2010 Lexus HS 250h Review: The Future of Luxury

By Sara Hoffman

 

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h nearly brings the fight between luxury and sustainability to an end. The hybrid features leading edge environmental technology combined with active and passive safety technologies and a copious of other lavish driver-friendly bounty. It is the world’s first dedicated luxury hybrid and the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle on the market. With a combined city/highway fuel economy of 35 mpg, the HS 250h is the first to peg a new term: eco-luxury, for forward-thinking drivers.

 

The luxury of a car like the Lexus HS 250h doesn’t skimp on anything. To ease its impact on the environment, it offers EcoMode and EcoIndicator like many of the new hybrids today, as well as an infrared-reflecting windshield, which greatly decreases reliance on the air conditioning. The interior is partly covered in Ecological Plastic, which is derived from plants.

 

The Lexus HS 250h comes loaded with many new and ground-breaking safety features. The Dynamic Radar Cruise Control & Driver Monitor uses radar to detect certain obstacles in front of the car. This technology can measure and maintain a pre-set following distance from a vehicle traveling ahead. Lane Keep Assist is an innovative new feature which helps keep sleepy or distracted drivers in their chosen lane by using cameras to detect lane markers. It provides a gentle nudge on the steering wheel when the driver begins to drift.

 

Using Destination Assist, drivers can preload locations like restaurants, addresses and businesses online using their own computer, and then send them to their Lexus’s navigation system. Though the fully-loaded navigation system might seem like a driving distraction, Voice Command helps allow drivers to focus more on the road ahead. Drivers can also use the Voice Command system to control many functions of the audio system, heating and air conditioning, using commands such as, “Make it cooler,” “Let’s find XM channel 46,” “Show me Japanese restaurants,” or “I need a gas station.”

 

The ride is smooth, quiet, and comfortable, as one would expect from a Lexus vehicle. The navigation system – complete with a Remote Touch system controller conveniently located in the front-center console, is the main focal point of the interior. This small but joystick-like controller is the finishing touch on a vehicle brimming with high-tech toys. Anyone looking for the “next big thing” will love this car. Pricing starts at $34,200.

 

For more information on the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, click here.

 

To view RTM's 2009 Lexus New Vehicle Model Guide, click here.

By Sara Hoffman

 

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h nearly brings the fight between luxury and sustainability to an end. The hybrid features leading edge environmental technology combined with active and passive safety technologies and a copious of other lavish driver-friendly bounty. It is the world’s first dedicated luxury hybrid and the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle on the market. With a combined city/highway fuel economy of 35 mpg, the HS 250h is the first to peg a new term: eco-luxury, for forward-thinking drivers.

 

The luxury of a car like the Lexus HS 250h doesn’t skimp on anything. To ease its impact on the environment, it offers EcoMode and EcoIndicator like many of the new hybrids today, as well as an infrared-reflecting windshield, which greatly decreases reliance on the air conditioning. The interior is partly covered in Ecological Plastic, which is derived from plants.

 

The Lexus HS 250h comes loaded with many new and ground-breaking safety features. The Dynamic Radar Cruise Control & Driver Monitor uses radar to detect certain obstacles in front of the car. This technology can measure and maintain a pre-set following distance from a vehicle traveling ahead. Lane Keep Assist is an innovative new feature which helps keep sleepy or distracted drivers in their chosen lane by using cameras to detect lane markers. It provides a gentle nudge on the steering wheel when the driver begins to drift.

 

Using Destination Assist, drivers can preload locations like restaurants, addresses and businesses online using their own computer, and then send them to their Lexus’s navigation system. Though the fully-loaded navigation system might seem like a driving distraction, Voice Command helps allow drivers to focus more on the road ahead. Drivers can also use the Voice Command system to control many functions of the audio system, heating and air conditioning, using commands such as, “Make it cooler,” “Let’s find XM channel 46,” “Show me Japanese restaurants,” or “I need a gas station.”

 

The ride is smooth, quiet, and comfortable, as one would expect from a Lexus vehicle. The navigation system – complete with a Remote Touch system controller conveniently located in the front-center console, is the main focal point of the interior. This small but joystick-like controller is the finishing touch on a vehicle brimming with high-tech toys. Anyone looking for the “next big thing” will love this car. Pricing starts at $34,200.

 

For more information on the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, click here.

 

To view RTM's 2009 Lexus New Vehicle Model Guide, click here.