Vehicle: 2010 Lexus HS250h Premium with Premium Sport Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$41400

Performance: Although HS’s designation suggest HS has 2.5 liters of performance prowess. Its based on Toyota’s well-proven 2.4 liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder with Atkinson Cycle batteries. What makes the use of Atkison Cycle so appealing to carmakers especially Toyota and Ford is their efficiency on providing good fuel economy and generous torque. We have experienced the desired result with the impressive Fusion hybrid. Regarding the HS, combining the Atkinson Cycle with that 2.4 liter engine produce a healthy 187hp and 138 lb/ft of torque. Thanks to the Atkinson Cycle battery pack, its maximum torque arrives at 4 grand with is quite potent given HS is weighting in at 4686 lb. It is able to move HS more than adequately if not outstandingly off-the-line. The transition between battery and gasoline is surprisingly seamless thanks to Toyota’s experience on engineering hybrid powertrain for years. On the mid-range, Toyota’s variable valve timing or VVT-i is able to produce decent performance when the urge of power is needed. As with most hybrids, HS is powered by a CVT. This CVT matched hybrid’s powertrain. What makes CVT so appealing in the hybrid world is its gearless seamless feel and feedback combined with hybrid’s quiet ride, that makes them such a perfect companion. Unfortunately, the availability of “EV” mode has handicapped HS’s ability to use full electric on anything above 20 mph due to its engineering capability. Given hybrid is most economical when running fully on electric before gasoline motor steps into the equation, Toyota should engineered the “EV” mode to reach a minimum of 50-70 mph. That’s when we called it an achievement. Until then, HS is still unable to generate the sort of fuel economy that is anywhere close to Toyota’s claimed figure. While Toyota claims HS is able to do a combined city and highway fuel economy of 5.7 liters per 100km, we are only able to get 7.3 liters per 100km. That is 16% apart from the manufacturer’s claim. As we have said before, only Honda Insight and Ford Fusion are able to get close or even beaten manufacturer’s claim fuel economy figures through our testing. Given Toyota’s engineering prowess in their Hybrid Synergy Drive technology, we expect a lot more from their fuel economy. Both Prius, RX450h, GS450h, LS600hL and to their latest HS250h are getting no where close. What a pity!

Handling: Given the fact that HS is based on Europe’s mid-size Avensis chassis, it doesn’t come as a surprise its a very good fundamental for an entry-level Lexus hybrid. The chassis is solid, rigid and completely free of any cracks and rattles. But if you are looking for a sports sedan hidden behind HS’s controversial styling, you are looking at the wrong column. Despite our HS tester is equipped with optional sports package, which consist of sports suspension and quicker steering ratio. The HS is from from being sporting, let alone sporty. While the steering provides decent response, both the turn-in and center feel are numb. The feel and feeback from the steering ranging from vague to dead. Press the HS hard through corners, there are plenty of body rolls. The Vehicle Stability Control is an instrusive type, which is a godsent given how soft HS’s suspension is. Even though the platform is solid-as-a-rock, Toyota’s detached chassis feel remains intact. What the HS really shines is its silky smooth ride quality. Its not only absorbs all the bumps and roughness of what we defined poorly paved Canadian roads. It even eats up those patholes as comfortably as another hybrid that costs twice as much, which is the Mercedes S400.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, HS’s regeneative braking doesn’t have other hybrid’s rather numb to the pedal feedback. The brake pedal actually have some lives to it when press hard into the metal for a couple of hard stops. ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily is an added bonus.

Interior: What makes HS such a huge compromise, in terms of interior packaging, begins with the trunk space. Its not only it doesn’t have proper fold-down rear seats, unlike its less expensive Prius silibing. The trunk opening is narrow, liftover is too high and cut-off is just plain embarrassing. While one can store 2 golf bags with the luggage for weekend getaway. It takes lots of dignity to get those out from the trunk, without hitting your head. Another area where Toyota cut corners is the use of the unpadded instrusive trunk hinges, which would crash into anything you put inside the trunk while cutting cargo space. Given HS’s price tag starts north of 39 grand, I expect better attention-to-details in the luggage area. If Mercedes and Audi are able to afford extra paddings on their trunk hinges, I don’t see why Lexus is unable to do it with the HS.

Slip behind the wheel of the HS, you find an initutive mouse to let driver to control everything else from auto climate control to navigation system. Unlike the dreadful BMW i-Drive, Lexus’s Remote Touch Controller is both initutive and user-friendly.

However, there are some plastic materials that don’t live up to Lexus’s reputation of producing some of the nicest interiors in the business. While those cheesy plastic can find home safely in a Corolla and Camry, it just looks out of place in a car wearing a “L” emblem. When it comes to material quality, I found the ES250 from 2 decades ago more appealing.

Just like the trunk space, HS’s rear seats feel cramped or adequate depending on your height. The sloppy C-pillars don’t help the headroom neither.

Conclusion: Lexus’s marketing slogan for new HS is “All New, All Hybrid and All Lexus”. While I can certainly understand the “all new” part. It am not quite sure about “all hybrid” as its compromise between performance and fuel economy can’t live up to Toyota’s reputation on Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. The poor packaging of interior and cargo space with cheesy interior materials definitely not live up to “all Lexus” part neither. Perhaps Lexus should change their slogan to “All New. All debateable styling. All Compromises” is more suitable to HS’s overall lurkwarm execution.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2010 Lexus HS250h
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 2.5/5