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2010 Lexus HS 250h Review

August 28, 2009

STYLING | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

A more mature evolution of the IS sedan’s front end
Cars.com

A size somewhere between the IS and the ES models
Jalopnik

Dash layout is equally forward looking and provides a fun and futuristic vibe
Popular Mechanics

The easiest comparison for the 2010 Lexus HS 250h would be to juxtapose it with the Toyota Prius, but despite similar green-friendly intentions and styling elements, the HS 250h shares little design-wise with its corporate cousin.

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h is Lexus’s first fully hybrid sedan, a five-passenger vehicle available in just one trim level. Edmunds remarks that Lexus’s newest sedan “effectively represents the Lexus idea of luxury, safety and convenience in the same way that its six- and eight-cylinder stable mates do,” but some other reviews read by TheCarConnection.com take exception with the Lexus HS 250h’s styling. Automobile Magazine is particularly incensed; they feel it would be easier for Lexus to make the ES sedan a hybrid, “but there’d be one problem: the ES is a great-looking car,” and they don’t think the same can be said of the HS 250h. Cars.com reports that the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, which is “based on the European Toyota Avensis,” features “a more mature of the IS sedan’s front end.” Jalopnik reviewers, meanwhile, find the styling derivative of a few other Toyota vehicles, claiming it “looks like a Toyota Corolla or even, as we first thought, the last-gen Prius jazzed up with the L-Finesse styling language.” Overall, Car and Driver simply recommends that you “think of it as the Prius of Lexuses or the Lexus of Priuses—your choice—and you won’t be far off.”

The Lexus HS 250h’s interior is par for the course, but there’s nothing spectacular in the overall execution or design. Automobile Magazine feels the interior is a giveaway that the Lexus HS 250h “is the de-facto new entry-level model for Lexus,” as its “narrow dimensions and awkward front quarter-windows make it feel much more like a tarted-up economy-car than the true entry-luxury car that Lexus says it is.” Few other reviewers are quite so harsh, and ConsumerGuide appreciates that the Lexus HS 250h’s “gauges are placed directly in front of the driver,” while the audio and climate controls are “within easy reach.” Popular Mechanics considers the dash “forward looking and provides a fun and futuristic vibe,” although Jalopnik asserts they’ve seen it before on the “Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h.”

One of the major pluses inside the 2010 Lexus HS 250h’s cabin—and a prominent design element for the instrument panel—is the trackball-like Remote Touch control system that Popular Mechanics says is “so good it makes every other system seem outdated.” Reviewers universally approve of the system, and Edmunds finds it so intuitive and simple that “it’s utterly amazing nobody came up with this execution before.”

Conclusion

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h doesn’t break new styling ground like the first-gen Prius or RX 350 did, but it looks the part of a hybrid and won’t offend with its styling.

STYLING | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:A more mature evolution of the IS sedan’s front endCars.comA size somewhere between the IS and the ES modelsJalopnikDash layout is equally forward looking and provides a fun and futuristic vibePopular Mechanics The easiest comparison for the 2010 Lexus HS 250h would be to juxtapose it with the Toyota Prius, but despite similar green-friendly intentions and styling elements, the HS 250h shares little design-wise with its corporate cousin. The 2010 Lexus HS 250h is Lexus’s first fully hybrid sedan, a five-passenger vehicle available in just one trim level. Edmunds remarks that Lexus’s newest sedan “effectively represents the Lexus idea of luxury, safety and convenience in the same way that its six- and eight-cylinder stable mates do,” but some other reviews read by TheCarConnection.com take exception with the Lexus HS 250h’s styling. Automobile Magazine is particularly incensed; they feel it would be easier for Lexus to make the ES sedan a hybrid, “but there’d be one problem: the ES is a great-looking car,” and they don’t think the same can be said of the HS 250h. Cars.com reports that the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, which is “based on the European Toyota Avensis,” features “a more mature of the IS sedan’s front end.” Jalopnik reviewers, meanwhile, find the styling derivative of a few other Toyota vehicles, claiming it “looks like a Toyota Corolla or even, as we first thought, the last-gen Prius jazzed up with the L-Finesse styling language.” Overall, Car and Driver simply recommends that you “think of it as the Prius of Lexuses or the Lexus of Priuses—your choice—and you won’t be far off.” The Lexus HS 250h’s interior is par for the course, but there’s nothing spectacular in the overall execution or design. Automobile Magazine feels the interior is a giveaway that the Lexus HS 250h “is the de-facto new entry-level model for Lexus,” as its “narrow dimensions and awkward front quarter-windows make it feel much more like a tarted-up economy-car than the true entry-luxury car that Lexus says it is.” Few other reviewers are quite so harsh, and ConsumerGuide appreciates that the Lexus HS 250h’s “gauges are placed directly in front of the driver,” while the audio and climate controls are “within easy reach.” Popular Mechanics considers the dash “forward looking and provides a fun and futuristic vibe,” although Jalopnik asserts they’ve seen it before on the “Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h.” One of the major pluses inside the 2010 Lexus HS 250h’s cabin—and a prominent design element for the instrument panel—is the trackball-like Remote Touch control system that Popular Mechanics says is “so good it makes every other system seem outdated.” Reviewers universally approve of the system, and Edmunds finds it so intuitive and simple that “it’s utterly amazing nobody came up with this execution before.” ConclusionThe 2010 Lexus HS 250h doesn’t break new styling ground like the first-gen Prius or RX 350 did, but it looks the part of a hybrid and won’t offend with its styling. 2010 LEXUS HS 250H STYLING | [7 out of 10] Cars.com: “A more mature evolution of the IS sedan’s front end” Jalopnik: “A size somewhere between the IS and the ES models” Popular Mechanics: “Dash layout is equally forward looking and provides a fun and futuristic vibe” The easiest ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h appeals to those who want a small gas-stingy sedan but don’t have the budget restrictions of those cross-shopping the affordable 2010 Honda Insight, for example. The Prius isn’t a direct rival, according to Lexus, but many shoppers will undoubtedly cross-shop them. Compared to the HS, the Prius has more usable interior space and much more versatile cargo capability, thanks to the fold-down backseats, and it goes much farther on a gallon. At the same time, the HS has a better ride, slightly more enthusiastic handling, and many more tech features and options. The HS250h costs less than the BMW 335d and the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, both luxurious sedans with clean-diesel powertrains; in both cases, those diesels get better highway fuel economy. The VW Jetta TDI is, for size and real-world fuel economy, one of the HS’s chief rivals, though the Jetta can’t be equipped nearly as well as the luxurious HS. The Camry Hybrid is larger, roomier, and faster—because it’s somehow lighter than the portly HS—and nearly as fuel-efficient, so families who aren’t set on a Lexus should take a look. In any of these cases, the Lexus dealership experience is a big part of the HS’s appeal; for that, it’s tough to beat.

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2010

Comments (3 total)

  1. By lARRY DOUGLAS #1, Posted: 9/7/2009

    Looking for best deals and good connection/contact of real auto delaers in U.S and Europe; please give me a hand qucik!
    Larry.
    CEO

  2. By  khadar #2, Posted: 10/10/2009

    Its stunning

  3. By elsayed #3, Posted: 11/1/2009

    it"s verry good

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