Buying a $60,000 hybrid car to cut driving costs makes sense the way putting Mrs. H. Ross Perot into the workforce makes sense: The Perot family finances improve, but the improvement is the size of a rounding error. Still, there are plenty of other reasons to covet the Lexus GS 450h, not the least of which is that hybrid technology makes this one of the fastest four-passenger cars you can buy in the U.S.
The GS 450h fuel economy falls into the mid-twenties: Not so good for a distant cousin to the Toyota Prius, and pretty darn miserly for a 4,134-pound vehicle that reaches 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.
Hybrid as Turbocharger
A hybrid's electric motor, big battery, and smaller-than-normal engine yield the same performance as a similar non-hybrid car, and superior fuel economy, by regenerating power back into the storage battery when the car slows or brakes. The electric motor starts the car from stops made while driving, and provides extra power when accelerating.
Lexus tweaked the economy-versus-power formula in favor of performance when it converted the GS 430 sport sedan into the GS 450h hybrid. Its hybrid motor functions like an electrical turbocharger, another device that generates gobs of horsepower, but at the expense of fuel economy. A neat coincidence is that electric motors deliver maximum torque, the thrust that moves the car forward, at 0 rpm, while gasoline engines do it at several thousand rpm (4,800 rpm, in this car). They complement each other so well that when you floor it, acceleration is on a par with most high-end BMWs, Corvettes, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, Z-cars, and the like.
The 450 in the name implies that the GS 450h achieves the same output you'd get from a 4.5-liter V8 engine, even though it's really a 292-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine. Together with the 197-hp electric motor at the rear wheels, the car has a combined 339 hp (total power isn't a simple summation). As with other hybrids I've driven, hard acceleration produces unmelodious notes; a Ferrari V12 this isn't. Also, the hybrid batteries are located behind the rear seat, as Lexus puts it: a polite way of saying they take up half the trunk.
Lexus engineers say they could have adjusted the power-to-economy mix to get more than 30 mpg. But just as Toyota made a memorable fuel-economy statement with the roomy Prius and its 60-mpg city rating, 0-to-60 times close to 5 seconds are few and far between. As a comparison, the Lexus GS 430's V8 engine takes 5.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60, the BMW 550i sedan takes 5.5 seconds, and the Porsche Boxster S, a pure sportscar, takes 5.2 seconds. The new performance question may be, "That thing got a hybrid?"
Lexus rates the GS 450h at 25 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway. Most hybrids have higher city mileage than highway mileage, since there's more braking and thus more opportunity for power regeneration in city driving. But the GS 450h drive motors/generators are at the rear, which is a disadvantage, since weight shifts forward under braking.
Other Technologies
The GS 450h offers far more than a leading-edge powerplant mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Bluetooth, keyless entry and ignition, a backup camera, variable suspension settings, and a 10-speaker audio system come standard, as does the trademark Lexus instrument cluster that can be seen perfectly day or night.
Most GS 450h's will come with a $4,000 options package, including an updated Denso touchscreen navigation system with voice input, a 14-speaker Mark Levinson DVD audio system(no video), and run-flat tires. Other options re an active body-stabilizer system and a radar-based active cruise control (ACC) system that alerts the pre-crash system should an accident loom. Power steering and the air-conditioning compressor are electrically driven, so they keep working when the gasoline engine is off.
The cockpit is beautifully finished, to a fault. A dozen occasionally used controls are in a fold-away panel to the left of the wheel. Unfortunately, the vast expanse of polished red walnut on the console was blinding in sunlight. And the audio system could be a bit easier to use: It was challenging to find the combination to play the same CD again without first removing it.
As do most Japanese automakers, Lexus disables too many of the navigation features when the car is moving, which leaves you at the mercy of the voice-recognition system. (Hint: Memorize the commands.) You can get either Sirius or XM satellite radio (few automakers offer both), but there's no line-in jack for music players and no adapter for iPods.
Lexus Handholding
Lexus tops most customer-satisfaction polls because of its terrific customer support. The nine owner manuals for the GS 450h include several quick-start guides, although the main manual is a heavy beast because of all the legal disclaimers. In total, you get 932 pages of manuals to leaf through, plus two interactive CDs and a strip of 12 laminated keychain tags that explain in both English and Spanish how to start and move the GS 450h (handy for valets).
The Lexus Web site is attractive, but the build-your-own page skews toward telling you about options local dealers may have, instead of the full range Lexus offers. Entering a California ZIP code produced a few $10,000 options packages; New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Tennessee ZIP codes produced slightly different packages that were around $4,000. If you want to know why some Easterners can't get the pre-crash safety package with radar cruise control or learn the cost of XM satellite radio (a dealer accessory), you'll have to see the Lexus dealer in person, the site advises. The site does have a valuable Bluetooth compatibility chart that explains which Bluetooth phones and features work with the car. For instance, you'll learn that only a handful of phones can transfer their address books to the GS 450h's dashboard.
Why Buy a $60K Hybrid?
There are many practical and emotional reasons to buy a hybrid GS 450h, with its base price of $55,595 (including shipping). It's better for the environment than most similar-size, similar-lust-factor sports sedans. You spend less time pumping fuel than you would with competing non-hybrids and save a couple hundred dollars a year on gasoline. And if you buy through September, you'll get a $1,550 hybrid tax credit ($775 if you buy during the following 6 months) which should cover some of the cost.
Beyond that, the GS 450h is full of energy-saving, safety, and entertainment technology. But because of the close-to-fastback design and the trunk-mounted batteries that can't fit under the back seat, there's not much headroom or footroom in back for adults to cruise long distances in comfort. Neither is there enough trunk room for more than two people who pack cautiously. If those are deal-breakers, you should be considering the soon-to-arrive Lexus LS 460h. Otherwise, the Lexus GS 450h is a near-perfect car for those able to pay the freight.
Why buy a hybrid? Click here to find out.
The Lexus G 450h is a wickedly fast luxury hybrid with superb fit and finish. The four-passenger car is comfortable for two people who are traveling, so long as they pack light.
Bluetooth, keyless entry and ignition, a backup camera, variable suspension settings, and a 10-speaker audio system come standard. Denso touchscreen navigation. Outstanding acceleration. Reasonable fuel economy. Superb fit and finish.
Raggedy engine sound under acceleration (common to all hybrids). Cramped rear seating. Blinding console reflections. Hybrid batteries take up half the trunk. Pretty but incomplete Web site.
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