The 1HS is very nice, besides the tail-lights.
I would pick one up :]

 

Sweet.

 

So I went last night and picked mine up. Smokey Granite exterior with gray interior. There's so many settings/gadgets it's going to take a while to get used to everything. I like the mouse interface, it seemed natural and was very easy to pick up and start using. I wasn't wild about the exterior look of the car, but it's growing on me. I had considered the Silver Opal color since I liked it in the showroom, but they had one at the dealer (wasn't a Premium, so I didn't consider it), and the color did not look good outside, so I'm glad I didn't go that route.

The ride is comfortable, although the drive itself is a little on the boring side. This is my 100 mile a day commuter car, so that's fine. I guess I'm unfairly comparing the ride since my wife just bought an Audi TTS, so if I'm looking for fun, I'll steal her car for the day. The electric motor does have a "whine" to it that was louder than I hoped it would be, but it can be easily ignored with the help of the stereo. The ventilated seats are nice and powerful, although I wish this had come out earlier to help with the summer heat here in Louisiana.

I wasn't able to get them to come off of MSRP at all, I guess that's the penalty for being first in line.

 

A big congratulations on purchasing the HS 250h. When you get a chance please post pictures. Also be sure to post in the HS 250h roll call thread. I believe you are one of the first Club Lexus members to purchase the HS. Happy driving and keep us updated...

 

NO.... wait for Chevy volt !!

 

I am patiently waiting in Canada for this car to arrive. Want to drive it, think I will buy it.

 

My nav wants to trade-in her RX350 and "go green". Myself, I am not too sure, the outside looks has to grow on me over time, for now the front reeks too much of Ford Fusion. Did get to see one close-up and the interior is pretty nice.

 

After my poor experience with the first model year of the 3rd generation GS
(2005), there's no way I would buy any Lexus, especially one with all the HS's new technology, until at least the second model year.

 

thanks so much for useful info

 

Saw this car on the road, it's huge. I thought it was the size of an IS but it was way taller than my car. Not crazy about the clear taillights, the rest was okay looking.

 

Have you tried the iPod interface? From what I've been able to gather, other than the mouse-controller, Lexus has done little or nothing to upgrade its functionality. Evidently, selecting individual songs it artists is difficult because there's no way to scroll more than one screen at a time and many functions continue to be locked down once the car is in motion.

The infotainment system is quite importantto
me and it seems that Lexus has not kept up with the competiton.

Your thoughts?

 

You know, while it's useful to hear it second-hand from other users, each with their own set of priorities, it is also helpful to form your own conclusions in person...I've mentioned personally bringing an iPod to interface with an RX 350 at a dealership, to test it out (the salesman said it was the first time he'd actually observed the connection in action).

To me, the interface worked fine, and I was very pleased with its response (the thing that bugs me more actually are iPod quality issues on some models). The lockout is the same, that hasn't changed, so I'm not wasting my time complaining about it--what I wish though was the USB connection was in a better spot (on the HS 250h IIRC it is).

However, for a different user they might have completely different expectations and desires...just like in your thread wondering about Lexus' tech falling behind, has users completely disliking Remote Touch, and wanting more advanced Bluetooth streaming, when others might have a different opinion. Trying in person, you might be able to draw conclusions and suggestions that could prove worthwhile.

The HS 250h has a technical focus of a different kind...it has infotainment but the tech sell is also in features besides that, which no other cars have, so it's a question of what one prioritizes.

 

I'll jump in, I find the USB interface to be slow and not well done. I do like this car and am happy I bought it, but comparing this interface with, say, iTunes, it fails. With around 3,000 songs on my iPhone, scrolling is simply too slow. I've come to the conclusion I just need to make playlists of what I want to hear. Also, the interface will occasionally fail (and I did notice that the iPhone isn't on the compatible list in the owner's manual, iPod is, but iPhone isn't) and force me to unplug it and plug it back in. The whole point of the USB interface is that I shouldn't have to use the device itself to control, I can use the steering wheel or console, but it makes me want to plug in the Aux instead even though I'd much rather keep my hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. It's just annoying since most of the rest of the car is well designed and thought out, this seems to be an unfortunate exception.

 

It is disappointing. I currently have an Audi A4 and the iPod integration is excellent (I don't know if it's the best, but it certainly has none of the problems you mentioned). I'm constantly looking for my next car, which is why I'm lurking around here. The HS seems like such a technology tour de force, it's simply disappointing that Lexus, evidently, is using their first generation of iPod integration.

 

LOL. For Mama Lexus it is cheaper to buy the license to an outdated sofware/product. It seems that in the designing/planning/marketing process at Lexus HQ the word "Relentless" is gone, it is only "Pursuit of Excellence". it is becoming...... a real pursuit!!!!!