New Car Overview of the 2006 Lexus GS Series Mid-Size Sports Sedan

Description: Mid-Size Sports Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $43,150 - $51,375
Invoice Price Range: $37,971 - $44,694
Where built: Japan

Stunning high-performance rear-wheel-drive (RWD) four-door sports cars, constructed on a larger structure for 2006 and stuffed with high-tech mechanical hardware, divide into editions based on engine size.

GS 430 gets the Lexus 4.3-liter V8 with VVT-i (variable valve timing with intelligence) to make 300 hp. GS 300 totes a new 3.0-liter V6 with VVT-i for 245 hp. Both plants use a new close-ratio six-speed automatic with sequential manual shifter.

But GS 300 adds optional AWD traction for Snow Belt states. An adaptive variable suspension is aboard and more computerized controls than any other production car to-date. A key element is new VDIM -- Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management -- on GS 430.

The GS cockpit contains two bolstered bucket seats flanking a floor console, a steering wheel in wood and leather, and an instrument panel with 160-mph analog speedometer, analog tachometer and electronic digital odometer.

The line of luxurious performance machines by Lexus, elite upscale label from Toyota of Japan, features elegant sedans, sporty coupes and rugged yet refined sport-utility vehicles. In 2006, Lexus rolls out new iterations of the IS series of wily compact-class sports sedans and recasts the GS series as perhaps the most sophisticated luxury sports sedans on our planet. The world's first gas-electric luxury vehicle also emerges badged as the RX 400h. Derived from the RX 330 crossover SUV, it packs a powerful V6 engine and multiple electric motors plus optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction.