Photo: Lexus
Pretty much the Japanese equivalent to the Black Line in America, Eternal Touring is how Lexus bids farewell to the GS luxury sedan. Introduced in 1993 with exterior styling from the one and only Giorgetto Giugiaro, the GS is getting on a bit considering that the fourth gen isn’t exactly beautiful nor as technologically advanced as the ES.
Codenamed L10, the fourth generation will be replaced by the ES in August 2020. No direct successor of the Grand touring Sedan is planned, and given the appetite for crossovers and SUVs, it doesn’t come as a surprise. The ES isn’t only longer than the GS but the front-wheel-drive layout translates to more room in the cabin as well.
And so, let’s focus our attention on the Eternal Touring. The special edition for the Japanese market is available in four flavors, topping with the 450h. Another hybrid is available in the guise of the 300h, joined by two gasoline-only options. Every single one of them is treated to the F Sport spindle grille in glossy black as well as the F Sport trunk lid spoiler, 19-inch aluminum wheels with black lug nuts, orange brake calipers, and full-LED headlamps with the Adaptive High Beam System.
On the inside, Lexus has treated the Eternal Touring to genuine carbon fiber and Alcantara surfaces, red accents here and there, red stitching over black upholstery, and just the right amount of metallic accents. All told, it’s a pretty nice place to be in on the long haul despite the outdated infotainment system and instrument cluster design.
Priced at 7,100,000 yen (almost $66,000) in Japan, the GS Eternal Touring further benefits from ventilated and heated F Sport seats with leather upholstery, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and power-retractable side mirrors with heating. The ES, by the way, can be had with video cameras and a pair of screens instead of side mirrors.
To understand how bad the GS does from a commercial standpoint and why it has to go, let’s look at some sales figures for the U.S. market. March 2020 saw 624 sales or 900 fewer than four years ago. U.S. volume for 2019 totaled 3,378 units, down from a high of 33,457 in 2005.
As for the ES, the heir-apparent has sold 9,247 units in March 2020 and 51,336 examples in 2019 as opposed to 48,482 in the previous year.
And so, let’s focus our attention on the Eternal Touring. The special edition for the Japanese market is available in four flavors, topping with the 450h. Another hybrid is available in the guise of the 300h, joined by two gasoline-only options. Every single one of them is treated to the F Sport spindle grille in glossy black as well as the F Sport trunk lid spoiler, 19-inch aluminum wheels with black lug nuts, orange brake calipers, and full-LED headlamps with the Adaptive High Beam System.
On the inside, Lexus has treated the Eternal Touring to genuine carbon fiber and Alcantara surfaces, red accents here and there, red stitching over black upholstery, and just the right amount of metallic accents. All told, it’s a pretty nice place to be in on the long haul despite the outdated infotainment system and instrument cluster design.
Priced at 7,100,000 yen (almost $66,000) in Japan, the GS Eternal Touring further benefits from ventilated and heated F Sport seats with leather upholstery, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and power-retractable side mirrors with heating. The ES, by the way, can be had with video cameras and a pair of screens instead of side mirrors.
To understand how bad the GS does from a commercial standpoint and why it has to go, let’s look at some sales figures for the U.S. market. March 2020 saw 624 sales or 900 fewer than four years ago. U.S. volume for 2019 totaled 3,378 units, down from a high of 33,457 in 2005.
As for the ES, the heir-apparent has sold 9,247 units in March 2020 and 51,336 examples in 2019 as opposed to 48,482 in the previous year.
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