Squirrelsb

In honor of my bud Argelius who's leaving his HS behind, I've decided I like this car more and more and now just hit 20K miles (after just 14 mos) and decided to write why:

After over a year of driving, I love this car. Here's my take on the HS 250h.

PROS
Gas mileage: I have an average of 36 mpg on those long stretches of Texas highway and 38 in the DFW area. The best I ever got with my Mercedes C320 was 28.. on a good day. Major thumbs up for me.

Sound System: I'm not a sound purist and find the sound perfectly acceptable as I normally stream my iphone via bluetooth. I also have an iPod classic hooked up to it and switch back and forth depending on my music pref at the time.

Video Entertainment Displays installed in the seats - LOVE this feature. My little 4 year old knows how to pop turn it on, plop in her wireless headphones and watch her favorite cartoons. No whining in the back seat

Interior Design: I like the interior design as well. Its lush and love the center console, pop up nav and climate controls are easy to get to.

Voice Recog System: I have no issues with the Nav system as Arg had, and have found it got me wherever I told it to. However, I found the Voice recognition system fairly useless. I can type with the mouse where I want to go faster as well as look up my phone directory. The voice system constantly cant understand what I'm saying (I maybe in Texas but was raised in Colorado), ESPECIALLY if I have the AC or heat fan running.

iPod Interface: Not an issue for me since I normally just select the playlist I want and I dont search for individual songs.

Location of AUX/USB, and power ports: Again, not an issue since I have my iphone charger always plugged in it as well as my ipod.

Interior Finishes: I tend to agree the doors get scuffed but not moreso than my buds A6, my cousins' X2 and my C320. The dark black just makes it look worse but I found that Armor All works well and covers the scuffs decently.

Exterior Design: Grill reminds me of a ford fusion, body looks like a bubble. Wayyyy uglier than my MB but honestly ALOT better than the rest of the hybrids available at the time: Fusion, Camry and definitely better than the Prius.

Interior Sound: Can't hear the interior sound as my stereo is usually too loud so I don't die from boredom driving across Texas.

Gadgets of Questionable Utility: Agree the front camera is useless. I never bother as I can see well beyond the nose of my car. Now what I do like are the front and rear parking sensors. Love those and use them all the time - especially since I squished my kids bike with my wifes' mini-van.

LED Headlights: Lights are lights. Not driving in alot of places where its pitch black, no traffic lights, cars or streetlights.

For me, the longer I have this car, the more I like things about it. Little cool stuff like keyless entry and locking. Soooo nice when you're loaded down with 10lbs of shopping bags in one arm and a sleeping baby in another. Another little neat feature is the cargo net in the back. Really convenient for not squishing the eggs. This was my first Lexus and most likely will not be my last.

Argelius

Excellent summary of your impressions. As I said I dont hate the car by any means....just finding it's not for me. I'm a promiscuous car wh*re, so I'm never completely satisfied...so this is more about me than you, HS.

A320pilot

iTrader: (1)

Just my thoughts:
I have owned my HS for three months now and enjoy driving it. I came from a long line of Honda Accords, 8 in 8 years. I drive around 30 to 34 thousand miles a year and would trade my Honda Accords in every year in December for a new one. This year I decided to make my daily drive an HS and I am satisfied and happy with my choice.

I spent many hours reading the reviews of the pro's, but made my choice based on the reviews of those in forums.

The one hesitation was the sticker on the rear window that gave tire info:
That the tires were 20,000 mile tires. My question to "Squirrelsb" is now that you have reached the 20,000 mile mark, have you noticed much wear?

Squirrelsb

Just checked today and with 20,185 miles on my HS, I'm quite surprised how the tires have held up. I still have 1/2" tread all around on all fours, so not shabby at all.

DDS62

What tires do you have? I have the standard Toyo tires on 18" wheels and have a 1/4" of tread after 1,000 miles. Not that I have experienced any appreciable wear - doubt I ever had any more tread. If I did have 1/2" of tread when the tires were new, I need to be very concerned.

Magellan55

I have the 18" Toyo's, just about 15k miles, and they have plenty of tread left. My guess is they should last 20-25k.

YotaCarFan

Gas mileage: I get about 38 mpg average, mixed 70 mph highway and stop-and-go, even with snow tires on. I use the "eco mode" all the time, though.

Exterior styling: Although I'm somewhat turned off by the chrome grille, I am amazed by how often people compliment the appearance of my car. I get several comments a month, both from professional colleagues with whom I ride-share to meetings and from security guards and military police at checkpoints I drive through. Comments like, "That's one sharp looking car, what is it?", "Wow, that's one nice Lexus. What does it cost, $80K or something like that?", "Mmmm, mmmm, mmm, that is one sweet looking Lexus. Hey, come over here and look at this." So, the styling is definitely on the mark for many people. I really disliked it at first, but now it's grown on me a bit to where I can see past the unusual aspects and appreciate the attractive aspects. It is a sophisticated and subtly sporty looking car.

Squirrelsb

Just checked and actually I have Bridgestones 18" on them. Nice tire, cool tread design. Car was new 8 miles on the showroom floor when I bought it.

DDS62

How would you describe the quality of your ride with the Bridgestones. The ride on my HS with the Toyo high performance tires is not great. I am evaluating changing wheels and/or tires. I well understand that the mileage will be affected, but I read an article recently that indicated the drop experienced should be well below 5%. I would think a tire with a 1/2" of tread would provide a softer
ride.

Squirrelsb

I'm a bit weirder than most Lexus owners as I tend to like a harder (less smooth) ride and want to feel the road when I drive. I HATE that feeling of riding a "boat on glass", so for me, the Bridgestones are great performance tires that grip nicely, hold corners and have a tactile feel to them -- besides they seem to have good tread life.

YotaCarFan

You can put 16" rims on this car for a softer ride than what the stock 18" (premium trim) provides. I noticed a difference when switching from 16" rims with snow tires back to the 18" rims with Toyos. Admittedly, it was not a scientific comparison considering two totally different kinds of tires, but logic dictates that the 16" will ride better.

DDS62

I believe you. A 16" wheel with a 60 series tire designed with deep tread and soft rubber should make a dramatic difference in ride, and, as mentioned above, would likely not reduce mileage more than 1 or 2mpg (based on hearsay).

16" x 6 1/2, 16" x 7" and 16"x7 1/2 wide wheels can be mounted and should run fine with a 215/60R16 or tire (within .5% of the OD of the base tire). However finding a Wheel with the proper offset is a real big problem.

The offset of the 7 1/2" wide Lexus HS 18" wheels is = 39mm, and the design philosophy is for the location of the outermost plane of the wheels to be constant relative to the outside of the car (about 3/4" inboard of the outside of the fenders. For that to happen the wheel offset must change for wheel widths other than 7 1/2". The 225mm wide Toyo tires on the premium 18" wheels are about 1/2" wider than the wheels (outer surfaces). For the same proportions to exist on the 215mm wide tires the rims you should chose would be 7" (nominal) wide wheel (16x7"). A 7" wide wheel would require an offset of 33mm. Furthermore the Lexus wheels are (evidently) hub centric, meaning the precision bore on the wheels is a slip fit over the axle - which limits the usage of spacers. Try finding an attractive 16x7" wheel with a 33mm offset and a precision 60.06mm bore with 5 mtg lugs on a 114.3 BC. I have not been able to find such a wheel other than a 3rd party wheels.

Do you have a picture of your wheels you use with your snow tires?

YotaCarFan

I don't have a picture, but the wheels were "16x7 Sport Edition F2 Silver" from tirerack.com. They are not nearly as sophisticated looking as the factory wheels, but then I picked the cheapest model this vendor sold. Here's their picture:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...Silver+Painted

Tires were Michelin X-ice xi2, sized 215/60R-16.

DDS62

A basic six spoke design, should look fine. I would ask what the offset is on the wheels, but the information would be meaningless (for me) since the spokes protrude beyond the normal rim face. I would guess that if your spokes are located about 3/4" inboard of the outside of the fenders, the offset is = 33mm + the amount the spokes protrude past the normal edge of the rim.

I personally do not see the new low profile wheel/tire packages now being forced on the customers by many of the auto manufacturers as more aesthetically pleasing. For me, 55 series tires are the lowest profile tires I would choose - if I had a choice. A wheel with a 45 series tire looks out of proportion. JMO

Magellan55

yeah, some of these cars with big wheels have the "chuck wagon" look to them. The 18's on the HS Premium look good to me though - I like them more than the 17's. The 18's help separate it from looking like a Corolla too :-)