Official HS 250h Review Thread
#61
RE:The Car Connection
The hybrid powertrain in the 2011 Lexus HS 250h is essentially what's tried and true from the Toyota Prius (and Camry Hybrid); it's a version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system, here combining a 147-horsepower, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine with a 40-horsepower electric motor system to produce 187 horsepower altogether.
.........The rest of the driving experience is safe but uninspiring. The electric-assist steering has a rather quick ratio and reasonably good weighting, but soft suspension tuning means there's plenty of lean (and nosedive when braking); overall the HS handles in an unexciting but safe way.
The Achilles' heel of the HS 250h is its rather low roofline, clashing with the odd, scooped-up seating arrangement. The sedan is a little short on headroom in front and very short in back. Compounding the matter is that, in front, the seats are mounted quite high—with the center stack's sharp edges against the driver's leg all the time; and tall drivers can't lower the seat enough. In the backseat, the HS doesn't feel nearly as roomy as a Camry—or even a Corolla—due to the restricted headroom, and three adults isn't really a possibility as they'd be jockeying shoulders. Materials inside are luxurious, even though the HS 250h has 30% of its interior materials derived from plant-based sources; but the overall impression is upscale, not opulent.
Roofline and profile may be questionable in terms of comfort - Only for tall people perhaps.
The innovative automatic seat positioning was not mentioned which takes away any pain getting in and out.
I'm only 5'8" and I had problems with the roofline in Chrysler 300C (last rental in CA). I had to move the seat forward but then getting in and out was pain because of the modern aerodynamic shape and roofline. In HS250, when getting out, the driver seat slides back as soon as you take the seatbelt off. Then getting in, it slides forward either when the driver turns the car on or when s/he buckles up the seatbelt. It's easier for me to get in and get out from my HS250 than it was in the Chrysler.
On top of that - it's configurable how far you want the seat to go back. (talk about someone thinking it thru)
We like
* Great city fuel economy
* Infotainment features
* Maneuverability
* Strong safety features
We dislike
* Coarse engine sound
* Lackluster handling
* Distracting Remote Touch interface
* Restricted headroom, especially in back
* No trunk pass-through or folding backseats
Lackluster handling - as I said before, it wasn't designed to be a performance car!
Distracting remote touch interface - takes no more time as any other unit - the innovative feedback mouse was not mentioned which, as a matter of fact, let's you handle the mouse based upon feedback. You can take your eyes off the monitor sooner.
If you're looking for an Engaging driving experience - you're looking at wrong car!
Last edited by rajeev6; 01-25-11 at 12:37 PM.
#62
I have to agree with rajeev6 on all points. If you don't like the power on a HYBRID, don't get a hybrid, or drive it in power mode. I had a 2010 IS 250 AWD loaner for a couple of days the acceleration felt very similar to the HS in Power Mode. The touch screen GPS is very distracting. I like having my palm on the "mouse" and being able to pay attention to the road, instead of trying to hit a button on a screen that is much smaller then the one in the HS.
The review felt very biased against the HS.
The review felt very biased against the HS.
#63
I once had a 1960 Corvette, 283ci with 230hp and a three-speed manual transmission. The 0-60 mph time was about 8.4 seconds. Interestingly, that's about the same as my 2010 HS250h!
By the way, my wife and I love everything about our HS250h.
By the way, my wife and I love everything about our HS250h.
#64
You go ahead and use less oil. All that means is more for me.LOL!HAHAHAHA,
#65
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While I was visiting the forum with another issue, I thought I would leave a review which may help others.
I live in the Midwest and have owned the Lexus HS 250H for a bit more than two years. There are about 12,000 miles on the car. There have been at least 2 - 3 recalls, the most important one being associated with the acceleration issue that has been widely publicized. I don't have any information on what was changed during the recall, but I believe some computer software was updated which shut off the acceleration under certain circumstances. Now for the short review:
Likes
1) Mileage averages 34/mpg with a mixture of about 70% city driving and 30% highway driving. This is quite good though not quite what I was led to believe.
2) Roomy interior considering the shorter overall length of the car. Good for city parking.
3) Nice upscale interior though not luxury class.
4) Low maintenance so far compared to European cars that I have owned.
5) Dealer service is above average but again not as good as I was led to believe it will be.
6) Comfortable upscale ride but not a luxury ride.
7) Well designed dash.
8) Comfortable seating for a taller person like myself and nice amount of room in the rear.
Dislikes
1) Top dislike has to be the way the car unpredictably lunges/lurches forward when braking. Unnerving to say the least and beyond what I have ever experienced in any other car I have driven.
2) Road noise. The insulation is better than Toyotas but not nearly as good as other luxury cars. I'll just call it slightly upscale noise insulation.
3) Small trunk space. Unavoidable because of the battery.
4) The indifference that Lexus shows to issues. Something that I learned to expect from German and American car manufacturers. It seems like Lexus has decided to adopt similar habits.
5) Car roll while turning is worse than what I am use to with other Toyota and Honda brands and much worse than German cars.
6) Driving in snow is worse than other front-wheel drives that I have owned but much better than the rear-wheel German cars.
All in all, the car feels like a nice upgrade from the Toyota Prius but not a luxury car. Somewhere in between which is reasonable since the price is in between also. The bottom line is whether I would recommend the car to a friend. I would ... marginally ... with caveats. The main reason to recommend is that compared to other cars in the similar price range, Lexus has still lots to offer but I am recommending only in comparison not because the car itself is as great as the Lexus brand use to represent.
Hope this helps.
I live in the Midwest and have owned the Lexus HS 250H for a bit more than two years. There are about 12,000 miles on the car. There have been at least 2 - 3 recalls, the most important one being associated with the acceleration issue that has been widely publicized. I don't have any information on what was changed during the recall, but I believe some computer software was updated which shut off the acceleration under certain circumstances. Now for the short review:
Likes
1) Mileage averages 34/mpg with a mixture of about 70% city driving and 30% highway driving. This is quite good though not quite what I was led to believe.
2) Roomy interior considering the shorter overall length of the car. Good for city parking.
3) Nice upscale interior though not luxury class.
4) Low maintenance so far compared to European cars that I have owned.
5) Dealer service is above average but again not as good as I was led to believe it will be.
6) Comfortable upscale ride but not a luxury ride.
7) Well designed dash.
8) Comfortable seating for a taller person like myself and nice amount of room in the rear.
Dislikes
1) Top dislike has to be the way the car unpredictably lunges/lurches forward when braking. Unnerving to say the least and beyond what I have ever experienced in any other car I have driven.
2) Road noise. The insulation is better than Toyotas but not nearly as good as other luxury cars. I'll just call it slightly upscale noise insulation.
3) Small trunk space. Unavoidable because of the battery.
4) The indifference that Lexus shows to issues. Something that I learned to expect from German and American car manufacturers. It seems like Lexus has decided to adopt similar habits.
5) Car roll while turning is worse than what I am use to with other Toyota and Honda brands and much worse than German cars.
6) Driving in snow is worse than other front-wheel drives that I have owned but much better than the rear-wheel German cars.
All in all, the car feels like a nice upgrade from the Toyota Prius but not a luxury car. Somewhere in between which is reasonable since the price is in between also. The bottom line is whether I would recommend the car to a friend. I would ... marginally ... with caveats. The main reason to recommend is that compared to other cars in the similar price range, Lexus has still lots to offer but I am recommending only in comparison not because the car itself is as great as the Lexus brand use to represent.
Hope this helps.
#66
Those are excellent observations. I agree with all the positives, plus I would add;
9) The Heads-Up display is an excellent, practical feature
10) The Radar-assisted cruise control is also very practical for highway driving
11) The two front cameras take some getting used to, because the view is a bit distorted - like looking at a fun-house mirror - but they work really well for viewing traffic when pulling forward from a parking space while parked between two large trucks or SUV's.
As to the negatives...
I think Lexus could have solve item 3 and improved the looks of the car as well by adding 5 or 6 inches to the length of the car and putting that additional space into the trunk.
As to item 5) - I do not experience significant car roll, and I am used to driving lower cars with sports suspension (I owned a Lotus Elite and a Pontiac Grand Prix). I find a lot more roll in my mom's Buick and my sister's Chevy.
And another negative I would like to add is
7) Interior storage - I would like to have a few more places to store junk - the manuals occupy the entire glove box if I carry them with me, and that leaves the console, which is so deep that it is hard to find anything in there without emptying it out. The door pockets are ok, but anything stored there gets wet when you open the door in the rain.
8) I would like to be able to set the radio to display the song that is playing and leave it on that display instead of it flipping back to the map in 10 seconds or so. It would be nice to have a crawler on the display that you could set to do that if you wanted to.
9) I also miss the pass-thru from the trunk. If I want to go to the hardware store and buy an 8' 2x4 I almost have to hold it outside the window to get it home. Not that Lexus drivers are supposed to buy 2x4's and haul them in their car, but once it a while I do. I guess I should try to be more elegant and say that I want some way to store my skis when I go to the slopes, but I would be telling a flat lie...
I think your comments are right on the money, and I hope the can solve the lurching problem. As I said in another thread, I own two of the HS250H cars and have never experienced that problem, but no snow and ice here in south Florida.
9) The Heads-Up display is an excellent, practical feature
10) The Radar-assisted cruise control is also very practical for highway driving
11) The two front cameras take some getting used to, because the view is a bit distorted - like looking at a fun-house mirror - but they work really well for viewing traffic when pulling forward from a parking space while parked between two large trucks or SUV's.
As to the negatives...
I think Lexus could have solve item 3 and improved the looks of the car as well by adding 5 or 6 inches to the length of the car and putting that additional space into the trunk.
As to item 5) - I do not experience significant car roll, and I am used to driving lower cars with sports suspension (I owned a Lotus Elite and a Pontiac Grand Prix). I find a lot more roll in my mom's Buick and my sister's Chevy.
And another negative I would like to add is
7) Interior storage - I would like to have a few more places to store junk - the manuals occupy the entire glove box if I carry them with me, and that leaves the console, which is so deep that it is hard to find anything in there without emptying it out. The door pockets are ok, but anything stored there gets wet when you open the door in the rain.
8) I would like to be able to set the radio to display the song that is playing and leave it on that display instead of it flipping back to the map in 10 seconds or so. It would be nice to have a crawler on the display that you could set to do that if you wanted to.
9) I also miss the pass-thru from the trunk. If I want to go to the hardware store and buy an 8' 2x4 I almost have to hold it outside the window to get it home. Not that Lexus drivers are supposed to buy 2x4's and haul them in their car, but once it a while I do. I guess I should try to be more elegant and say that I want some way to store my skis when I go to the slopes, but I would be telling a flat lie...
I think your comments are right on the money, and I hope the can solve the lurching problem. As I said in another thread, I own two of the HS250H cars and have never experienced that problem, but no snow and ice here in south Florida.
#67
^^^^^^^^^^
8) I would like to be able to set the radio to display the song that is playing and leave it on that display instead of it flipping back to the map in 10 seconds or so. It would be nice to have a crawler on the display that you could set to do that if you wanted to.
You can.
Click "menu"
Go to "setup" in the NAV.
Go to "general".
Select "Auto screen change" to OFF.
8) I would like to be able to set the radio to display the song that is playing and leave it on that display instead of it flipping back to the map in 10 seconds or so. It would be nice to have a crawler on the display that you could set to do that if you wanted to.
You can.
Click "menu"
Go to "setup" in the NAV.
Go to "general".
Select "Auto screen change" to OFF.
#68
Kind of an old thread but hoping a recent buyer of a used one (or one of you who commented back in 2012 will revert) will review his/her vehicle. I've seen a few of these for sale, most w/ mileage over 100K. What do you think of the car thus far, and how many MPG are you getting, how many miles have you racked up? Any mechanical issues?
Thanks in advance for replying!
Thanks in advance for replying!
#69
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Kind of an old thread but hoping a recent buyer of a used one (or one of you who commented back in 2012 will revert) will review his/her vehicle. I've seen a few of these for sale, most w/ mileage over 100K. What do you think of the car thus far, and how many MPG are you getting, how many miles have you racked up? Any mechanical issues?
Thanks in advance for replying!
Thanks in advance for replying!
Owning a 250h had been a real mixed bag. The biggest problem is not the car, it is the dealerships that you have to go to in order to have them maintained. In Chicago, I went to McGrath, and they were great. Very little problems other than the recalla on the replacement of the rear assembly.
However, now I'm in the Connecticut/New York area and I can't find a dealer that I trust. They just don't know what they are doing and Lexus customer service is of no help. They have zero control of their dealerships in my area and the dealerships have no incentive to service the cars well. Given the nature of the 250h, it has to be serviced by the dealer. So, the upshot is, if you have a good dealer in your area, then the auto runs without issues and is a good buy.
As for mileage, I am very satisfied. I would say 28mpg city driving, and maybe 38 on the highway.
Hope this helps.
#70
Owning a 250h had been a real mixed bag. The biggest problem is not the car, it is the dealerships that you have to go to in order to have them maintained. In Chicago, I went to McGrath, and they were great. Very little problems other than the recalla on the replacement of the rear assembly.
However, now I'm in the Connecticut/New York area and I can't find a dealer that I trust. They just don't know what they are doing and Lexus customer service is of no help. They have zero control of their dealerships in my area and the dealerships have no incentive to service the cars well. Given the nature of the 250h, it has to be serviced by the dealer. So, the upshot is, if you have a good dealer in your area, then the auto runs without issues and is a good buy.
As for mileage, I am very satisfied. I would say 28mpg city driving, and maybe 38 on the highway.
Hope this helps.
Owning a 250h had been a real mixed bag. The biggest problem is not the car, it is the dealerships that you have to go to in order to have them maintained. In Chicago, I went to McGrath, and they were great. Very little problems other than the recalla on the replacement of the rear assembly.
However, now I'm in the Connecticut/New York area and I can't find a dealer that I trust. They just don't know what they are doing and Lexus customer service is of no help. They have zero control of their dealerships in my area and the dealerships have no incentive to service the cars well. Given the nature of the 250h, it has to be serviced by the dealer. So, the upshot is, if you have a good dealer in your area, then the auto runs without issues and is a good buy.
As for mileage, I am very satisfied. I would say 28mpg city driving, and maybe 38 on the highway.
Hope this helps.
Thanks again for taking time to give your opinion!
#71
No need to go to a dealer that I know of, other than warranty work. Any Toyota dealer can also service it, as it shares components with the Camry hybrid. Brakes and oil changes should be a no brainer for any shop. Not much else to a "tune up". In fact you should get 100+k from a set of brakes, so maintenance is really just oil changes and tire rotations (ok, wiper blades too) for years at a time. There are independent shops cropping up that claim to be hybrid certified, whatever that means, so there's that option too.
#72
Owning a 250h had been a real mixed bag. The biggest problem is not the car, it is the dealerships that you have to go to in order to have them maintained. In Chicago, I went to McGrath, and they were great. Very little problems other than the recalla on the replacement of the rear assembly.
However, now I'm in the Connecticut/New York area and I can't find a dealer that I trust. They just don't know what they are doing and Lexus customer service is of no help. They have zero control of their dealerships in my area and the dealerships have no incentive to service the cars well. Given the nature of the 250h, it has to be serviced by the dealer. So, the upshot is, if you have a good dealer in your area, then the auto runs without issues and is a good buy.
As for mileage, I am very satisfied. I would say 28mpg city driving, and maybe 38 on the highway.
Hope this helps.
Owning a 250h had been a real mixed bag. The biggest problem is not the car, it is the dealerships that you have to go to in order to have them maintained. In Chicago, I went to McGrath, and they were great. Very little problems other than the recalla on the replacement of the rear assembly.
However, now I'm in the Connecticut/New York area and I can't find a dealer that I trust. They just don't know what they are doing and Lexus customer service is of no help. They have zero control of their dealerships in my area and the dealerships have no incentive to service the cars well. Given the nature of the 250h, it has to be serviced by the dealer. So, the upshot is, if you have a good dealer in your area, then the auto runs without issues and is a good buy.
As for mileage, I am very satisfied. I would say 28mpg city driving, and maybe 38 on the highway.
Hope this helps.
what do you mean zero control over the lexus dealership? are you saying some are owned by lexus and others could be own just anyone and hire people who dont care about what they are doing and just want a paycheck at the end of the week?
Im worried about random little things breaking, and parts costing thousands to repair
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