2010 Lexus HS250h – Why It Makes Sense To Some

Forget anything you think you know about this car. Forget that it is a hybrid, forget the fact that is made by the same company which brought us the Prius. Forget for a second about the fact that you think you know anything about cars. They say ignorance is bliss and in this case you want to know less.

A Lease on Life

This is a so-called “entry-level luxury car”. In everyday terms it means that this is one of the lowest priced models in said luxury maker’s line up. These cars tend to range from $35,000 to $45,000, depending on which option packages are added on. They are very popular cars and tend to have high resale values.

These cars tend to be acquired by younger people, possibly aged 22-30, probably single, and college educated. After struggling through college and finally landing a decent job they need to have everything as soon as possible; from phones, accessories, and gadgets to small clean modern apartments. They also need car, one that makes a statement about where in life they are, so the cheapest of the luxury badges fit them perfectly.

Unfortunately all those luxuries combined come at a price which frankly they cannot afford. However, they have college education and the student loans to prove it. In college they have learned that one should not acquire any depreciating assets and they know that a car is the greatest depreciating asset one can attain. The obvious answer is a lease; almost no down-payment and a monthly payment much lower than one required for financing. Throw in some “free maintenance” and an ass-kissing salesman and you end up with one happy yuppie.

“It Hurts, Maybe Not as Much as Jumping on a Bicycle Without a Seat, but It Hurts”*

After a while the costs add up and the yuppies decide that they need to curtail their spending. They sacrifice their daily latte frap for regular coffee, make themselves believe that cooking is cool, and hiking is as exciting as doing lines off a stripper. They also start using regular gas in their status barges, which they are stuck with for thirty-six months.

Frankly, the yuppies are not alone in this. In recent years gas mileage has become important but for all the wrong reasons. It is not our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and it is not our devotion to environment. It is the chest pains we get as we watch the dollar digits change on a gas pump. In a few short years the price of gas has more than doubled, and yet we were all surprised by it when it happened.

The Novel Idea That is the HS250h

When asked to describe a luxury car, most will conjure up images of a Mercedes S-Class; opulent, big, long, and heavy. The engineer in me asks why?

Let’s say this:

• I’m not a car enthusiast so I don’t care about front vs. rear wheel drive.
• I actually prefer front-wheel-drive because it is easier to drive in the winter.
• I want a luxury car with the latest gadgets as I am an easily-amused geek.
• I want comfort features too.
• While I have the money I don’t like wasting it on gasoline.
• I often drive alone so I’d like a small car.
• I hate traffic jams and city driving, but unfortunately that is where I spend most of my time.
• What are my car choices?

There you go, the HS250h was created for THAT GUY. And the novel idea behind the HS250h is the fact that it is an economical luxury car whose time has come. In my opinion, the most direct competitor is the Audi A3 TDi which uses diesel technology to achieve similar results, but falls short on some of the features that are available on the HS. There is also the Acura TSX and while it’s an excellent vehicle, it does not offer an alternative to the naturally aspirated gasoline and it therefore falls a bit short on the green/eco image, which is a novelty and status in and of itself.

Joining the Green Side

Start driving the HS250h like a conventional car; forget all that hybrid stuff, just drive. There is no tachometer, but you get a constant efficiency gauge. In stop-and-go traffic you feel the conventional engine turning on-and-off and sometimes there a delay from the moment you press the gas pedal to the time the power actually gets to the wheels. Annoying? Yes, but can be alleviated by pressing the “PWR MODE” button at which time the transition is pretty much seamless but probably at a sacrifice of fuel economy.

The handling was nothing like the last generation Prius, which is a good thing. Because my expectations were so low, I found the HS to be quite pleasant to drive. Sporty? No, but not boring or obnoxious either. Brakes, again, were different than that of a conventional car but it was nothing you couldn’t get used to in five minutes.

My car was a fully loaded model with infotainment controls identical to those of a Lexus RX350. Additionally, this car had a few unexpected features such a really cool head-up display and cameras in places where other cars don’t have places. The ventilated seats were comfortable and there was an abundance of storage that one would expect from a Toyota. The whole dash had kind of a spaceship design to it which was actually very cool and different from anything else I’ve driven.

Conclusion

Going into this I was expecting a Prius with leather seats. I came away realizing that the HS250h is its own luxury car that happens to get great gas mileage. Every cardork I spoke to regarding the HS had nothing but bad things to say about, but the truth is that very few actually drove the HS for any length of time, if at all. Let’s ignore the Monday morning quarter-backs; if you think that you are THAT GUY, you owe it to yourself to take the HS for a drive.

I had the HS for the weekend for the purpose of this evaluation, thank you Toyota. Unfortunately it was a very busy weekend and I did not have the time to take any pictures (save for a few blurry phone ones), therefore I had to resort to using Toyota media pictures. Sorry.