Monday, January 30, 2012

2013 White Lexus GS350 Official Photos and Info

at 10:05 PM
under Lexus

Thanks to an unveil in Pebble Beach we finally have our first good look at the 2013 Lexus GS350�we previously drove heavily camo�d prototypes�and, with it, the future look and styling direction of the Lexus brand. The company also let drop that it would unveil the inevitable hybrid version at September�s Frankfurt auto show. About a month after that, the company will show the F-Sport version at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The new GS350, the fourth generation of the company�s mid-range sedan, will be the standard-bearer of Lexus�s new, more �passionate� approach to the premium-car market. Our first driving experience in camouflaged examples of the car, in both standard and F-Sport versions, bear out that oft-repeated passion claim.

The GS350�s styling is considerably, and thankfully, more subtle than the frankly hideous LF-Gh concept car from this year�s New York Auto Show. The �13 GS sits on a two-inch-wider track, giving it a more planted look. It is, as is the fashion, festooned with LEDs front and rear. Its one truly distinctive visual signature is a new front grille shape that Lexus calls �spindle� shaped. Okay. It looks something like a large square grille that been cinched in about two-thirds of the way up either side. Expect to see a lot of this shape in the coming years.

When the GS350 goes on sale in February of 2012, it�ll be powered by a largely carry-over 3.5-liter V-6, which uses both port and direct injection. The engine makes 306 hp at 6400 rpm (a bump of 3 hp from the last GS350) and 277 lb-ft of torque at 4800. The car carries a six-speed automatic transmission. It will be available in rear or all-wheel-drive versions.

Inside the slightly larger interior is mounted a massive 12.3-inch infotainment screen on which owners can noodle with Pandora, conduct local searches on Bing, and a host of other options. Lexus has packed that interior with all manner of standard and optional electronic whiz-bangery. The optional Mark Levinson audio system pumps out 835 watts. Sensors in the seats allow the climate-control system to direct flow to passenger and not empty seats, says the company, which also claims a nice bump in system efficiency for the effort. There�s a new infrared camera mounted to the steering column that keeps an eye on where your eyes are pointed. The camera is integrated into the car�s pre-collision system, so that if a crash appears imminent and the driver is not looking ahead, he�ll get an earlier warning signal than the system would otherwise provide. The system can, of course, initiate braking as well. There�s a bevy of other tricks too, including night vision, a head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, and active lane-keep assist.

The company has not yet announced pricing but we expect it to start in the $48,000-to-$50,000 range. Pleasantly surprising as the shape may have been, price is one thing we knew wasn�t going to change much on this one.