- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
168kW, 298Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 8.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
1998 Lexus GS300 review: Used car guide
The Lexus GS300 filled a yawning gap, writes DAVID MORLEY.
Not just a Toyota in flash clothes
In 1997 Lexus had a marketing problem. At one end of its range it had the ES300, and way up at the other end sat the flagship LS400. There was nothing in between.
The ES300 wasn't helped by the perception that it was a Toyota Camry with leather trim, but more than anything else, Lexus needed a model to bridge the yawning chasm between the ES and LS.
The car to do that needed to be priced somewhere between the ES300's $60,000 and the LS400's $155,000. In the end, Lexus settled on the $90,000 GS300.
The other thing that needed to happen was for the new model to forge itself a reputation for being something other than a Toyota in flash Lexus clothes. Rather than try to adapt a Toyota platform, the Lexus engineers were given the go-ahead to develop a specific platform that used medium-sized dimensions but used rear-wheel-drive to placate the conservatives who were most likely to buy the thing in the first place.
The Lexus view on rear-drive was that it added a much sportier feel to the driving experience rather than being a nod to the conservatives.
Lexus' next car, the smaller IS200, also used rear-wheel-drive, at a greatly increased development cost, speaking volumes for the success of the notion. Unlike modern Toyotas, the GS body shell didn't have the vaguely cab-forward styling, instead looking a bit old school with a relatively long bonnet and shortened rear. But it was still a reasonably big four-door, four-seater and the rear end was only visually shorter because of the almost coupe-like line of the rear glass and boot lid.
Inside was plenty of standard equipment, including climate-control air-conditioning, a six-stacker CD player, power front seats, leather-clad steering wheels, full electrics and a trip computer. Throw in remote central locking, and the GS300 was very easy to live with.
The small, attention-to-detail items were interesting too, with auto dipping interior and exterior mirrors, self-levelling xenon headlights and even an automatic setting for the instrument backlighting.
The GS300 made surviving a crash more likely, too, with dual front and side-front airbags. It was less likely to crash anyway, featuring anti-lock brakes and traction control.
If the appearance and drive layout were designed to appeal to those who were naturally suspicious of newfangled technology, the engine trod the same path. Most of the world had shifted to V6 engines for this style and size of car but Lexus used an inline six-cylinder engine with modern touches such as double overhead camshafts, alloy construction, variable valve timing and sequential fuel-injection.
It also used an early example of throttle-by-wire and, as with many such attempts, Lexus didn't get the calibration quite spot on, allowing for some jerkiness at low speeds and small throttle openings.
This, however, was really the only driveability issue, because the engine's 166 kW of power, 298 Nm of torque and total smoothness made it a fine thing. The engine was helped enormously by a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Less of an all-rounder was the suspension, which was set up too softly for many appetites. Lexus was obviously chasing ride quality, which the car had in spades, but the catch was a lack of body control - roll in corners, squat under acceleration and dive under braking.
Still, it's hard to pillory the car for erring on the side of comfort, given its market position, but it's equally true that a more equitable compromise was a possibility.
And that's just what people thought at the time of the car's launch. A few buyers were disappointed that a car that promised so much on paper didn't quite deliver the goods in full.
These days many people are more likely to forgive the GS300 for its suspension and concentrate on its ability to age gracefully.
What to pay
The oldest GS300s are less than a decade old but they're quite good value given their brand-new asking price. A 1997 model that retailed for almost $90,000 when new is now yours from a dealer for about $21,000. Any example up to the facelift in 2000 can be had for up to $35,000, at which point you're buying something with as few as 80,000 km on board and a lot of life left in it.
The competition
The Lexus is bigger than either the BMW 3-Series or the C-Class Mercedes-Benz and offers a lot more in some departments. The Honda Legend has a chequered past but is a more conventional vehicle.