Lexus GS test drive since 2008 sedan
Lexus GS. On the airfield, along the airfield ...
In Los Angeles last week, I had two important deeds and test drives of the new Lexus GS generation of the new generation. The 13-hour non-permanent flight from Moscow and the repolvation from day to night was not easy. Fatigue erodes everything into the fog, time stretches: the airport, presentation, hotel, four hours for sleep, and forward behind the wheel in the fields. Voila.
The length of the GS remained the same, the front overhang was shortened by 10 mm, and the rear became as longest. The height increased by 30 mm, width by 20. The track was heard at 40 mm in front and 50 mm behind. The width of the car increased by 20 mm. The base remained the same 2850 mm
Lexus rolled out three modifications GS at once for the test 350 AWD, as well as the rear -wheel drive GS 250 and the GS 450H hybrid. It is these machines that will be represented in Europe and Russia. New design, processed power structure, engines and chassis, ennobled interior, new multimedia. Great. One large-format 12.3-inch TV, peeping from a soft leather leather, like a sofa, which is worth it. Both Lux and premium are all in one bottle.
GS is now offered in 11 colors, three new ones appeared among them: dark red (Crimson Red), blue (Meteor Blue) and silver (Sonic Silver). In the varn of cars painted in dark red color, there are glass retroreflective inclusions
However, starting to study the car in more detail (I first came across a all -wheel drive GS 350 AWD), involuntarily stumble upon all sorts of absurdities. There is no room for a number on the front bumper (in some states of America, the front sign is optional). But my back turners are yellow European. The mileage shows the odometer only in kilometers, and the temperature outside and inside only in the degrees of Fahrenheit. The rear-view mirrors are American, that is, without any parabols and diopters, and the speedometer generally has two scales: in kilometers and miles. Some kind of team of hodgepodge.
GS blocks can be of two options, but in any case they are able to look into a turn:
Bixenon is placed on gasoline versions, the main difference in the headlight has the only large designer of high and near light.
The headlight with diode light is distinguished by three rounds located in a row. Near and high beams have separate projectors of smaller diameter. L-shaped garland of LED daytime running lights is integrated into the headlight in both cases
We plunge deeper. Decorative wood inserts are really wooden (more precisely, they are made using a 0.5 mm veneer). And you can’t say it, it looks pale. The line on the skin is not neat everywhere. A rough dangling button for opening the glove compartment seems to have an endless move, it is in absolute dissonance with the neighboring joystick Remote Touch and short -term climate keys and the Mark Levinson audio system. However, the creators in relation to this Czechard are asking for loyalty. After all, now in our hands, pre -production cars, on the conveyor, are assured by engineers, there will be no noticed disability.
In gasoline versions of the pipe of the divorced exhaust system, they are integrated into the bumper, the hybrid at the bottom of the bumper is a blank lining, exhaust pipes are directed downward
Enough to chat, it's time to drive. I drive a chair on my own, everything seems to be convenient and the lateral support is nothing, and the profile, and the distribution of the load, but I understand something here is not right! Part of my freedom was bifted up by a bloated central tunnel, under which a hand -up box with a blocked center differential hid. The caviar of the right leg is exactly on the bubble. Tea, not UAZ! But we must pay tribute, rear -wheel drive variations and a hybrid are deprived of this miracle.
The steering wheel is conveniently laid in the hands, the column adjustment is carried out by electric drives.
The upper part of the front panel is trimmed with leather, the stitching can be contrasting or sulfur.
The upholstery of the seats and door panels will be performed in one of the six colors in black, ivory, gray, light brown, dark brown and grenade. The interior inserts are made using a natural veneer, the program of the program, of course, bamboo inserts, which are available only in the hybrid version.
There are still claims to fit some elements. For example, a glove box opening button and an element in which the lock larva is installed, dangles like on the Lada. Engineers claim that this will not happen on serial machines.
The salon welcomes the driver and passengers of white LED backlight approaching the car
There are no questions to control on the steering wheel, as well as to steering switches. The programs can be switched manually with petals. The control keys for an electromechanical parking brake with the auto -lock function hidden under the Start/Stop button
What is on the road? Quiet and surface! Noises and vibrations are purely informational in nature. The sound of the engine generally dissolves somewhere in the backyard of the motor compartment. But it is worth clicking on gas mmm! Immediately, the bubbling sound of the exhaust is spreading along the drum membranes of the balm. Apparently tried, tuned. But this is true for the 3.5 motor, a hybrid and a 2.5-liter six is \u200b\u200bmuch more modest.
The graphics and menu of the multimedia system seemed unnecessarily sophisticated. Is the excessive functionality good or bad?
The new GS has received the function of selecting Drive Mode Select traffic modes (photo on the left below).
The ECO, Normal, Sport S and Sport S+ modes (available only on cars with a F Sport package) are selected with a puck at the central tunnel. The nature of the work of the tandem engine/box from mode to mode changes significantly.
In ECO, response to the gas pedal is dulled, priority is given to increased gears, while the engine burns the smallest amount of fuel. The climate also works in economical mode (zones in which there are no passengers are not served).
In Sport S and Sport S+ gas reactions are sharper, the box switches faster with tangible shocks. Priority is given to reduced gears (so that at any time it was possible to go to acceleration faster), while the electronics when braking itself performs adequate bitterings. The consumption in this mode is slightly higher.
The interface for managing the functions of the multimedia stem Remote Touch (right below) is improved, the cursor on the monitor screen is now not just moving the engine, but sticks to the nearest menu items, you just have to indicate the direction. It has become much more convenient to use the mouse
The steering creates a strange feeling of reaction to turning the steering wheel is good, and, it seems, there is a necessary returning force, but there is catastrophically information about the micro -relief. They did not reach something. The suspension is elastic and even dense, it isolated almost completely from the road little thing. The balance is not bad, but it is worth getting in medium -sized potholes, like the front suspension, choosing a move, closes into the body. Wow, how is unsolvable. After one such (by the way, not too deep) potholes on my car, an indicator of the tire pressure monitoring system was lit. What is it, again a pre -production glitch? After all, the subsequent verification showed a complete procedure with pressure.
The tandem of the V-shaped six and a six-speed machine is good. A 3.5-liter 317-horsepower engine (previously 307 hp) already from medium revolutions gives good traction and drove fervently until the cut-off at 6500 revolutions. The engine is not easy, there are two types of injection (distributed and direct), a phase control system for gas distribution at the inlet and release of Dual VVT-I acceleration to hundreds of 6.3 seconds version 350 AWD. But not even this bribes, I liked the reaction of the motor to the gas pedal and the speed with which the box fumbled according to the gears. The delays in the decrease are minimal. And, valuable, with a decrease in the speed of electronics, it itself is capable of making excesses. But for this, the puck of the function of choosing an algorithm for the operation of the Drive Mode Select power unit needs to be converted to Sport S or Sport S+, and the transmission selector should be in the D-Range position. For a sports style, it is.
The new front seats are installed just below, in the front riders the distance above the head increased by 30 mm. The thinner backs of the seats allowed to conquer the rear riders 20 mm for the knees.
The sliding armrest on the central tunnel (aka boxing cover) is high for me. When you go calmly on Dalnyak, the right hand on the armrest is simply relaxed relaxed, but during active work the steering wheel, the elbow closes on it.
Driving chair with memory. An interesting feature of the central lock closes the doors as soon as you transfer the transmission selector to the R position, the doors unlock when you transfer the selector to the parking
Above the tops of the rear riders in the new GS became 25 mm larger. The rear seats do not lean back.
A small hatch, which opens access from the cabin to the trunk, is only on gasoline versions. The opening allows you to transport longs, like skis, but nothing more. A multifunctional armrest is behind, it has a niche for small things, boxing and a couple of cup holders. In the top performances, instead of a niche, the music control panel, climate, heated seats and a motorized rear glass curtain is integrated.
If you have little dynamics, you can choose a faster rear -wheel drive version with a hybrid drive. The car accelerates up to a hundred in 5.9 seconds, but only if the traction battery is charged, and both engines work together, the total capacity in this case is 343 hp. (earlier it was 296 hp). It is worth going to the track and lowering the battery charge, like a hybrid, in fact, turns into an ordinary gasoline sedan, under the hood of which 290 horses developed by a 3.5-liter six. The battery in the combat track mode does not have time to restore, so the electric motor on the track helps infrequently. Ballast?
But the main prize of the hybrid, in fact, is not in dynamics. And in better efficiency. In mixed mode, the passport consumption of fuel is only 5.9 liters per 100 km, but I got about 10. For comparison, the all -wheel drive 350 AWD consumes 10.2 liters according to the passport, and in realities cracks 15.2 liters.
However, those who want to save on the purchase, and who do not need excessive dynamics, can dwell on a 2.5-liter version, because it is not a fact that the economy of the hybrid in your conditions over time will pay off the difference in cost. In general, you need to pick up a calculator and consider the benefit. By the way, the deformed 209-horsepower V6 on the GS is presented for the first time.
Well, that's enough to feel sick, Aida on the track. Here we are waiting for the hybrid GS 450H in two performance. They, like a braid and stone, like ice and flame shorter, red with F Sport package, dark green without. The first with the left wheel, the second what?! On the track to drive a right -handed car? Eh, where ours did not disappear! You have to bring the sensitivity of their microphones to the maximum, and listen, listen, listen to yourself, the car, yourself and the car again
The F Sport package reduces the clearance by 15 mm. It can be available on any GS, even hybrid. Outwardly, such a machine can be distinguished by the appropriate nameplate, a more aggressive front bumper and a fine -fingered radiator grille. Layer on the rear bumper under the titanium
The test route is laid out by cones on take -offs and rolls of an abandoned military airfield. I get acquainted with the configuration on a normal left -handed machine, with a fkert package. This package includes shorter and rigid springs, reinforced reptile stability stabilizers, shock absorbers with a variable degree of damping, controlled rear wheels (rotated by an electromechanical gearbox within 20) and a mechanism that changes the gear ratio of the steering drive.
On cars equipped with a F SPORT package, including an active chassis with custom -made shock absorbers and steaming rear wheels, in the Sport S+ shock absorbers are clamped to the maximum. Thanks to this, the rolls are minimal, and the reactions to the rotation of the steering wheel and stability are better. The mechanism that changes the gear ratio of the steering drive, reducing the gear ratio, makes the steering wheel sharper and, at the same time, heavier. An interesting thing when switching to the SPORT S and SPORT S+ mode on the hybrid GS 450H indicator of the total drive power (on the left on the dashboard) is automatically replaced by the image of the tachometer. The battery after a series of intense accelerations exhausts, and does not have time to dial the maximum return, so, in fact, on the track the hybrid turns into a regular gasoline car, where the electric motor is included from time to time
I feel the track, listen to the car, click the modes, stop at the battle Sport S+. In this mode, controlled shock absorbers are clamped stronger, and in corners at the command of electronics they create the maximum possible resistance, and thereby minimize the rolls. The gear ratio in the drive is the smallest, and the steering wheel is a little heavier.
From a sparing regime, I move to frank provocations. I pull the steering wheel to the left in the bend, a blow! God, what is it? Pasha Karin, sitting next to him, attached my camera on the door. Yo-elok? Demolis entered the turn with a clear overkill of speed, GS is impressing the front axle, slightly straightening the trajectory, but under the crunch of ESP remains in a given corridor. Not a single cone is shot down, bravo.
Then I throw a hybrid right and left more and more. The rubber has heated and swam, the intensity grows, the demolition begins before and earlier, well, now let's try everything in the mind. As soon as I bring to the ABS, inhibition I unload the rear axle and put the car on the arc O, Miracle! I go through the hairpin, sliding with all four wheels. The back axis plays along with, while the car remains fast and controlled. GS with an active chassis can be forced to dance, and if you really want to, it will allow you to slip a little in a controlled drift. I continue in the same spirit, and I start to like GS.
With loose shock absorbers in the ECO and Normal mode, the option with an active chassis becomes much more loyal to defects in the roadway, but hesks no less than a car with a standard suspension
The dynamic stabilization system does not completely turn off. Its operation threshold in the Sport S and Sport S+ mode is slightly pushed away. On the track, ESP behaves very adequately, it does not interfere very much, does not strangle the engine once again and does not besiege the car, as they say, with a margin. If you go into a turn with a break, electronics, allowing to slip, simply slows down the rear wheel inner to turn the wheel and makes the car stumble about it and trust. Electronics injects GS into such turns, in which cars without a stabilization system would have long been outside the intended corridor. Interestingly, do ordinary gasoline versions also behave? Alas, it was not possible to find out this, Lexus rolled only hybrids on the track.
Now the line of right -handed 450H with a standard chassis. After a couple of first turns, a strange feeling comes that I am sitting in the stroller of the Ural motorcycle (and I have to steer from the stroller), the rolls after F Sport seem terrifying. And it scares not so much their value as the speed with which the GS falls on the side. To blame the car is a tall business. Especially loaded. So, if you want more understandable management, safety and pleasure on the verge and beyond, you just need a variation with a sports package.
In the arsenal of the new GS, the richest set of security tools: ESP, the Pre-Crash Safety system preventing collisions, including the driver monitoring camera, active cruise control (now works in the entire speed range), assistant retention in the LKA strip, the monitoring system of the dead zones of VSM, the system of monitoring A night vision system, a data project to projection on a windshield with an extended menu containing even a tachometer. There is also an adaptive I-AFS head lighting system with automatic light switching between near and distant. 10 airbags. All safety belts on GS have pretensors
GS with an active chassis is a gambling machine. A more stringent suspension and electronics made a GS tool that is well controlled. But, in fact, he still remained a sedan for everyday driving, in the priority of which is still safe movement, and not satisfaction of sports ambitions. It is better to go to the track for emotions and pleasure to go to the BMW 5 series. Our GS should go on sale during the first half of 2012. What the novelty looks like against the background of its competitors, we will find out in January, when prices become known.
Vitaly Kabyshev
Photo: Vitaly Kabyshev, Pavel Karin and Lexus
The power structure was based on its previous, but as a result of processing (revision of steel varieties and refinement of the geometry of some elements), the stiffness of twisting increased by 14%.
The front suspension, as before, on parallel transverse levers. New levers are easier due to the fact that they are made of forged aluminum. In addition, the angle of longitudinal stabilization (caster) is increased. The rigidity of the reptile stabilizers and springs has become slightly higher. The characteristics of the shock absorbers are also revised, they have become a little softer for compression, on the contrary, they create more resistance. Silent blocks were increased, and in this way, they extinguish vibrations much better.
The back multi -link is completely processed. Thanks to the sprinkled springs and shock absorbers, the design managed to make it more compact, which made it possible to play additional volume in favor of the trunk.
On standard machines, brake mechanisms with steel ventilated disks are installed. Versions with the F Sport package are flaunted with more hardy brakes (in the photo on the left below). The discs here are composite (the hub is aluminum, the working part is cast -iron), they are lighter, thicker and have an increased diameter
The back axis with controlled wheels. The electromechanical drive installed on the subframe turns the rear wheels within 20
The processed drive Lexus Hybrid Drive made GS 450H more economically by 23% compared to its predecessor. For movement at low speeds, an electric motor is used here, intensive acceleration can be carried out using both engines or one gasoline (if necessary, replenishment of charging a traction battery).
The 3.5-liter V6 as part of the hybrid operates on the Atkinson cycle and has two fuel supply systems: distributed injection (nozzles are in the intake path) and direct (nozzles supply fuel directly into the combustion chamber). With the help of such a combined mixture of preparation, the Japanese managed to obtain the balance they need between return, efficiency and environmental friendliness.
The power control unit in the hybrid increases the voltage supplied to the electric motor to the maximum 650 volts in Sport S/ Sport S+ mode and limits up to 500 volts in ECO mode. That is, depending on the selected regime, either dynamism or efficiency increases.
Nickel-metallogid battery, as before, is located above the rear axle, but it has become somewhat more compact. This made it possible to increase the volume of the trunk to 482 liters (+60% compared to current GS 450H)
Source: Auto.mail.ru
