jwsunnnyvale

Hi, this is for others who are looking for tires too.I have a 2010 HS250h. I got the Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires and are very happy with the tire. The car rides a little quieter, my mileage went up a little, and I think they raised the car about an 1 inch higher, which helps keep the car above some of those high parking blocks. I've put about 5k miles on them and I'm expecting the life of the tires to easily be over 40k based on the wear so far. I highly recommend this tire.

Complaints:

1. Left hand rest at the driver's seat is too low for me!

2. Cupholders are hard to reach. There are many but useless.

3. The mouse control project too far in the front-wish it is retractable/foldeble.

4. Wish there are small bins for keeping pocket change/cell phone etc.

5. Wish there is a "bra" available

6. Sun viser is a little clumsy-a longer one would be better.

7. Xm radio etc could have been under an optional setting. I have no use for them.

8. An electronic trip odometer reset instead of the old fashioned reset.

9. A bottle ot touch up paint would have been nice.

10. It is difficult to see the homelink buttons in the night (when you arrive home to open the garage door)

What cup holders? Do you mean the stupid insert spacer thing below the center armrest? Or the bottle holders in the fron door panels that hold nothing?

Also looking for a place to put my iPhone... NOT on the passenger seat or dash...

I agree with you on all of your points.

I've owned my HS since Nov 09 and I 100% agree with all of the above.

Let me add a couple more improvements:

1. Change the EV mode to allow a higher speed, up to 35mp, and allow the mode to be used in a lower battery capacity. My HS kicks out of EV mode when the battery capacity drops below 3/4 charged (dumb, dump, dumb). BTW, this should be a software fix for the 2010 models.

2. Make absolutely sure that all of the future models use lithium battery and are "plug-in" hybrids. Mid 30ties MPG is not acceptable for a sedan built as a Hybrid only model. It should match, or come very close to matching, the Prius MPG rating.

I'm a new owner of a Premium HS250h with a Nav system, as of a few days ago. I've only driven the vehicle on a few short trips. I haven't owned nor driven a Prius but I did a 1000 mile trip in a Hybrid Camry so I have a little experience with a hybrid. I've owned a 97 ES300 since new.

I agree with almost all of MDLexus' comments. The vehicle is noisier than my ES300, both on the street and highway. I think the higher speed road noise comes from the 18" tires but the lower speed noise comes from the powertrain. There's a major whine from the motor when the vehicle comes to a stop. Lexus should have put more sound insulation between the drive machinery and the cabin. If noise is an issue I would probably pass on the HS.

Other comments: The HS cabin is not as nice as the ES350. If there was a hybrid version of the ES350 I would have bought it instead of the HS. This purchase was primarily for my wife. She originally wanted the RX400h but decided to stay with a sedan. So, the choice was to get a new ES or the HS. We went with the HS primarily for the hybrid technology. But, after owning this car for nearly a week, the ES would have been a better choice. I hope Lexus puts more emphasis in making the future version of the HS ride like an ES. Can't comment on the mileage yet because we've barely used a quarter tank so far. I'll post some numbers after we go through a couple of tanks.

I know I'm a newbie here, but I wanted to share the experience. I have done a lot of research on the HS250h and had intended to try and get some information from owners on this forum before getting serious about it. That WAS my original motivation; however, things have changed.

Last night, I had a chance to drive a new Premium model HS250h in Maryland. It was a non-NAV system with few of the real high tech toys on it. I would have preferred to see one with the Tech Package.

BOTTOM LINE: Very unimpressive ride, limited trunk space and a real disappointing rear seat.

Yes, despite how great this car looked on paper, the real thing was underwhelming. For starters, I had also driven a 2010 Prius and had something to compare it to. Of course, having driven an RX300 for many years, it was a bit of a "Come Down" in luxury and ride.

The rear seat is only adequate for 4 people. Sitting in the center of the rear seat (e.g. as a 5th person) meant that your back was flush against the raised armrest -- and it is extremely HARD and uncomfortable. You would not want to take this car for a long trip and try to be the 5th person, child or adult.

The road noise was very much higher than an RX and the noise was noticeable. Such a shame in a car that had so much promise. It's more than just tire noise, the car needs insulation.

The trunk, while advertised to be pretty large and able to hold two sets of golf clubs or more, isn't all that large. Unless you have suitcases that are long and slender like golf bags, you're going to notice htis trunk isn't as big as you may need.

It's a beautiful piece of technology, but just falls short of the Lexus standard IMHO. Now it's time to rethink. Decided not to purchase one.

Just want to share this with you all so you make sure to test drive before placing a deposit. Caveat Emptor from a disappointed Lexus Owner.