2020 Lexus GS 350

The Lexus GS 350 is part of the GS trim range where GS 350 F Sport and GS Black Line trims are also available but they will be covered in a different article. To give a sneak peek about these trims, the F Sport has a more athletic interior and exterior styling and comes with 19-inch wheels, a bigger brake, and F SPORT–tuned Adaptive Variable Suspension. The GS BlackLine is a special edition trim that is offered by Lexus as a parting gift to the consumers since GS 350 will be discontinued after this model year. 

That being said, the GS 350 comes with standard features such as LED exterior lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column, Lexus Multimedia System, rearview camera, leather seats, and 18-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels. The premium package on the GS 350 AWD variant adds ventilated front seats, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, Power rear sunshade, and leather seats while the cold weather package adds windshield wiper de-icer, Water-repellent front-door glass, and headlight washers. 

 Which Trim should you buy:

Since there are no sub-trims available on the GS 350 Sedan, we would suggest that you take the RWD version home since it is filled with more standard features. However, if you have different exterior styling and sporty elements then you should check out the GS 350 F Sport trim first. However, all GS 350 trim levels have the same powertrain. 

The 2020 Lexus GS 350 is supported by a 3.5-liter V6 naturally-aspirated gas engine which is married to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This powertrain produces 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. The power is then supplied to the rear wheels as standard but you have an option to direct it to all wheels. And with the AWD GS 350 model, Lexus gives 6-speed automatic transmission. 

With this arrangement, the Lexus GS 350 reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 5.7 seconds which is the least timing in the competition. It covers the quarter-mile distance in 14.5 seconds which is also the timing required by the Volvo S90. However, the latter one has a top speed of 145 mph whereas the former sedan has only 130 mph.

The Volvo S90 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class have turbo engines, unlike the Acura RLX which is powered by the same engine as the Lexus GS 350. That being said, the E350 is the slowest sedan in the segment as it does the 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds. At the same time, the RLX tries to sprint from 0 to 60 mph 0.1 seconds earlier than the E350 while the S90 jumps for the same goal 0.3 seconds faster compared to the E350. 

How well does the 2020 Lexus GS 350 handle?:

The Lexus GS 350 is particularly a sports sedan and its smooth ride is the testimony of this fact. However, for a sporty experience, the GS 350 has its siblings to do the job. The engine is refined and has a good relationship with the gearbox since shifting in between the gears poses no problem.

Good outward visibility allows safer driving. The cabin is well insulated and you will barely hear the road or engine noise. Normal, Eco, and Sport will give you a chance to drive the GS 350 in different modes. Furthermore, the throttle response is smooth and the steering wheel offers decent feedback. 

2020 Lexus GS 350 Braking Performance:

The 2020 Lexus GS 350 has 13.1-inch front brake rotors and 12.2-inch rear brake rotors. However, if GS 350 F Sport is selected then the front rotors will be replaced by 14-inch rotors. With the first set of rotors and various braking assistance features, the GS 350 stops from 60 mph over a distance of 113 feet as the unofficial data. 

Even though the Volvo S90’s braking distance data is not available at the moment, given its high curb weight, it won’t be performing any better than the GS 350. However, it does have the biggest pair of front and rear brake rotors. Meanwhile, the E350 and the RLX have the smallest rear and front brake rotors respectively. 

As the EPA estimation, the 2020 Lexus GS 350 with the RWD returns a fuel economy of 20/28/23 mpg in the city, on the highway, and combined respectively. If the AWD drivetrain is selected with the V6 motor, the figures will drop by 1,2,2 MPG in the city, on the highway, and combined respectively. Furthermore, a combined range of 400 miles is achieved with a fuel tank of 17.4 gallons storage capacity. 

Though the GS 350 displays a decent fuel efficiency, the rivals do much better in comparison. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 takes the first spot by being the least thirsty sedan in the competition. It is followed by the Volvo S90 and the Acura RLX. Moreover, this rival from the Acura has the biggest fuel tank among the bunch. 

The interior design of the GS 350 is simple and there are no dramatic elements inside the cabin. The quality of the material used in the cabin is decent but not on par with the opponents from the Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. However, the GS 350 is roomy and provides 18.4 cu-ft of trunk space. The seats are covered in leather upholstery, are comfy, and provide good back support. 

12-way power adjustments are given to the front seats and the driver seat also gets memory settings. Moreover, heated and ventilated front seats are standard with the GS 350 with RWD but the AWD variant is only blessed with the heated front seats. Additionally, dual-zone automatic climate control, power tilt and telescopic steering column, push-button start, leather trim inside the cabin, two 12V power outlets are some standard features on the GS 350. Meanwhile, a heated steering wheel is an optional feature. 

The 2020 Lexus GS 350 is spacious and has leading headroom and legroom in the front row while in the second row, it is the Volvo S90 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 which has the most generous legroom and headroom respectively. Furthermore, the biggest trunk is found in the GS 350 while the smallest one is given on the E-Class E350. Highlights of the interior features include:

• Leather upholstery 
• Heated and ventilated front seats 
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Power rear windows 
• push-button start
• Optional Heated steering wheel

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2020 Lexus GS 350 has the Lexus Multimedia System that has a Lexus's Remote Touch Interface and a mouse-type controller which is used to interact with the 12.3-inch display. The infotainment system is not as user-friendly as the one given to the rivals, hence it requires some much-needed changes. Bluetooth, USB port, 12-speaker premium sound system, HD radio, SiriusXM, navigation system, voice control, Siri eyes-free, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant compatibility are offered on the GS 350. But sadly, there is no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration in the infotainment unit. A 12-speaker premium sound system is standard which can be replaced by the 17-speaker Mark Levinson premium surround sound. You also get an optional color head-up display. Highlights of the infotainment features are:

• 12.3-inch display with navigation system 
• 12-speaker sound system 
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• Siri eyes-free
• Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility

The exterior design of the GS 350 does not have many surprising elements but just being simple, sleek, sharp, and smooth, the GS 350 holds a unique charm. At the front, there are LED headlights and LED daytime running lights plus an aggressive black grille. Color-keyed door handles and power-folding auto-dimming side mirrors can be observed from the side. On the top, a Power moonroof is present. At the rear end, optional power trunks and dual exhaust outlets are given. The Lexus GS 350 runs on the standard 18-inch Five-spoke alloy wheels which can be swapped with the optional 19-inch split-five-spoke alloy wheels. The 19-inch F SPORT split-nine-spoke forged alloy wheels are only optional with the RWD variant that has standard power rear sunshade. 

The elephant in the room is the Volvo S90 which just like the elephant is the heaviest in the competition. It is also the longest sedan with the largest wheelbase. That aside, the shortest wheelbase is provided on the GS 350 and the RLX whereas the least ground clearance is offered on the E350. Also, the RLX is the widest sedan in the competition. Highlights of the exterior features are:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Rain sensing wipers
• Power moonroof
• LED headlights 
• Power rear sunshade
• Optional power trunk 

Although there are no specific safety ratings for the 2020 Lexus GS 350 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the latter organization has been assigned the ‘Good’ ratings to the 202 Lexus GS in the crashworthiness tests. In the meantime, the 2020 GS 350 comes with the Lexus Safety System+ safety suite which includes lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision alert with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, and intelligent high beams. For the blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert, you will have to select the GS F trim. Highlights of the safety features are:

• Rearview camera
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist
• Rearview camera 
• Intelligent high beams
• Optional Parking Assist

2020 Lexus GS 350 vs 2020 Acura RLX 

Let’s start with the safety department where the Acura RLX not only has gone through more crash tests conducted by the IIHS than the Lexus GS but it has also received higher ratings in those tests. If we compare the fuel economy there is not a major difference since the RLX consumes slightly less fuel on the highway but it does have a bigger fuel tank than the GS 350 which results in a better range. However, despite sharing the same engines, the GS 350 has slightly higher power figures than the RLX.

2020 Lexus GS 350 vs 2020 Volvo S90

It is a close call between the Lexus GS 350 and the Volvo S90 when it comes to performance. But in the fuel economy, the latter sedan has the upper hand. The S90 tries to keep the odds in its favor by offering 102.1 cu-ft of passenger volume against the 99 cu-ft of passenger volume given by the GS 350. And just like the RLX, it has also been through more IIHS crash tests than the GS 350. 

2020 Lexus GS 350 vs 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350

Continuing the legacy of the fellow competitors, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has more safety ratings from the IIHS than the Lexus GS. Furthermore, its driving dynamics are on par with the GS 350. Though the E350 lacks enough juice to be on equal footing with the GS 350, in terms of acceleration, it tries to compensate for this loss with a higher fuel economy compared to the GS 350. 

A capable sedan that excels in every aspect except for fuel economy is a great all-rounder package with plenty of features. Since the Lexus GS 350 won’t be seeing 2021 daylight, it is your last chance to have this sedan. However, if you are not very sentimental about the departure then keeping the Volvo S90 and Acura RLX on the list before pulling the final trigger with the GS 350 won’t be a bad decision.