LEXUS has never really dropped a dud model on us (although most people don’t like the look of SC430 convertible) and the GS series is no exception. The funny thing though was that the version we are familiar with dated very quickly after its 1997 introduction. By the time 2005 came around, it was well past its use-by date. So the new model didn’t need to try too hard to at least look a bit more in keeping with the times. And this it does, with a clean, classic new styling approach overseen by British designer Simon Humphries who has retained a few styling cues that make it recognisable as a GS Lexus, yet it is as elegant as most of its European competitors. The mechanicals are still the most interesting aspect here, largely because Lexus has moved away from the inline six-cylinder engine that was seen as an identifier of the brand and adopted a powerful new V6. And, at the top of the range, the 4.2-litre V8 seen in the SC430 and LS430 models. It retains a recognisable Lexus quality though: It’s almost too silent to be true.