Indeed, definitely not personality. The Lexus HS 250h is the first luxury hybrid sedan that doesn’t have a non-hybrid version (think Lexus RX 350 / Lexus RX 450h for an example of a non-dedicated hybrid), and like the Toyota Prius—which has no non-hybrid equivalent—it feels different than its Lexus stablemates.
The Lexus HS 250h shares the fundamentals with the other parallel full-hybrids from Toyota/Lexus with a gasoline engine, continuously-variable transmission and an electric motor that can power the vehicle either alone or in concert with the gasoline engine. The HS 250h is front-drive only. The engine in the HS 250h is part of a system all tuned to maximize mileage and minimize emissions. It has a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle—primarily defined by a “late” closing of the intake valve compared the traditional four-stroke cycle, plus long stroke and high compression ratio—four cylinder engine rated at 147 horsepower, and a 140-hp drive motor (another electric motor serves as generator, engine starter and controls the transmission ratio). Altogether it’s rated at 187 total system horsepower (it’s not additive because power peaks occur at different rpm). It meets California SULEV and federal Tier 2 Bin 3 exhaust emission standards.
2010 Lexus HS 250h interiorThe power system—it can’t be called just an engine—includes a number of different efficiency factors, such as combining the aluminum engine radiator, hybrid system radiator, air conditioning condenser and fan into a single unit to reduce weight. The oil pump for the transmission is electric, saving parasitic drag for when it’s not needed. Lexus also took pains to control engine heat, keeping it from recirculating into the engine air intake for improved low speed an idling performance. Additionally, he Lexus HS 250h has exhaust heat recovery, which recycles engine exhaust heat for faster warm-up and more efficient operation in low ambient temperature conditions, something that—as we discovered in our road test of the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid—is a problem for hybrid vehicles in cold climes.
The Lexus HS 250h also squeezes out more mpg via improved aerodynamics. The five-passenger—actually, more like four-plus-one—four-door sedan has a drag coefficient of 0.27, matched by very few other production automobiles. The most obvious feature is the blanked-off grille, but Lexus body engineers smoothed body transitions, added subtle spoilers and overall shaped the vehicle to slice through the air more cleanly. Acceleration to sixty miles per hour takes 8.4 seconds, not that we would know from our hypermiling “test drive” that included feather-footing and working the drive-mode switch, which has four modes, Power, Normal, Eco and EV. The first three set the responsiveness of the throttle opening, though not the maximum output. Think of it as a foam pillow betwixt foot and gas pedal. The EV mode is what it sounds like: Electric Vehicle. It allows the HS 250h to be driven solely under electric power up to about 20 mph or until the gas pedal is pressed too hard. We used that as much as possible.
View the photo gallery below for more views of the 2010 Lexus HS 250h. We also watched the power gauge to the left of the speedometer, where a tachometer would otherwise be. The dial is marked in four colors, blue, dark green, light green and white. When the needle is in blue, the HS 250h is in charge mode, as when coasting or braking. The needle will swing from dark green to light green to white—“power”—progressively as the accelerator is pressed harder. Obviously, staying in the green is how to get better gas mileage.
Stay in the green we did, even if it meant slower acceleration than those behind may have wanted. Really, the sound waves from their horns could not have added all that much fuel savings, though we appreciated the assistance. We also liked the people who told us we were number one by holding up a single finger, even if it weren’t the one we would have used. This may have been a local New York custom, however, so we told them they were number one with us too!. Just kidding, though our slower than usual pace probably—definitely—was annoying. We coasted up to traffic lights, timing them as closely as we could. We let off the gas when approaching the crest of a hill, making up speed on the downhill side. We conserved momentum whenever we could.
The most difficult part was the final leg on a long winding private drive—all uphill. We pressed the EV button, kept a light touch on the throttle and stayed in electric drive until about thirty yards from the finish, when we felt the gasoline engine restart. Our final mpg reading—46.2 mpg—was 5.1 mpg better that any other team’s. Could we have expected that in normal driving? Not hardly. Lexus says the preliminary EPA mileage numbers are 35 mpg city / 34 highway / 35 combined—impressive enough for a mid-sized luxury sedan, we think. Trying for too much more isn’t worth that many more raised digits.
A 2010 Lexus HS 250h driven in a “normal” manner feels similar to a Toyota Prius or Camry Hybrid. Operation is generally transparent in general operation. It simply drives. Mash the throttle and the sensations of a car with a continuously variable transmission take over. The engine rises and hangs in the upper rev ranges while the car catches up. It's fast enough but the only fun you'll have behind the wheel of the HS 250h is racking up high mileage bragging rights. The ride, however, seemed very hard at the tire level, as if over-inflated, though we were assured they weren’t. Perhaps it will become an acquired taste. Or perhaps one should stick with the standard 17-inch wheels instead of the 18-inch/low profile wheels and tires.
Of course, the Lexus HS 250h has Lexus fittings and equipment options and standard equipment. “SmartAccess” proximity key and pushbutton starting, heated outside mirrors, Bluetooth, leather-trimmed seats, door panels, shifter and steering wheel, and power driver and front passenger seats are all standard. Standard audio includes a 6-disc CD changer, WMA/MP3 capability, ten speakers and a USB connection to iPod. And every HS 250h comes with the, count ‘em, ten airbags: driver and front passenger frontal (2), driver and front passenger knee bags (2), front and rear torso side-impact air bags (4) and full-length side-curtain airbags (2), That’s ten (10).
2010 Lexus HS 250h In addition to a Premium model, Lexus will offer a "touring" package, a "technology" package, a park assist package, a 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound audio package and the optional 18-inch wheels and tires. Of course, it all comes at a price, though Lexus won’t even give us a hint yet other than one Lexus rep, when pushed, conceded that it was twenty times bigger than a breadbox. However, the Camry Hybrid has a base price of just over $26,000 and the lowest price Lexus hybrid is the RX crossover, at $41,000. We’d guess the HS 250h is somewhere in between.
Lexus expects to sell about 25,000 of the HS 250h in its first year of sales, targeting buyers with a median age of 43, about 50/50 male/female, who are “not green activists but believe in the importance of living a more energy-conscious lifestyle,” and they are “people who believe their car makes a social statement but don’t like the connotations of traditional status symbols.” Perhaps. The Lexus HS 250h remains a hybrid, however, with all the attendant baggage therewith. Certainly fuel mileage numbers will be tossed around like Frisbees at backyard neighborhood barbeques. Bragging rights, you know. After all, hey, did we tell you we got 46.2 miles per gallon in a 2010 Lexus HS 250h…?
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Lexus HS 250h
