1998 Lexus GS400 (Reaction) Motorweek Retro
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- #acwj
This week's Motorweek Retro Reaction is the 1998 Lexus GS400!
Back in the 90's I really liked this car, and it would have been my personal choice in that mid-sized executive sedan category.
But it was a swing-and-a-miss for Lexus. While good, it's styling outside and inside left it behind the German's it was chasing.
As I say in the video, "it has a nice personality"!
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I’d drive that car today. Has always been one of my favorites, despite its relative lack of success. Thank you Jon.
I have a 2001 Lexus Gs 300 with 300k miles… still runs and drives like it’s brand new
@@productive23 Awesome! Hope she runs for many more years
"I am a sucker for a big trunk." --- All Cars with Jon
LOL! At no point, until this comment, did I think I'd said a quotable thing there.
But now I can't unhear it. :)
I like woman with a big trunk also! 😅
“Understated, yet classy grill” man I miss the old days sometimes…
I daily a 99 gs400 with 273k miles. 100+ miles a day, on coilovers, burnouts, the occasional donut, and a fewtrack days. It's been, by far, the best vehicle I've ever had. Just driving my gs is one of the few joys I get from life on a daily basis.
Awesome, thanks for sharing that!
I had the GS400 and it was an amazing car to drive. At the time everyone wanted one and I'd get stopped everywhere I went by people wanting to talk about it and get a closer look. I even got pulled over once, because the cop want to look at it. It did have a problem with the rims bending easily and the wheel balance weights kept falling off. Also, a bulb in one of the trunk mounted lights would fall out of its socket from the jolt of closing the trunk. Mine was the same red as in this review, but also had a rear spoiler.
Those spoilers were the cherry 🍒 on top!
I like this generation GS. It looks like an imitation to the retro design fad of that era that the Rover 75, Mercedes C Class, Jaguar X Type, and Jaguar XJ.
I always thought the styling was off on these. Just awkward looking. Reliable cars though, I still see some of these early GS's roaming the streets from time to time.
It's a respectable and capable premium car that looks a little too much like a Daewoo Leganza.
thumbs up for 'respectable and capable premium car'....thats accurate without being too generous.
You can't really ding the GS though for its looks. It was very typical of premium cars to have that front fascia in the mid to late 90s.
Koreans love other people's style and they copied them out of respect ( I lived there for several years ).
Bulbous.It’s BULBOUS!
Like your videos.
I think Jon was actually going for bubbly.....but his mouth was trying to saying bulbous.....an ad lib portmanteau, perhaps.
I'm glad to see this review on the GS 400, I own a 91 Toyota Cressida and a 98 Lexus GS 400, I purchase an 89 Cressida new and traded it for the 91-model year, the GS was used purchase, The Cressida was a hot car until Lexus made their debut in 1989, Everyone wanted to own these vehicles along with the Q45 BMW's and Merecedes, However reliability issues plague the German brands, and Lexus was an alternative of being reliable and a cheaper variant, The 98 GS400 had more horsepower than the BMW 540 and Benz 430, It's was faster off line from 0 to 60 also , I raced against these cars all the time and beat them , Technology wise in 98 Lexus offer the touch screen navigation system which was ahead its time, The GS was a fast comfortable vehicle the will put your passenger to sleep and go up against the German rivals , If Lexus would came out with tune version like an M5 or Amg variant , they would of being king of the hill at that point in time, Although you had some aftermarket tuners that could add a twin turbo or super charge version that would of cost $25k and voided your warranty. Folks did not want to risk their cars just to go faster, the 2nd Gen GS was exciting car, At the 1997 NY Auto show they debuted the HPS version of the GS, When I saw this car for the first time, said to myself, I have this car, I believe Lexus became too comfortable these cars since they were hot items, They drop the ball and waited too long to come out with the GS F version with lower horsepower than the M5 and AMG, Folks just lost interest since they're not as powerful as the other auto brands, The auto brands of today don't grab my interest like in 80's and 90's , Everyone is copying each other and the cars just look the same , I also had opportunity of driving my boss LS400 backing 89 , My friends Benz 300E and BMW M3, The GS is a sporty version that top them all,
I would still choose the Lexus GS over its main competitors, the Mercedes-Benz E Class, and the BMW 5 Series. You simply can't beat Lexus reliability and lower cost of maintenance, especially compared to the German competition. I would choose the GS300 because the now legendary 2JZ inline six is smooth and pretty much bulletproof.
a 2001 Gs300 was my first car. Really spoiled me and set me up for an expensive hobby later in life.
I agree about the trunk. Even when the guy threw that luggage in there; in my head I said "get the f*** in there". I think the downfall of this car, was like you said... "I'd probably go for the V6". Most ppl don't need to go all that fast (and the six cylinder was more reliable).
We got this model GS in ANZ as the GS 300, with the 3.0 L 2JZ-GE I6 engine. V8 was for N/A only afaik.
The GS 300 was panned by the press, but I liked both it & the SC 300. A clearly superior Jaguar S-Type was my thought att. Cheers Jon.
I still want one. Have an ES
I had an 01 GS300, coming from a 99 E320. To be honest, the GS did a great 5 minute test drive, but once I had the car longer, the less I liked it. Steering and suspension was more numb than I liked. Engine and transmission were smooth, but after about 2 years I got rid of it.
I love the GS, its always been my favorite Lexus since day 1 and it is sorely missed. Going from the previous humpback whale-looking but still attractive first gen to this, I think they hit it out the park.
I loved the GS. Wanted one when I was too young to be able to afford. Personally, I find the SC line to be my favorite. But seeing as how coupes are more or less dead, it probably would be wiser to choose the GS.
This Lexus everyone knew would be reliable but previous merc and bmw drivers would be hard to shift over. Bmw had beautiful styling and better driving dynamic. E class still had a reputation for reliability albeit way more expensive to maintain. I think Lexus would get traditional Japanese buyers, but wasn’t not going to sway any of the German buyers yet.
Cool video!
Jon, great review.
The GS was a favorite of mine in the 90s, though I would have easily bought an SC rather than the GS back in the day - not that I had money for either one at the time.
As much as I love Toyota/Lexus, I don't feel like they ever matched most luxury brands on design. Their designs were cleaner than domestics, though Lincolns and Cadillacs arguably had more personality. As far as Mercedes and BMW, they were quite a bit more attractive.
I was one of the young people cheering on the GS and ES and SC, yet in my heart, I always felt they never produced a design that was timeless like the Germans....perhaps the LS was the closest thing to a timeless design.
The one fault I see with Lexus is that they did not offer a manual transmission for the ls400 or any of the v8 s to compete with the m cars
This was a great Lexus GS sedan. I like the V8 engine here. It would have been sportier if it had gotten the 320hp 3.0 liter turbo inline six from the Supra Turbo.
Word of the day “bubbulus”
lol. I think he wanted to say bubbly, but his brain was fighting with bulbous and he came up with a portmanteau.
Nice car. At the time I would have leaned more towards an SC400 or even SC300.
I always thought the staying was very boring. But it valued reliability, which is important or should be in an expensive car. Ajust for inflation, not quite double.
At 45,000 new, it was just too expensive for my pay grade at that time. Would have loved to own one, though.
The I6 easier to fix and smoother than the v8.
Could you do the Chrysler 300/Dodge Magnum motorweek review? I'd love to hear your take on chrysler's v8 rwd renaissance
Good idea... thanks
Radars pointing at your coming vehicle, can you afford another ticket? I'm with you, six cilinders suits me just fine...🫡