Lexus GS facelift

24th January 2008

Faster, greener and sleeker... Lexus has revised its flagship V8-powered GS executive car by giving it a new engine – as well as updating the styling across the range.

All models get a chrome surround for the front grille, new door mirrors with integrated indicators and slightly reshaped bumpers front and rear.

Revamped 17 and 18-inch alloys have also been added, along with two fresh paint finishes: Byzantine Silver and Namibian Gold.

Inside, better-quality leather is now used in some models, while the steering wheel controls have been revised and there’s additional wood upholstery around the gearlever.

The biggest news, though, comes with the top-of-the-range GS460.
It gets a 4.6-litre petrol engine which delivers 342bhp and 460Nm of torque. This means 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

The model is equipped with the world’s first eight-speed automatic transmission, which was initially seen in the LS460. Yet despite the extra ratios, the set-up is lighter and more compact than the six-speeder of the outgoing GS430. As a result, fuel econ­omy and emis-sions are improved, at 27.5mpg and 258g/km of CO2 respectively.

The 2008 GS460 is on sale now, priced from £50,500, with the entry-level GS300 costing £33,100.