Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Lexus GS20
BUSINESS travellers of a nervous disposition who are about to board a plane seldom want to hear just how much their safety depends on technology.
In most aircraft there is no physical connection between the pilot and the bits which keep the plane under control, such as the wing flaps and engines – instead it’s all done by computers. This technology is increasingly common in cars and the new Lexus GS is a showcase for just what is possible.
Amid the technology it uses are accelerate-by-wire and brake-by-wire, meaning that when you press the brake pedal, the computer calculates your intentions and carries them out for you.
It is just one of a wealth of devices on the new GS designed to make it safer, more economical, quicker and more agile. Car rental uk
All models are fitted with ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, traction control and vehicle stability control as standard.
Adaptive cruise control, standard on the top-spec GS430 and available as a £2,100 option on the GS300 SE-L, also comes with a pre-crash system which prepares the car for an unavoidable impact by tightening the seatbelts. If the driver is braking too gently, the car will intervene to emergency brake when a collision becomes unavoidable.
The GS430 also gets the all-singing, all-dancing Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), which combines all the systems in one package and, in addition, can independently control the steering to ensure the vehicle responds correctly to a driver’s wishes in extreme situations.
The speed-sensitive steering, working with all the other hi-tech systems, can ‘take over’ the steering to get the car round a corner. Even the key does everything for you, with a smart entry and exit system to unlock the doors and start the engine at the push of a button while the key stays in your pocket. Car rental uk.
The new GS is the third generation of the luxury sports saloon first launched in 1991 and updated in 1997. Lexus is unveiling its future design philosophy with the latest model and the GS carries more on its shoulders than its predicted annual sales of 2,500 in a full year suggest.
This is a first salvo in a plan to relaunch the Lexus brand in Europe, appealing particularly to a group called the ‘informed luxury group’, thought to make up 36% of potential buyers who demand luxury but are open-minded enough not to only want one of the more traditional (for which, read German) brands.
For company car buyers, an open mind will be vital as the GS will not be offered with a diesel. Instead, drivers will have the choice of an all-new petrol 3.0-litre V6 with 249bhp and a six-speed automatic gearbox. An updated version of the firm’s stunning 4.3-litre V8 with 283bhp is also available. Car rental uk.
In most aircraft there is no physical connection between the pilot and the bits which keep the plane under control, such as the wing flaps and engines – instead it’s all done by computers. This technology is increasingly common in cars and the new Lexus GS is a showcase for just what is possible.
Amid the technology it uses are accelerate-by-wire and brake-by-wire, meaning that when you press the brake pedal, the computer calculates your intentions and carries them out for you.
It is just one of a wealth of devices on the new GS designed to make it safer, more economical, quicker and more agile. Car rental uk
All models are fitted with ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, traction control and vehicle stability control as standard.
Adaptive cruise control, standard on the top-spec GS430 and available as a £2,100 option on the GS300 SE-L, also comes with a pre-crash system which prepares the car for an unavoidable impact by tightening the seatbelts. If the driver is braking too gently, the car will intervene to emergency brake when a collision becomes unavoidable.
The GS430 also gets the all-singing, all-dancing Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), which combines all the systems in one package and, in addition, can independently control the steering to ensure the vehicle responds correctly to a driver’s wishes in extreme situations.
The speed-sensitive steering, working with all the other hi-tech systems, can ‘take over’ the steering to get the car round a corner. Even the key does everything for you, with a smart entry and exit system to unlock the doors and start the engine at the push of a button while the key stays in your pocket. Car rental uk.
The new GS is the third generation of the luxury sports saloon first launched in 1991 and updated in 1997. Lexus is unveiling its future design philosophy with the latest model and the GS carries more on its shoulders than its predicted annual sales of 2,500 in a full year suggest.
This is a first salvo in a plan to relaunch the Lexus brand in Europe, appealing particularly to a group called the ‘informed luxury group’, thought to make up 36% of potential buyers who demand luxury but are open-minded enough not to only want one of the more traditional (for which, read German) brands.
For company car buyers, an open mind will be vital as the GS will not be offered with a diesel. Instead, drivers will have the choice of an all-new petrol 3.0-litre V6 with 249bhp and a six-speed automatic gearbox. An updated version of the firm’s stunning 4.3-litre V8 with 283bhp is also available. Car rental uk.
# posted by Liz Laurie @ 3:56 AM 
