Faymester

I see the HS to be sort of like the ES. It's not the super enthusiast car but it will probably have its place in the market.

People look at the ES and say Camry all the time even though they are different cars; I think similar trend will happen here.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I have seen it in person but did not have a chance to sit in it.

From those pictures though...it really looks cheap. The random stitched leather over the gauges and down the center stack looks like a poorly executed afterthought. Either wrap the whole thing in leather or don't bother- the half leather and half plastic thing looks really bad. The pop up nav and the half disappearing center console/arm rest also seem like poorly integrated design ideas, very unLexus-like.

And what is that trim on the door? It looks like the plastic that my circa 1996 roller blades were made out of...

The overall design just looks too much like an economy car if you remove Remote Touch. Very, very downmarket in overall appearance, even if the materials are top notch.

RXSF

agreed. is that dust on the door trim? or some sort of glitter. i also dont like the blue starter button. since the other hybrids dont have it.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Looking at these pictures and ignoring the emblems on the steering wheel, I couldn't tell you which one looks like came from a Lexus.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

These are pre-production models.

The actual cars will have wood on them...

flipside909

I encourage you to do so.

The cars we tested were all pre production cars...and they are all hand built. Materials of course are still pre-production and a lot of items were either unfinished in texture or had a few quirks in execution. There is a disclaimer flyer hooked on to all the car's visors by Lexus PR (they know who you are btw).



I actually think the popup nav screen is a great idea. Of course we saw it first with the 1st Gen IS. The design is excellent for driver visibility and ergonomics. I prefer it over the nav placement in my IS F hands down.

It's the base trim color which would be available on the base model and Touring Package HS250h. It is a metallic finish that looks to be Smoky Granite or Graphite Gray Pearl.

Here's the wood trim for the Gray/Black interior:


Here's the wood trim for the Tan interior:


Both of these happen to be in the fully loaded Tech package HS250h.

Hate to say it but this going after the entry level luxury market. I think you're too obsessed with your affinity for the Corolla. I can tell you what I think and take all the pictures of this car ( I actually have 13 pages of pics), but it won't ever capture the true execution of the whole car. All I can say is sit in one and drive it first. Then share your real world experience.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I look forward to playing with one in person and getting to drive it. While the HS is obviously not my cup of tea, I would still like to drive one and see what it's all about, especially since the early reviews seem pleasantly surprised by the suspension and handling characteristics.

And, as always, thanks for the pics and the first hand experience

Terrapin

Question for Mods: do you intend to start a separate HS250h forum anytime soon? Seems like there are now tons of posts on this car and its introduction is right around the corner. It would be nice to coral all the commentary in one place. Thanks.

LexFather

Yes we will, you should see it in the next week or so. We are in discussions for some forum alignment.

RXSF

seeing as how it doesnt come standard with wood or anything...it seems like lexus really wants to cut prices on this car. And also seeing as how people regard it as toyota-ish, they might be able to make those negatives fly if they price it correctly. if it starts in the low 30s, it could still be a winner

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

it may do well despite it's homeliness, like a 1 series for example.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

so jalopnik is ignorant too?

mmarshall

I raised those points in the "Comments and Suggestions" forum, and DaveGS4, the Administrator, said they have plans for an HS forum.

Trexus

I wouldn't say Jalopnik is ignorant. That's just their opinion. Don't judge a book by it's cover, judge the cover by it's book and Jalopnik just did...and nothing wrong with that...

flipside909

Not really since they evaluated the car first hand and saw the car up close and person. They gave their opinion after the fact. Now for someone that's only seen the car from pictures...that's a different story.

The funny thing is if one person says it's ugly and it's a Corolla...of course everyone will jump on the bandwagon and agree. That's the problem here, no one really can give a real world opinion without having any bias from the start. Monkey see monkey do. Quit reiterating the obvious and talk about something positive for a change. Aside from the people that have only seen this car from pictures, everyone has a pretty positive opinion about the HS overall.

If you hate the car, you've made your point. It's getting old after 60 pages.