irishcar.com - Lexus GS430 by Declan Colley

I must say I always felt a little cool towards the Lexus GS300 model. I was in Belgium when the company proudly launched the GS range and noted how thrilled the Lexus people were with a car that had its sights firmly aimed at the BMW 5 Series.

However, despite the car’s clean lines and almost Bavarian three litre straight six motor, the GS300 didn’t really do anything for me. Unlike the ground-breaking LS 400, its smaller sibling never really had a unique road presence and while its styling was nicely detailed and relatively pleasing on the eye, it seemed to lack character. It certainly didn’t grab me by the throat, snarling: "Drive me."

Throughout the course of its gestation, however, Lexus has developed the GS into a much more pleasing eye-catcher and the manner in which they have honed the styling has, without losing whatever individuality it had, given the car much more character and stature.

More importantly for the petrol heads among us, however, is the fact that they have taken the relatively bold step of fitting their new 4.3 litre V8 engine (which was intended for the new LS430) under the hood of this revised beast and turned it into what the company themselves modestly described as "a performance icon".

Well, we all know that motor companies never indulge in hyperbole and that they are always modest to a fault. In this instance, however, there is definite substance to the Lexus claim. We have a V8 32 valve unit developing a fairly savage 283bhp and some 308 lbs/ft of torque, which is allied to a five-speed automatic gearbox. This translates into a top speed of 156 mph and a 6.3 second 0 -62mph capability.

But despite such ‘oomph’ the Lexus GS 430 is all about effortlessness and while I enjoyed my time with the car, I yearned for the wide open spaces of the autobahn or the autostrada where failure to allow the car its head would indeed be a crime. In Ireland however, the expression of such joie de vivre would land you in jail.

This car is not going to sell in any real quantities and Lexus admit to targeting a market of just fifteen buyers in the coming year here in Ireland for the GS430.

That said, those fifteen purchasers will get a lot of exclusivity for their gelt and they will also have a lot more punch for their pound than any rival can offer. With the added Lexus ‘no low specification’ guarantee, they will also have a lot more comfort than most.

The cockles of my heart can now warm much more easily to the Lexus GS because it has shed some of the ‘ordinariness’ which bedevilled the original machine.

It is now a much more worthy machine than anything which preceded it - and the sort of competitor ‘wannabe’ BMW 5 Series and E Class Mercedes owners can no longer afford to ignore.

Lexus GS430 - a Performance Icon	January 2001 by Declan Colley
I must say I always felt a little cool towards the Lexus GS300 model. I was in Belgium when the company proudly launched the GS range and noted how thrilled the Lexus people were with a car that had its sights firmly aimed at the BMW 5 Series. However, despite the car’s clean lines and almost Bavarian three litre straight six motor, the GS300 didn’t really do anything for me. Unlike the ground-breaking LS 400, its smaller sibling never really had a unique road presence and while its styling was nicely detailed and relatively pleasing on the eye, it seemed to lack character. It certainly didn’t grab me by the throat, snarling: "Drive me." Throughout the course of its gestation, however, Lexus has developed the GS into a much more pleasing eye-catcher and the manner in which they have honed the styling has, without losing whatever individuality it had, given the car much more character and stature. More importantly for the petrol heads among us, however, is the fact that they have taken the relatively bold step of fitting their new 4.3 litre V8 engine (which was intended for the new LS430) under the hood of this revised beast and turned it into what the company themselves modestly described as "a performance icon". Well, we all know that motor companies never indulge in hyperbole and that they are always modest to a fault. In this instance, however, there is definite substance to the Lexus claim. We have a V8 32 valve unit developing a fairly savage 283bhp and some 308 lbs/ft of torque, which is allied to a five-speed automatic gearbox. This translates into a top speed of 156 mph and a 6.3 second 0 -62mph capability. But despite such ‘oomph’ the Lexus GS 430 is all about effortlessness and while I enjoyed my time with the car, I yearned for the wide open spaces of the autobahn or the autostrada where failure to allow the car its head would indeed be a crime. In Ireland however, the expression of such joie de vivre would land you in jail. This car is not going to sell in any real quantities and Lexus admit to targeting a market of just fifteen buyers in the coming year here in Ireland for the GS430. That said, those fifteen purchasers will get a lot of exclusivity for their gelt and they will also have a lot more punch for their pound than any rival can offer. With the added Lexus ‘no low specification’ guarantee, they will also have a lot more comfort than most. The cockles of my heart can now warm much more easily to the Lexus GS because it has shed some of the ‘ordinariness’ which bedevilled the original machine. It is now a much more worthy machine than anything which preceded it - and the sort of competitor ‘wannabe’ BMW 5 Series and E Class Mercedes owners can no longer afford to ignore.

Lexus GS430 - a Performance Icon