Hameed

Sports hybrid has best of both worlds

Link to original article - http://www.thestar.com/AutoReviews/article/150848

Lexus GS450h
Price: $76,900
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 with electric motor
Fuel consumption: (city/highway/as tested) 8.7/7.8/10.2 L/100 km
Power/torque: 339 hp / 267 lb.-ft.
Competition: BMW 550i; Infiniti M45; Audi A6 4.2

What's best: Technology that's more than just mere gadgetry; it helps performance and economy

What's worst: Cabin ergonomics; small trunk

What's interesting: Interior dome lights have a xenon-like tint for that high-tech feel


Luxurious Lexus has power to spare from strong gas engine and electric motors

December 16, 2006

Laurance Yap

It does seem kind of strange, on the face of it, to tout a hybrid vehicle as a performance car, but that's exactly what Lexus did at this year's Canadian Car of the Year competition.

It could have slotted the new $76,900 GS450h into a luxury-car class (its price, indeed, would have qualified it for the $75,000-and-up prestige-car category). But instead, the company chose to pit its top-of-the-line midsizer against such opposition as the 8,200-rpm Audi RS4, the BMW M coupe and the Ford Shelby GT500.

With its whisper-quiet drivetrain and sumptuous leather interior, the GS450h is unlike any of those cars, but there is no doubt that it's a performance car. It is the quickest version of the GS body you can buy — a hybrid sedan that's also the performance and price flagship of its lineup.

Powered by a 3.5-litre V6, augmented by electric power driving the rear wheels, the 450h flies.

Unlike gasoline-powered engines, which need to rev to produce power, electric motors produce full torque the moment they start spinning, giving the GS electrifying acceleration off the line.

On the highway, digging into the gas pedal is like switching on a turbocharger as the engine "power" needle swings up (there is no tachometer) and the pictogram in the speedometer shows power flowing from both sources.

It may be fast but, at least at first, the GS450h doesn't really feel like a performance car. That's largely because we're used to a lot of noise and drama from fast cars as they climb to high speeds. Instead, in this Lexus, hard acceleration is accompanied by eerie silence, removing some of the thrill. You quickly get used to it as the quiet cabin just makes it easier to enjoy the excellent Mark Levinson sound system, complete with six-disc CD changer and — your eyes do not deceive you — a tape player at the bottom of the centre stack.

"What's up with the tape player?" a friend of mine asked. "Isn't this car supposed to be high-tech?"

Rest assured that it is. The fully loaded 450h comes only one way: with every gadget in the substantial Lexus catalogue. A central touch screen flanked by eight round buttons summons up not only the audio system, but the controls for your Bluetooth-connected cellphone, a DVD-based navigation system, the dual-zone automatic climate control, address book, calendar, rear-view camera and car setup.

Thanks to the touch screen, all the functions are pretty easy to use, but I do wish the interface for them was more consistent. For instance, the radio controls show your six presets in three rows of two, labelled each with the station's number and name. But switch to the CD player (which you do with an extra set of buttons down near the tape player) and you get your CDs laid out in front of you — in two rows of three.

You do, of course, get used to it all, and the cabin is at least constructed with Lexus's typically fastidious attention to detail. Even upholstered in fairly dull grey leather, my red tester's interior was beautifully finished with top-quality materials throughout.

Construction was impeccable, too, with almost invisible panel gaps and no squeaks or rattles.

More importantly, the GS cabin is roomy — it feels a half-size bigger than most similarly priced German competitors and offers excellent rear leg room. One tall passenger, however, did complain about limited headroom caused by the sweeping roofline in front.

It's only when you get to the trunk that you really notice that — except for the unique alloy wheels with their chrome centre splines and the tiny "hybrid" badges on the sides — the 450h is any different from any other GS.

To put it mildly, the trunk is small: it's as tall as the regular GS trunk (which itself was already smaller than an E-class, A6 or 5-series) but only about half as deep thanks to the presence of the electrical system in the vertical wall.

If you plan on using the 450h for long trips or to carry a lot of luggage, you had best make sure all your stuff will fit.

Long trips are, of course, what this car excels at. The ride is glassy smooth unless you punch up the jiggly sport setting on the suspension (activated by a switch on the centre console). The cabin is whisper quiet, even at continent-crushing speeds.

Thanks to the ministrations of the hybrid system, the GS's range is excellent for a fast, powerful luxury car. Not only did I manage just over 10 L/100 km in a week of mostly urban driving, but the fuel tank's range easily eclipsed 500 kilometres.

On roads more challenging than your typical superhighway, the GS performs well, but isn't really that engaging.

The steering has a synthetic sort of videogame feel and, thanks to electric power assistance, the 450h's Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system can actually introduce steering corrections when you're sliding.

Grip from the 18-inch Dunlop tires is excellent, but the 450h feels heavier through corners than its German competitors and the more conventional GS models, which don't carry the extra weight of the battery and electric system.

As for the braking, stops are short, but the feel can be inconsistent, depending on how much power the hybrid system wants to regenerate as you slow down. Overall, the experience is impressive, but not as much as, say, a 5-series BMW.

Then again, for people looking at a 450h, the fact that it's not a 5-series is certainly going to be part of its attraction.

Thanks to its distinctive style and decidedly futuristic drivetrain, this is a car for people who want something other than the default choice — something more technically interesting and something that delivers a truly different experience.

The 450h does all of that and more. Its engineering, which not only gives you lots of toys to fiddle with inside but also plays a role in reducing its fuel consumption and emissions, makes it the technophile's choice in a fiercely competitive luxury-car set.

People who choose it will be more than happy to overlook a few foibles in order to drive the highest-tech thing on their block.

Gojirra99

No **** offered even as an option in Canada for the 450h is a big letdown

Hameed

Any idea what he was referring to about the "sport setting" of the suspension he mentioned briefly?

The parts about the feeling of the steering and the brakes still need to be worked on if Lexus ever wants the GS to be considered a true performance car.

Gojirra99

The GS450h has the AVS, I think he's just referring to the "sports" mode.

LexFather

COuld be my next car. Thing is not sure I want to lose that exhuast note (from V-8 to hybrid).
AAAS is a must, Lexus brings it, so buy it

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

They call it AVS on the GS? The adjustable suspension on the GS is just damper stiffness really. The AVS on the new LS for example, as you know, is a world's more sophisticated active air system.

Why in the heck would they not offer **** in Canada? Maybe they think the market wouldn't support the price of the car with that included? But with a bunch of batteries and motors out back, I'd imagine the handling is worse for the GS450h without **** than a non-hybrid GS.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

The GS450h's best feature though is its silence combined with 'effortless' performance at all speeds from its incredibly sophisticated electric and gas engines and the innovative transmission.

Gojirra99

They have AVS for the GS450h as standard although it's not air suspension : CLICK HERE, whereas the AVS & air suspension are optional for the LS460L Touring Package & the Executive Package : CLICK HERE & stroll down the page for OPTIONS
Yes, the market for premium luxury cars at this price range is much smaller in Canada. We have only one tenth of the population of U.S. plus the market for cars this expensive is even much smaller than 10% of the U.S., probably due to disaposable income.

All Lexus Canada want is to offer one model for the GS450h with no options, & they decided to leave out the ****, which will add an extra of about $4K to the price. I'm pissed they won't even allow the **** option for a special order, but you know how rigid Lexus is with options packaging even in the U.S.