1998 Lexus GS 300 430 Comparison, Review & Road Test

With the '98 GS Series, Lexus attacked BMW's 5 Series head-on, producing sport sedans with both rocking performance and pampering luxury. It was especially significant that we honored the GS Series with the '98 Import Car of the Year Award, since the 5 Series was the '97 ICOY winner.

What could be better than having a Lexus GS Series in our long-term test fleet? How about having twoaa GS 300, with its 225-horsepower DOHC inline six, and the beyond-potent, 300-horse DOHC V-8 GS 400.

Our GS 300 started with a base price of $36,800. We added power moonroof ($1020), booming Nakamichi 260-watt audio system ($1200), six-disc in-dash CD changer ($1050), and leather seat trim ($1710), which pushed the bottom line to $42,436, just shy of the $44,800 base price of our GS 400. With moonroof ($1020), heated front seats ($420), high-intensity discharge headlamps ($500), GPS-based navigation ($2250), Bridgestone Potenza RE030 235/45ZR17s ($215), and CD changer ($1050), the GS 400's sticker rose to a lofty $50,911. Our surveyed GS 400 owners reported paying an average of $48,551 for their cars.

A near clean-sheet redesign for '98, the GS Series replaced the pleasant, but pricey and uninspiring, GS 300. No one dares call the new GS Series "uninspiring." And the new GS 300 was an unheard of 25 percent less expensive than its predecessor. "Wholly mind-blowing," we called it. The first GS 300 we tested ripped off a quick 7.6-second 0-60-mph run, while the GS*400 blasted 0-60 mph in a shocking 5.7 seconds. (Since then, we've gotten 5.8- and 5.9-second 0-60 runs from GS 400s.) Stopping distance 60-0 mph was within a foot of 113 feet on both models. The 300's handling numbers were respectable, 0.80 g on the skidpad and 60.9 mph in the slalom; but the GS 400 was sports-car spectacular, 0.87 g on the skidpad and 66.9 in the slalom. A '99 GS 400 returned a whopping 0.90 g on the skidpad and 65.9 mph in the slalom.