Comparing 2010 Prius to 2010 Lexus 250h

I had considered waiting on seeing the Lexus to make my decision. I finally decided since this will be my daily driver and a third car for the fleet that it didn't make sence for me to worry about paying for Lexus "luxury" and "status". Motor Trend has an article on the Lexus in my mail today. They call it Prius technology, but it appears to have the TCH engine and milage estimates but perhaps with the newer Prius technology applied. Nice looking "conventional" looking car. But with the NAV system they are estimating a cost of about $40,000. That's about $10K more than the Prius V w/ NAV. Add a sporty suspension and larger (18") wheels and I'm guessing it will add another $2K+/-

Glad I didn't wait. I may have one some day but for $10K in my pocket and 15 mpg better FE I'm thinking the Prius looks good. However I'll bet Lexus has no problems selling 24,000 of these. If they do have problems and discount them later then maybe one will find its way into my garage.

Just got Motor Trend. I'm reading the article on the 250h right now. I have to say the photos look very nice. I think the reason this car is very good for society is because there is a certain percentage of society that want to have luxury and being "cool" but yet want to help save fuel and the environment at the same time. (I am extremely disappointed that BMW and Mercedes have not introduced hybrid versions of the 3-series and C-class for society. Based on the commentary in Motor Trend, it sounds like they have no serious plans for hybrids. First Toyota takes the market from GM .. who's next? BMW and Mercedes? Obama has approved a mandated 35.5mpg by 2016. If they are to offset the terrible mpg of the 7-series, 5-series, S-class, E-class, etc, the 3-series and C-class are going to have to get well over 40mpg.) So far, there haven't really been many options for this. I'm glad to see Lexus introducing this vehicle and being prepared for the future.
In response to the RXh SUV, there are three people on my neighborhood that have them and every time they drive down our street and stop at the stop sign, I hear the whirr of the electric generator. Music to my ears.

It has a few key features that you really shouldn't need to upgrade to a Lexus to get (like automatic headlights -a Corolla feature), but it's the only way to get auto headlights and power drivers seat.

I got an email for Lexus talking about the 250h. It implied that the 250h could go 20 miles on EV. I'm guessing they missed that by one decimal.


It said:

lexus@lexuscommunications.delivery.net

"And if you want (or need) to use no gas at all, under certain conditions the EV mode [2] lets you glide along in near silence for up to 20 miles."

That condition must be on a specific section of road coming out of the mountains that is all downhill.

I could not see the e-mail, but can guarantee you it will not go 20 miles on EV mode.

In a perfect world with the battery fully charged and the vehicle transmission warm, you might be able to go 2 miles in EV mode.

That's what I figured. I didn't know if the link would work, but I simply copied what was in the quotes from thier newsletter.

Sorry I was not clear, I could not see the full e-mail from the Lexus Customer Satisfaction rep.

Now that the HS pricing is out, I am even more annoyed with Toyota marketing. They assume that people who want, and will pay for, Lexus level of amenities expect a larger, heavier, more powerful car even if fuel efficiency suffers a lot. I would like a Lexus based on the Prius, with power seats, seat memory, better leather, better audio, etc.

Also, to rekindle a frustration with Prius packages, the nav (& backup camera) in the Lexus is a separate item, not bundled with any other options. That leaves the Prius as the only car that I know of that forces nav to get a sunroof.

I was surprised that the press release does not mention a sunroof at all. Photos show a conventional one, not a panorama or solar one. I wonder if that means they all come with one.

I'm a Lexus owner/fan, but I think the 250h looks like any Toyota whereas the Prius has a distinctive look.

It will be interesting to see the 250h in person, but I'll bet Toyota is thrilled that people are not cross shopping the Prius and the 250h.

The Lexus has to be heavier to get the larger valvetronic engine, beefier components, and all the accessories that have to come with the Lexus. I'm glad to see they didn't keep trying to do a "performance" hybrid. I see the 250h as a good alternative for someone considering a base Acura TSX or BMW 318. I'm can't wait to see what max FE from hypermiling the Lexus would be...

Since this should be a smaller car than the TCH, I would think it would do better slightly on FE. The EPA has it rated conservatively like the TCH but I could easily average 38 in mine so I would think with some of the newer technology this is a 40 mpg car for 80% of the buyers

The ONLY thing I'm really missing right now by driving the Prius is the power seats. That wouldn't be a problem if it was just me driving but my wife drives it and we have completely different seating settings. The "pump" rather than clicks makes it difficult to get back to the same exact setting.

Yeah the highest MPG of any Lexus is the 450h at 30 MPG with FWD (29 AWD) and it starts where the HS will end fully loaded in regards to price. After that the IS 250 gets 25 MPG average and from there its the GS 450h at 25 MPG and the ES/GS/IS 350 at 24 MPG.
There is no luxury car here close to the HS in regards to the city rating. The 335d get great mileage highway 36 MPG but 23 city (27 overall) but costs a whooping 55k 20 grand more than the HS!

Sales goals are 24k a year, pretty modest. They sold more LS's back in 2007!

The HS 250h received EPA-estimated ratings of 35 mpg city and 34 mpg on the highway for a combined 35 mpg utilizing regular 87-octane gasoline .

If the HS250h came with the same hybrid powertrain as the prius (1.8 liter instead of 2.5), then I'd have waited.

I'm trying to wait to reserve judgment on the HS250h until I meet one in person. However, with the lower fuel economy you get with the Lexus, I think I would have chosen the Prius even if I had liked the styling and look of the HS250h as much....