Drive Report: 2010 Lexus HS250h

By John Voelcker

John Voelcker

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2010 Lexus HS250h - front side

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Setting aside our questions about whether the 2010 Lexus HS250h can create a new "luxury hybrid" niche, we spent much of Wednesday driving two of them through the rolling suburban hills of Westchester County, New York.

Overall, we think the HS is a bit of a puzzlement, neither fish nor fowl. We're left with the impression it may have been the product of a one-night stand between a 2009 Lexus ES350 midsize luxury sedan and the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid.

We'll be spending a long weekend with a 2010 Lexus HS250h very soon, so we'll have an update on these first impressions then. Meanwhile, here's what we gleaned from half a day with an HS Premium model and half an hour with a standard model.

Appearance

The 2010 Lexus HS250h has elements of the characteristic Lexus L-Finesse styling language, but they're wrapped around a vehicle with entirely different proportions than the LS full-size luxury sedan.

It's longer than the ES, but looks dumpier, with noticeable front and rear overhangs. We think the car's best view is the rear three-quarter angle, where the heaviness of the front is less visible.

Despite the proportions, though, Lexus has achieved an admirable 0.27 coefficient of drag, which clearly improves mileage at higher speeds.

Gas mileage

The HS shares a wheelbase and some structural elements with the 2010 Toyota Prius, but it has a larger engine--2.4 liters rather than 1.8 liters--and it's several hundred pounds heavier.

Our impression was that the HS stayed in electric mode very, very little--far less than the 2010 Prius. Even when moving off with a gentle foot on the accelerator, the engine almost always switched on.

These factors give the HS250h a projected EPA combined rating of 35 miles per gallon, against a full 50 mpg for its 2010 Toyota Prius sibling. It's worth noting that a 35-mpg rating is far better than any other Lexus, even if it's lower than a Prius.

In practice, we registered 32.9 mpg after a short 10-mile trip and 36.1 mpg after a longer drive cycle with freeway and local roads, much of it hilly.

We drove the car without working to improve our mileage, but other journalists took to a mileage competition set up by Lexus with glee. The winner achieved 46.2. mpg, and two runners-up did better than 40 mpg.

So it's possible to make 40 mpg, if you pay attention. We wonder how many Lexus drivers--or perhaps HS buyers--will do so.

Driving impressions

Sitting in the driver's seat, the base of the windshield is so high that the dashboard top curves up to meet it, preventing even taller drivers from seeing the front corners of the car.

In tight quarters, the Wide-View Front Monitor (see photo) on the navigation screen provides a measure of confidence. Without that option, it takes a bit of guessing to locate the corners.

2010 Lexus HS250h - front wide-angle view

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Before we got on the road, we were puzzled by the persistent emergency brake light. We repeatedly pressed the brake-release button below the shift wand, but it didn't solve the problem. To our surprise, the HS has a Sixties-style foot-pedal emergency brake. Golly.

On the road, the HS is less rewarding to drive than the sportier Lexus IS and GS sedans, which are rear-wheel-drive. It feels heavy for its relatively short wheelbase, and it didn't reward aggressive cornering.

And of course the Hybrid Synergy Drive system controls engine speed separately from road speed, so overall, we weren't encouraged to drive it hard. Perhaps that's the point?