GS 300 – no lame duck

For the seventh consecutive year, Lexus has been crowned as the best-selling luxury vehicle brand in the United States by selling 322 434 units in 2006. Overall, Toyota sold over 2,5-million units to become the third-largest seller in the US last year.

Yet Lexus does not enjoy this kind of overwhelming success in many other countries, where it is unfortunately still seen as a brand that does not quite measure up to Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

With the recent launch of the Lexus GS 300, there should no longer be any doubt about Lexus not being a luxury vehicle brand. The GS 300 is a consummate fat-cat car for the simple reason that driving it is an exercise in simplicity and comfort, and this is very important because no one wants to spend upwards of R400 000 on a car only to feel they have to work hard to look good in their chosen chariot.

I settled easily into the GS 300 SE, thanks to the electronically adjustable seats, and quickly found the perfect driving position. You have to wonder why all cars are not equipped with this little innovation that would make everyone’s life a tad easier.

The nice thing about a vehicle that is as long as the GS 300 is that there is ample legroom for rear passengers unless, of course, you are unlucky enough to have a basketball player for a driver.

The interior is nicely plush with soft leather and real wood working together to give the car a rather stylish feel. Features include keyless entry, adaptive headlights, an electric rear sunblind, a very easy to operate touch-screen computer which controls the audio, navigation, temperature and such, and a rear camera which will make you look like a parking pro.

Standard safety features include a whopping 10 airbags, ABS, brake assist, selective traction control, stability control and much more.

On the road, the six-speed automatic box changes gears effortlessly and has a sequential manual mode which will allow you to change gears using the flappy paddles attached to the steering wheel, or by using the gear lever. To be entirely honest, I do prefer manual transmission simply because I feel more in control of the vehicle, but I didn’t find cause to use the manual mode much as I was too busy enjoying lazily wafting around.

The suspension is stiff enough to ensure that you don’t feel much body roll in the twisties, but soft enough to ensure that most journeys are supremely comfortable. The GS 300 is no speed demon, but with 183kW under the hood and a sport button which allows the revs to climb quickly towards the red zone, it is no slouch either. And its attractive exterior design makes an already classy package even more appealing.

What I liked most about the GS 300 is the high standard specification level. It comes with a great deal more than its German rivals, which sometimes seem to take their customers’ loyalty for granted.

The GS 300 AT is a sophisticated and refined rival that will undoubtedly ruffle German feathers, but it will do so in the same sort of insidious way that has seen chocolate becoming a priority food group for most women.

Fact file