Detroit —Never again let it be said that high-mileage hybrids are grim, joyless, or Spartan. With the launch of the new Lexus HS250h, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system shows up in a midsize sedan that is both economical and unquestionably luxurious. As Lexus pointed out at the introduction, more than 60 percent of luxury-car buyers would consider a hybrid if one were available. Now, those buyers have a new option. The HS250h goes on sale in Spring 2009. The HS250h is the Lexus brand’s first dedicated hybrid, just as the Toyota Prius is for Lexus’s parent brand. Previous Lexus hybrids were adaptations of existing vehicles, including the popular RX400h crossover—to be replaced for 2010 by the RX450h —the GS450h sports sedan, and the full-size luxury barge LS600h . While the new Lexus was launched a day before the new 2010 Prius , it’s more closely related to that car than many Lexus buyers may realize. The two cars have different bodies, different engine sizes, and certainly different personas, but you can view the HS250h as a new Prius with a trunk, a bunch of luxury accoutrements, and a different tradeoff between fuel economy and features. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld might say. read more

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Lexus HS250h