I also cannot download my phone numbers. I think the trick may be to copy one's favourite 100 numbers to a clean SIM card in a Nokia phone, then download them from that phone. The handbook also states you should have the engine running when transferring. Regards, Tony

Hahaha - now edited to 200 :D T

Hi John, I am still busy at work [to pay for Lexus :D ] Should have some time this afternoon to wash and dry car then take some pictures to post here. I think I can produce some pictures from angles not seen in brochures or websites [of the car, that is :) ] Economy . . . got 31.7 on 200 mile mixed journey on Sunday, but figure in car is now falling after a week of short journeys around town. From the same tank [2nd tank] it is about 28mpg, and ther range from the full tank will be about 360 miles. I expect a true range for the car on a long motorway trip would be 450 miles. I suspect town driving average may be in the 23-25 area. Driving - cornering definitely more safe, stable and predictable - makes me realise more that old car had to be driven a little more slowly round corners to ensure it remained comfortable. I am not driving hard yet, but observing on bends I often drive around. When is yours due - must be soon? Regards, Tony

Mine is SE-L, so 18" 5 spokes, as on GS430. There are some things they won't do as an option - I asked for a wooden steering wheel, as on 430, they said not possible. You would think they could find a way of ordering the wheels/tyres for you, then swapping them round - they may have a future client who wants 17" not 18" ??? :D I am just too busy to clean car, take photos, then upload them, but will do. There are some angles where the car looks better than in the brochures. John, have you seen the hardback brochure? I am still waiting for one :) Cheers, Tony

I have just driven back to Manchester from Cardiff, so I had a great weekend. :D Loads to say and comment on - firstly, economy. I had a GS300 R reg previously, then a GS430, so became used to say 24mpg on a longer trip. This weekend, about 460 miles, some faster m/way stuff, some jams, some town driving, returned over 30mpg, from fill up return journey to home was 31.7, going there was 29.2. I was more gentle in a new car, but cruised on m/way at an indicated 90mph, which my Road Angel tells me is about 83mph. I have been used to satnav for 4 years, but new systems are great, too much new stuff to learn in a short time - for example, the RDS traffic avoidance system works - I do not think that is even in their marketing literature. The phone system took a little while to get the bluetooth running, I have no numbers programmed into the car's memory yet, but received incoming calls successfully, The LED interior [and some exterior] lighting is unique and seems very clever - still working out which lights come on and when. For example, when you stop, the bluish lights come on inside the interior door handle recess. There is also a small light beaming onto the gear lever, and when you open the door at night, onto the steering wheel, lighting up the Lexus badge in the centre. There are also lights under the door mirrors outside the car, when you approach with the key in your pocket, these light up, you then know the car has "spotted you" and will open when touched by the person with the key. Driving. I always felt my GS430 was very smooth and comfortable, but was not the greatest going fast round bends, I cannot yet compare fully, but the new one seems to handle better on bends. Ride quality seems the same, at speed, I would say the car feels more solid - the seats are different, and the steering is probably more firmly centred, so it feels more stable. Ventilated seats - another plus. :winky: There will be more to say, but pausing now . . . . . I hope this is helpful - but is bound to be biased. Regards, Tony

http://tinyurl.com/dqz7w

I am delighted this evening as I took delivery of my new GS300SE-L today, will be driving it a few hundred miles over the weekend, so will be able to report more after that run. The car is as smotth as its predecessor, too early to make full comments. Tony

Hi Parthiban, The GS300SE has 17" alloys, the SE-L has 18" ones. see specs at http://www.lexus-europe.com/lexus_cars/gs/index.asp plus the www.lexus.co.uk website Tony ← More info, on UK website it says 18” 5-spoke alloy wheels (245/40 R18 tyres, 8.0 JJ wheels) The new GS430 demonstrator at Manchester has 18" wheels, but 8 spokes, so mine may have 8 but I would prefer 5 spokes. Tony

Hi Parthiban, The GS300SE has 17" alloys, the SE-L has 18" ones. see specs at http://www.lexus-europe.com/lexus_cars/gs/index.asp plus the www.lexus.co.uk website Tony

Which model did you go for? ← I have had a GS430 for a few years, now buying a GS300 SE-L. I had a test drive last Saturday, having ordered it about 2 months ago :D I was happy to know power from new V6 is 250bhp, whereas 430 engine produces 289bhp, which makes a very rapid car. 250bhp is enough for me, I must be getting older. :) New car drives very nicely, difficult to really tell improvements in handling in what was a short drive on city roads, but gadgets and gizmos will keep me amused. ;) Regards, Tony

Go to menu|marked points| you will find three buttons, edit, delete and register. From there you can choose to delete one by one, or all at once. You can also delete the other owner's home, and register your house as home. This is useful, as when driving, the sustem will not let you enter a destination except it will let you press the "take me home" button. I do not know about upgrading the map. For cameras you will need a separate device like a Road Angel. The new model has RDS traffic avoidance, from the radio, this is a feature that does not seem to have been advertised. Regards, Tony

Some thoughts from a Lexus owner, I have had 2 GS's and am just about to take delivery of a third, a new GS, this week. My Lexus's have been very reliable, latest car has done 63,000 miles, no hint of any trouble at all, and I have never heard any hints of engine problems. I tend to buy new models, have main dealer servicing. Plus Lexus remains top for customer satisfaction. If there was some "engine problem" none of us had heard about, maybe an independent body like J D Power would have mentioned it? I have a number of Mercedes owning friends, they are universally decrying Mercedes' drop in quality, and are they are swapping to Lexus. Regards, Tony

Bazza, Were those taken at Geneva Motor Show? And is that car Silver, not Caspian Sky? Regards, Tony

ALH wrote Anyone else taken the plunge yet? Any colour prferences..... ? ← Hi all, Great to join what is so clearly a group of real enthusiasts. I have taken the plunge, and am expecting the first new GS300 in Manchester, which could be as soon as April 7th. I will selling my X reg Nov 2001 silver GS430SE with sat nav [63,000 miles], full Lexus service history privately in autotrader in the next week or so, and had a blue GS300. Even though I think there is something German luxury car owners sneer about, when I test drive those cars I cannot find anything to redeem them, and have been waiting for this new model. So, after four years of silver, I have chosen silver again, with ivory interior again :D Caspian Sky is a pearlised white - Audi had a similar colour a few years ago. Regards, Tony

I can confirm these prices - they were quoted to me by dealership in Manchester. With it being a brand new model, with a big advertising budget, they were not offering any discount. I presume they feel they can sell them all at the moment. Tony Manchester