flipside909

Hello Someday! The HS250h is Lexus' first dedicated hybrid and their first hybrid starting at $34k. I had an opportunity to spend some time with a Silver Opal Mica HS250h Base. I did get a chance to experience the HS in it's true form. No Mark Levinson, no park assist, no back up camera, no heated seats and no HID! But don't be fooled. Just because this car was absent of the Lexus options we're used to doesn't mean it's totally stripped of it's Lexus qualities.

This Silver Opal Mica HS has plenty to offer. This car had the black leather interior with charcoal gray accents. It also has the usual standard features like theLexus 10-speaker Premium Sound System with 6 disc in-dash CD/MP3,XM Radio and USB/AUX inputs. You can even work your iPod through the steering wheel controls. All the usual standard Lexus power features are there including a moonroof, push button start and smart key remote access are standard. It also has a split 5 spoke 17" wheel package with Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires which are V rated!

Despite having a combined 187hp from a 2.4L 4cyl w/Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, this car is no slouch. There is plenty of torque going up long grades and driving up the steepest hills of San Francisco. It is a fantastic highway cruiser. It's stable, smooth and in the cross winds, it feels very planted. Thanks to it's low 0.27 Cd, the HS cuts through the wind without effort or excessive wind noise. If you're going 20mph or below, you can run the car in full Electric (EV Mode) for a few minutes. The HS is a great city car. It's very easy to zig zag through traffic and a breeze to park in tight spaces. On the highways the HS is quiet and as smooth as a car twice it's size. Steering and suspension feel are very stable. Despite carrying a load of batteries, the HS can handle well in the twisties and those fast circular on and offramps of freeways. Body roll is very minimal thanks to the front and rear sway bars and V rated tires. Around town, the car seamlessly switches from gas to electric without noise.

The HS is all about efficiency and great fuel economy. The HS is EPA rated at 35 city/34 hwy and 35 combined. The worst mileage I experienced was 32.1mpg riding the car mostly in PWR mode and the drive selector in B. The best mileage I was able to achieve was 40.1 mpg mainly on the freeway. In mixed city/hwy driving averaged 34-35mpg consistently of course this is with the use of regular 87 unleaded gasoline. Being that this did not have all the bells and whistles, I was more focused on obtaining the best MPGs. I mostly drove in ECO and NORMAL drive modes if you can believe that!

So what's not to like? The HS250h would make a great commuter car as well as a traveling companion. Most importantly it only needs 87 octane gas. If you haven't driven one, try it out, you will be surprised. Below are a few pics of my experience with the HS250h.


July 2009 - Silver Opal Mica - HS250h Base w/no Navigaton - MSRP $34,200




HS meets Wald ISF




Yes they are related in someway...L-Finesse.




RX's, ISc's and more...




Gauge cluster of the HS250h




HS with the 2IS and 1IS




HS and a Corolla. Same size? NOT.




Bamboo Pearl & Silver Opal Mica. BP is darker and greener.




HS meets M3




HS meets it's cousin 3rd Gen Prius




Split 5 spoke 17" wheels and V Rated Michelin tires!




HS - A West Coast Novelty?




San Francisco in the background.




Sutro Tower surrounded by fog




Visiting history. The former Naval Air Station Alameda




All Electric meets Hybrid




Visiting the former NAS Treasure Island & the Oakland Span - Bay Bridge




The cockpit of the HS250h -Non Nav




About to head into The City




Ready to put the pedal to the metal!

flipside909

Cruisin' the Mission and the 1st Gen Prius meets the 1st Gen HS250h.




In the city, on "Hill St." no joke!




It's not SF without the fog.




Check your mirror!




Cruisin' the alleyways of The Mission




Not an HS, but it's distant relative, a 1987 Toyota 1 Ton Dually Odyssey RV




On top of the world!




On top, and in between.....the actual peaks of Twin Peaks SF!




This needs a decklid lip spoiler badly!




A walk in the park...ummm drive in the park....Golden Gate Park.




Hello Golden Gate....covered by fog




Under the Golden Gate and guarded by historic Ft. Point




I think it's a Hybrid?!




It's not a Fusion! Lexus had this grille style first!




Chrome accents of the grille.




Leaving Ft. Point. I need HIDs!




The Palace of Fine Arts




HS meet's its cousin Prius again!




At the apex of Market St and the Ferry Building.




Trying to get on TV!




Pit stop in Berkeley @ TNF Outlet and coincidentally parked behind an RX400h in Bamboo Pearl LOL!




A pit stop after averaging 35.1 mpg mixed city/hwy driving




14.5 Gallons of 87 octane is a lot easier on the wallet!

flipside909

HS250h w/the RX450h




Similar or not? Taillamps that is.




The HS is bigger than my ISF!




Even the inside is bigger.




It's taller and roomier.




Opposite ends of the Lexus spectrum. h meets F.

bnizzle87

incredible pics! some were really hilarious. wonderful photography man! great way to cap it off with the H meets F.

rule1223

iTrader: (15)

rims are ugly, i don't remember seeing those rims on an hs, maybe just for 2010?

flipside909

Here in the US we get 3 choices of rims, and is the same for the rest of the world. The standard 17" you see here, and 2 versions of the 18". One silver finished for the Premium package and a graphite polished for the Touring package.


17" - Painted Silver Finsh:




18" w/Painted Silver Finish:




18" w/Liquid Graphite Finish:

mdsbrain

iTrader: (9)

Thank you for this Photo Journal. Very nice images and great side by side comparison of other vehicles.

RXSF

very hillarious captions. When were you in SF?

the "Pedal to the metal" picture: that is a really short merge, seriously gotta gas it when you drive from there to not annoying cars coming at you from behind at like 60.

The friendly HS meets a lot of people

flipside909

Haha thanks! Yeah, I think most people keep referencing the HS to a Corolla or what not. Sure it's not your typical Lexus design, but the engineers did a great job of creating space in a compact body. It is taller, longer and bigger than a Corolla. Being that the HS has a tall body, it throws off the look of the car. My wish was that the wheel base was stretched out more.

I did this back in July of last year. I'm up there often. SF and the Mission District are my roots.

The HS is a friendly car. It smiles at you when it arrives.

RXSF

forgot to say that the regular 17" rims are hideous. 18's are better but still far from the best looking lexus rim.

love the graphite finish though, just like the ones on my RX

flipside909

Yeah i'm not too crazy about the 17's either, but they're so easy to clean! LOL.

encore888

Wonderful photoshoot!!!

Thanks for posting these, I enjoyed going through them and reading the captions. Definitely puts the HS in context.

dsp979

How about a side-by-side with the 2009+ corolla? I assume the 09+ is bigger than that gen corolla?

Great journal, btw.

-Ryan

flipside909

The newest Corolla is about the same size as the previous generation. I will have to find time and add a photo of that to this collection.

LexISguy

Nice write up...