mjlenell

I've read quite a bit of gloom and doom in this forum because the HS was discontinued here in the States. I'd like to put some of those complaints to rest. Our household is the proud owner of a "new" 2010 HS250h to which we upgraded from a 2005 ES330. Why did we buy something that people here have called an "Edsel" and, though we negotiated an excellent deal on the car, did we pay a premium for it? Check this out:

1. It is a Lexus.
2. Because of 1., it can only go down so far in value. We will have significant equity later on.
3. There is only one car of its kind on the market. There is no such thing as a 2012 ES Hybrid or any direct competitor in the used car market.
4. Ours does not have navigation or the joystick. This may be sour news to those of you who like tech built into their car but our phones have everything the tech has and more. I'll take the extra storage over the joystick any day. That appears to be the trend according to people we've talked to in the automotive sales world who told us when we were new car shopping that the luxury car buyers are shunning the tech and don't see the need for it.
5. Everything else on the hybrid market is below our standards. We were spoiled by having the ES 330 so there is no going back.
6. Those idiots who panicked and sold their cars temporarily dumped the market for this car which allowed us to get ours for a great price. Inventories are dropping and the prices are already starting to come back.
7. It is larger and higher off the ground than a CT. We don't like sitting on the ground when we drive.
8. It isn't nearly as expensive to purchase this as opposed to buying a new 2013 ES.
9. It is slightly smaller and easier to maneuver than the ES.
10. It has a sportier feel and is more fun to drive than the ES.
11. They are still making these for the Japanese market so spare parts will be available for many years to come. It might even be reintroduced, though I'm not holding my breath.
12. It is a sharp looking car. Kind of like a scrunched LS.
13. It is big enough to fit 5 people pretty comfortably.
14. It has a wonderful base-version sound system.
15. It gets excellent gas mileage.
16. It is much easier to park than the old ES was and the new ES is.
17. It has a deceptively large trunk. Convenient for hauling the kid gear.
18. It has black floors and seat backs. This is the smartest thing we have seen in a luxury car especially coming from an ES with light-gray leather, carpeting and mats.
19. It has an incredible amount of back-seat legroom.
20. It has all of the luxury features you either don't get in lower-end hybrids or pay through the roof for. If we were to add all of the features we have into a Civic or Prius we would have spent the same, if not more than we did.
21. Once again, it's a Lexus

I'm sure if I had time I could come up with more. Needless to say, we love our HS and are happily showing off our "new" car to everyone.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

well said. congrats on the HS

DDS62

I think you misinterpreted some negative comments here about the HS. Few HS owners have had anything bad to say about their HS. Most occurrences of posts here belittling the HS have come from visitors, whom we suspect never actually drove or rode in an HS. The criticism here has been directed at Lexus and the Lexus dealerships not the Toyota cars themselves. The only criticism I have ever expressed about my HS is the ride – it is a little taught, but not unexpected on a Hybrid. Everything else is just fine. I especially appreciate the high comfy seat height, as you have pointed out. The HS has one of the highest roof lines for a sedan in the industry, the highest for any Lexus or Toyota, which makes the car very easy to enter and exit.

I personally hold much disdain my local Lexus dealership. I won’t even let them service my HS except for warranty and recall work They are allowed to do that because it’s free. But for standard repair and scheduled service, my HS goes back to the Toyota Service Center, just a few blocks away. They have assured me they are more than capable of taking care of the HS. Except for sheetmetal (and plastic) body parts and interior finish parts the HS is almost totally comprised of standard Toyota parts used on cars like the Camry, the Lexus RX, the Prius etc. The entire Hybrid system, is almost identical to the original Camry and Prius Hybrids. The steering wheel was even gleaned from the RX. The manager explained that the Toyota Service Centers will service Lexus cars because the Toyota dealerships take in Lexus trades from disgruntled customers like myself at an unusual rate. Furthermore to empower me and my disdain for the people at the Lexus, the manager of my service center always expresses his dislike for them. I suspect he does that to make me feel good, and it works!

I recently took my HS back to the Lexus dealership for the rear suspension recall and was reminded that I had missed my last scheduled service. I handed him a card from the Toyota Service Center and told him the car was in good hands. And I noted that apparently Lexus has less concern about my HS than does Toyota because I had received an email from the Toyota Service Center reminding me of that required service, but I had received nothing from Lexus.

So buying the HS may be even better than you realize. If your Lexus dealership is comprised of a group of profit orientated artificial lying java jockys like mine, you can still have your Lexus and get it serviced to. I for one do not like Toyota styling (not real high on Lexus), but I have to admit that Toyota makes good cars and the RX is likely in my future, So when I replace my highlander I will likely be driving 98 miles south to the nearest Lexus dealership to pick one up, and will be driving it home confident that Toyota will take care of it.

Sorry for the rant, but it is such great therapy for me. Party on!

TheAirman

Nice write-up, and I agree.

I saw my first 300h on the road today, but the dealer had none. And like you said, I haven't seen anything I would like to replace my HS with yet. Although I haven't looked at, or seen on the road, the new Avalon Hybrid or the new '13 Lincoln MKZ yet.

It is a good time to buy a hybrid now, but not a good time to sell one. With gas being so "cheap", maybe that's why you got such a good deal.

Welcome to the forum. Many nice people here,besides the HS haters, that is.

kyo7878

congrats on your purchase & welcome to the forum!

mat305

congrats on your purchase.

SW17LS

Congrats on the HS!

This I disagree with. Car salespeople might tell you that to sell you a car without the technology options, but its becoming harder and harder to find new models without the technology packages, and on the used market you see a significant drop in resale value on vehicles without say, navigation...

Magellan55

There's probably two camps forming - those that want to be "connected" in the car, with access to online infotainment, and those that want to keep the driving experience simple. I'm guessing the latter will eventually be confined to a few models / brands, while the rest of the auto industry rushes to add all the gizmos - not only does it add $$ to the sale, but recurring revenue streams for any subscription services. Apple and Wireless companies are swimming in profits, and everyone wants to adopt their business model.

mjlenell

My wife and I both have turn-by-turn GPS navigation built into our phones. It even plays through the HS's Bluetooth along with Pandora and interrupts when needed. We have since spoken with other luxury buyers (Lexus, Infinity) who either complained about the complexity of the built-in tech or didn't get it because they, like us, have high-end smart phones. We can also easily voice-text through the Bluetooth which is something that the built-in tech does not easily do. My daughter loves that she can have the whole car sound like Angry Birds: try that with the built-in.

I don't know that it will go away because there will always be first-timers who think it's cool and it is a cash cow for the dealerships. It isn't, however, important at all to us or most of our 30-40ish friends who carry their tech in their pockets. I suspect that eventually the tech will be loaded up in entry-level and mid-range cars but not so much in the much more savvy high-end luxury market (maybe limited to radio/satellite/weather displays but not much more.) Us "old farts" don't need additional distractions when we are driving. Heck, how obvious the tech is in the car may become an indicator in the future of how much money you actually have considering how portable the "expensive" gadgets are getting.

Funny, but the number one positive comment we get is how much people like our "shelf" where the joystick would be. We laid a small rubber mat across it and it holds the phone when we are driving. "Awesome" is the most common acronym.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

I get a lot of "awesome" comments in my car, and it has the built in Nav (which is more than just Navigation.) I have it supplemented with an iPad mini for a more well rounded solution.




(Yes, I am hoping for an angled lightning charging cable at some point)

mjlenell

Awfully cool retrofit! Similar to mine, except remove the joystick, stick a Samsung Android phone in its place and rely on the "tachometer" display for the energy monitor. I can see my radio controls.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

I use the steering wheel controls and the Nav screen for anything audio related.

hbarghouth

Dear All
I have Lexus HS250 H Base , I park car 3 hours to visit some friends , when back to car and start the engine the Check Hybrid System Aprea on screen
Please your help and support

Clutchless

Does the car start? If it does, then drive to a hybrid repair shop for more diagnosis.
Sometimes you can disconnect the battery and it will go away and stay away.
If you have the original 12 volt battery - the one in the trunk on the right side hidden behind a panel - it may be failing or have failed and needs replacement.
That is the most simple and cheapest fix except for being out of gas.
Either way, if it is not the battery or out of gas, you need a repair shop to perform diagnostics.

FYI - this forum gets little traffic and since the HS250 has the same engine and drivetrain as the 2006-2011 Camry hybrid from the same time, I recommend you check that forum.
Here is a link https://www.toyotanation.com/forums/camry-hybrid.105/

Also look here https://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f49/