The young guy in the Camry is trying to keep up after being passed by the new Lexus GS prototype that I am driving on the twisty Azusa Canyon Road near here. It takes him exactly one corner to figure out that this is not a good idea.
The new, fourth-generation 2013 Lexus GS will be officially revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 18, but we got to spend some time behind the wheel of two pre-production and heavily camouflaged prototypes on a handling course as well on the Azusa Canyon Road in California. On hand were Koji Sato, deputy chief engineer for the new GS, as well as Shuichi Ozaki, whose business card introduces him as Lexus “Meister” in charge of the Vehicle Performance Testing Section for the brand. While these two gentlemen did not provide a wealth of information and were definitely guarded in their answers to our questions, here is what we were able to take away from our short drive, where we also got to drive the current generation car for comparison purposes.
From a driving dynamics standpoint, the new GS marks a substantial improvement over the current car. The weight is roughly identical at around 1,650 kilograms, but the new car’s body is 15% stiffer and the weight distribution is now set at 52% over the front axle and 48% over the rear axle. The platform and the geometry of the front suspension have been redesigned, while a new rear suspension has been developed.
Carving up the canyon road, the new GS feels a lot more like a BMW than a Lexus, especially when the Sport-S mode is selected, as this firms up the suspension and provides better throttle response and faster shifts from the six-speed automatic gearbox. Select the manual mode on the transmission and the throttle will also be blipped to make for smoother downshifts, while using the now de rigueur steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Overall, the new car is now a sure-footed and extremely competent performer that does not mind being driven hard, unlike the previous car. One of the two prototypes I got to drive was equipped with the available Dynamic Handling System as well as the Dynamic Rear Steering.
This car was vastly superior in terms of handling by reducing understeer; this setup is definitely the one to choose when the car comes to market if you are into spirited driving. While the handling has been substantially improved, the steering still felt a little too light and over-boosted, but the engineers told me that the final specifications were not yet established and that this issue remains to be addressed.
We can’t tell you much about the styling because the car was entirely covered up, but we were told that it would feature many elements seen on the Lexus LF-Gh concept car revealed at this year’s New York Auto Show, including what Lexus designers call an “aggressive and bold spindle-shaped front grille” accented by LED lighting both front and rear.
The cabin feels much roomier and the dashboard now features a 30-centimetre-wide screen as well as a new analogue clock with a three-dimensional face. The front seats feature fully adjustable side bolsters that provide great lateral support in the corners. Trunk space has also been increased from 12.7 cubic feet to roughly 15.8 cu. ft. due to the new design of the rear suspension.
The engine and gearbox have been largely carried over from the current car, and we can expect some more news on the new hybrid powertrain that will be introduced on the Lexus GS at the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall
