Live in the admiration of Lexus

When you see a GS430 driving by on the street, your eyes will definitely scan the body first, then see if there is a boy sitting in the driver's seat, and then look at the passenger seat Are there any beauties you expected...

Perhaps you don't know the details of GS? The GS series has been developed for three generations in the Lexus family, and the first two generations did not leave any great achievements. The biggest reason is that this car takes the line of individuality and youth, which is inconsistent with the mature and stable image of the entire Lexus brand. The result is that the past two generations of the GS have done little on their own and contributed little to Lexus. The third-generation GS we got, the design direction is actually my own, it is still a sports route, or a younger image, the biggest change is not in it, but in the external environment it is in.

Beginning last year, the entire Lexus brand plans to change its image, with a series of sports concept cars unveiled, and even rumored that a Lexus supercar will be born. This will be the next step for the Japanese brand to move to the European market after successfully winning the North American luxury car market. Under this new strategic need, the original sporty GS car series has become the vanguard to fulfill the new image. It used to be a rebel in the family, but now it has become an image model. The beautiful, avant-garde and even fancy GS in front of us is likely to represent the new development direction of Lexus. Some changes or characteristics of it should not be regarded as a case, but worthy of our in-depth thinking.

With the GS430 on for seven days, there are a few things worth thinking about.

Ergonomic Issues

This GS430 has a lot of gear. How much? Just count the number of buttons it has. Today's Lexus also realize that too many buttons are an obstacle to cabin design, but they do not take the popular European approach of hiding numerous functions in a small but complex number of special buttons (as typified by the BMW i-Drive) , but in another way - a bunch of "infrequently used" function keys are stowed in a box on the instrument panel below the left of the steering wheel. In this way, each button still corresponds to a function, which is not easy to be confused, and the appearance of the cabin can be more tidy, which is a good idea.

But I don't like the folded box much because it's not practical to use. Those so-called "infrequently used" buttons are actually often used. The most obvious ones are the trunk switch and the rearview mirror electric folding button. I use them almost every time I drive and park, so every time I go up and down, I use them. The car has to open and close that box. What's more, some functions that may be used when driving are also put into the box, such as the adjustment of the angle of the rearview mirror and the brightness of the instrument lights, their positions are blocked by the lower left part of the steering wheel in sight, and the operation is carried out while driving. It's kind of dangerous.

Slight inconveniences like this are still present throughout the GS430's cabin. The buttons of the navigation system on the center console are designed with two columns on the left and right. They are good-looking but useless. Because the button area is not large, it is difficult for you to reach out and touch the desired function with the corner of your eyes. In addition, it also has the problem of "right to left". The most commonly used MAP (display map) and DEST (destination selection) in the navigation system are placed on the upper right farthest from the driver, which is obviously a Japanese right-hand drive car. Legacy design.

The other two suspension soft and hard and gearbox sports mode buttons that are often used in driving are placed in front of the central handrest. You can't look down at it at high speed, so you can only reach out and touch it. And I've been driving it for a week and still can't figure it out, so I have to ask the person in the passenger seat to press it for me every time. It also has white LED lights on the roof of the front seat. Although it is novel and unique, the switch buttons are designed in a neat row. The words on the buttons do not light up at night, so every time you really need to drive the dome light, you have to look for a while in the dark. switch.

In fact, these things above are not big problems alone, but a series of small problems add up to give me a strong impression--Lexus in this new work, for the sake of appearance and form, and in the original it The most impressive aspect--convenience and ergonomics are compromised. For a long time in the past, I thought that Toyota and Lexus represented the highest level of ease of use and ease of use in Japanese cars, and all the designs were the most suitable for us Orientals. Therefore, in the face of GS430, I strongly feel that the above problems are not correct. What should belong to Lexus, the only reason to find relief may be that this is a Lexus that pursues avant-garde and is not mainstream.

High-tech issues

The biggest difference between the GS430 and the old-school Lexus is its sense of technology. It has a lot of high-tech that you can actually enjoy: the auto-steering headlights are the most effective of any system I've ever used, and you can watch the entire beam swing towards the center of the curve when cornering, illuminating the road very clearly, and There is a switch for those who are not used to it. The reversing radar is combined with a system called "Lexus Parking Assist". In addition to detecting whether there are obstacles in the four corners of the body at any time, it will also give a hint to which direction the steering wheel should be turned. This function should be helpful for those "rookies" who drive slowly. very useful.

I am not a "rookie", I am more interested in the technology of driving fast cars: First, the steering system, the electronic variable-ratio steering of the GS430 is very advanced, and the estimated structure is quite complex. It can change the ratio with the speed of the vehicle. The maximum number of laps is 3.3 laps when the car is fast and 2.7 when the speed is slow. However, it is impossible for you to verify the difference between 3.3 and 2.7 in practice, because no one dares to turn 3.3 circles from left to right when the speed is fast. In short, it is very handy in fast running or slow running, the steering wheel has a good grip and road feeling, and the slight weight feeling when slowing down also gives a very "man" feeling, which is in line with its coupe identity.

Another thing I can't put it down is the "one-touch" change of the suspension and transmission. The GS430 uses four-wheel air springs that the GS300 does not have. One button can change the suspension stiffness from a comfortable normal mode to a firm sports mode. The change is very fast and obvious. You will be happy to use its stiffness when driving fast. Modes - The body is stable and neat, the dynamics are clear, and the response is as sharp as a sports car. As for the PWR (power) mode provided by the gearbox, pressing it will increase the speed by an average of 500rpm. Don't underestimate this 500rpm, it is enough to turn you from calm to vigorous. During driving, as long as you make good use of these two function buttons, you can enjoy the GS430 with significantly different characters on different roads and in different environments, which can be regarded as giving full play to the greater value of this car.

There is also satellite navigation. We have used and praised it on many Toyota vehicles. This thing is not necessary and cannot be thrown away after using it. It has become an overwhelming advantage for Toyota in the competition in the Chinese market. . In short, some high-tech lists of premium cars are overwhelming, but you don't know where they are when you drive the car; but those "guys" of the GS430 are often the opportunity to feel their presence and contribution in your daily driving. of. This approachable high-tech is actually a rare sincerity.

Image Issues

There is no doubt that the design of the GS is special. Its body is stretched without being bulky, refined without being cumbersome. The rim of the GS430 is one inch larger than that of the GS300, and there is an extra small rear wing in the tail compartment. This small difference makes the running taste a bit stronger. Its silhouette and detailing are novel in a sedan, but it's not as ostentatious as a coupé or convertible. What can be used to summarize the design style of GS? I was thinking of "brother-in-law". Not a rich young master with a lot of money, not a profligate rich boy, but a "boy" who has both self-cultivation and image. If you want to choose the best "boy's car" in the Chinese market, the GS430 must be in the forefront. The rest of the options can be Audi TT, BMW 330i, Cadillac CTS. Other cars, maybe more upscale, more luxurious, or rarer, don't have the kind of "boyishness" I'd call them.

The requirements for a "boy's car" should be: cool enough in appearance, good in sex, too many fancy things, unique in image, not all over the street, and certainly not too cheap... Maybe another sentence can be more accurate In summary, that is: the ability to "pick up girls" must be strong enough. Is the GS430's ability to pick up girls strong? I can't answer that because I can't admit to my friends at the depot that I drove the media van they lent me to pick up girls. However, in the long-term "must-tested item" - the rate of return of passers-by, the performance of the GS430 is actually just above average. I found that, at first glance, it was the prettiest, and after staring at it for a long time, it didn't seem ostentatious. Therefore, you don't have to worry too much about showing the mountains and dew when you drive it, but it is also admirable at the same time. I personally like this subtle quality.

Performance Matters

The last thing to say is the performance of this car - as a comfortable and easy-to-use large four-door sedan, it's fast, fast, fast - I drove it to create This is the highest speed record I have ever driven in the country. How tall is it? It is inconvenient to say here, but it has not reached the top speed of the GS430.

But it's most comfortable when accelerating slowly, when you think it's powerful enough to get out of the traffic, just a glance at the tachometer at 2000rpm; When there is pleasure, its speed is still only 2500rpm. What about the back? Stepping on the deep throttle for a mid-sprint sprint, the power is further enhanced, but when it jumps up a gear by itself, the speed is only a little more than 3000rpm.

The low rpm output of this engine is really good, but don't think it's one of those American "low and no high" machines, use the manual mode that comes with the transmission to crank up the revs from 3000rpm to 6000rpm The performance is completely unchanged. Yes, when it is in the red zone of 6200rpm, there is no engine running sound at all, only a slight exhaust sound. As long as you release the accelerator, you will find that the engine has no running sound and vibration at all.

This is because of the high perfection of the engine itself or the excellent sound insulation. It does not need to be studied. In short, it has both strength and tolerance. This explains why its 6-speed gearbox is not a real manual gear selection in manual mode, but only limits the highest gear, and the accelerator coordination needs to be adjusted when manually shifting gears, otherwise the connection will have a significant impact. Because this engine does not need any manual mode at all, as long as you press the PWR mode of the gearbox, it is enough for you, and you don't need to pay more attention to keep any speed.

Its handling is sensitive, and a car with this characteristic is easy to drive with a "cool" feeling, which also means a higher sense of active safety. But if it is driven by someone who is more egoistic, the passengers in the car may suffer. I'm still advocating smooth, gentle movements to drive this massive sports car, because it's always a Lexus, not a hooligan.

Its cabin is as quiet as a Lexus should be at low speeds; its Mark Levison sound makes me feel the world is beautiful; its suspension transmits vibrations more directly than a proper limousine; its front The windshield has a narrow line of sight, so it has a strong sense of speed at high speeds; its wheelbase is long and the chassis is low; be careful to scrape the bottom when entering and exiting the parking lot; its oil gauge drops faster at idle than when running; it The cruising range of only 300 kilometers after filling up a tank of fuel is a bit shorter... These are all I felt in the seven days I drove the GS430. It's just that it has so many qualities that I'm still not sure whether a new Lexus image can be reflected through the GS430.