It's easy to assume the 2010 Lexus HS250 is simply a re-skinned Prius but the look and feel of this Lexus hybrid is much different than that of the Prius - as you'd expect the Lexus is long on luxury and high tech features plus, it's not a hatchback like the Prius.
Inside there's plenty of room but the HS250h still feels like a small sedan. Standard features include power seats up front and leather trim on all seats, the door panels, steering wheel and shift knob. One-touch up and down operation for all four power windows, Bluetooth, dual zone climate control and a 10-speaker audio system are also included in even the base model which is priced at about $34,000. The Premium version (a few thousand dollars more than the base) adds heated and cooled front seats, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel and three postition memory for the driver's seat and steering wheel.
On the road, the 2010 Lexus HS250h doesn't quite deliver the premium driving experience the interior more than hints at. The hybrid powertrain delivers 187 hp and it does so in a smooth and refined manner - that part feels appropriate for a Lexus. But the choppy ride feels like just another economy car - around town it's fine but on the highway there's a little too much bounce. Noise levels are acceptable for an entry luxury sedan.
You can further load up the HS250h with such high end features as a heads up display, voice recognition program, lane departure warning system, automatic parking assist, Mark Levinson audio and an OnStar like safety system that alerts local authorities in the event of an accident. These are all nice to have but add substantially to the bottom line - the one option that's reall worth getting is the Lexus nav system and remote touch controller - it works just like a computer mouse and is so intuitive you'll wonder why someone didn't think of it sooner.
No, the 2010 Lexus HS250h isnt' just a re-skinned Prius, it's much more. It truly is a luxury hybrid. EPA fuel economy estimates are 35 city / 34 highway. That's well below the Prius and even the Honda Insight but the extra cush is worth the small sacrifice at the pump - Brian Moody
EMAIL: harry@carconcerns.com
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