Wheels for the Well-Heeled

Wheels for the Well-Heeled:

Judging by the sales of its ES, RX and LS models, it’s easy to forget that Lexus hasn’t always had the Midas touch.
The once-stylish SC, best known for a throwaway line in an equally forgettable Big Tymers song, languished for almost a decade until it became the last new car sold with a cassette deck as standard equipment. Nobody paid attention to the first-generation IS, either, until it got some love from the aftermarket tuner crowd.
Since its 1993 introduction, the rear-drive Lexus GS — the company’s supposed BMW 5-series fighter — remained yet another also-ran: Over twenty years, its sales were half that of the flagship LS. Driving dynamics and perceived quality aside, Lexus had a hard time even getting customers to walk through the showroom doors in the first place. Even after redesigns, the car’s thick C-pillar and high trunkline gave it a chunky, bloated look, and a rising yen meant the GS had a hard time beating its German rivals on price. In a segment where image is all-important, the most famous GS owner was Larry David, who ceremoniously ditched his for a Prius in the second season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The revamped GS’s improvements include a wider stance, an all-new multilink suspension and a more aggressive design — plus a high-tech interior and a long list of optional upgrades.

With nearly two decades of lackluster sales performance in mind, Lexus went all-out with the 2013 GS lineup, which includes hybrid and performance-oriented F Sport variants. The revamped car’s improvements include a wider stance, an all-new multilink suspension and a more aggressive design — plus a high-tech interior and a long list of optional upgrades.
I got the chance to drive a pre-production model of the 2013 GS 350 AWD (estimated MSRP of $59,150) and came away from the experience thoroughly impressed with the car — but with a nagging fear the car still doesn’t have what it takes to be a mainstream player in the sport sedan segment.
That sense of dread had nothing to do with the time I spent behind the wheel. On the road, the new GS is an authentic driver’s car, as far removed from the anodyne RX as authentic Tex-Mex is from a Chili’s lunch special. But as anyone who’s tried to sell a taco from a rusty pickup truck can tell you, first impressions matter, and that’s where the GS falls short.
Lexus says the GS debuts a new design philosophy, though it appears that whoever penned the car spent more time studying the latter of those two disciplines. The refreshed car’s lower decklid gives the car a more athletic stance, but the overall package underwhelms. I couldn’t help but see shades of an Avalon from the rear, and the indented “spindle” grille is reminiscent of an Accord with a mouthful of Sour Patch Kids. When courting buyers with a vested interest in appearances, that’s just not good enough, especially when the likes of Audi and Infiniti have upped their whip appeal.