Lexus used the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this week to introduce its newest luxury performance model — the redesigned GS and all of its variations.
The GS collection gets rolling with the rear-wheel drive GS 200t, offering a 2.0 liter, 241 horsepower, turbocharged four cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The GS 350 steps up with a 3.5-liter V6, putting out 311 horsepower.
The top of the line GS is the 450h — a high performance hybrid that works to prove a true hybrid doesn’t have to be boring or tinny. It uses output from an Atkinson cycle 3.5-liter V6 engine and a water-cooled permanent-magnet electric motor for 338 total horsepower.
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The GS 350 offers an optional all-weather drive system for drivers in more aggressive climates. An electronically controlled center differential provides a rear-wheel bias to optimize traction. The system reacts on the fly to alter the split to as much as 50:50, depending on driving conditions.
As in previous GS generations, a sport-tuned F Sport package provides a track-savvy chassis, all-weather drive, the Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH) system and a Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS).
All trim levels of the GS include the new Lexus Safety System. The car packs 10 standard airbags and a suite of driver-assist technologies. The optional Lexus Safety System + combines Pre-Collision System (PCS), Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Steering Assist, Intelligent High Beam (IHB) and All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
Using a combination of millimeter-wave radar and a front-facing camera, PCS helps to detect vehicles and some pedestrians. The system warns the driver of a possible collision and can initiate braking with Brake Assist.
Lane Departure Alert uses an onboard camera to convey audio/visual alerts and vibrate the steering wheel if the driver deviates from the lane.
Finally, Intelligent High Beam technology automatically adjusts high and low beam lighting by sensing oncoming traffic and the taillights of the vehicle out front.
The GS version will arrive in showrooms later this year.
