Lexus has made a habit out of choosing various brand ambassadors and the people that represent the company range from Kylie Minogue to former F1 champion Alan Jones. We wouldn’t choose any of them as a Lexus brand ambassador like the company did. Instead of offering this title to VIPs, we’d give it to the new GS and that's because this car was designed with the core Lexus values in mind. The carmaker wanted to take customers even further into its own territory in the battle with the dominant German competitors.
The styling of the compact executive is one of the key Lexus values at the moment and the models that arrive after it will borrow many of its features. And those lines conceal an engine range that will never accept diesel in its tank. This was also true for the previous three generations, but choosing such a bold pathway nowadays, when even US models offer an oil burner, says something about the Japanese automaker.
While the current, fourth-generation GS, is of great visual importance for Lexus models that will follow, the first GS was the car that allowed the LS flagship to move upmarket. The first generation (1991), as well as the second one (1997), also had a Toyota equivalent, which was called Aristo.
Those of you who are impressed with the new car’s four-wheel steering system should know that the second generation of the GS also offered integral steering. The second incarnation of the GS was also the one that placed the spotlights on the car, enjoying much more success compared to the one before it.
When the third generation of the LS was launched in 2004, Toyota did away with the Aristo as part of a bigger plan to establish a strong global image for the Lexus brand. Just like the current GS, the one before it served as a styling hint for the cars that would follow. It was this incarnation of the GS that saw the car adopting petrol-electric power and truly becoming a technological display.
We recently got the behind the wheel of the hybrid model, which, just like in the case of the previous generation, was placed at the top of the range. We drove the GS 450h in the F Sport trim that adds both visual and technical drama. Let's see how these are translated into driving reality.
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