2010 Lexus HS 250h
The problem with jack-of-all-trades cars like the new Lexus HS 250h is that they try to do a lot of things, but don’t do any one thing particularly well. The badge and the styling make you think that this car will have a bit of power under the hood and will provide a fairly fun ride for its size. It doesn’t. There’s some cargo room, making it fairly practical, but fitting anyone over 5 years old in the back seat for extended periods is a recipe for discomfort. So what’s the big deal about Lexus’ brand-new HS 250h?
The HS 250h, which is the fourth hybrid introduced by the brand, will likely draw comparisons to the Prius. Toyota owns the Lexus brand and one would expect the two vehicles to share a bit of architecture. Well, some technical know-how gained on Toyota’s hybrid was definitely used in constructing the HS 250h, and there are some minor (very minor, actually) styling cues that the HS 250h adopts, but that’s about it. This is not a Prius in Lexus clothing.
The car is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a 30 kW electric motor with a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack for a combined 187 horsepower. The car weighs 3,682 pounds, so don’t expect much performance out of this new Lexus. Anytime you want to tear away from a stoplight just remind yourself that gradual accelerations are more efficient. The combined mileage is 34 mpg.
The styling looks okay, but it is made to please aerodynamics more than the eye. Don’t expect this to be a showstopper. The interior is nicely appointed and is outfitted with virtually every gadget that Lexus’ designers could stuff in there (which definitely contributes to the weight). The car isn’t all that big, so there isn’t too much room in the back seat. You could fit two adults back there for a quick ride, but anything over 30-40 minutes, and they’ll start getting a bit cross.
So, back to the original point: the 2010 Lexus HS 250h tries to do too much. It’s too small to provide any decent amount of cabin luxury associated with premium sedans. While it’s small, it’s also heavy, and paired with the not-so-powerful hybrid drivetrain, that makes for some uninspired performance. The combined 34 mpg is good, but not so great as to make this car a must-buy.
The car goes on sale in the late summer, and while no official pricing has been released, Lexus representatives have indicated a price tag in the mid-$30k range. If you want a car that is good on mileage, try out a Toyota Camry Hybrid or a Ford Fusion Hybrid. Both get better mileage than the Lexus HS 250h and will cost you about $10k less. If you want something that is luxurious and practical, and still gets good mileage, the newest iteration of Lexus’ RX 450h SUV is hitting showrooms in the summer as well, and that is one of the best hybrid SUVs ever created. The 2010 Lexus HS 250h is a valiant attempt by Lexus and parent company Toyota to improve their hybrid offerings, but it tries to do too many things at once, and ends up being mediocre at all of them.
