2010 MY GS450h spec query

[up_north]

Hi all 

Been a bit of a lurker so far but very close to buying now.

I went to see a 70k miles GS450h today - 59/2010 (horizontal grille - no cassette). It has full Lexus dealer history and perfect MOT history.

It's an SE model. It seem that when this facelift was introduced, Lexus also revamped the spec levels. I was disappointed to notice it didn't have ML hi-fi. When I got home I downloaded the old brochure to find it doesn't even have auto wipers. Fairly sure these were standard on the previous SE trim. What I can't find in the brochures is any reference to automatic lights. Can anyone confirm if the 2010 SE has this feature please?

There are hardly any facelift SE-L spec cars and the few that do exist are significantly more expensive.

Thanks for you help.

Ian

[AmbroseJohn]

When the facelift was introduced in 2008 lots of standard equipment became options.

Eg The 2007 SE L has a sunroof as standard but my 2008 SE L facelift has not got one because it became an option, so I would imagine that sorting it all out is a bit of a nightmare.

I do have Auto lights and wipers though. :)  

[royoftherovers]

27 minutes ago, up_north said:

Hi all 

Been a bit of a lurker so far but very close to buying now.

I went to see a 70k miles GS450h today - 59/2010 (horizontal grille - no cassette). It has full Lexus dealer history and perfect MOT history.

It's an SE model. It seem that when this facelift was introduced, Lexus also revamped the spec levels. I was disappointed to notice it didn't have ML hi-fi. When I got home I downloaded the old brochure to find it doesn't even have auto wipers. Fairly sure these were standard on the previous SE trim. What I can't find in the brochures is any reference to automatic lights. Can anyone confirm if the 2010 SE has this feature please?

There are hardly any facelift SE-L spec cars and the few that do exist are significantly more expensive.

Thanks for you help.

Ian

Mine has auto lights Ian.

Go and sit in the car for an hour and have a good look/poke around to see what it has got and what it does not have.. No point in looking at what any brochure says;its what on the car you want that matters.

Good luck

Regards

John

[up_north]

Thanks guys. It's the ML, or lack of, that's the biggest disappointment. Other car is an Evoque with a top spec Meridian hifi. Anything less than ML will probably sound awful in comparison.

 

[Mike Hartland]

Another thing that disappeared along the way, unless you get an SE-L, was the cooled seats. They were standard in my '55 GS300 SE but not on later SE models of the GS450H.

[up_north]

Hi Mike - yep - noticed that too and I think the rear sun shade was standard on SE trim at some point.

[steveledzep]

58 minutes ago, up_north said:

Thanks guys. It's the ML, or lack of, that's the biggest disappointment. Other car is an Evoque with a top spec Meridian hifi. Anything less than ML will probably sound awful in comparison.

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of ML sound.

My previous IS250 saloon had ML with 14 (I think) speakers.  My current IS250C has standard kit with 11 speakers.

In the context of a compromised listening environment of a car, I can detect no difference in my enjoyment of my music.

I'm a bit of an audiophile with a dedicated listening room at home, so sound quality is important to me.

 

Quote

 

 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, up_north said:

Thanks guys. It's the ML, or lack of, that's the biggest disappointment. Other car is an Evoque with a top spec Meridian hifi. Anything less than ML will probably sound awful in comparison.

 

The best thing to do is track down 2 cars, one with and without. Make sure you play with the equaliser settings! Sometimes the previous owners don't even realise and have it stuck in the middle for everything!

On the IS models theres not much of a difference but on the GS there is, to my ears anyway. The ML on the GS is really great. 

Not too sure on evoque specs but heard meridian on the £995 meridian, no idea if that's the more expensive one or the cheaper one and it was about the same but had more bass. The ML is an audiophile system so don't expect door shaking bass unless you stick bass all the way up and treble all the way down and crank the volume up

[steveledzep]

3 minutes ago, rayaans said:

The best thing to do is track down 2 cars, one with and without. Make sure you play with the equaliser settings! Sometimes the previous owners don't even realise and have it stuck in the middle for everything!

On the IS models theres not much of a difference but on the GS there is, to my ears anyway. The ML on the GS is really great. 

Not too sure on evoque specs but heard meridian on the £995 meridian, no idea if that's the more expensive one or the cheaper one and it was about the same but had more bass. The ML is an audiophile system so don't expect door shaking bass unless you stick bass all the way up and treble all the way down and crank the volume up

I agree, side by side comparison would be ideal.

To clarify :  I am sure that the ML system is technically superior.  However, my main point is the compromised listening environment of a car.

The non ideal listening space narrows the gap between the two systems in my opinion.  Both are enjoyable.....that's the important thing !

[up_north]

Thanks all for your input especially on the ML; good advice.

I guess to get all the 'missing' features of the SE spec it would just be a case of looking for a pre 2010 facelift.  Not bothered about the difference in appearance externally but that presumably will be the older DVD based sat nav (and the cassette player!) - is there much difference in functionality between that and the newer HD based one?  Also reading that some model years didn't have the reverse camera guidelines?

Thanks...again.

Ian

[Goldberg]

I have the 2008 gs450h with everything fitted if you need a car to look at im in Blackpool I can drive out to you if that helps ?

 

[AmbroseJohn]

I think Lexus may be taking the same route as the Germans by starting off with a low base price, then building it up with the options.

There's two ways of looking at it though. With the older models, you don't have to bother because everything is included but with the newer ones you're not paying for options you don't need. It's only in the used market it becomes a problem because finding a car with just the options you require will be difficult.

My car has lots of things that I'm not really bothered about but no sunroof, which I would have liked. The only way to get the exact option package you want is to buy new and even then to get the best deal, you may have to settle for a car that's in stock, already optioned.

[rayaans]

56 minutes ago, AmbroseJohn said:

I think Lexus may be taking the same route as the Germans by starting off with a low base price, then building it up with the options.

There's two ways of looking at it though. With the older models, you don't have to bother because everything is included but with the newer ones you're not paying for options you don't need. It's only in the used market it becomes a problem because finding a car with just the options you require will be difficult.

My car has lots of things that I'm not really bothered about but no sunroof, which I would have liked. The only way to get the exact option package you want is to buy new and even then to get the best deal, you may have to settle for a car that's in stock, already optioned.

I wouldnt say thats the case - Lexus has always had "some" options but not a huge list

The 4th gen GS has only 2 or 3 options on it.

[AmbroseJohn]

28 minutes ago, rayaans said:

I wouldnt say thats the case - Lexus has always had "some" options but not a huge list

The 4th gen GS has only 2 or 3 options on it.

It just seems that standard equipment on the 2007 GS450h SE L, were options on the 2008 car.

[KayCee]

Must say after getting mine in February it as the ML but quite frankly i have not found any difference in quality from my GS300 SE System

it may be my ears iam getting on a bit

but i do like the options of the inputs HDD BT USB it plays from my phone with good clarity

Iphone 4 that is

Robert

 

[rayaans]

35 minutes ago, KayCee said:

Must say after getting mine in February it as the ML but quite frankly i have not found any difference in quality from my GS300 SE System

it may be my ears iam getting on a bit

but i do like the options of the inputs HDD BT USB it plays from my phone with good clarity

IPhone 4 that is

Robert

 

Played around with the equaliser? It sounds the same as the other systems in the Lexus GS if the equaliser is kept in the middle.

Also depends alot on the source of the music - Bluetooth being one of the worst.

[hprice1099]

On ‎06‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 8:19 PM, up_north said:

Hi all 

Been a bit of a lurker so far but very close to buying now.

I went to see a 70k miles GS450h today - 59/2010 (horizontal grille - no cassette). It has full Lexus dealer history and perfect MOT history.

It's an SE model. It seem that when this facelift was introduced, Lexus also revamped the spec levels. I was disappointed to notice it didn't have ML hi-fi. When I got home I downloaded the old brochure to find it doesn't even have auto wipers. Fairly sure these were standard on the previous SE trim. What I can't find in the brochures is any reference to automatic lights. Can anyone confirm if the 2010 SE has this feature please?

There are hardly any facelift SE-L spec cars and the few that do exist are significantly more expensive.

Thanks for you help.

Ian

That was my thought as well, I've no longed picked up a 61 plate 450h and was expecting cooled seats and rain sensors but not there :(

[AmbroseJohn]

33 minutes ago, hprice1099 said:

That was my thought as well, I've no longed picked up a 61 plate 450h and was expecting cooled seats and rain sensors but not there :(

If it's any consolation, the rain sensors tend to be hit n miss, ie switch on when it's not really that wet and not when it's raining hard. I not used the cooled seats at all, other than to check to see if they work.