The automaker justifies this by the landslide of equipment in the high-end model: a music-lover’s sound system, premium leather seating, a memory system for the driver’s seat, a smart key, auto-dimming side mirrors, automatic windshield wipers, LED headlamps with washers, a power rear window sunshade, etc.
But the heated front seats are conspicuously absent from the Premium version, whose sales price starts at a shade under $40,000. After all, for under $20,000 the humble 2010 Kia Rio Convenience features them as standard equipment!
An oversight, perhaps? Probably not. The brand’s strategy makers no doubt believe that buyers with sensitive tooshies will willingly fork over an extra $1,500 to get their hands, er, rear on the optional Sport package available with this version. They’ll get their heated leather seats then, draped, as a bonus, in two-tone leather. The package also includes a stiffer suspension, an electronic smart key, aluminum pedals and illuminated front door sills. Not to mention the 18-inch alloy wheels of the Ultra Premium model. Very nice wheels, without a doubt, but more expensive to fit with winter tires than the standard 17-inch ones.
Modern on the inside too
Inside you’ll find a modern-looking dash board that isn’t as radical as that of the Prius. The HS actually has instruments behind the steering wheel!
Like the Prius, the HS’s dash surrounds the driver. The centre console tapers off toward the centre of the cabin and serves as a base for the control of Lexus’s touch-screen multimedia system, a mouse-like contraption dubbed “Remote Touch” (also available in the RX SUV).
Seeing as I’m not a fan of iDrive, COMAND and their brethren, with their needlessly complicated controls, I was biased against Lexus’s gadget. But I was surprised to discover an ergonomic and intuitive control that makes it considerably easier to use the navigation system and the other features displayed on the touch screen. The mouse even lets you know when you’ve successfully pressed a “button” with the pointer. Now that I can get on board with!
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| The medium-size trunk is non-expandable, as the battery is housed behind the rear seat backs. |
But the heated front seats are conspicuously absent from the Premium version, whose sales price starts at a shade under $40,000. After all, for under $20,000 the humble 2010 Kia Rio Convenience features them as standard equipment!
An oversight, perhaps? Probably not. The brand’s strategy makers no doubt believe that buyers with sensitive tooshies will willingly fork over an extra $1,500 to get their hands, er, rear on the optional Sport package available with this version. They’ll get their heated leather seats then, draped, as a bonus, in two-tone leather. The package also includes a stiffer suspension, an electronic smart key, aluminum pedals and illuminated front door sills. Not to mention the 18-inch alloy wheels of the Ultra Premium model. Very nice wheels, without a doubt, but more expensive to fit with winter tires than the standard 17-inch ones.
Modern on the inside too
Inside you’ll find a modern-looking dash board that isn’t as radical as that of the Prius. The HS actually has instruments behind the steering wheel!
Like the Prius, the HS’s dash surrounds the driver. The centre console tapers off toward the centre of the cabin and serves as a base for the control of Lexus’s touch-screen multimedia system, a mouse-like contraption dubbed “Remote Touch” (also available in the RX SUV).
Seeing as I’m not a fan of iDrive, COMAND and their brethren, with their needlessly complicated controls, I was biased against Lexus’s gadget. But I was surprised to discover an ergonomic and intuitive control that makes it considerably easier to use the navigation system and the other features displayed on the touch screen. The mouse even lets you know when you’ve successfully pressed a “button” with the pointer. Now that I can get on board with!
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| The 18-inch wheels of the Ultra Premium variant can also equip the Premium model – if you choose the optional Sport package. |