Back on Lexus bandwagon GS 450h vs 300h vs 250

[aviator888]

Week has passed. Since my last post i must say things have taken rather unexpected turn 😊 

To cut the long story short: after the trip to the south coast i truly fell in love with the GS250. As i have found out it certainly has the most character out of all the GS4 models (second to GS- F) and i was quite happy to live with it for the next year or so.. but then disaster struck: my new V5 arrived by post: 

I was absolutely fuming 👆

The car was bought from official dealership (not Lexus, but nevertheless). It was advertised as 1 owner car from new. When i asked about previous owners i was told it had only 1 owner from new.. When i picked up the car i had the old V5 in front of me with all the booklets, service history etc.. but i did not check. 😞

5 owners.. on a convertible or IS-F maybe yes.. but GS? By the way the car itself was mint inside and out. It may not bother most people, but i was specifically looking for 1 owner vehicle.. Needless to say i returned the car for full refund. After brief explanation they politely apologized. Money was back on my account same day :) 

I was back where i started  and it looks like i will be eating my words after all about the CVT lol 

Been offered a GS450h and i am very tempted.. 

[i-s]

That's very disappointing. 

I would again sound caution, especially in the light of your post about your enjoyment of the 250, about the 450h. You've already experienced and disliked the CVT, and you know that you do like the 250 drivetrain. Surely better to hang on for the right 250 rather than get a 450h that you already know you're not going to like and want to move on in 6 months?

[hondansxr]

i personally dont see the cvt as a problem , an auto with paddles will only change (up) when the gearbox is ready so its a full auto .....why not enjoy the gs as it is ....a wonderful car , or do tuo think the cvt is problematic

 

[aviator888]

Update: 

Had a day off today so i wen't up to take a closer look at 2008 LS600h local to me. Amazing car, totally different to any GS.. or perhaps mk2 GS is the closest you will get the same magic carpet ride feeling lol. 4GS is already a massive, luxurious car.. but LWB 600 with RSRP makes it look like a budget motor 😅  

No plans to buy the LS atm, just wanted to feel how it's like to drive 600h.. and it did not disappoint .. i have always been driving like oap, but still the traction control came on way too often.. sound proofing @ Rolls Royce level..  

It's just that to me, personally, Mk4 GS appeals more. It may be a lesser car, but its more modern, i somehow feel more involved when driving GS... 

 

Btw my future-to-be GS450h is in Lexus dealership getting serviced and checked before i take over 😛 

Pictures will follow.. 

[Vlady]

On 10/9/2019 at 5:27 PM, aviator888 said:

Update: 

Had a day off today so i wen't up to take a closer look at 2008 LS600h local to me. Amazing car, totally different to any GS.. or perhaps mk2 GS is the closest you will get the same magic carpet ride feeling lol. 4GS is already a massive, luxurious car.. but LWB 600 with RSRP makes it look like a budget motor 😅  

No plans to buy the LS atm, just wanted to feel how it's like to drive 600h.. and it did not disappoint .. i have always been driving like oap, but still the traction control came on way too often.. sound proofing @ Rolls Royce level..  

It's just that to me, personally, Mk4 GS appeals more. It may be a lesser car, but its more modern, i somehow feel more involved when driving GS... 

 

Btw my future-to-be GS450h is in Lexus dealership getting serviced and checked before i take over 😛 

Pictures will follow.. 

Mel did you get your GS450h?

[aviator888]

Hi all

Been a while since update.. 

After i returned the "1 owner from new" GS250 that i fell in love with, this is what i ended up with eventually: 

 

 

This is bog standard 450h Luxury, 2012 model. 

No 12" screen, no ML 😐

But the car has been looked after by Lexus, passed full pre- purchase inspection by them aswell. 

CVT is as bad as i remember it to be from my MK2 GS450h.. but i guess i will have to live with it. 

Compared to GS250? On the long motorway runs both cars do about same mpg. Hybrid is obviously better around town.. but not alot. 

Performance wise the hybrid will beat 250 in everything except the engine noise :)   

Overall as i have already said, 450h is without a doubt superior car, but the 250 is not far behind. Especially considering the price difference the 250 is very good value for money. I was surpriced how well the 2.5 litre V6 coupled with automatic gearbox worked for the car this size. You get all the same extras (At least when looking at Luxury/F-Sport models) and the same beautiful design :) 

[royoftherovers]

2 hours ago, aviator888 said:

Hi all

Been a while since update.. 

After i returned the "1 owner from new" GS250 that i fell in love with, this is what i ended up with eventually: 

 

 

This is bog standard 450h Luxury, 2012 model. 

No 12" screen, no ML 😐

But the car has been looked after by Lexus, passed full pre- purchase inspection by them aswell. 

CVT is as bad as i remember it to be from my MK2 GS450h.. but i guess i will have to live with it. 

Compared to GS250? On the long motorway runs both cars do about same mpg. Hybrid is obviously better around town.. but not alot. 

Performance wise the hybrid will beat 250 in everything except the engine noise :)   

Overall as i have already said, 450h is without a doubt superior car, but the 250 is not far behind. Especially considering the price difference the 250 is very good value for money. I was surpriced how well the 2.5 litre V6 coupled with automatic gearbox worked for the car this size. You get all the same extras (At least when looking at Luxury/F-Sport models) and the same beautiful design :) 

A great choice Mel.

What you don`t have can`t go wrong !

Just enjoy it and if the gearbox is noisy, then you are not driving it properly!

[i-s]

2 hours ago, aviator888 said:

No 12" screen, no ML 😐

CVT is as bad as i remember it to be from my MK2 GS450h.. but i guess i will have to live with it. 

Congrats, hope that this one is a keeper, but I'm worried you won't find it so because of your issue with the transmission. 

As for the 12" screen... I'm unconvinced that it's actually a big deal, at least for pre-facelift models. On the 8" screen your sat nav is full-screen, whereas on the 12" screen your sat nav is only 2/3rds - in fact, you basically have the same size sat nav display in both cases. Having the separate info pane next to the sat nav display isn't hugely useful in my experience, so I don't think that the 12" screen is utilised at all well or represents a particular upgrade over the 8" display. When the GS got its facelift and they introduced full screen sat nav then I would say it was worth having (although I don't think I've ever seen a facelift without it, so perhaps the big screen became standard then anyway). 

[superatticman]

A shame the GS250 didn't work out. Could you not have negotiated a big discount for the number of owners? Find it strange that a GS went through quite a few owners if I'm being honest. These cars rarely have faults so I doubt it would have been constantly chopped in for being a bit of a lemon. 

Wouldn't worry about the lack of a 12" screen. Flashy extras like soon lose their appeal in my opinion. Its all about how it drives and how it look.

[aviator888]

On 10/27/2019 at 1:16 AM, superatticman said:

A shame the GS250 didn't work out. Could you not have negotiated a big discount for the number of owners? Find it strange that a GS went through quite a few owners if I'm being honest. These cars rarely have faults so I doubt it would have been constantly chopped in for being a bit of a lemon. 

Wouldn't worry about the lack of a 12" screen. Flashy extras like soon lose their appeal in my opinion. Its all about how it drives and how it look.

I was actually considering asking for part refund instead of taking the car back.. i think the seller would of agreed aswell. On the other hand.. i only bought a gap closer until i will be able to treat myself to a "proper car" 😋 That 250 was mint inside and out.. but when the time comes it would have been difficult to sell due so many owners. 

[i-s]

1 hour ago, aviator888 said:

On the other hand.. i only bought a gap closer until i will be able to treat myself to a "proper car" 😋 

So, I have to ask the obvious question...?

 

[superatticman]

3 hours ago, i-s said:

So, I have to ask the obvious question...?

 

I reckon an LS series!!!!

Have to admit I did consider one myself. Just wary of ongoing servicing costs.