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New Lexus GS 450h Owners - Give Us Your Report
I trade every two years. I love the RX400h. It has surpassed my expectations but I greatly prefer a sedan to a crossover. Although I had driven a Prius of a friend and was enormously impressed,I wanted more luxury and performance and with the RX400h becoming available when I was checking cars, I decided to take the plunge. The hybrid synergy drive is so superior to the ordinary power plants that I will only purchase hybrids in the future. The term "hybrid " is used to cover all additions of an electric motor to an ICE. But all that I know or have read about what other auto manufacturers are planning leads me to believe that they will not come close to what Toyota/Lexus has accomplished. Toyota/Lexus with the GS450h has a power plant which is another major step forward. So much so that my decision was made without hesitation. The RX400h is in such demand around here that my depreciation will be minimal, and I'll have a car, the GS450h, next year that certainly will be in great demand.
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I'm very happy at the higher fuel efficiency of hybrids. Raising fuel efficiency of all cars is a very important goal. And don't forget the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to which hybrids make a huge contribution.
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Btw, how is the CVT comparing to the normal auto box?
Thanks.
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This is my first Lexus, having owned 4 BMW's prior (3's and 5's). Dealer experience was perfect. Where's the hybrid premium? I paid sticker (no premium at all), which looked about the same as the sticker of the loaded GS430 in the showroom (granted, that car must get discounted several thousand at least). Seems like a reasonable premium for an innovative, powerful and efficient vehicle.
Only drove the car from the dealer to home and around the block a few times, so little to report so far. First impression very positive -- smooth as silk and whisper quiet (again, my first lexus and BMW's didn't aim for those characteristics). Very powerful acceleration -- you feel yourself pushed back into the seat.
I've got a lot of exploring to do, as I only spent about 5 minutes with the salesman's demo in the dark parking lot. Only negative so far (not unique to the hybrid): the interior lighting in this model is a joke. 4 pin spotlights provide virtually zero lighting outside of their direct beams. More light came from the dashboard gauges than the ceiling lighting. The black interior didn't help. It's one thing to aim for cool looking, but this is ridiculous.
Only extras were Sirius radio ($695), which I have to go back for, and the insurance for the wheels/tires ($685 for 5 years of protection seemed like a good idea given the poor road conditions in the NY metro area).
FYI: I don't think you're eligible for the $1,550 govt hybrid rebate if you lease -- I believe only if you purchase. If that's in fact right, work it into your financing decision.
I love the color, but in any color it is a great car.
I use the Treo 650. It was very finnicky during configuration (Lexus dealer was aware of the problem and didn't have a ready solution, but a friend who's pretty good with bluetooth setups managed to get it working). Now it works fine, except the signal strength and battery meter do not show up on the screen.
I'm somewhat annoyed that several features become disabled when the car is in motion. For example, you can only speed dial when in motion, leaving me to punch in a phone number using the tiny Treo buttons instead. Ditto for the navigation system. Didn't it occur to Lexus that the front passenger might want to enter a destination or lookup a phone number? I'm told this is not unique to Lexus though. Seems hypersensitive to liability to me. Voice dialing is an option, but it's pretty tedious.
To those interested, go ahead and buy... you won't be disappointed. The car's great (except for the lousy interior lighting!).
I am buying when my color comes in and I believe this to be a bellweather vehicle - luxury, performance and environmentally appropriate... My only real remaining concern after all research, test drive and reasoning is the size of the trunk. In rationalizing why the 8 cubic feet is okay, I turn to the old adage, "Don't build a church for Easter Sunday"
I have a 450 h I purchased 9 days ago. For the most part, I love the car. However, I feel the ride quality is quite harsh at tomes over bumps. There have been times while driving where I found the noise and impact of the bumps quite intrusive and startling. I have heard this is in part to having the run-flat tires on the car, which have an extremely thick and hard sidewalll...thus the jolt I feel at times. Does anyone else share this same thought as I do? Has anyone tried changing to tires without run-flat technology? I heard that might help soften the ride.
Thanks for your input.
Greg
The GS450h is a drive-by-wire vehicle. It is to me the automotive analogue of piloting a jet fighter, which is impossible without the sensors and instantaneous control. The vehicle is definitely not for those who want the roar of the engine, the resistance of the steering ,etc. On the other hand the seamless rapid acceleration, the quiet to enjoy the music, the stability provided by the fifty-fifty front-rear balance and very low center of gravity are unmatched.
line 1 should be "IT came"
line 2 should be "but WITH the"
line 6 should be "it takes up UTILIZED AS FOLLWS:
I am most impressed with your editing of the prior transmittal. The edits are precise and appropriate.
Thanks and best regards.
One spectacular feature of the GS hybrid is the replacement of the tachometer by a power meter giving the output in kilowatts. Since 1 kw equal 1.3410 hp, one sees the horsepower being used since it is a constant multiple of kw reading. The navigation screen gives you the average fuel consunption until reset. Since I've never reset it, the average full consumption currently stands at 27.6 mpg. There is also a separate readout on the dash for the average fuel consumption per tank, which resets when the tank is filled up. All this instrumentation teaches you how to drive sensibly.
The hybrid powerplant completely lives up to my expectations when I placed an order last October. My posts on this are back at the beginning of this subforum. I hope to post on the powerplant soon.
With regard to idele's comments, I like the power meter, particularly when you can roughly monitor when braking switches from regenerative to the brake pads, but I don't fully understand it. There are times when the meter reads, for example, "50", but the Energy Monitor does not show the electric motor as driving the wheels. So where's that power going? To the air conditioner or something?
Finally, idele, you must live in a very flat area and drive with a feather right foot. I haven't come close to that kind of mpg. My best stretch was 27.0, and that was purely highway driving. My best tank average is only 24.6mpg, and I'm reasonably conscious of efficient driving style.
As far as the tires are concerned the RX400h on regular tires rides better. The ride is as good as the 2001 Audi A64.2, which is a sports sedan, but not as good as the 2003 Audi Allroad 2.7T that I previously owned. The latter had a very good air suspension. The overall quality of the Audis was poor and I would not in the future purchase one.
For your other comments, I'll try to get around to them when I have time to post on the powerplant.
My car is averaging around 16-18 mpg per tank with reasonably careful, in mostly city, driving. It has pretty much the same engine in the current GS430.
Your reported mileages represent a 50% improvement with more power to boot. I would not complaint/worry about these numbers
I do hope there is truth to something I read some months ago saying that the next generation hybrids will have a performance/economy switch for the powerplant, similar to the suspension options available. It would be great to have the option to save gas when you don't care about getting to 60mph in less than 6 seconds. Has anyone heard about this? I believe I read it in a Wired magazine article about hybrid race cars.
When I went to have the new tires (well, Michelins), I realized there was no spare and was fit to be tied. I called Lexus and told them that even if I would have kept the run-flats, I would want a spare. What if a tire was not driveable?????? Anyway, I wrote Lexus and contacted my dealer and they are supplying the doughnut temp spare and the mounting kit for it, free of charge. Lexus said my request was not unreasonable. The kit and tire is costing them (they say) 500 bucks...but considering they made about 7 grand off of me, I think they will survive fiscally (ha ha). If you look down in your trunk, you will see there is the space to mount the temp spare and it has been pre-drilled for the mounting. I just cannot believe how much better the car absorbs road impacts with the new tires, while still handling beautifully.
I noticed that you replaced you run flats. When you changed to the PS2 did you have the same size tire 245/40/18? I have heard that people are using The A/S which is a 245/45/18 do you know which is better. Thanks of the input.
alex
That is the first I heard of people using the A/S. I chose the PS as I was told these were more performance oriented for this type of car. I was just so glad to get rid of the run flats it really did not matter!!!!!! If you get rid of the run flats though you will have to get a spare in the trunk. Lexus (the dealer) provided that free of charge after I told them I was unhappy with the ride of the run flats.
Greg
I realize that I did not actually answer your question. Yes, I have the same tire size 245/40/18. If I would have known I could have gotten 45's I would have certainly done it to add more meat to the tire and help the ride even more. ...I guess I want a car that rides like an LS 260, but has the power of the 450 h!!!!!!
Please respond to Chintan Talati at ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, September 12, 2007 with your daytime contact information and the hybrid model you own.