2006 Lexus GS 300

Wynton Marsalis is a fine horn player. Hand him a Bach or Handel trumpet concerto, and he'll hit each note, clean and precise. But does Marsalis have the chops for jazz improvisation like his heroes, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis?

The 2006 Lexus GS may be the Wynton Marsalis of cars. It's a fine, highly polished sedan that wants to be a BMW--and it succeeds, at least in tech and spec terms. Yet even a perfect interpretation of the luxury sport sedan can leave one hungry for the last-generation 5 Series, much like the outstanding Marsalis can make you crave late-1950s Miles. The formula does work, as Marsalis sells a lot of CDs, and Lexus has sold a ton of the GS.

The GS 300 and GS 430 have returned, even though the riffs have been recut; new is an all-wheel-drive GS 300 with a wet-type multidisc clutch and a planetary gearset in the transfer case. Torque split varies from its normal 30/70 to 50/50, depending on conditions. The rear-drive-only GS 430, especially, does a nice job of mimicking recent BMW 5 Series ride and handling, with a suspension compliant enough for comfort on rough roads, but stiff enough and well balanced for near-flat cornering and an easy hustle along serpentine mountain roads.

The V-8 comes with an adaptive variable suspension with a sport mode and Lexus's new Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). It's an active-control strategy with sensors for steering angle, yaw rate, deceleration, brake pressure, brake pedal stroke, and wheel speed. Lexus says that what makes VDIM different is the way it gathers and processes data from these sensors to keep the car tracking true with minimal intrusion (see sidebar).

Still, VDIM lends this feeling that there's a nanny lurking and ready to readjust the tail if you lay a tire wrong. Many drivers will appreciate that, some won't. VDIM also incorporates Lexus's answer to BMW's controversial new Active Steering system. Called variable gear ratio electronic power steering, it cuts the amount of steering input at low speeds to do in 2.7 turns, lock-to-lock, what would normally take 3.3 turns. This steering is as light and precise as you'd please, with just enough feedback to keep you well apprised of what's going on and with exceptional on-center feel. The only tranny for all versions of the GS is a smooth six-speed, close-ratio, multimode manumatic. Only BMW sells enough manual trans-equipped midsize sedans to make developing and certifying them worth the effort and expense.