By FRANK A. AUKOFER
Scripps Howard News Service Luxury car buyers are different from the rest of humanity.
Their perceptions of value seldom square with those of the hoi polloi. It is why some will spend $700 for a pair of khaki trousers with a designer label when a $40 pair would serve as well and look fine.
With motor vehicles, it works somewhat the same way. Many people, though influenced by styling, price, drivability and reputation, view their ride as a conveyance to simply get them from place to place. They know that the Toyota Corolla will get them there as well as the Lexus LS460.
Of course, given the wherewithal, most of them likely would choose the Lexus. But the Lexus buyer would not be caught dead in a Corolla, despite the fact that it is the best-selling automobile in history. It simply doesn't have the cachet.
Obviously, cachet must be earned. You don't get to be a successful designer brand without doing something to attract well-heeled customers. But in the end, there's nothing practical about any of it. The value lies not in the real world but in the customer's -- and contemporaries' -- perception.
All of this is by way of introduction to the all-new 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid sedan from the luxury division of Toyota. It is the first stand-alone gasoline-electric hybrid in the Lexus lineup and in its own way is a design and engineering tour de force. It gives luxury buyers another way to establish or enhance their green credentials.
Inevitably, however, it will be compared to the 2010 Toyota Prius from the same company, which is the third generation of the world's most successful hybrid automobile.
For openers, even though it's bigger on the outside, the HS accommodations are tighter. It measures 15 feet five inches long, nine inches longer than the Prius. But the passenger volume, which is how the government classifies automobile sizes, is 90 cubic feet, four fewer than the space in the Prius. The HS is classified as a compact car by the EPA; the Prius is a mid-size.
There's no contest on trunk space. The HS has a well-shaped, padded trunk of 12 cubic feet, with a mostly vertical configuration. But the Prius is a hatchback, with 22 cubic feet of volume for luggage and other stuff.
Not surprisingly, the HS is more luxurious, heavier and more powerful, and therefore less economical. It weighs 3,682 pounds, or 640 pounds more than the Prius's 3,042 pounds.
The HS has a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that works in tandem with a 650-volt electric motor for a combined 187 horsepower. That's enough to propel the HS to 60 miles an hour in 8.4 seconds, according to Lexus test figures. It is rated by the EPA at 35/34 miles to the gallon on its city/highway cycle.
The Prius has a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine, also with a 650-volt electric motor. Combined horsepower works out to 134, and the Prius takes 9.8 seconds to reach 60 miles an hour, according to Toyota test figures. Its city/highway fuel consumption is 51/48 miles to the gallon.
As with the Prius, the HS betters or comes close to the EPA fuel consumption figures. In real-world driving on several test drives under disparate circumstances and driving styles, the HS test car delivered a low of 29 to a high of 41 miles to the gallon. That gives it street credibility in the Hamptons and on Rodeo Drive.
For the ultimate in a luxury hybrid experience, of course, wealthy folks likely would specify the Lexus LS600h, which costs well north of 100 grand and delivers 20/22 miles to the gallon in hushed, unabashed hedonistic surroundings.
The new HS has more modest aspirations, though still in the luxury class where it can appeal to the wannabes. It has a starting price of $35,075 and the test car, an option-loaded Premium grade, had a suggested sticker price of $44,370. In the Lexus lineup, it slots between the IS and ES models.
With a wedge shape similar to that of other members of the Toyota family, initial reactions to the HS were that it doesn't look like a Lexus. But that's likely in the eye of the beholder. Familiarity will place it comfortably in the Lexus lineup. It is built on a unique platform similar to that of the European Toyota Avensis.
The HS has the luxury feel you expect in a Lexus, which means the ride motions, steering and handling trend toward the soft side. Inside, there's a quality ambiance with contrasting textures and colors. The center stack, which looks vaguely like a toilet bowl, juts out from the instrument panel but places controls conveniently at hand.
Front seats are nicely bolstered, though a bit short in the thigh, and outboard back seat passengers sit in coved comfort. But the center-rear passenger gets no consideration other than a flat floor.
The HS comes with a standard load of safety, comfort and luxury equipment along with an array of options to delight luxury buyers.
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. For more columns, go to scrippsnews.com
