2017 GS 450h Premier

[rsdave]

Hi, new member here and I recently purchased this Lexus GS 450h Premier saloon finished in Sonic Titanium with black leather interior. It has the sunroof/moonroof and 19" diamond cut wheel options. I got it from a Lexus dealer as an Approved Used car, best thing of all just 3647 miles from new and one owner. It's so quiet and smooth, even over rough surfaces, not surprising coming from my previous car which was a Mk.3 Ford Focus RS. The list of gadgets and safety features this GS has is almost endless, I'm still getting my head around the User Manual which is 600 odd pages and the infotainment manual a further 300 pages! One of my favourite features is the Mark Levinson surround sound audio system with 17 speakers and 835 watts - plays music DVD's in 5.1 surround as well

 

Cheers,

Dave.

[royoftherovers]

Welcome Dave. That sure is one mighty fine car.

A real change from the Focus and it should avoid all those prying RS lovers. It has real anonymity.

Just enjoy its peace, tranquility, reliability and ML system.

Oh, and accept 500 points for reading the Owners Handbook.😉

[Spacewagon52]

That is a cracking car. As John describes, it is a wolf in sheep's clothing and very understated. Will be interesting to note if your driving style changes of the next few months - keep us all posted!

 

We LOVE photos!

[royoftherovers]

6 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

That is a cracking car. As John describes, it is a wolf in sheep's clothing and very understated. Will be interesting to note if your driving style changes of the next few months - keep us all posted!

 

We LOVE photos!

I`d like to see Dave in his non RS clothes & cap.🤣🤣

[Spacewagon52]

1 minute ago, royoftherovers said:

I`d like to see Dave in his non RS clothes & cap.🤣🤣

I have a feeling his clothes style might change along with his driving style. If not he might sell his GS to me VERY cheap!

Tweed jacket and deer stalker are NOT compulsory to drive a wonderful Lexus!

[royoftherovers]

8 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I have a feeling his clothes style might change along with his driving style. If not he might sell his GS to me VERY cheap!

Tweed jacket and deer stalker are NOT compulsory to drive a wonderful Lexus!

Dave is in your neck of the wood so;

Listen for the Stealthy speeding motorist

Read of the mysterious former RS driver driving too fast to be captured on camera, and

Maintain a lookout for the sartorially elegant and apparently young driver in an unrecognised steed.

I think that he recognises the many outstanding qualities of his new motor and I wish him well in his ownership. 

[Spacewagon52]

1 minute ago, royoftherovers said:

Dave is in your neck of the wood so;

Listen for the Stealthy speeding motorist

Read of the mysterious former RS driver driving too fast to be captured on camera, and

Maintain a lookout for the sartorially elegant and apparently young driver in an unrecognised steed.

I think that he recognises the many outstanding qualities of his new motor and I wish him well in his ownership. 

I will keep an eye out for that lovely GS - however it is so stealthy I will probably miss it! Enjoy your Lexus, the longer you own it, the more you will appreciate its finer qualities.

[KayCee]

Wow what a lovely looking car I too have the Premier they area absolutely Superb you will feel very special riding round in that steed

Lovely pics

15 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I will keep an eye out for that lovely GS - however it is so stealthy I will probably miss it! Enjoy your Lexus, the longer you own it, the more you will appreciate its finer qualities.

thats it in a nutshell the exclusivity of it will make you feel good

Robert

 

[rsdave]

38 minutes ago, KayCee said:

Wow what a lovely looking car I too have the Premier they area absolutely Superb you will feel very special riding round in that steed

Lovely pics

thats it in a nutshell the exclusivity of it will make you feel good

Robert

 

Hi Robert, It's quite funny as your actual car was on my shortlist when I was looking to buy in March, it was at Tunbridge Wells which is very local to me. I never actually got to view it as Ben at Lexus Hedge End responded almost instantly and I went for this one.

 

Dave.

[rsdave]

1 hour ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I have a feeling his clothes style might change along with his driving style. If not he might sell his GS to me VERY cheap!

Tweed jacket and deer stalker are NOT compulsory to drive a wonderful Lexus!

Haha, don't worry I have suitable attire for the Lexus 🙂 Despite how I look in the photo I am actually 46 years young this year.

I've always been a Ford fanatic at heart, having had Escort XR3is, RS Turbos, Scorpios, etc. back in the day.  I used to go to a lot of shows, so therefore the RS was a bit of a 'garage queen'. I think Covid unfortunately killed the enthusiasm for it (not being able to go to shows) and it just sat there. When I finally drove it again, I realised that the love had gone and I found the suspension just a tad to hard for long journeys. And I realised how much I prefer the automatic transmission over manual. Due to the 4x4 system, the fuel tank size was inadequate and that's without even mentioning the very poor fuel economy.  Then Ford announced they were shelving the RS brand, which meant there's nothing really left in their current lineup which appeals. End of an era really.
With Lexus's announcement in relation to the 'Relax' warranty this is pretty much the cherry on the cake for me and I have no regrets switching. And I wouldn't hesitate to say how much more exclusive/rarer this 450h is. How many Nitrous Blue RS's do you see out and about?

Although slightly off-topic this is not the first time I've dipped my toe in Toyota/Lexus land. Here's an old friend I had in the past. About 2004 I think.  I really loved this car!

[ColinBarber]

Welcome Dave 🙂

Nice Supra 👍

[Chris111]

Lovely car. Facelift GS 450h are rare especially Premier spec with 19" wheel upgrade. Enjoy.

[doog442]

I was casually looking at the silver one at Hedge End. I guess you were given the heads up on yours before it reached the forecourt. Lovely colour, spec and of course that mileage !

[KayCee]

Well I too am finding things out about this Model  i went out this evening and on my way back there was a small crowd of teenagers acting goat at the side of the road i was watching them as they didnt seem to be taking much notice suddenly one ran into the road laughing i was instantly aware of an orange light on the dash and i braked hard but i swear i am sure the brakes were on before my foot hit the brakes and the car stopped suddenly what a heart stopper that was i got the abuse from them but no one was hurt

Robert

 

[Nico72]

22 hours ago, rsdave said:

Hi, new member here and I recently purchased this Lexus GS 450h Premier saloon finished in Sonic Titanium with black leather interior. It has the sunroof/moonroof and 19" diamond cut wheel options. I got it from a Lexus dealer as an Approved Used car, best thing of all just 3647 miles from new and one owner. It's so quiet and smooth, even over rough surfaces, not surprising coming from my previous car which was a Mk.3 Ford Focus RS. The list of gadgets and safety features this GS has is almost endless, I'm still getting my head around the User Manual which is 600 odd pages and the infotainment manual a further 300 pages! One of my favourite features is the Mark Levinson surround sound audio system with 17 speakers and 835 watts - plays music DVD's in 5.1 surround as well

 

Cheers,

Dave.

Hi John,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful motor! You will absolutely love driving this beast. This is going to be a long relationship you will develop with this car (as I do with mine). No other cars really do give you this premium feel and you will surely enjoy thousands of miles with it. You chose the top premium spec as well. So everything to love this car even more!! Well done.

[rsdave]

GS Technology

It does seem that the press at the time gave the GS towards the end of it's life a bit of a knock in terms of the tech being 'outdated'.
Generally they call out the CVT-E box for being 'noisy' and the lack of Android Auto or apple Car Play. 
I'm simply not bothered about any of those things to be honest, the "mouse" or "remote touch interface" improves with use as your brain adapts to using it.

It's also a good tip to experiment with the sensitivity setting to get one that suits you better. I'm sure all the motoring journalists simply used the stock setting and then criticised it. 
Same with the audio, it can be improved greatly with a bit of experimentation. First thing to do is turn off all the fake enhancement settings, particularly the one that does a stereo to 5.1 upmix, it really mucks up the stereo soundstage and is best turned off.

If the motoring press had actually taken the time to read the sales brochure, they would have discovered the GS actually had some ground breaking tech, particular in the field of safety. These things are generally hidden from the driver, but as you read about them in the manual, you realise that beyond it's handsome looks, the GS is actually quite a clever machine. Here are my personal favourite highlights:

The Hybrid system as a whole, with an emphasis on the 450h of enhancing performance as well as economy.

5 driving modes: EV, Normal, Eco, Sport, Sport S+ 

AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension)

Lexus Safety System +
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Pre-Crash Safety system (PCS) [with pedestrian detection!]   <-- this is the one that you experienced  Robert 🙂
- Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
- Sway Warning
- Traffic Signal Recognition (TSR)
- Automatic High Beam system

Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) (Warning lights in mirrors) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)

3 Eye LED headlamps with AHS (Adaptive High-beam System)

Front seats with variable cushion length and calf support [the extending front cushions give it a very luxurious feel]

3-zone automatic A/C (driver, passenger and rear) with Nanoe ion generator, rear heater [the Nanoe ion generator fascinates me...] 

illuminated control panel in rear armrest with A/C switches

17-speaker Mark Levinson premium sound system [sounds very good after tweaking some of the settings, Dolby Digital music DVD's play in true discreet 5.1]
(there was a time when you were lucky to get ONE speaker in car, let alone 17!)

Lexus Premium Navigation with a 12.3" multimedia screen [at time of launch this was the biggest screen in any car on the market]

Colour Head-Up Display (HUD) [not that many cars have this option these days, and I personally find it super useful]

Automatic and easy trunk closer (Powered boot operation) [common on hatchbacks, perhaps not so common on saloons with boots]

Dave.

 

[KayCee]

Totaly agree with you Dave could not have put it better myself very infomative report

Robert

 

[stevetees]

An absolute beautiful car, you must have beat me to it. I'm eying a GS300h Premier. Any suggestions on colour, trims etc?

[johnatg]

My GS300h Premier is Meteor Blue with Ivory trim. Really nice combination, but you need to keep the leather clean.

Check the options fitted - mine has some things missing - eg Dynamic radar cruise cruise (it has ordinary cruise), Lane keeping assist and various other things described in the Owners Manual. Not sure which were/are usually fitted or were options available in UK

[stevetees]

Thanks John - it seems the Premier package has all the options here in the UK, but as you’ve mentioned now - I will make sure I check the options. Are you it in the UK?

[johnatg]

Yes - I am in UK and my car is a UK-spec car and it is missing some features. It is definitely a Premier. The options supplied probably changed over time - mine was delivered December 2014.

[Initial P]

Could be worse my F Sport doesn't even have front fogs 😆

[stevetees]

Ok - I now understand. The dynamic radar cruise control and lane keeping assist started in the MK4 GS model (facelift) from 2016 if I’m  correct.

[ColinBarber]

5 minutes ago, stevetees said:

Ok - I now understand. The dynamic radar cruise control and lane keeping assist started in the MK4 GS model (facelift) from 2016 if I’m  correct.

It was an option for the 450h Premier before the facelift, not available on any 300h grades. After the facelift all grades had it as part of Lexus Safety System+

 

[F.A.]

3 hours ago, Initial P said:

Could be worse my F Sport doesn't even have front fogs 😆

Neither does our GSF, but I can’t say I miss them.