In this episode, I will give you my review of my loaner car, the Lexus 250 HS. Oh and the HS stands for.... drumroll please... Harmonious Sedan. Hmmmm. No, I didn't make this shit up. I was surprised when I was doing my homework, and found that out. I guess if they mean Harmonious as in complete boredom, I can see it named appropriately.
2010 Lexus 250 HS
I drove this car for nearly a week and racked up nearly 900 miles. So I got a good idea of what this vehicle is all about. I truly felt like a passenger driving this car. This car really feels disconnected as much as possible. It was quiet if you don't floor it, but when you do floor it, it makes this moaning as if it is in agony. Speaking of feeling things, I didn't feel the "smugness" that people have when they drive their Priuses. Perhaps if I got better MPG that the average gas powered Honda Civic I would have felt more smug.
It helps to be mellow driving this car because if you are in a rush, this isn't the car to be in. Every time you floor it, the car hesitates, and then goes. Supposedly it goes 0-60 in 8.4 seconds? The Prius takes an agonizing 10 seconds? When you have a slowpoke car, it feels like the traffic swallows you. When you have my 305 HP IS350, you gun it and get out of situations.
OH and FYI, the Prius starts at 28k. Option it up, and you are looking at 35k. Which, coincidentally is the starting price of the Lexus. Hmmmmmm. Option the Lex up and you are looking at 42-46k. OUCH! You pay more, and get waaay less MPG. How less? The Prius gets 50MPG? This Lexus gets 35? (I actually got 30 MPG) Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the entire concept of the "hybrid" is to save gasoline? Why the fuck would anyone in their right mind cough up more money for a Lexus to get significantly less MPG?
The interior is weird. I think that the navigation location is great. The mouse is great. I think its cool that they have a usb connector for your music and charging. And that is the end of my list of interior compliments or compliments in general.
The dash is similar to the Prius. It feels like its sliding down into your lap. I personally don't like it because it feels like you are driving the Starship Enterprise and not a car. It seems a bit claustrophobic. When you have the dash flat like a table, the ergonomics fall short. The buttons on the dash were hard to find, all the same size, and very cluttered. I thought that there were too many buttons on the steering wheel and that they felt cheap like Styrofoam.
I hated the shifter. I hated the button for park. I hated that the stupid car beeped (in the inside) when I put it in reverse. I thought this shit was for the outside! When I heard it for the first time, I scratched my head and wondered what kind of people needs to be reminded to be alert while driving in reverse?
Bottom line, I really think this car is a rip-off. I am sooooo disappointed in Lexus for producing this overpriced feel-good eco car that grossly underperforms in the MPG area. Diesels can easily get better MPG with less weight and the overall cost is less. Just for the record, those batteries that run these hybrid cars come from countries that may not be our friends in 5 years. Just let that "swirl in your head". Outside the mighty country of USA, they drive diesel cars that easily do 30mpg, most do 40+MPG and others do even more and cost less. You know, they could have gotten the Prius, upgrade the interior, put a diesel engine in it put some Lexus labels on it then call it a day. I bet you would get 40 MPG+ and cost the same as a fully loaded Prius.
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