A7 vs GS
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 158
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From: Portland, OR
I really liked everything about the GS except the mouse for the UI. The uninspiring exterior and smaller trunk didn't help. It drove great, loved the helmholtz resonator, adaptive suspension, lane assist, and price.
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Joined: Mar 2012
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This is my first contribution to the forum, but a topic that I am very familiar with. I had been a loyal Lexus GS lessor for six years, having leased 2 GS350's. Loved the cars, reliable as heck, well appointed, and styled differently than most every other vehicle out there. When my lease was expiring a few months ago on my 2010, I was very torn about what my next vehicle will be.
Lexus was kind enough to invite me to a track day, where I had the chance to race the GS-F Sport, and was actually one of the top qualifiers in my segment that got a chance to co-pilot the Lexus LFA around the track. I also had the opportunity to drive the GS-F Sport against a Mercedes E350 and a BMW 5 series.
The GS-F Sport outperformed the other cars, which of course did not come equipped with sport packages, so the comparison was a bit one sided. Nevertheless, the GS-FSport was a blast to drive, specially around curves. The power was decent, but nothing to really brag about.
Ultimately, I chose the A7 for the following reasons;
Styling - the A7 is a gorgeous looking car from every angle (although I think there is room for design improvement in the rear end, from an aesthetic perspective, in my opinion. The GS front end is a bit too harsh for me, the rear end looks like a Hyundai (and a lot of other cars out there), and in my opinion, the angles are slightly off.
Handling - although I have to admit, the Lexus really shined around the slalom, the A7 just eats up the curves with such ease. And in my normal, day to day driving, I don't drive slaloms.
Power - there is no comparison in power. The A7 in dynamic mode shoves you into the back of the seat more so than the GS in Sport+ mode. It is deginitely quicker off the line, The 8 speed transmission is fluid, while the GS transmission was not as refined.
Tech - each car have superior tech, and the GS's display screen is amazing. But the jog control was horrible, especially while driving. The MMI dial control isn't necessarily a dream either, and I much prefer touchscreens, but between the two, the MMI control was a bit less confusing and easier to control while driving.
Interior - the interior in the new GS was a definite step down from my 2010 GS. The leather did not feel as nice, door plastic seemed harder, and in my opinion it was too plasticky. The A7 has better detail and lines. Simple things like the trim that goes all the was around the dashboard, the LED ambient lighting, the slight angles to the speedometer and RPM dials, etc.
Finally, I am not certain if this is still the case or not, but I could not get the lux package on the GS along with the F-Sport package. It was either one or the other, so I could not get the rear controls and a few other niceties that the lux package has.
Hope this was helpful.
Lexus was kind enough to invite me to a track day, where I had the chance to race the GS-F Sport, and was actually one of the top qualifiers in my segment that got a chance to co-pilot the Lexus LFA around the track. I also had the opportunity to drive the GS-F Sport against a Mercedes E350 and a BMW 5 series.
The GS-F Sport outperformed the other cars, which of course did not come equipped with sport packages, so the comparison was a bit one sided. Nevertheless, the GS-FSport was a blast to drive, specially around curves. The power was decent, but nothing to really brag about.
Ultimately, I chose the A7 for the following reasons;
Styling - the A7 is a gorgeous looking car from every angle (although I think there is room for design improvement in the rear end, from an aesthetic perspective, in my opinion. The GS front end is a bit too harsh for me, the rear end looks like a Hyundai (and a lot of other cars out there), and in my opinion, the angles are slightly off.
Handling - although I have to admit, the Lexus really shined around the slalom, the A7 just eats up the curves with such ease. And in my normal, day to day driving, I don't drive slaloms.
Power - there is no comparison in power. The A7 in dynamic mode shoves you into the back of the seat more so than the GS in Sport+ mode. It is deginitely quicker off the line, The 8 speed transmission is fluid, while the GS transmission was not as refined.
Tech - each car have superior tech, and the GS's display screen is amazing. But the jog control was horrible, especially while driving. The MMI dial control isn't necessarily a dream either, and I much prefer touchscreens, but between the two, the MMI control was a bit less confusing and easier to control while driving.
Interior - the interior in the new GS was a definite step down from my 2010 GS. The leather did not feel as nice, door plastic seemed harder, and in my opinion it was too plasticky. The A7 has better detail and lines. Simple things like the trim that goes all the was around the dashboard, the LED ambient lighting, the slight angles to the speedometer and RPM dials, etc.
Finally, I am not certain if this is still the case or not, but I could not get the lux package on the GS along with the F-Sport package. It was either one or the other, so I could not get the rear controls and a few other niceties that the lux package has.
Hope this was helpful.
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Joined: May 2012
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Audiworld Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 26
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From: Sarasota, FL
I agree with this post 100%. I have also owned GS 350's a 2006 and a 2010 and we happened to test drive the new GS 350 yesterday and then we picked up an A7 to drive. I have owned 9 Lexus's and we have now placed an order for a 2013 A7 which is a far superior car to the GS 350. This will be the first time we have not owned at least one Lexus since 1994.
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AudiWorld Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 510
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
This is my first contribution to the forum, but a topic that I am very familiar with. I had been a loyal Lexus GS lessor for six years, having leased 2 GS350's. Loved the cars, reliable as heck, well appointed, and styled differently than most every other vehicle out there. When my lease was expiring a few months ago on my 2010, I was very torn about what my next vehicle will be.
Lexus was kind enough to invite me to a track day, where I had the chance to race the GS-F Sport, and was actually one of the top qualifiers in my segment that got a chance to co-pilot the Lexus LFA around the track. I also had the opportunity to drive the GS-F Sport against a Mercedes E350 and a BMW 5 series.
The GS-F Sport outperformed the other cars, which of course did not come equipped with sport packages, so the comparison was a bit one sided. Nevertheless, the GS-FSport was a blast to drive, specially around curves. The power was decent, but nothing to really brag about.
Ultimately, I chose the A7 for the following reasons;
Styling - the A7 is a gorgeous looking car from every angle (although I think there is room for design improvement in the rear end, from an aesthetic perspective, in my opinion. The GS front end is a bit too harsh for me, the rear end looks like a Hyundai (and a lot of other cars out there), and in my opinion, the angles are slightly off.
Handling - although I have to admit, the Lexus really shined around the slalom, the A7 just eats up the curves with such ease. And in my normal, day to day driving, I don't drive slaloms.
Power - there is no comparison in power. The A7 in dynamic mode shoves you into the back of the seat more so than the GS in Sport+ mode. It is deginitely quicker off the line, The 8 speed transmission is fluid, while the GS transmission was not as refined.
Tech - each car have superior tech, and the GS's display screen is amazing. But the jog control was horrible, especially while driving. The MMI dial control isn't necessarily a dream either, and I much prefer touchscreens, but between the two, the MMI control was a bit less confusing and easier to control while driving.
Interior - the interior in the new GS was a definite step down from my 2010 GS. The leather did not feel as nice, door plastic seemed harder, and in my opinion it was too plasticky. The A7 has better detail and lines. Simple things like the trim that goes all the was around the dashboard, the LED ambient lighting, the slight angles to the speedometer and RPM dials, etc.
Finally, I am not certain if this is still the case or not, but I could not get the lux package on the GS along with the F-Sport package. It was either one or the other, so I could not get the rear controls and a few other niceties that the lux package has.
Hope this was helpful.
Lexus was kind enough to invite me to a track day, where I had the chance to race the GS-F Sport, and was actually one of the top qualifiers in my segment that got a chance to co-pilot the Lexus LFA around the track. I also had the opportunity to drive the GS-F Sport against a Mercedes E350 and a BMW 5 series.
The GS-F Sport outperformed the other cars, which of course did not come equipped with sport packages, so the comparison was a bit one sided. Nevertheless, the GS-FSport was a blast to drive, specially around curves. The power was decent, but nothing to really brag about.
Ultimately, I chose the A7 for the following reasons;
Styling - the A7 is a gorgeous looking car from every angle (although I think there is room for design improvement in the rear end, from an aesthetic perspective, in my opinion. The GS front end is a bit too harsh for me, the rear end looks like a Hyundai (and a lot of other cars out there), and in my opinion, the angles are slightly off.
Handling - although I have to admit, the Lexus really shined around the slalom, the A7 just eats up the curves with such ease. And in my normal, day to day driving, I don't drive slaloms.
Power - there is no comparison in power. The A7 in dynamic mode shoves you into the back of the seat more so than the GS in Sport+ mode. It is deginitely quicker off the line, The 8 speed transmission is fluid, while the GS transmission was not as refined.
Tech - each car have superior tech, and the GS's display screen is amazing. But the jog control was horrible, especially while driving. The MMI dial control isn't necessarily a dream either, and I much prefer touchscreens, but between the two, the MMI control was a bit less confusing and easier to control while driving.
Interior - the interior in the new GS was a definite step down from my 2010 GS. The leather did not feel as nice, door plastic seemed harder, and in my opinion it was too plasticky. The A7 has better detail and lines. Simple things like the trim that goes all the was around the dashboard, the LED ambient lighting, the slight angles to the speedometer and RPM dials, etc.
Finally, I am not certain if this is still the case or not, but I could not get the lux package on the GS along with the F-Sport package. It was either one or the other, so I could not get the rear controls and a few other niceties that the lux package has.
Hope this was helpful.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 5,879
Likes: 4
From: United States of America
Just going off the visuals. That new Lexus look is UGLIER THAN SIN!
They took an Audi front end and LED lights (from 5 years ago) and beat the crap out of it with an UGLY STICK. So horrid I could care less how it drives or how much square feet of leather it has.
They took an Audi front end and LED lights (from 5 years ago) and beat the crap out of it with an UGLY STICK. So horrid I could care less how it drives or how much square feet of leather it has.
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