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The ongoing GS has been released back in 2011, and it didn’t change much since. The car received a rather large update with the 2015 model, but this didn’t include all that many upgrades under the skin. While there are quite a few rumors about the discontinuation of the GS model, it looks like these may not be entirely true. Not that long ago details about the upcoming 2019 Lexus GS started to arise. It seems that Lexus will replace the lesser versions of the car with the ES. However, they are still going to sell the GS as the sports offering, and so far it looks like the car may be quite impressive.
2019 Lexus GS Release Date and Price
The new GS is expected to be based on Toyota’s new TNGA modular architecture. However, instead of being front wheel drive like the ES, the car will retain its rear wheel drive setup. This will be possible because it will actually share most of its components with the more premium LS. The difference will be that the GS will boast a shorter wheelbase despite being nearly as wide and as low. The car will also be quite a bit longer than the ongoing model which should mean that there will be more room inside the cabin as well. So far there has been no available information about its release date. Even so, it looks like the car may be showcased in late 2018 with a market release in early 2019.
Its price is more than likely going to hover around $50,000 which is quite a bit more than the ES or the current GS. The price increase would allow Lexus to focus on the higher end market and it should give them a chance against cars like the new BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe.
Design
While at first most said the car was going to be replaced, things changed since the prototype for the 2019 Lexus GS has been spied on the Nurburgring. It looks like the car will get quite a bit more aggressive than its predecessor in order to be able to compete in an upper class. From the early spy shots, it seems the car will boast a fastback design which wasn’t really the case up until now. In the front, it will still feature Lexus’ polarizing grille but this time around it will get a slightly slimmer design which should elevate things a bit more. The headlights seem to be swept back while the bumper looks to hide really big intakes which would further increase its aggressiveness.
Interior
We are quite sure that the 2019 Lexus GS will share a lot of design cues with both the ES and the LS. Expect the car to feature a really conservative design inside with the same type of dashboard design and very similar materials to the other two cars. The big difference will likely be the materials of choice. Some suggested the GS could come with carbon fiber inserts and Alcantara instead of the usual leather and aluminum found in the other two cars. The GS is also expected to feature a much lower driving position which would give the passengers a much sportier experience than otherwise.
2019 Lexus GS Under the Hood
It has been confirmed a while ago that the upcoming 2019 Lexus GS will feature a wide array of powertrains. The base model is more than likely going to stick to a 2.0 liter turbocharged-four good for around 250 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. This should be enough to allow the car to basically match its rivals when it comes to performance and fuel consumption. Further up the range, the car will likely receive a new turbocharged V6 gasoline engine.
So far the details about this are still unknown, but it looks like it may be a downsized LS engine offering around 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Both of these are expected to be available with an automatic gearbox only with either rear or all wheel drive. A high-performance version of the GS is also a real possibility. So far they don’t really have a suitable engine for it. Even so, it is safe to assume that a twin-turbo V6 with north of 500 horsepower is a real possibility. A hybrid is also likely going to be launched later down the road in order to give the car a fuel efficient version.
Images source: caradvice.com
