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| Photos Courtesy of Lexus |
"The new face of Lexus", that's how the all-new GS is called. This is the car that will finally realign Lexus from simply being a re-badged Toyota into one that's completely engineered from top to bottom as a bonafide challenger to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. And last night, Manila got the first glimpse of the all-new GS at its launch event at the Lexus Manila showroom.
Among the most noticeable change is the all-new sheet metal that carries the brand-new "spindle grille" design. This love-it-or-hate-it is the latest iteration of Lexus's L-Finesse design language and will slowly make its way to the rest of the Lexus line-up. Aside from the stylish grille, the GS looks strong and athletic riding on standard 17-inch rims while the F-Sport runs on 18-inch rims.
Speaking of variants, there are three GS models available. Two are immediately available at launch and one will follow soon. The GS 350 retails for P 4,238,000; the GS 350 F Sport with additional styling, handling and comfort package goes for P 4,818,000; while the GS 450h will arrive in Manila soon (price yet to be announced).
As the name implies, the all-new GS carries a single engine variant: a 3.5-liter V6 good for 312 horsepower, figures very close to the outgoing 4.6-liter V8 engine. The added power bump is thanks to dual variable valve timing as well as direct injection technology. Mated to a 6-speed automatic, the GS can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 5.7 seconds.
You can read and view more photos of the Lexus GS after the break.
