Lexus GS450h SE-L
Our hybrid Lexus GS450H has impressive green credentials – but its blend of electric and petrol power also means immense pace
Green or mean? Sometimes it’s tough to choose which word best sums up our Lexus GS450h.
While Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are known the world over for their split personalities, even they have nothing on the way the character of our Lexus changes when you drive it hard. Against the clock, there are few other cars in the executive sector capable of matching its awesome pace.
As a recent road test (issue 949) revealed, our Lexus will sprint from 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds, while its 0-100mph time – which was recorded at the test track – is even more incredible. It dispatches the benchmark in only 13.2 seconds. To put those figures into perspective, that makes the GS faster than cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX.
Of course, the source of this pace is no mystery – the GS450h develops a total of 341bhp. It’s split between two motors – one electric, one petrol – and as we described in our original report, they work in perfect harmony.
Having now covered 11,000 miles, nothing has changed. The transmission is as smooth when shifting between power sources as ever. The flipside of its personality is that we’ve been getting a regular 28.7mpg out of the GS. Of course, no matter what Lexus’ official literature may claim, this is still bettered by many diesel rivals. But none, not even BMW’s 535d, can match the Japanese saloon’s massive acceleration.
Yet driving it hard naturally affects the economy. During our road test, it returned little more than 26mpg, while the worst tankful was 21.5mpg, recorded on an A and B-road route.
No doubt about it, when you use the centre console switches to turn the Lexus Hybrid on to Sport mode, you are guaranteed incredible low-speed urge due to the electric motor’s instant torque. But cruise gently and 30mpg is easily attainable.
However, our time with the Lexus hasn’t always been plain sailing. The car’s electronic brain, the ECU, went haywire as I was driving to work a couple of weeks ago, leaving the anti-lock brakes and traction control out of action.
We’ve had similar faults in cars from other marques, but to say we were surprised the Lexus went wrong would be an understatement – because the brand is renowned for its engineering skills. Mind you, the fault did give us the chance to check out Lexus’ legendary customer service.
To be frank, it was an awesome experience, and one the firm’s rivals could learn from. A quick call to dealer Lexus Park Lane saw the car collected, fixed under warranty and returned within 10 hours – one of the most impressive displays of efficiency and professionalism we have ever witnessed. But could there be something of a blot on the car’s future appeal?
In the past, we’ve made much of the GS450h’s attraction to London drivers, thanks to its exemption from the capital’s congestion charge. Yet it looks as if a rethink could be on the cards, due to its performance and £50,000 price tag. We will keep you posted in our news section as the story develops.
