If you're looking to improve your fuel economy but want a car let's say a little bit more posh than something like a Prius, Lexus now has the HS 250 H it's only available as a hybrid and let's see if it fits the bill.

Obviously one of the reasons people come to a hybrid is for fuel economy and though it's not quite as impressive as a car like the Prius which gets 44 miles per gallon, it still gets 31 overall quite good. The Lexus HS has the same drivetrain as a Toyota Camry Hybrid which is a little bigger engine than the Prius so as you'd expect it is a little quicker.

It also has this easy button on the dash which lets you select a mode that is intended to let you run longer on electric power only, it's kind of a feel-good button though in that it really only works at very low speeds if you speed up the engine kicks in anyway. Another thing that comes with the hybrid drivetrain is a CVT transmission which makes some odd noises and that it keeps the engine revving longer while you're accelerating eventually that goes away but at that speed you're then also left with some road noise and some wind noise around the pillars.

All this cabin noise is something you're not really expecting from a Lexus, another thing you might not expect from a Lexus is a somewhat stiff ride. The model we tested had 18 inch tires pronounced kicks from bumps in the road and even on smoother highways it still stayed a little bit jittery as far as handling goes. The HS is secure overall and its compact size makes it easy to place and maneuver but it doesn't have a lot of steering feedback.

Though it doesn't have a ton of roll, that which does you kind of feel because you sit up high it's just not a very sporty or agile car overall when you're inside the HS you will feel you have plenty of head and legroom. A power adjusting wheel can help you get a better driving position though some people felt it didn't move quite far enough.

What the car does have is an overall feeling of narrowness, it's not helped by this protruding centre console it's meant to house the controller for the nav system if you get it in this version is just a pocket but again makes you feel a little cramped and taller people fell and they brush their leg against it.

The sense of narrowness comes through into the rear seat as well though you have enough leg and Headroom, and the rear seats designed for three people they're not going to be very comfortable it's much better for two. One other thing the rear seat backs do not fold down to give you more room in the trunk.

As far as controls go you're mostly good if you're doing things like changing the radio or adjusting the climate settings, you're going to be in good shape their height is good there's big knobs big buttons it's going to be relatively easy to control items that take some getting used to. One is starting the car like other hybrids you push a button to start and you may not hear anything so you need to pay attention to the dash display to know you're ready to go.

The other one which may be a little more difficult is the gear selector, it's this small stock on the dash and as you can see it doesn't stay where you select but returns to its home so you really have to pay attention to the dash to see what gear you're in. And park is a separate button.

One final thing when you select reverse begin a reverse signal much like a construction vehicle would but the problem is it's not really a safety benefit, you don't hear outside of the car and some people found it very annoying. What does feel very Lexus liked is the way the car feels inside the features and the fit and finish things like a fully powered seat that's heated and cooled and has memory and very nicely stitched and padded surfaces.

A headliner that's so soft it's almost velvet like and chrome and wood accents throughout if you're looking for the supple ride in the very quiet cabin you've come to expect from a Lexus, you might be a little disappointed. And if you're looking for the ultimate fuel economy that you might get from say a Prius or a Ford Fusion Hybrid, you might not get that either.

But if you're looking for a prestige nameplate and the amenities that go with it in a very fuel-efficient package, the Lexus HS might be just for you.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif you're looking to improve your fuel economy but want to get a card let's say a little bit more posh than something like a Prius Lexus now has the HS 250 H it's only available as a hybrid and let's see if it fits the bill obviously one of the reasons people come to a hybrid is for fuel economy and though it's not quite as impressive as a car like the Prius which gets 44 miles per gallon it still gets 31 overall quite good the Lexus HS has the same drivetrain as a Toyota Camry Hybrid which is a little bigger engine than the Prius so as you'd expect it is a little quicker it also has this easy button on the dash which lets you select a mode that is intended to let you run longer on electric power only it's kind of a feel-good button though in that it really only works at very low speeds if you speed up the engine kicks in anyway another thing that comes with the hybrid drivetrain is a CVT transmission which makes some odd noises and that it keeps the engine revving longer while you're accelerating eventually that goes away but at that speed you're then also left with some road noise and some wind noise around the pillars all this cabin noise is something you're not really expecting from Alexis another thing you might not expect from Alexis is a somewhat stiff ride the model we tested had 18 inch tires pronounced kicks from bumps in the road and even on smoother highways it still stayed a little bit jittery as far as handling goes the HS is secure overall and it's compact size makes it easy to place and maneuver but it doesn't have a lot of steering feedback and though it doesn't have a ton of roll that which does you kind of feel because you sit up high it's just not a very sporty or agile car overall when you're inside the HS you will feel you have plenty of head and legroom a power adjusting wheel can help you get a better driving position though some people felt it didn't move quite far enough what the car does have is an overall feeling of narrowness and it's not helped by this protruding centre console it's meant to house the controller for the nav system if you get it in this version is just a pocket but again makes you feel a little cramped and taller people fell and they brush their leg against it the sense of narrowness comes through into the rear seat as well though you have enough leg and Headroom and the rear seats designed for three people they're not going to be very comfortable it's much better for two one other thing the rear seat backs do not fold down to give you more room in the trunk as far as controls go you're mostly good if you're doing things like changing the radio or adjusting the climate settings you're going to be in good shape their height is good there's big knobs big buttons it's going to be relatively easy to control items that take some getting used to one is starting the car like other hybrids you push a button to start and you may not hear anything so you need to pay attention to the dash display to know you're ready to go the other one which may be a little more difficult is the gear selector the gear selector is this small stock on the dash and as you can see it doesn't stay where you select but returns to its home so you really have to pay attention to the dash to see what gear you're in and park is a separate button one final thing when you select reverse begin a reverse signal much like a construction vehicle would but the problem is it's not really a safety benefit you don't hear outside of the car and some people found it very annoying what does feel very Lexus liked is the way the car feels inside the features and the fit and finish things like a fully powered seat that's heated and cooled and has memory and very nicely stitched and padded surfaces a headliner that's so soft it's almost velvet like and chrome and wood accents throughout if you're looking for the supple ride in the very quiet cabin you've come to expect from a Lexus you might be a little disappointed and if you're looking for the ultimate fuel economy that you might get from say a Prius or a Ford Fusion Hybrid you might not get that either but if you're looking for a prestige nameplate and the amenities that go with it in a very fuel-efficient package the Lexus HS might be just for you youif you're looking to improve your fuel economy but want to get a card let's say a little bit more posh than something like a Prius Lexus now has the HS 250 H it's only available as a hybrid and let's see if it fits the bill obviously one of the reasons people come to a hybrid is for fuel economy and though it's not quite as impressive as a car like the Prius which gets 44 miles per gallon it still gets 31 overall quite good the Lexus HS has the same drivetrain as a Toyota Camry Hybrid which is a little bigger engine than the Prius so as you'd expect it is a little quicker it also has this easy button on the dash which lets you select a mode that is intended to let you run longer on electric power only it's kind of a feel-good button though in that it really only works at very low speeds if you speed up the engine kicks in anyway another thing that comes with the hybrid drivetrain is a CVT transmission which makes some odd noises and that it keeps the engine revving longer while you're accelerating eventually that goes away but at that speed you're then also left with some road noise and some wind noise around the pillars all this cabin noise is something you're not really expecting from Alexis another thing you might not expect from Alexis is a somewhat stiff ride the model we tested had 18 inch tires pronounced kicks from bumps in the road and even on smoother highways it still stayed a little bit jittery as far as handling goes the HS is secure overall and it's compact size makes it easy to place and maneuver but it doesn't have a lot of steering feedback and though it doesn't have a ton of roll that which does you kind of feel because you sit up high it's just not a very sporty or agile car overall when you're inside the HS you will feel you have plenty of head and legroom a power adjusting wheel can help you get a better driving position though some people felt it didn't move quite far enough what the car does have is an overall feeling of narrowness and it's not helped by this protruding centre console it's meant to house the controller for the nav system if you get it in this version is just a pocket but again makes you feel a little cramped and taller people fell and they brush their leg against it the sense of narrowness comes through into the rear seat as well though you have enough leg and Headroom and the rear seats designed for three people they're not going to be very comfortable it's much better for two one other thing the rear seat backs do not fold down to give you more room in the trunk as far as controls go you're mostly good if you're doing things like changing the radio or adjusting the climate settings you're going to be in good shape their height is good there's big knobs big buttons it's going to be relatively easy to control items that take some getting used to one is starting the car like other hybrids you push a button to start and you may not hear anything so you need to pay attention to the dash display to know you're ready to go the other one which may be a little more difficult is the gear selector the gear selector is this small stock on the dash and as you can see it doesn't stay where you select but returns to its home so you really have to pay attention to the dash to see what gear you're in and park is a separate button one final thing when you select reverse begin a reverse signal much like a construction vehicle would but the problem is it's not really a safety benefit you don't hear outside of the car and some people found it very annoying what does feel very Lexus liked is the way the car feels inside the features and the fit and finish things like a fully powered seat that's heated and cooled and has memory and very nicely stitched and padded surfaces a headliner that's so soft it's almost velvet like and chrome and wood accents throughout if you're looking for the supple ride in the very quiet cabin you've come to expect from a Lexus you might be a little disappointed and if you're looking for the ultimate fuel economy that you might get from say a Prius or a Ford Fusion Hybrid you might not get that either but if you're looking for a prestige nameplate and the amenities that go with it in a very fuel-efficient package the Lexus HS might be just for you you\n"