By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
If you want to feel like you’re helping the planet but don’t want to sacrifice even a smidgeon of comfort, here’s a car for you.
It’s the Lexus GS 450h, and unlike most hybrid cars — which tend to be a bit small, noisy and underpowered in an attempt to get a gazillion miles per gallon — this one is designed to delight the driver first and coddle the passengers second.
In a distant third, it impresses at the gas pump, too.
The hybrid version of the Lexus GS is the fastest one you can buy. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds while still getting a 34-mpg rating for highway fuel economy.
That’s because the hybrid GS has a powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine along with a big electric motor to make it respond like a rip-roaring V8 when you stomp on the gas pedal. It generates a combined 338 horsepower, enough to scoot from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, which makes this the fastest GS of all.
It also helps to justify its $59,600 base price atop the lineup, with an as-driven price of $70,649 in my test car.
Yes, that’s a high-end price, but the hybrid GS also has a high-end feel. As is typical of Lexus vehicles, it delivers a buttery driving sensation — made even quieter at low speeds when it runs entirely on electric power — along with a cabin that feels like it was assembled by Rolex watchmakers.
And unlike most high-performance luxury cars, you won’t feel a twinge of guilt when you fill it up at the gas station and wonder if your carbon emissions just killed a polar bear. It’s rated for 34 mpg on the highway and 29 in city driving, which is similar to what many four-cylinder vehicles can expect.
I love how refined the GS feels over the road, especially compared to the average hybrid car. The transition between gasoline and electric power is so smooth that it’s almost imperceptible, and its handling is surprisingly light and nimble for a car that carries around big batteries, electric motors and a V6 engine everywhere it goes.
The one thing I think could be improved is the low-speed brake feel, which, like most hybrid cars, seems a bit grabby and hard to modulate at times. That’s not surprising.
Two things did surprise me on my tester, though.
One is the color combination Lexus picked in the cabin, pairing a medium brown leather — darker than tan, lighter than chocolate — with light blonde bamboo trim. I’d never seen that combo in any car before, and it’s a refreshing change from the color choice that car companies typically offer in cabins these days: boring beige or drab black.
And two, my $70,000-plus test car wasn’t equipped with adaptive cruise control, a feature that’s becoming common on cars that cost half as much. You can get it on the GS, but it’s part of the Pre-Collision System package that would have cost an extra $2,000.
Available in the unusual color combination of medium brown leather with bamboo accents, the cabin in the GS 450h is simultaneously striking and tasteful.
Aside from those two surprises, the hybrid GS is about as predictable a car as you can imagine a Lexus to be: heavenly ride, unbelievably tight build quality, lots of high-tech amenities in the cabin, and a deep well of excess power for the driver to dip into when needed.
Considering it sips fuel like a four-cylinder car, it’s one of those rare vehicles that offers an over-the-top level of luxury while still having a sensible side.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2014 Lexus GS 450h ($59,600). Options: Blind spot monitor ($700), luxury package ($5,255), Mark Levinson audio package ($1,380), navigation package ($1,735), power trunk ($400), intuitive park assist ($500), cargo net ($64), trunk mat ($105). Price as tested (including $910 destination charge): $70,649
Wheelbase: 112.2 in.
Length: 190.7 in.
Width: 72.4 in.
Height: 57.3 in.
Engine: Series/parallel system with gas engine and electric motors (338 total system horsepower)
Transmission: Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT)
EPA Mileage: 29 city, 34 highway
RATINGS
Style: 9
Performance: 8
Price: 7
Handling: 8
Ride: 9
Comfort: 10
Quality: 10
Overall: 9
Video Review:
2014 Lexus GS 450h
http://bit.ly/gshybrid
Why buy it?
It performs like a high-end, V8-powered luxury vehicle but burns fuel more like a four-cylinder car. The silence of its hybrid system adds to Lexus’ typically smooth, buttery driving feel.