Road Test: Lexus GS 450h

In many ways we have gotten so used to driving behind diesel engines, albeit very refined ones, that we have forgotten the merits of a big petrol V6, writes Brian Byrne.

One of those merits is a different kind of quietness. Especially in a Lexus GS 450h, the only full hybrid saloon car in the premium class.

My recent experience with it gave me a lot more than I expected. I guess it is partly because a new Lexus doesn’t come along that often that I needed reminding just why it possibly is close to perfection in luxury automobiling.

Let’s look at where the car is. High end E-Class and 5 Series, Jaguar XF, maybe a high-specced A6 are the main competitors. All of which sell significantly more than the Lexus.

Then, Lexus is a special brand. Not least because, in luxury car terms, it was established relatively recently, having no other pedigree than the Toyota ability to do whatever they decide to do very well.

The current generation of the GS has pleasing rather than radical looks. The kind that you expect will whisk you along with discretion instead of turning heads, and for many years too, as it won’t date too quickly. It is styled in a way that also makes it seem quite compact at first glance, and it’s only when you stand back and look closely that you realise it’s a good-sized car.

Equally inside, the GS is a comfortably sized place to be. More than adequate space in all the areas where this is important, but without giving any sense of luxo-barge. Fittings, storage bins, cupholders, are all sized for need, not to impress with hefty padding and chunky handles.

The review car offered a nice lightness of being in the cabin, not least because there was little element of clutter along the dashboard, the screens, or among the instruments. And, as we would expect from the brand and its parent these days, almost all controls are intuitive, well placed, and properly labelled whether with words or clear pictograms.

You’ll note the ’almost’ back there. Just one control is ... well, downright mad. It’s the wobbly mushroom-headed lever to navigate the screens. Uncomfortable, imprecise, and very distracting, I’d find some way of eliminating it if I were Lexus’s engineers. It cheapens the car too.

But, back to the good stuff. The classic large dual dials are exemplar in their clarity and should be studied by all carmakers who are inclined to add fuss for the sake of trying to cram far too much information in front of the driver. Even the unfamiliar elements for the hybrid information systems are simple, easily understood.

The driving positions in the car are memorised electrically, so different drivers can have their own preffered settings come in at the touch of a button. And oh, are they comfortable seats. In front of a nice-sized steering wheel with simple additional controls for cruise, phone and audio system management.

The analogue clock in the centre of the dash is a real gem, adding more lustre in itself to the ambience than would a rake of chrome strips.

And so to drive. Yes, well many of us are now used to the ’ready’ light that tells us we’re primed to go, with no need to turn an engine starter. Most times that will be a completely silent ’go’, in EV mode, at least until the load pulls in the 3.5 V6, to add some punch or to top up the battery, or both.

Not that you’d notice much. As I suggested at the top of this piece, it’s one quiet motor. Even if you welly it to get the 5.9 seconds transit to 100km/h. The swishiness in doing this is enhanced by the smooth CVT auto transmission. There’s a combined output from the powertrain’s hybrid system of 345hp and enough torque to leave some diesels with their turbos hanging.

If there’s a prime core value for a Lexus it’s silence and refinement. In this one, they have it in spades. And it’s this kind of ambience that encourages one to drive in a refined manner. I’m all for it.

It’s a very refined ride too, even with the basic suspension (there’s an electronically controlled one with the top of the range version), but not at the expense of solid and precise handling when required.

Fuel consumption is claimed at 6L/100km or 47mpg equivalent. At a CO2 of 139g/km, this is a Band B car at current ratings. Sure, lots of B band cars around in this segment, but not with 345hp and a sprint capability in the raw sports car range.

There are three levels of specification in the GS, with prices ranging upwards from the €59,950 of the review car. Even the entry Executive has as much as you could possibly expect and then a bit more.

As I said, I was more impressed than I expected to be. I shouldn’t have been. I should have remembered.

And I must remember to keep on harping about that wobbly fiddler yoke in the middle.