Argelius

As I (not so patiently) await the arrival of my HS from Japan, I spend too much time obsessing over reading reviews of the HS, which isn't a good hobby since, by and large, they aren't particularly stellar.

One oft-cited complaint in the reviews (beyond the usual, boring and irrelevant "it doesn't get as good of mileage as the Prius...") is in reference to the car not living up to Lexus' usual vault-like quietness.

(One example: "Road and tire noise overcome wind noise at highway speeds, but HS cruises serenely enough. The gas engine doesn't sound especially refined for a luxury car; it roars intrusively under acceleration.")

So I am curious what actual owners feel about this issue...

psoccer555

I've found the quality equal to the 04 RX that I previously owned and the 07 IS that I ride in and drive from time to time. No regrets whatsoever regarding my purchase. I now have 1300 miles on it and I've owned it for nearly 6 weeks.

Canesguy

Well it has less sound-proofing and gets the best gas mileage of any Lexus.

flipside909

Not sure how they are complaning about road noise. I guess if you were to compare the road noise with the optional 18" wheels and Toyo tires vs. the 17" wheels and the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus....that's kind of a given. The Toyo's aren't really that loud at all in my opinion.

The gas engine is a 2.4L 4cyl. That's going to be expected. It's not going to be a smooth sounding 6 or 8 cylinder. 4 cyl's work harder.

Agreed with psoccer555, the RX engine noise does penetrate the cabin at hard throttle, but it quiets down at cruising speeds.

gary1944

I see no real issue. This is my 5th ( I think ) Lexus and I like this the best of all. There is always someoneto ***** and complain about something but fact is, IMHO, the HS is a really sweet ride. My most recent car just prior to the HS was a $54,000 Mercedes CLK320 and the HS beats it hands down.

tonyscv

This is Lexus #4 for me and like others - the HS seems just as quiet as the 2 IS's and RX I've owned before this. The engine makes more noise when you accelerate but it's a 4 cylinder. I expect that. At cruise it's as quiet as any other Lexus.. and stopped it's quieter than any of them because the engine is off .

LexFather

I was actually surprised at how quiet it was when I had it for nearly a week, especially considering the size of the front windows (resembles the RX).

The HS is simply NOT a car reviewers will like or fawn over. They also will refuse to evaluate it fairly but instead be more worried about how fast it goes in a corner. Reading about it will only make you not like it.

Driving it is another story. I am VERY VERY impressed with the chassis it is based on. The ES and HS are both FWD but the HS drives so much better to me.

rjk212

After 2000 miles we (wife and I) enjoy driving this Lexus. Car noise, power, mpg, and exterior design seem to be the "Car and Driver" type review complaints. So far we find very little issue with noise; power is more than acceptable, I have found no need to use the power mode on hills or entering traffic (I wish I had the power mode on our 2005 ES330 which has such a poor transmission that you never knew what kind of acceleration to expect. We traded that car for the HS); mpg AVERAGES around 33/34 in the Los Angeles area even with pulse and glide hybrid driving. I can get 40+ mpg driving on the highway but overall with stop and go driving I can't get average over 34; exterior design is abit funky but seems to grow on you. We actually get lots of positive comments on the car. The interior is all Lexus luxury. The "electronic toys" are great. Overall we're very happy with the car. BTW my wife will be taking a long ride starting today in the HS and I spoke to the Lexus Service Mgr. due to the impending brake recall. They will have a software fix but not for several more weeks. We haven't had any brake issues. I noticed a small "hint" of the problem last night when I hit a bump at a slow speed and I felt just the slightest issue but it really didn't effect stopping ability and if I wasn't looking for it I doubt I would have noticed. I also have a 1992 SC400 with 220,000 miles and it is my primary car. Never any issue with it and the reason I am still loyal to Lexus.. but I am watching carefully how Lexus proceeds with their issues in the future

puglet

I find the hs250 to be "considerably" quiter than the 2006 IS350 I traded it in for. Road noise is much lower -- especially during rain when the splashing in the IS350 wheel wells made a dull roar.

sears1234

I drove a HS250H loaner car today, I can say it's as same quiet as my ES350 UL, and much quieter than IS I drove before.
This car felt very rigid on the road and have fan with "power" mode. But "economy" mode felt so reluctant and disappointed.