If you like a more traditional, soft-riding flavor in your sport sedan than what the Germans deliver, you'll probably like the ride and handling characteristics of the GS 430. It dishes up more body roll than the rest, but feels solid and secure unless you're really pushing it. As Walton noted at the test track, the GS gives less feedback about the road surface and what the chassis is up to, but has more than respectable grip limits. The steering is quick, but not particularly communicative. It seems like the quietest of the group, though with more-than-expected road graininess, and there's quite a bit of noise coming from around the exterior mirror/A-pillar area. We suspect the chassis design is plenty sound; some fiddling with shock/spring/anti-roll bar rates could turn the GS 430 into even more of a handler. As this car wasn't equipped with Lexus E-Shift, which puts a set of up- and downshift buttons on the steering wheel, we didn't have the manual control option offered by the others, but the transmission otherwise performs just fine.
Everything we said about the E430 on the track holds true on the road: a bit less well-honed turn-in, too-soft shock damping, and more front-end push than we'd like. But point this thing down the freeway, crank up some speed, and the Mercedes autobahn experience shines through. Drive it like a GT instead of a Miata, and the Big E sparkles as a high-speed mile-eater. The ride quality mirrors the BMW's combination of solid control and smoothness, wind noise is low, and resistance to side winds is impeccable. Mercedes' Sport option doesn't include any suspension alterations over the standard E430, other than the effect of the 17-in. wheels and rubber, and perhaps it should. However, the company's TouchShift trans is one of our favorites. In Drive, you get fully automatic operation, but snick the shifter left or right, and you're in manual mode just that fast. The tranny responds quickly to manual shift commands and also works just fine as a normal automatic.
Flying First ClassAll four combatants set a high standard for interior accoutrements. Each car is attractive, well-equipped, nicely finished, and generally comfortable. This isn't to say they're all the same or that we didn't have favorites.
The E430 gives you what you expect: a Teutonic, straightforward, not overly adorned cabin. Some criticize Mercedes seats as too firm, but these chairs proved both supportive and long-haul comfortable in keeping with the car's role as an autobahnist. We still like the company's looks-like-a-seat seat controls up on the door panels; they're easy to adjust quickly and intuitively. There's plenty of room in every dimension, front and back (love the first-aid kit in the rear compartment). The important gauges are easily visible through the steering wheel, which itself feels good in your hands. Kudos to Mercedes for choosing appropriate leather, wood, and other materials; everything feels rich and solid. But the instrument panel's centerstack, while functional, is no ergonomic marvel. And we wish the window switches were also on each door instead of the center console. Unlike the aforementioned seat adjusters, the HVAC, audio, and steering-wheel controls are not easy to adjust quickly or intuitively. The Bose audio system sounds good, but a changer costs extra, and the standard single-disc CD unit can't play while the optional nav system is in use. What's with that?!
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