LexFather

Well this was interesting

Intro...Loaners.....
I've mentioned quite a few times how Lexus loaners sell themselves. In this case it is the HS. While we have thought about a new car for this person they really didn't seem to enthused about any particular vehicle outside the VW Beetle and an older SC 430. If you were good you might have noticed me posting a little in the SC 430 forum snooping around for this person. While I am a fan of the build quality I also feel its built off older tech whose time has passed. But it wasn't going to be my car so I was searching.....

I think I told the story here how years ago I surprised my mother with a RX 300 AWD for her B-day 8 years ago, showing up to her job with it. It had 60k or so miles. Today it has 211k miles and it was a proud, worn warrior. We took real good care of her and she never failed, going through mostly tires and a couple of minor fixes and including my hard driving for a few months. At 211k though, the leather was worn, the tranny was old, the door locks were going one by one and the beige coverings showed their trips to Home Depot. She served well.

Last week the RX was taken in for some work but it wasn't good, she needed serious surgery according to CL moderator VVTi. When asked what loaner to get the HS was asked for instead of the usual ES/RX. The curiosity of the hybrid and the MPG was a reason.

Meet the long shot
So I started to get calls about the HS and all about it and how much she loved the HS. I thought it was just exaggeration until I spoke with them and they went on and on about how they loved the vehicle. Now I am a Lexus supporter but the HS isn't my first choice for a vehicle. I even went to TLN last week to explain how I was trying to TALK SOMEONE OUT OF A LEXUS. Never thought that would happen.

Looks were never an issue with this person. They like the size (not much larger than a 1RX which is 180" long, the HS 184") and were a huge fan of the ride height. The HS sits rather high for a car, giving a person a near crossover view of the road, much higher than my non dropped GSh. So coming from a SUV, its a pretty easy transition. Another positive was the dash design which again resembles various RXs adding to familiarity. Remote Touch is a huge hit here. Another positive is the trunk room which is 12.1 cubes but is shaped very well.

There were more selling points. This car will NOT be hussled, will not be sped in, will not be driven hard. It will be driven SLOWLY 95% of the time. So the drive is perfect for this buyer. Mind you this car does drive better TO ME than an ES, far more Euro.

The HS takes regular gas. This adds to its great MPG of 35 MPG. This is literally twice the MPG of the RX 300 AWD being traded in. They are betting gas prices will rise and they want better MPG.

Now true my review and time with the HS was with a base model and its a good car but the styling put me off and I wasn't blown away. However it wasn't going to be my car and my pops and I have learned BUY WHAT SHE WANTS, advice given by Clublexus O.Gs.

So we had a SELOC meet last Friday and they drove the loaner and again, she is raving about the car and even EXPLAINING things to me. She was genuinely interested in the car. It is always quite amazing to see a non-car person become a car person over their interest in a particular car. My salesman Frank Mullin at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett was nice enough to bring an IS C to the meet as well for members to look over. I didn't even mention the HS to him b/c I still didn't think she was serious.

Over the weekend I hear more and more about the HS so I make the call to Frank Monday about the HS. Now I have to admit I was pretty ignorant to all the optional technology this car offers. I knew it offered it but never really put much thought into it. So I did some research and asked the HS forum questions. I pushed for a loaded car since we buy cars and don't lease them. Hennessy let her hold the HS loaner for over a week until we decided was the RX getting fixed or was another car going to be bought.

Wednesday we decided to go in Friday for a possible purchase depending on what was on the lot. I visit her and she is watching the online videos of the HS at Lexus.com (I wasn't even aware Lexus had explanation videos). She explains the optional tech and safety features. LOL!

"The car chooses you" only works in the movies

So they wanted a HS premium over HS base. HS premium adds;
cooled seats, (over just heated)
wood trim, (over grey trim)
power tilt/etc steering,
rain sensing wipers,
18" wheels
90 lbs heavier
10 way power seats both sides (over 8 way passenger on base)

Why? Cooled seats are great in the summer. Wood trim is classier (more on this later though below) and the power steering wheel is simply great to move out of the way when you get out the car (I think its a feature we take for granted). 18" wheels look better BUT for these people they prefer a meatier sidewall for ride and price purposes (hate the thought of replacing tires due to them being so thin).

Since this was going to be a purchase and maybe kept for 8-10 years it was decided to load it up with the Tech package.

So to be fair let me explain the negatives

This is frustrating for those that want loaded cars or cars you want to build;

1. Lexus makes a cool two-tone black/water gray interior. However it is only available with the TOURING PACKAGE on the BASE MODEL. Da hell?
2. This package also includes, dark gloss wheels (which I think would have been great), a sport package (different springs/shocks), aluminum pedals, lighted door sills (heated seats and spolier). Again no luck if you want premium.

3. I had no idea HIDs were not standard. I thought the LEDs were optional after the HIDs. The HS has projector halogens and LEDs are a $1800 option with headlight washers. Well we wanted it. Only thing is NO HS has it IN THE COUNTRY. It is special order only. SMH....I can't believe the car can have a camera looking at your face inside the car but no HIDs. (so I have to order a slap in kit lol)

4. Mark Levinson is also a stand alone option and NO HSs have it. Special order only. SMH. The base system is 10 speakers, the ML is 15 speakers and again wanted it loaded. Now the main driver was not huge on wanting ML, they said the base system was fine so this wasn't a deal breaker. Still though.....

5. This is something both of them noticed before I did. The premium model has ugly black 1992 Lexus scuff plates. They are not aluminum, they don't say Lexus, they are not illuminated. I didn't give it a second thought but after seeing them illuminated in blue in the RXh and even the chrome plate in the IS/ES this is pretty whack. (this does mean I will start a GB on illuminated plates soon). It might seem petty but it does look cheap compared to newer models.

6. Lexus offers blackwood in other Lexus models with grey leather but not in the HS.

7. No 2011s have arrived and I am ASSUMING it will get LED daytime lights and of course other small touches. I also assume it might get a hybrid engine upgrade for its MMC but I was told that won't happen.

8. The base 17" wheels get Michelin tires. 18" wheels get Toyos. This was a small issue as Michelins were desired since previous experience has been superb and we all have Michelins. They had no idea who/what Toyo was so I had to explain they are okay and a brand that is relatively popular especially for its price point. Surely when they need replacing Michelins will be purchased.

9. License Plate lights seem to be halogen and not LED. INterior lights are a mix of halogen and LED. I really don't feel like upgrading a new car to LED smh.

Well ordering a car wasn't really an option and LEDs/ML were not deemed must haves. So that led us to the main options offered.

Making the choice

1. NAV with back up cam. She loves the flip up NAV and more importantly LOVED the REMOTE TOUCH. She found it simple and easy to use and was a huge fan of it as it did remind her of a mouse on a computer. Loved the rear camera and the NAV is a bigger, clearer screen. Putting in the address on the move isn't an issue b/c
a-they have iPhones with google maps
b-it has Lexus Enform so they can download new directions

2. The Front View cam. This was deemed something they wanted. It is a stand alone option and they had a non Tech car with this. We all felt it is useful for those times you are trying to squeak out and turn but you cannot see b/c of a bush, sign etc in the way.

3. Tech package. This was a 4k option package. It includes
Pre-Collision and Driver monitor
Intuitive Parking Assist
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
HUD (Heads Up Display)
Lane Keep Assist
Lane Depature Warning

These are features mostly not found on other Lexus. The HUD was seen as a real winner here. They were really impressed with this package and the additional safety it offered. Speaking of safety the ten airbags were also mentioned and a selling point.

The Buying Experience

We all know the HS isn't selling well so that gave a lot of room to bargain. I also have a stellar relationship with the dealer so we got the car at an incredible price. I can mention there is a 3k rebate on the HS right now. When you add the discounts and rebates the HS seemed like a much better buy ESPECIALLY with the tech package.

The buying experience was superb. It was a cold day but Frank took great care of my folks. VVTi stopped by to say hello and we caught up. They were treated very well and seeing our Finance Manager Brian is always a stress free process as he is straightforward, ethical and pretty damn funny Roses were even purchased for her. As I stated she had the loaner for over a week with no pressure while a decision was made to fix the RX or buy a vehicle and we have to thank the great service Director Joe for that flexibility.

We all felt sad emptying the RX, saying goodbye. Its always funny how something so mechanical can feel like a family member. I have no doubt another Lexus SUV will be bought in the future, maybe something with more towing capacity though.

Competition/Recent publicity
Recalls and negative press never had any effects here, nor anything from the competition. I even mentioned the HS recall and the service was done and it wasn't a factor. The RX (as well as all the cars) has treated them so well they pretty much insist on a Lexus. The RXh we have was not really considered nor the new RXh. I explained the CT was coming but that was not entertained. Seems the HS really got it right with this buyer. The superb dealer relationship and service only cement the product. It is combination that is near impossible to beat. The Lincoln MKZ was mentioned but never a serious option as the ad they saw didn't compel them to check out the car. The Lincoln brand also feels non-existent. The recent purchase is why Lexus continues to do so well even in this tough year with the economy and bad press. The product it still top notch and the dealers stand behind it.

Summary
To end the day they were shown all the features in the new car delivery area which is thankfully indoors. Its a cool process where the car is backed into a large room with a marble floor and art inside. Frank was very patient and took his time and wrote things down he had to follow up on. He and everyone at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett has taken outstanding care of our two special ladies this year.

I will soon do a review on the tech package since there are not too many reviews on it.

No pics yet b/c yall know what it looks like and most won't be complimentary anyway.

Thanks

Mike

bnizzle87

congrats to your family on the new HS! my dad and i had discussed this as well when helping my mom pick a new daily driver. she was primarily interested with the keep lane assist. even though she's quite attentive on the road, even a slight mishap would be devastating. as for the tires, my dad has always preferred toyo's, as they've been quite reliable for our vehicles thus far. in the end, my mom chose against getting her HS because of the need to add certain options, meaning special order wait time. glad to see your family loving the HS! looking forward to the review on the tech package.

RXSF

well, glad that she likes it...or that somebody likes it, haha.

Its really not a horrible looking car, especially from the front side view, and the tech options are really stellar. I was able to get LEDs on my RX on special order too, and the HUD is fun to play with. Wish I was able to get the driver monitor too, but alas it is only available on the HS and LS.

What color did you guys end up getting?

Also when I was at the dealership to pick up my RX, I sat in the HS and noticed that the side bolsters weren't leather but instead was some synthetic material with lines on it. Im not sure if it was a base or premium model, but it looks like it was meant to keep the side bolsters wrinkle free

Fizzboy7

All that and no pics!? lol J/k =)
Sounds like a fitting replacement for your mom. Hope she gets a lot of good use out of it. The HS is underrated in my opinion. And I think it has a neat "Jetson's" look to it. What color did she choose?

caddyowner

I had an HS as a loaner once and I agree with your mom about the remote touch - very intuitive and the force-feedback is great. I noticed that the loaner had a bunch of fingerprints on the screen from folks trying to control it by touch.

I found it to be roomier than an IS, but passenger and, especially, trunk space was still too tight for us. I also didn't care for the drivetrain shudder on the freeway as the electric motor switched on and off.

TripleL

Awesome write up 1SICK We have to take care of our Moms so well done.

Along with your impressions would be interesting after a few weeks to hear some initial thoughts from the happy new owner. Just a thought.

ecr527

Congrats on the new car! I drove one of them when I recently had the valve spring recall done on my car. It's definitely a different driving experience.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Congrats, buddy!

lamar411

Congrats to your mom. I always thought the HS was nice on the outside but bad on the interior. Not enough wood, to much plastic.

LexFather

Thanks everyone. Color is Silver Opal Mica. Here is a lame camera pic

huy33

That color is beautiful in sunlight. You can see a large spectrum of colors bouncing off of it. I've only had one as a loaner.

SLegacy99

I like everything about the HS except for the 2.4L. Replace it with a modern 2.0L turbo please.

I am interested your impressions of this vehicle. My sister lives in Manhattan and she has a 4Runner that is too big and too thirsty for the city. She's been interested in the HS for awhile, but the husband is not so keen about giving up his first car. It seems to me that the HS would be a great urban luxury vehicle.

Fizzboy7

That's a great color. It's the HS's version of Glacier Frost Mica.

mmarshall

Congragulations, Mike, to you and your mom. .

Your mom is fortunate to have someone like you in the family, who knows the car market.

You think she would want a new bottle of...............? PM me if so.



Couple of points..................

Halogen bulbs don't last quite as long, but, in general, are a lot cheaper to replace.


This probably isn't much of a issue over the ES350, as newer versions of the ES, as I understand it, also take regular fuel.

I'm with you on that.....in general, the more wood, the better.

The ES, of course, would probably be more comfortable on a long trip, but it sounds like your mom doesn't make many of them.

Did you and her try it out the mouse-controller over some bumpier roads? It's OK on glass-smooth surfaces, but can get a little jittery and hard to aim precisely when the car is bouncing up and down a little. I didn't read all the disclaimers on the HS I reviewed, but I suspect there are some functions that are blanked-out, for safety-purposes, while the car is moving.

Yeah......I'm assuming your mom won't be listening to Heavy Metal on a Lexus ML.

My ears are still ringing from cranking up AC/DC and Judas Priest on the LS460's ML

pbm317

Congrats on the HS. It definitely caught my eye. I'll look at the HS and the upcoming CT for sure.