At first sight, the brand-new Lexus HS 250h seems like one very confused automobile. First off, why does “h” appear twice in its name? HS 250h? Confusing. And then there’s its emphasis on being gas-miserly instead of a gas to drive. Unlike Toyota’s hybrids, which are all about changing the world, Lexus’ gas-electric fleet – the GS 450h, RX 450h and LS 600h – has been more like velvety BMWs that just happen to leave fewer CO2 molecules in their wake. But this HS 250h is, well, kinda like a Prius built for the Neiman Marcus crowd. Efficiency doesn’t take a backseat here – not the usual recipe for a Lexus at all.
Indeed, if somehow you could test the HS 250h’s automotive DNA, a fair number of awkward Prius matches would turn up. Dimensionally, their platforms are nearly identical, though the HS 250h’s is sprinkled with better-grade steels and carries a suppler-riding rear suspension. And, most tellingly, under the hood you’ll find the Prius’ “Hybrid Synergy Drive” technological architecture, though it’s been scaled up to proportions found in the Camry Hybrid.
 With a total of 187 horsepower (after herding together the 2.4-liter engine’s 147 ponies and the electric motor’s 140 – yes, I know that the math doesn’t add up), the HS 250h can scoot to 60 mph in about 8.4 seconds. That’s quick, but about two or three seconds off from what you’d call fast these days. So what’s left in it wake isn’t so much a cloud of tire smoke as a flurry of question marks. Is this really a Lexus? Really? In place of the expected buttery steering feel and eager power we’ve come to expect from the cars wearing the mighty L on their prows, the HS 250h offers a Zen-like, unemotional mobility – transportation on a higher, but notably uninvolving, plane.
It’s a striking design, though. While the exterior is a tad conservative (sporting Corolla-like proportions) its insides are dramatic. My test car was blanketed with nicely stitched leather swathed over some very entertaining angles. Moreover, when the HS 250h powers up, the nav screen electrically rises to attention, while below it, the dash’s “center- stack” sweeps spectacularly between the front occupants, offering a clever double-decker architecture (you can reach things underneath it). Still, its packaging isn’t the minor miracle Toyota has conjured within the Prius. Rear knee room is less, and the trunk, while wide and tall, isn’t very deep.
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At first sight, the brand-new Lexus HS 250h seems like one very confused automobile. First off, why does “h” appear twice in its name? HS 250h? Confusing. And then there’s its emphasis on being gas-miserly instead of a gas to drive. Unlike Toyota’s hybrids, which are all about changing the world, Lexus’ gas-electric fleet – the GS 450h, RX 450h and LS 600h – has been more like velvety BMWs that just happen to leave fewer CO2 molecules in their wake. But this HS 250h is, well, kinda like a Prius built for the Neiman Marcus crowd. Efficiency doesn’t take a backseat here – not the usual recipe for a Lexus at all.
