Test drive Lexus GS 450h
Japanese Mercedes once called Lexus a popular voice, and of course, it is clear that this Japanese brand is a competitor to the German "holy trinity", but we should not forget that the European market is not the most important for him - so it is not surprising that in the next since they made some decisions that may be less clear to the European buyer.
GS, for example, does not offer a diesel engine. Diesels are popular mainly in Europe, but to a lesser extent in other countries of the world or in the markets where GS is sold the most. Lexus uses hybrids instead of diesel, so the top of the new GS's lineup is the 450h, a six-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor.
While the name sounds familiar, the system is new. The engine is new, again a 3,5-liter six-cylinder, but with new generation D-4S direct injection, working on the principle of the Atkinson cycle (it is important here that the exhaust valve closes later than on conventional gasoline) and a high compression ratio (13: 1 ). The new generation of injection system has two nozzles per cylinder, one directly into the combustion chamber and the other into the intake port, which combines the best properties of indirect and direct injection.
The electrical part of the hybrid system has also been redesigned. Five hundred volts is the maximum voltage on a synchronous motor and if the driver selects sport mode (Sport S), the PCU controller raises this voltage to 650 V. PCU cooling is improved and the battery shape (still NiMh) is new, now it reduces space for less baggage. In addition, Lexus engineers have made it possible to recover energy by reducing speed in a wider range of driving conditions (especially at higher speeds).
The consumption of the 450h has dropped by almost a third compared to the previous generation, the norm is now only 5,9 liters per 100 kilometers on the combined cycle, and after the first few 100 kilometers, the real consumption has stopped at about 7,5 liters - at least. in terms of consumption, it turns out that diesel may not be needed. And 345 "horsepower" of the whole system is more than enough to propel a 1,8-ton sedan with very decent agility. By the way: on electricity alone, the GS 450h travels a maximum of one kilometer at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour.
The second version of the GS to be available in Slovenia is the 250, which is powered by a six-cylinder petrol six-cylinder engine with exactly two and a half liters and 154 kilowatts or 206 horsepower. '. The engine is already known from the IS250 model, and since (due to the lack of a hybrid system) the GS 250 is much lighter than a hybrid, it only has 1,6 tons, which is enough for a fairly acceptable performance. Both the 450h and 250 are, of course, (as befits a prestigious sedan) rear-wheel drive (on the 250 via a six-speed automatic transmission).
The Lexus GS will also be available in four markets with all-wheel drive, such as the GS 350 AWD (with a 317-liter petrol engine producing XNUMX horsepower), but Slovenia will not offer this model. ... For those looking for a sportier version, an F Sport version is also available (with sport chassis and optical accessories), which also includes four-wheel steering.
The Drive Mode Select system allows the GS driver to choose between three (if the GS is equipped with electronically controlled AVS damping, four) modes of transmission, steering and chassis, and stability electronics.
That the interior is much closer to the European buyer than in the previous generation is commendable, and it is also commendable that the equipment is already mostly, with the Finnish version, rich. Cruise control, bi-xenon headlights, bluetooth, parking sensors, 12-speaker audio system ...
You can already order the GS 450h from us, basically it will cost you 64.900 250 euros, and the GS XNUMX will appear on our roads in the fall and will be six thousand euros cheaper.
Dusan Lukic, photo: factory
