To be perfectly honest with you, Hybrids aren't really my cup of tea. Maybe, it's my European background, but I'd rather drive a modern diesel unit, if it's a case of saving a few bucks on fuel. Yet nowadays, the Hybrid vehicles appear to have reached an almost status symbol level, with Hollywood stars buying them to prove to us mortals that they're "earth friendly folk" who truly care about our environment.
 |
| (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan) |
Come on now, does anyone actually believe these people? You don't think that maybe one or two of those multi-million dollar screen idols just might have an odd gas guzzling Rolls or
Mercedes lying around their palatial estates. Think about it, these are the same people who regularly jet around the world on shopping whims. Do you have any idea how much fuel a Lear Jet can go through on a perfume buying trip to Paris? I don't either, but I'm guessing it's a tad more than you burn on your trip down to the local Home Hardware.
Ok, so why on earth would Lexus give me, of all people, a GS 450h Hybrid to review? Are they just plain nuts, or did they honestly believe that I would actually be impressed by their offering?
With that said, I now firmly believe that the Lexus Company employs only "psychic, gifted people", as I was totally amazed by their GS 450h. This vehicle has it all, luxury, size, fuel efficiency, and best of all "it goes like a rocket".
 |
| (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan) |
The luxury side is a simply a no-brainer. After all, it is a Lexus that we're talking about here. It boasts wood and leather in abundance, a Mark Levinson Audio System, a touch-screen Satellite Navigation System and rear back-up camera. It even has a nifty Power Rear Sunshade. The GS 450h comes in only one trim level; I see it as "totally loaded"; Lexus prefers to say that it "leaves nothing wanting". Either way, I think that you get the idea.
Then we have size. The
GS 450h is certainly no light-weight roller skate. It is comparable to many other luxury brand offerings, and it is definitely large enough to make an impression. In fact, from the side profile, it looks slightly like the Bentley GT which is one of my favorite cars.
Of course, fuel costs are soaring and unlike those Hollywood folk, my underwear is not encrusted with diamonds, so I have to actually worry about fuel economy.
 |
| (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan) |
Now, I'm not going to tell you that this car runs on fresh air. In fact, as I live near Toronto, that wouldn't necessarily be a good idea anyway, as clean air can sometimes be harder to find than cheap gas. The fuel-economy figures for the GS 450h are given as 8.7L/100 km in the city, 7.8 L/100 km on the highway (8.3 L/100 km combined). These are impressive numbers and as the car also qualifies as a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV), we could all breath a little easier if there were more of these on the road.
