1998 Lexus GS400 (Reaction) Motorweek Retro

Рет қаралды 1,149

Ай бұрын

#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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Пікірлер: 37

@bobcoats2708 Ай бұрын

I’d drive that car today. Has always been one of my favorites, despite its relative lack of success. Thank you Jon.

@productive23 Ай бұрын

I have a 2001 Lexus Gs 300 with 300k miles… still runs and drives like it’s brand new

@bobcoats2708 Ай бұрын

@@productive23 Awesome! Hope she runs for many more years

@hq21 Ай бұрын

"I am a sucker for a big trunk." --- All Cars with Jon

@AllCarswithJon Ай бұрын

LOL! At no point, until this comment, did I think I'd said a quotable thing there. But now I can't unhear it. :)

@floyd27860 29 күн бұрын

I like woman with a big trunk also! 😅

@jfish9014 Ай бұрын

“Understated, yet classy grill” man I miss the old days sometimes…

@davidwill1320 Ай бұрын

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.

@floyd27860 29 күн бұрын

Those spoilers were the cherry 🍒 on top!

@mrgurulittle7000 Ай бұрын

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.

@weegeemike Ай бұрын

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.

@ds-il7ik Ай бұрын

It's a respectable and capable premium car that looks a little too much like a Daewoo Leganza.

@warrenny Ай бұрын

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 ).

@donaldwilson2620 Ай бұрын

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.

@chief1972 Ай бұрын

Bulbous.It’s BULBOUS! Like your videos.

@warrenny Ай бұрын

I think Jon was actually going for bubbly.....but his mouth was trying to saying bulbous.....an ad lib portmanteau, perhaps.

@floyd27860 29 күн бұрын

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).

@ljfire100 Ай бұрын

a 2001 Gs300 was my first car. Really spoiled me and set me up for an expensive hobby later in life.

@UncleJoeLITE Ай бұрын

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.

@brandondavis7695 Ай бұрын

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.

@warrenny Ай бұрын

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.

@warrenny Ай бұрын

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.

@patricktam4278 Ай бұрын

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.

@g-mang-man7924 Ай бұрын

I still want one. Have an ES

@stevenswan3642 Ай бұрын

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.

@mumwifeteacher Ай бұрын

Word of the day “bubbulus”

@warrenny Ай бұрын

lol. I think he wanted to say bubbly, but his brain was fighting with bulbous and he came up with a portmanteau.

@marcodarko6941 Ай бұрын

Nice car. At the time I would have leaned more towards an SC400 or even SC300.

@johnnymason2460 Ай бұрын

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.

@mumwifeteacher Ай бұрын

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

@danr1920 Ай бұрын

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.