Well the new HS is at my dealer. They have four of them on the lot.

1st off. Holy smokes does it ever look like a Corolla.

You can sure tell that this a TOYOTA or what ever its called in Australia or somewhere else underneath.

I have never seen so much hard plastic on Lexus that are on the doors. I know the plastic is eco friendly and I like that but there is so much of it. Not very Lexus like. More like a Tundra.

There was an absence of a real door "thud" that is usually present in luxury cars.

I do like the small little windows up front, it makes the cabin feel more open. The mouse controller is in the right spot. Both seets articulate well.

The front end looks really good IMO.

Overall it felt like a really good $30k car and not really Lexus like. I didn't get to drive it.

 

Lexus makes no secret of the fact that the HS is derived from the non-U.S. market Toyota Avensis 4-door sedan. The same general platform, as a 2-door coupe, is also available, here in America, as the Scion tC.


Lexus has cheapened its interiors (by luxury-car standards) on several of its newer interiors. The 2006 redesign of the ES350, IMO, was the most notable example.

Welcome to the world of weight reduction. As long as the doors pass Federal side-impact standards, automakers often use as little material as possible in them as is consistant with the price.

I'll give you guys a full review of one as soon as they are available here. I'm still waiting.

 

So you didn't drive it? We already HAD your thoughts on the HS in every HS thread. You didn't like it.

 

I saw one on the road yesterday for the first time. It's very skinny looking from behind. Definitely looks alot smaller than the ES and looks about the same size (at least from the rear) as the IS. Hate the cleared out rear lights. They look tacky and not very "luxurious". Having now seen it in person, I can agree that the design is much more Toyota than Lexus. Has the presence of a Corolla in the sense that it looks like an economy car (the economy Lexus if you will).

 

I think its cool to have a new Lexus model, but a tarted up corolla with a camry hybrid motor is not my idea of a 40K car

 

I wonder what kind of gas mileage a car like this would get with the setup from the RX450h.

RXh: 295 HP, 31/28.
HSh: 187 HP, 35/34

Hmmmm.....

 

Just like we know your thoughts on every Acura in every Acura thread before you write them... again.

I've only seen one HS on the road and agree that it doesn't look very luxurious, but have to give kudos to Lexus for trying so hard to differentiate in a crowded market. They will likely sell plenty of these, turning a tidy profit on each one, that can hopefully be fed into keeping the rest of the line-up a step ahead of the competition.

 

Guys keep the ugly personal comments out of this thread OR DO NOT POST IN THIS FORUM.

Read the sense of community post at the top of this thread please.