Prinny

I have yet to see it in person and all the pictures have already been taken down. It's possibly that I just have no idea lol. Yeah nvm they're 18s lol.

MPAMDPHD

Hi Im2bz2p345 - Thanks for the kind comments about the Deep Sea Mica. Actually I'm not a huge fan of darker colors, for the obvious reasons, but in the case of this model, it was more immediately available so I went for it. No regrets. I am careful washing and generally am pretty impressed with the Lexus paint job. Since I do tend to keep my cars for at least 10 years (heck my OTHER car is a 15 year old MDX, which I just don't want to get rid of because it is just too useful), the lighter shade of leather was of concern. I keep Armour All leather wipes in the trunk of my car. I try not to be too OCD, but I do wipe the surfaces at least twice a month or more. Even with that, after a recent beach trip with some friends, there seems to be a slight stain on the surface of the rear passenger seat. Can't seem to get it out. I actually think I am the only one who really notices it. Since the 450h is my "weekend car" I don't have alot of miles on it, I think between 14-15K as I write this (sorry too lazy to go out and check exactly) I probably have a the first big Service Reminder at 15K. Hope that goes well. Still thinking of putting a lip spoiler on the trunk and like you, some kind of clear front protection. Thanks again for the comments, again good to know there are other drivers of the 450h out there in the world. I sure don't seem to see them in the Bay Area! Have a great weekend and hope the GS is treating you well.

MPAMDPHD

I thought they kinda looked "eighteenish". Congrats!

MPAMDPHD

Hi Prinny, yup can't even even slightly lower the 450h here where I live. Too many hills and my driveway is on a hillside. I barely can back out without the threat of bottoming. Enjoy the ride. The G35 was awesome and clearly the 4th Gen GS was inspired by the "4 door coupe" design.

MPAMDPHD

Congratulations to you! It's almost like trying to buy any rare car. One really has to hunt for one, and be QUICK about it. While alot of consumers almost know nothing of the 450h, folks who research and know a little about what they are looking for have to hustle to lay our hands on a model. The HUD looks fantastic. The shot of the South Tower(?) of the GG Bridge looks dramatic. I am totally guessing you are heading North towards Marin County and then 101and eventually cutting inland. Nice drive and great way to break in your new high performance luxury car, all the while getting great gas mileage! Too bad I didn't you on the Bridge!

MPAMDPHD

The Volkswagen Turbo Diesel scandal is fascinating because Toyota/Lexus and Honda have at times been criticized and even ridiculed for not doing what the European manufacturers were doing: that is using high tech "Clean Diesel" technology instead of the "less efficient" Hybrid technology. I was reading an article some years ago whereby Honda engineers were stumped and could not figure out how Volkswagen's "clean" Turbo Diesel could possibly work, so Honda committed to Hybrid technology. Toyota of course made this commitment to Hybrids years ago with the first mass produced first gen Prius. Fast forward a few years later and Volkswagen's "miracle" Diesel was nothing more than a shell game and a horrible fraud. I guess Toyota/Lexus are vindicated with their choice of Hybrid technology. Good call Lexus!

Prinny

Haha actually didn't notice that up until now. That's probably another reason why I was drawn toward the GS450h. Was pretty set on the Q50h at first, but there just aren't enough of them on there and it doesn't look nearly as good.

1fuzzybk

I too was looking at the Q50 hybrid. These are a lot easier to find where I live. They are in a class lower then the 450h. They do have nice technology (especially that 360 degree view camera system) but the lack of seat coolers, no spare tire, tiny trunk, and the Bose system is pathetic for a premium sound system (sounds slightly better than the Bose system in my GM pickup). Only way to get the heated steering wheel is with AWD. The Hybrid system really turned me off with the "thunk" it made when accelerating quickly. But they are quicker and will drive themselves

Im2bz2p345

@MPAMDPHD: Totally agree. It's funny that you mention this actually because I just did a case study on this for an MBA course that I'm taking It's probably one of the biggest scandals that the automotive industry has seen. This is a huge slap in the face to the brand who constantly promoted their "clean diesel" technology. I can't wait to read about how many billions they will be fined. Hey my friend, I might not have a MPA, MD, and PHD... but the MBA is soon to come for some little guys still climbing the ranks! hehe.

Here is a great articles that sums up what went down in a concise manner: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres...-caught-2015-9

@Prinny & 1fuzzbk: sometimes it scares me to think how alike us hybrid lovers are, lol. I actually test drove the Q50 Hybrid extensively before deciding to move on to the Lexus brand. The Q50 Hybrid was one of the vehicles that I was cross shopping - it appealed to me in more than than one way. I definitely loved all the tech goodies it came with (in this sense, Lexus lagged far behind). I loved the 360 degree camera, but the quality of the backup camera left a little to be desired.

I also tested out that active lane control feature on the highway and I felt it was decent, but I was still a bit nervous to let it completely take over (as in the video you posted). At highway speeds, I didn't want anything crazy happening like a car suddenly cutting me off and the car going crazy, lol. I guess that I wasn't as confident it could handle itself alone.

Anyway, I'm very happy that I choose the GS over the Q50 because of numerous reasons. I believe there is a big difference in quality of interior materials. I personally wasn't a big fan of the "drive by wire" system since I felt a lot more disengaged from the road. I read about numerous problems with the display console from owners on the InfinityQ50 forums. At that time they came out, I was big fan of the G35/G37, but didn't feel the same excitement with the Q50.

All the best,

~ Im2bz2p345

MPAMDPHD

The MPA and phud is mine, my better half is the MD. An MBA will take you far up the ladder, good start with acquiring the coolest executive high performance hybrid on the market!

Prinny

Haha went through the exact same issues. They're too new so it's harder to find them at a cheaper price, but on top of those issues.. the drive by wire kind of feels weird and a lot of the used Q50 hybrids don't come with the tech package. Interior quality falls behind the 450h and the body styling doesn't look decent unless you have the sport version.



Really interesting scandal. Been hearing about it non-stop on the radio and all over the internet lol. Actually read that article a few days ago while I was bored at work. There aren't many fans of cars like these though. Wish there were more :/.

MPAMDPHD

Since the Lexus GS450h does have "kill" stories, there are now plenty of 400+hp autos out there with much more cred for that kind of driving. Having said that, I have surprised many-a-tail-gaters with my 65-100 bursts to get out of slow traffic pods and settle back down to 65. I then let the random BMW, Mustang, or whatever was tail-gating pass me. Usually the fast and furious driver glances over, clearly trying to figure out what just blew ahead of him so quickly (nothing like the umph of those two electric motors). That's usually enough to satisfy me. However, the other day, driving back from Sacramento on 80 west bound doing 70, I glanced up at my rear view and a new Toyota Corolla was suddenly on my tail. Traffic was getting a little clotted, so I did my usual "burst" to 90 in order to clear the congestion and let the Corolla pass. A glance in the rear view confirmed the Corolla's shrinking image. I move over to the middle lane once I am clear and cruise back down to a placid 70mph. Shortly thereafter, the Corolla driver blows past me at 90+ mph. The Corolla is moving. I speed up to a steady state 80 but the Corolla is disappearing over the horizon and going over 100+ mph. I back down to 70 and realize that pursuing a Toyota Corolla at over 100+ miles per hour would not be all that fulfilling. I leaned back, turned up my Levinson and decided to just enjoy the cruise home in peace and quiet. The GS450h can be such an awesome Q ship on occasion.

SW17LS

I think you might be surprised to find that they're looking over wondering what somebody who would do such a thing looks like.

Seriously...what is the point of blowing by someone who wants to pass you at dangerous speeds and then settling back down to the speed limit and letting them pass you?

Im2bz2p345

Great story. It feels great to unleash the power every now and then. The car is literally a rocket ship at 60+ mph!

Just make sure you're as safe as possible when doing these speed bursts! Fortunately for us, the car is extremely stable and predictable.. even at 100 mph, but most accidents happen out of the blue.

The good part is you're not trying to race against others. That definitely needs to be saved for the drag strip or when you're tracking the car. I think of this way - the other cars on the road may be faster, but do they truly offer everything we get in the GSh? The luxury, comfort, features, technology, reliability, and best of all efficiency! Really, there is no other car that I can compare that offers most/all of this besides a Tesla Model S. That's why I think there is no point in really showing off in front of other vehicles.

Thanks for sharing your story! I had some friends experience my car for the first time just yesterday. Everybody is in "awe" of the interior & how comfortable/quiet it was inside the cabin. They are definitely surprised when I hit the gas too because most expect Prius like performance out of hybrids.

Also, some of my buddies loved how bright the center overhead LED is between the driver and passenger. One comment was comparing it to the a large kitchen florescent lighting, only brighter, in terms of output. It's insane how much it lights up, lol.

~ Im2bz2p345

rxonmymind

Lol. I have to know. Since the car was delivered at night did you get any sleep? I would have been like a kid before Christmas night. Beautiful car & well done. Congrats.