Sunday, September 23, 2007

Lexus GS Sedan - Second Generation

The Lexus GS is a series of mid-size luxury sports sedans / executive cars sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. The first GS, based on the platform and running gear of the Toyota Crown, was introduced in 1991 in Japan and two years later in the United States, Europe and selected markets in Asia. The second generation model premiered in 1998, using a new platform and adding a V8 version for the first time outside Japan. The current third generation GS, which premiered globally for the 2006 model year, comes in both V6, V8, and hybrid versions (GS 450h performance hybrid).

In 1998, the second generation Aristo was launched in Japan, codenamed JZS160 for models with the 2JZ-GE engines and JZS161 for those with the 2JZ-GTE twin-turbo engines. VVT-i was now standard, resulting in a bump in torque. The twin-turbo version was available with electronic four-wheel steering, VDC and an automatic gearbox with a manual sequential mode. No four-wheel drive models were offered. The new model's styling was produced in-house, and featured quadruple headlights in a fashion similar to the Lexus SC coupe. Inside, electroluminiscent Lexus Optitron gauges were offered for the first time, along with an upgraded stereo system.

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