Except I’m about to drive the 5th FJ today ...
Car Talk 5: The Juice is Loose!
- Johnny_P
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Anyone here have seat time / experience with a Lexus GS350? The AWD ones from 2013 era are under $20k and come loaded with great features and by everything I can find they're very well built. Gas mileage is ehhh and premium fuel but that's a rather small tradeoff overall.
Curious to know how they ride, how horrible the infotainment is to live with, and if there are any deal breakers with them. Like the rear seats don't fold which is fucking stupid and something I'd have to consider weighing. That kind of thing.
Curious to know how they ride, how horrible the infotainment is to live with, and if there are any deal breakers with them. Like the rear seats don't fold which is fucking stupid and something I'd have to consider weighing. That kind of thing.
Last edited by Johnny_P on Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Johnny_P
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Did you drive the NA motor as well? Or just the turbo? The base motor is intriguing to me. Seems rather vanilla but so does the rest of the car...MrH42 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:05 am So I finished the Savage Geese video. A few points:
- Yeah, seat heater button design is awful. Everyone hates it.
- Never had to wait 30 seconds to use the screen on start up? Not sure why he was struggling here.
- Apparently there's a software update coming in Feburary with tons of minor changes, so hopefully they resolve a couple of the issues.
- Start/stop is as bad as he says. I might make a defeat switch and start selling them
- Ride, NVH, and interior is best in class by a mile. Suspension tuning is perfect. Rides over everything no problem. It rolls a lot, but the dynamics are surprisingly good for how soft the suspension is. This is all due to how rigid the platform is. It feels like a giant luxury rally car.
- Utility is great too. Massive luggage and people space. Lots of really clever design features too.
- CVT is rubber band like, but hey, what do you expect? None of this is a surprise to me.
Overall, great daily vehicle. Would recommend. 8/10.
- Johnny_P
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I'd agree with this. I like the depth of the videos but some of the stuff.... Like the incessant complaining about lack of aluminum control arms or climate and touch screen being separate. Come on man. If the screen breaks it's not like you'll just drive around forever without the screen. Nobody cares what their control arms are made out of if the car drives well and holds up.
Overall I enjoy his videos. I also like the Straight Pipes because they're just normal ish guys letting you know if they think something is cool or works well or not.
Speaking of the straight pipes...Johnny_P wrote:I'd agree with this. I like the depth of the videos but some of the stuff.... Like the incessant complaining about lack of aluminum control arms or climate and touch screen being separate. Come on man. If the screen breaks it's not like you'll just drive around forever without the screen. Nobody cares what their control arms are made out of if the car drives well and holds up.
Overall I enjoy his videos. I also like the Straight Pipes because they're just normal ish guys letting you know if they think something is cool or works well or not.
https://youtu.be/MepG9vNVOjk
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- max225
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I dunno why they reviewed the same car twice ....Gberg2119 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:52 amSpeaking of the straight pipes...Johnny_P wrote:
I'd agree with this. I like the depth of the videos but some of the stuff.... Like the incessant complaining about lack of aluminum control arms or climate and touch screen being separate. Come on man. If the screen breaks it's not like you'll just drive around forever without the screen. Nobody cares what their control arms are made out of if the car drives well and holds up.
Overall I enjoy his videos. I also like the Straight Pipes because they're just normal ish guys letting you know if they think something is cool or works well or not.
https://youtu.be/MepG9vNVOjk
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- CaleDeRoo
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Options are probably slim during the wintermax225 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:11 pmI dunno why they reviewed the same car twice ....Gberg2119 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:52 am Speaking of the straight pipes...
https://youtu.be/MepG9vNVOjk
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- troyguitar
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I've driven the IS350 from that gen which is the same car but smaller. They're great cars. You've hit the main issues - and why I didn't buy one over the MKZ. No folding rear seats and crappy mileage on premium.Johnny_P wrote:Anyone here have seat time / experience with a Lexus GS350? The AWD ones from 2013 era are under $20k and come loaded with great features and by everything I can find they're very well built. Gas mileage is ehhh and premium fuel but that's a rather small tradeoff overall.
Curious to know how they ride, how horrible the infotainment is to live with, and if there are any deal breakers with them. Like the rear seats don't fold which is fucking stupid and something I'd have to consider weighing. That kind of thing.
The 2006+ Toyota 3.5 V6 is going to be a legend IMO.
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Yeah it is a very good engine. Sounds good too, this car with an exhaust would be a pretty rad dad car.troyguitar wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:38 pmI've driven the IS350 from that gen which is the same car but smaller. They're great cars. You've hit the main issues - and why I didn't buy one over the MKZ. No folding rear seats and crappy mileage on premium.Johnny_P wrote:Anyone here have seat time / experience with a Lexus GS350? The AWD ones from 2013 era are under $20k and come loaded with great features and by everything I can find they're very well built. Gas mileage is ehhh and premium fuel but that's a rather small tradeoff overall.
Curious to know how they ride, how horrible the infotainment is to live with, and if there are any deal breakers with them. Like the rear seats don't fold which is fucking stupid and something I'd have to consider weighing. That kind of thing.
The 2006+ Toyota 3.5 V6 is going to be a legend IMO.
I bet it would run on 87. All the Becky's of the world that own RX350's (same motor) use 87, and CR rates the RX350 really high, so it's not like they're popping motors.
- troyguitar
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The RX/Rav4/Camry/etc. are transverse engines that are slightly different and are rated for 87. I don't know if the IS/GS stuff is ok on it in practice or not.
- MrH42
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I did not. My mom has a 2019 or 2020? Forester with that power train and I've driven it a bit. It's slow, but it's not terrible off the line. Has decent torque. It just groans and groans and is louder than the turbo.Johnny_P wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:43 amDid you drive the NA motor as well? Or just the turbo? The base motor is intriguing to me. Seems rather vanilla but so does the rest of the car...MrH42 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:05 am So I finished the Savage Geese video. A few points:
- Yeah, seat heater button design is awful. Everyone hates it.
- Never had to wait 30 seconds to use the screen on start up? Not sure why he was struggling here.
- Apparently there's a software update coming in Feburary with tons of minor changes, so hopefully they resolve a couple of the issues.
- Start/stop is as bad as he says. I might make a defeat switch and start selling them
- Ride, NVH, and interior is best in class by a mile. Suspension tuning is perfect. Rides over everything no problem. It rolls a lot, but the dynamics are surprisingly good for how soft the suspension is. This is all due to how rigid the platform is. It feels like a giant luxury rally car.
- Utility is great too. Massive luggage and people space. Lots of really clever design features too.
- CVT is rubber band like, but hey, what do you expect? None of this is a surprise to me.
Overall, great daily vehicle. Would recommend. 8/10.
Higher end turbo outbacks get laminated windows too.
I just thought for the extra few thousand, I'll gladly take something that can move a little better. I drive a ton of mileage at 80+ mph on a busy highway, so I get quite a bit of use out of the extra power.
- Johnny_P
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how have the empeegeez been?MrH42 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:19 pmI did not. My mom has a 2019 or 2020? Forester with that power train and I've driven it a bit. It's slow, but it's not terrible off the line. Has decent torque. It just groans and groans and is louder than the turbo.
Higher end turbo outbacks get laminated windows too.
I just thought for the extra few thousand, I'll gladly take something that can move a little better. I drive a ton of mileage at 80+ mph on a busy highway, so I get quite a bit of use out of the extra power.
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Even that Outback review, he's so dramatic out some pretty minor things, then ends the video saying it's great. I like that he gets cars up on lifts and you get to see the underside. His cinematography work is solid too.Johnny_P wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:49 amI'd agree with this. I like the depth of the videos but some of the stuff.... Like the incessant complaining about lack of aluminum control arms or climate and touch screen being separate. Come on man. If the screen breaks it's not like you'll just drive around forever without the screen. Nobody cares what their control arms are made out of if the car drives well and holds up.
Overall I enjoy his videos. I also like the Straight Pipes because they're just normal ish guys letting you know if they think something is cool or works well or not.
Straight Pipes are great. I love those guys. Yuri's instagram stories are wildly entertaining.
- Johnny_P
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I think rectal chillers would be a nice upgrade on a DD machine. Marky Mark stereo would be desirable so I can blast my Power99 rap music. I like the IS more but the GS has a real person back seat so They come in all sorts of interior colors and are inoffensive outside. Throw a roof rack on there for the bikes and that could be pretty great. I bet a stroller would fit in the trunk. I only flip the seats down for my bike but if that's on the roof then meh?
Last edited by Johnny_P on Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Johnny_P
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Yeah they're normal people doing normal people things and have roughly average driving ability. But their videos don't suck like TFL's do where they're comparing two totally different cars like 2012 Lexus RX350 vs 2018 Mini Cooper S, or doing 0-60's a mile above sea level where nobody lives.MrH42 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:26 pmEven that Outback review, he's so dramatic out some pretty minor things, then ends the video saying it's great. I like that he gets cars up on lifts and you get to see the underside. His cinematography work is solid too.Johnny_P wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:49 am
I'd agree with this. I like the depth of the videos but some of the stuff.... Like the incessant complaining about lack of aluminum control arms or climate and touch screen being separate. Come on man. If the screen breaks it's not like you'll just drive around forever without the screen. Nobody cares what their control arms are made out of if the car drives well and holds up.
Overall I enjoy his videos. I also like the Straight Pipes because they're just normal ish guys letting you know if they think something is cool or works well or not.
Straight Pipes are great. I love those guys. Yuri's instagram stories are wildly entertaining.
- CaleDeRoo
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Yes I'm 5'10 ish and nobody taller than 5' was sitting behind me comfortably, and I sit with close to the wheel. The stereo was memorable. It bumped hard. The infotainment was obviously outdated with no real phone integration besides music.
- max225
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Yea the IS has essentially an unsable back seat (unless driver/front passenger are under 5'6") especially in the non current gen.
GS is just fine, but you'll have the same street parking scuffing issues... Lexus holds up really well over time, the main issue is Leather. For some reason Lexus/Toyota leather goes poof after 8/10 years... i.e torn up seats, cracks etc. They simply look everything else is pretty solid with occasional old car issues.
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Yeah I'd have to get over the bash up nonsense. If the bumper dies, it dies. Any vehicle will have these problems really. Outside of an ox cart jeep with metal bumpers and a portapotty roof. Which can still get egged and motorcycled somax225 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:31 pmYea the IS has essentially an unsable back seat (unless driver/front passenger are under 5'6") especially in the non current gen.
GS is just fine, but you'll have the same street parking scuffing issues... Lexus holds up really well over time, the main issue is Leather. For some reason Lexus/Toyota leather goes poof after 8/10 years... i.e torn up seats, cracks etc. They simply look everything else is pretty solid with occasional old car issues.
- troyguitar
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IS back seat is fine, but apparently I'm the only one who's not a pretty princess who needs a giant bubble to be comfortable. It's about the same size as an E46, jag XE, caddy ATS, vw mk6 golf, mazda3, etc.
- max225
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Yea just like the backseat in your car as well.troyguitar wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:42 pm IS back seat is fine, but apparently I'm the only one who's not a pretty princess who needs a giant bubble to be comfortable. It's about the same size as an E46, jag XE, caddy ATS, vw mk6 golf, mazda3, etc.
If someone wanted to transport 4 normal sized people on the regular it doesn't really work without compromises on everyones part.
- CaleDeRoo
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It felt smaller to me since the front seats are bulky. The trunk is also small. I think it fit one checked bag and a carry-on. The second checked bag had to be put in the back seat. The physical size would be great though for JP, just not sure if it's legit large enough for a baby hauler.troyguitar wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:42 pm IS back seat is fine, but apparently I'm the only one who's not a pretty princess who needs a giant bubble to be comfortable. It's about the same size as an E46, jag XE, caddy ATS, vw mk6 golf, mazda3, etc.