2010 Lexus HS250h Review
There are luxurious cars, and there are fuel-efficient cars. There are even some that offer moderate levels of both characteristics. But no vehicle has managedor even attemptedto take luxury and fuel economy simultaneously to such high levels as has the 2010 Lexus HS250h, the industrys first dedicated luxury hybrid. Think of it as the Prius of Lexuses or the Lexus of Priusesyour choiceand you wont be far off. If any company can pull it off, its Lexus. But by Lexuss own admission, the HS250h is not one of the brands so-called no-compromises hybridssuch as the RX450h, the GS450h, and the LS600hwhich supplement well-endowed engines with electric power for a driving experience that feels befitting of their luxurious trappings while still delivering better fuel economy and lower emissions.

Walkaround
So what happens when Toyota takes the small-car chassis on which it also bases the Prius and adds hundreds of pounds worth of Euro-market Toyota Avensisbased sheetmetal and luxo gewgaws? Well, for one thing, it gets slowerwhich is why Lexus deemed the Priuss 98-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder inadequate and replaced it with the Camry hybrids Atkinson-cycle, 2.4-liter unit with 147 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. The nickel-metal hydride battery pack and electric motor conspire with the engine for a system output of 187 hp (the 3050-pound Prius makes only 134 combined horsepower). Hustling the 3740-pound HS250h to 60 mph takes 8.4 seconds, which is 1.4 seconds faster than the last Prius we tested. The HS pays the piper in fuel economy, though, as its EPA city/highway ratings of 35/34 mpg doesnt even come close to the Priuss 51/48 figures. In spite of the HS250hs alleged acceleration advantage, the Prius and the HS250h feel virtually identical from behind the electrically assisted steering wheel (which, in the HS250h, unlike in the Prius, is thankfully not ovoid). Road feel is pretty much zero, even with the optional 18-inch wheels and 225/45-series tires. However, the steering response is direct and reasonably quick. At the same time, the interior sound quality isnt exactly up to the traditional Lexus-isolationist level. We wish it were, for as much as we like to hear and feel whats going on beneath us, what we hear and feel inside the HS250h are the droning mooOOOOooo of the engine-and-CVT combination during acceleration, along with a fair amount of tire noise and low-level reverberations from road impacts. We understand that less weight is important for any hybrid in the interest of fuel economyand indeed for any vehiclebut even we would like a few more pounds of sound-deadening material in the HS250h so we dont have to hear the powertrains pitiful drone. We suspect anyone whos ever owned a whisper-quiet Lexus would agree.

Summary
Okay, so dynamically, the HS250h leaves a lot to be desired. But what about luxury? The good news is that the HS250h offers many more luxury fitments than we usually associate with hybrids. Problem is, so does the 2010 Prius. The list of features that come standard on the HS is long, but not much longer than that of a reasonably well-optioned Prius. The base textured leather upholstery feels more like leatherette and makes the upgraded semi-aniline leather a worthwhile upgrade. Color combos are slick, especially the high-contrast cream leather with black carpeting, but there remains a certain sense of thin-skinned cheapness to the materials that reveal the cars light-weight-over-substance priority set. And with the batteries located between the rear seatback and trunk, the cargo area is surprisingly small and lacks the accessibility of the Priuss hatchback. And there are many optionssuch as the odd-but-effective lane keep assist feature, adaptive cruise control with collision mitigation, and swiveling headlampsthat can also be added to the Prius. Exclusive to the HS250h, however, are such options as Lexuss nifty remote touch controller, a wide-view front monitor, a head-up display, and a Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system. The HS250h debuts Lexuss new OnStar-like Enform system, which makes real live people available to beam directions to your navigation system, displays sports and stock information, and allows owners to input up to 100 destinations into the car from their computer rather than from the drivers seat.

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