flipside909

More pics from Toyotafest 2009 here.

I8ABMR

the convertible will look nice when worked with a drop and wheels. The other LAME *** prius thing is a total joke. Its like peple thinking their smart car is a real benz. That is a rebodies prius for 50% more money. Give me a break. Lexus is going to **** on its image of pure luxury by producing such a small, ugly, and lame vehicle.



I think I will start laughing if I see a h250h at a stop light. I don't care what kind of mileage it gets. I feel embarassed for Lexus afeter seeing the actual shots of the car again

mmarshall

Why the rubber-band tires, Ryan? (if the Lexus marketers gave a reason)

A relatively light car with a wheelbase that short, on low-profile tires, unless it is very softly sprung, is probably going to ride like s***. Not only that, as I understand it, the HS is not supposed to be a sport sedan...that's what the IS is for.

Gojirra99

That's rubber band ? You should take a look at those LS460's in the LS forum with 22" wheels

RXSF

wow looks MUCH better without the spoiler, you an actually see a curve on the trunk lid now

dunnojack

HS is up there as ugliest lexus ever. 1st gen RX is a close 2nd place.

mmarshall

Yes, Andrew. I know that other cars have even lower-profile tires (in fact, some stock LS models now come with 45s from the factory). But that's not something you would normally expect on an HS, where small hybrids usually have higher-profile, skinny tires for low rolling friction and high mileage. Of course, it is possible (?) that, like some other Lexus hybrids, high mileage (or a relatively cushy ride, like on the Corolla DX/LX) was not the HS's primary objective. That's why I posed the question to Ryan if Lexus marketers/designers had a reason for it.

TRDFantasy

The rear looks a bit better in these real-life pics, especially without the spoiler. Regardless of what the Chief Engineer of the HS thinks, I stand by my opinion that taking off the tacky body kit would make the car look better, not worse.

Unfortunately, in profile the car still looks cheap, even with the real-life pics. I have identified the main problem, and it is the window-line shape, as well as the car's profile itself. The window line and car profile just scream "economy car". The profile and window line are extremely similar to the Corolla.

A thought also occurred to me; if Lexus was so determined to have this body kit standard on the car, why was the kit not integrated with the bumpers? Why did the kit have to be tacked on? Was it an afterthought? Was it budget constraints?

Either way, I hope Lexus learns from this.

mmarshall

I agree that the lower-body flares are not only too low but unnecessary.

Well, given the car's small size outside, it's hard NOT to make it look like an econobox, at least to some extent.

Relax. This car is not in production yet. There may (?) still be time to make some production-line changes. I myself, for one, think it needs more wood inside on the dash/console, and would like to see the mouse-control an option, not standard.

GFerg

Whats the hell is up with that gigantic blank space between the volume and tuner control on the dashboard?

I cant warm up to this car in any color. Complete trash.

RXSF

i thought the remote touch only comes with nav, so it is an option. unless you mean optional touch screen.

mmarshall

I can do without either one......the NAV screen or the mouse-control. In my book, the fewer electronic distractions on the dash/console, the better.

And, of course, I hope you are right about the whole NAV system itself being an option.

RXSF

yeah nav is an option. Gferg posted a picture on the bottom of page 48 that has an HS interior without nav. you get an ugly blank space instead of the controller. sigh

Fizzboy7

The main problem is the wheels are too tiny for the jacked-up, slab-sided body. Also, the hood is way too tall and thick. Looks like a 4x4 or minivan up front. The triangle a-pillar windows also ruin things. Wheel gap is horrific. Overall, very cartoonish and cheap. Shame on Lexus.

TRDFantasy

ISc actually looks pretty decent with the F-Sport rims in the real-life pics. HS on the other hand looks even worse to me than the autoshow pics of it.