First impression: 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid

At a recent New York introduction, Consumer Reports Senior Auto Test Engineer Gabe Shenhar and I had a chance to drive the new Lexus HS 250h hybrid, the brand’s first four-cylinder model. It’s designed for hybrid buyers who want a little more luxury without giving up great fuel economy. And for entry-level luxury car buyers who want a car with better fuel economy. So far, the HS is in a class of its own.

We drove two of the front-drive sedans about 40 miles, and thought we’d share some early impressions from our hands-on experience. (For a full preview, see the Lexus HS 250h report from the New York auto show.) First, the HS 250h is available with just about every whiz-bang new electronic feature on the market, including laser-guided cruise-control, forward and rear-view monitors, lane departure warning with steering assist, and a heads-up display.

Behind the wheel
Gabe and I found the ride rather stiff—especially for a car wearing a Lexus badge. Handling is OK, but the HS 250h is not particularly agile. Engine noise can be relatively pronounced for a luxury car.

Inside, the HS 250h feels narrow, with the back seat being especially tight. The second row struck us as being roomier than the Lexus IS rear seat, but not as spacious as the more accommodating Prius. Trunk space is compromised by the batteries. Adding green appeal, the interior uses organic fabrics on the seats that make a passable imitation of leather, and organic materials are also found in the carpet and dashboard.

Lexus says their customer research shows that 60 percent of hybrid buyers also own a luxury car, and 60 percent of luxury car owners express an interest in buying a hybrid. In addition to Lexus’s current performance-focused hybrids that are quick but yield only moderate economy gains, the HS 250h will soon give those buyers a thriftier alternative. Over a 9-mile city-loop driving route, we averaged fuel economy in the high 30 mpg range, according to the trip computer. EPA figures are 35/34/35 city/highway/overall.

To be offered exclusively as a hybrid, the HS 250h will go on sale at the end of August. We’ll buy one for our full test program shortly thereafter, and then we’ll see how the HS 250h really stacks up. 

—Eric Evarts

Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section

CitiCAT compressed-air car coming to U.S.

With all the talk about upcoming battery-powered and fuel-cell electric cars, it’s easy to overlook the air car. That’s right, air car.

Now Popular Mechanics reports that a car that runs on compressed air will come to the United States for 2010. Unlike other air-car models being designed for Europe and India, the United States will get a six-passenger, vanlike model called the CitiCAT. Zero Pollution Motors, based in New Paltz, NY, says it will produce up to 10,000 of the models at several plants in the States.

Its specially-designed piston engine will run on either compressed air stored in an onboard tank, or, after the air pressure runs out, on gasoline or ethanol. The car will reportedly have about an eight gallon tank for liquid fuel, which will give the car a range between 800 and 1,000 miles.

It will cost just under $18,000.

We’ll believe it when we drive it—and we just might for the Automotive X Prize competition. Until then, imminent production intent could be just hot air.

—Eric Evarts

Luxury hybrids - Can they Fit all sizes?

A close friend of mine loves to drive his in-law’s Honda Fit. No, not because of the performance – his Porsche Boxster S is more than a bit quicker and nimble. What he likes about the Fit is its amazing cargo room. He brags about putting his road bike, sans front wheel, upright in the Fit’s cargo area with the seats folded flat. He cites the storage capacity and good mileage as big pluses.

But he’s an upmarket type of guy, willing to spend a little extra for niceties. He claims that he’d be the first on the list if Acura had a version of the Fit, a concept similar to how the Canadian Acura CSX sedan relates to the Honda Civic. A spruced-up interior, high-tech features, Civic Si motor, and a six-speed manual or automatic would do the trick, he says. But the pricing couldn’t work. This Acura Fit would be too expensive for the fuel-sipping crowd, and probably still to small or crude for the traditional upmarket Acura buyers. (For discussion, the Acura CSX base price translates to $25,462.)

But what about a hybrid version for Acura?

Automotive News reported on May 27 that, according to the Nikkei business daily, Honda is going to bring out a gasoline-electric hybrid Fit by fall 2010. This would be one of the three hybrid vehicles Honda plans to launch by 2012. The report didn’t indicate which markets will receive the hybrid Fit.

But if you put hybrid batteries into a Fit, would it still have the cargo utility that my buddy loves? After all, you still need the under-the-front-seat gas tank. There are always trade offs...

As Toyota is introducing small and efficient hybrids to the luxury market this year with the Lexus HS 250, Honda could enter the market with a Fit-based Acura hybrid. The premium paid by luxury buyers might offset the hybrid costs, and the weight that comes with making the Fit more luxurious could be countered by the hybrid powerplant. Fuel economy wouldn’t necessarily plummet with the addition of leather seats, more sound deadening, and other Acura-like touches. If it doesn’t happen with the Fit, rest assured, other models will take this approach as all automakers struggle to meet the more stringent 2016 fuel economy standards.

Perhaps my buddy should start finding some room in the driveway.

—Jon Linkov

From the logbook: Mercury Mariner Hybrid

Even amid the bad news from Detroit, Ford seems to be on a roll. Its Fusion line is garnering much praise these days, the company has avoided any talk of bankruptcy, and its products have done very well in CR’s reliability surveys.

We’ve recently written about the possibility of the price of fuel rising, which might prompt some new-car buyers to seek out more fuel-efficient transportation.

Our Mercury Mariner Hybrid (twin to the Ford Escape Hybrid) gets the best fuel economy of any SUV we’ve tested (26 mpg overall). It also has lots of interior room, easy access, and good visibility. But our fully loaded Mariner  cost us $36,000; it was the only configuration we could find in dealers late last year. It included a moon roof, as well as a navigation system (part of the Premium Package that also gets you heated leather seats, premium sound, etc.). Bypass the Premium option, saving you $3,595, and you can get into one for a more reasonable $33,000.

What’s it like to live with day-to-day, bearing in mind that we are critics? And is the high price worth all its “greenness?” Take a peak at comments from our tester’s logbook:

“Adequate power – can go up to 40 mph on electric power alone on a flat road.”
 
“Engine is loud when accelerating hard but much more civilized than before.”
 
“Ride is rough.”
 
“Navigation system has nice features and the voice-recognition works well.”
 
“Touch screen’s letters and numbers are too small to enter addresses and select options.”
 
“Flat [front] seat isn’t very comfortable…manual recline and telescope steering wheel is absurd at $36,000.”
 
“Rear passengers complained that the seats were uncomfortable after a few hours.”
 
“Cheap interior.”
 
“Rear hatch takes more than one slam to close.”
 
“Clever drivetrain looking for a more modern vehicle.”

So while some question the Hybrid’s value, all agree that the technology is successful. We look forward to measuring the fuel economy of our next Ford hybrid – the Fusion, which many of us like much better.

Read our full Mercury Mariner Hybrid road test, ratings, and other information on the model overview, available to online subscribers.

—Mike Quincy

Hyperest-miling: 1,445 miles on a tank of gas in a Ford Fusion Hybrid

In late April Ford set out to prove that the new Fusion Hybrid could travel 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas. The driving team of engineers, a hypermiling advocate, and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards actually broke that mark and kept going – all the way to 1,445 miles before electric power and fuel were fully depleted, for an overall average of 81.5 mpg according to Ford.

 The 69-straight hours of driving took place over a loop of public roads in Northern Virginia, using the George Washington Parkway as their proving ground. This loop included open roads, as well as stop-and-go traffic through downtown Alexandria, Virginia.

Having lived in that area, I know how both the traffic speed and density vary greatly along that route. So I spoke with Jay Ward from Ford with a few questions about the trip. He told me that they specifically chose a weekend, with its lighter traffic, to run the trail, but that they went much further than they thought they would and, consequently, ended up driving during weekday rush-hour traffic.

According to Jay, the average speed on the entire trip worked out to about 25 mph, although on the northern loop of the GW Parkway they drove around 35-40 mph to keep up with traffic. They were actually stopped by the police – for going too slowly! Each driver was instructed to drive with safety in mind before mileage. And high-visibility graphics were applied to the rear of the car for nighttime use.

They didn’t drive in any sort of caravan to block traffic or aid aerodynamics, and drove in a “convoy” only when photos or videos were shot. Still, they received their share of honks from other drivers who wanted to go faster.

Still, what does this mean for the consumer? Well, hypermiling certainly works, but safely keeping up with traffic flow is more important than absolute mileage. (Read our tips on how to improve the mileage on every car you drive.)

Consumer Reports has purchased a new Fusion Hybrid and it has racked up over 2,000 break-in miles. So far, we’re really impressed at its ability to combine an enjoyable driving experience with high fuel economy in a roomy family sedan. Even at “normal” speeds, we’ve seen over 600-mile cruising ranges on some trips. We’re marveling at the over 35 mpg we routinely experience in our commutes.

That said, whether it can best the overall fuel economy (including our city, highway, and trip test cycles) of its competitors, such as the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry hybrids, remains to be seen. And perhaps we’ll stock up on the caffeinated drinks and do our own “run until empty” challenge. So if you spot a slow moving Fusion Hybrid somewhere in Southeastern Connecticut, near our 327-acre test facility, please don’t honk.

Also read: "Ford Fusion – The best car you don’t know about."

—Jon Linkov

Pricing: 2010 Lexus RX 450h

The all-new 2010 Lexus RX 450h hybrid will start at $41,660 for the front-wheel drive version and $43,250 for all-wheel drive, plus $875 for destination charges. This is a slight decrease in the price from the previous RX400h, which started at $42,080 and $43,480 for FWD and AWD, respectively.

The new RX hybrid will have an updated hybrid system with a 3.5-liter, V6 Atkinson-cycle engine producing 295 hp, which is 27 hp more than the outgoing version. Fuel economy is improved over its predecessor with Toyota claiming a 16-20 percent increase. EPA estimates are 32 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined for the FWD version and 30/28/29 for the AWD.

The RX is equipped with 10 standard air bags, which include front-knee, front-side seat-mounted, side-curtain, rear-side and knee-air bags. Other safety features include standard stability control, ABS, traction control and hill assist, which helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling back on an incline. Adaptive front lighting, a pre-collision system, and dynamic cruise control are also available.

The previous RX hybrid is one of our top-rated midsized SUVs and one of our most fuel-efficient, as well.

The Lexus RX 450h will be available this summer.

—Liza Barth

Here come the plug-in cars

It’s becoming clearer that the car of the future will be electrified, as we’ve noted in our posting about the “Future of the Car” panel at the New York International Auto Show. And the so-called car of the near future will be a plug-in hybrid. More specifically, the evidence is mounting that it will be what’s becoming to be known as an extended range electric vehicle (E-REV) where the engine only charges the battery pack and is not even linked to the wheels. Such cars have been proposed since the mid-1990s by at least two groups, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis.

When I first started covering this industry in the mid 1990s, RMI founder Amory Lovins said that real innovation toward more efficient cars like this would likely come from California rather than from the traditional auto industry

Today, that prediction has never looked so true, with at least five companies having shown prototypes of series plug-in hybrids that they say will be on the market starting late next year. Three of the companies are in California, one is a traditional automaker, and one is an offshoot of Lovins’ own RMI, incubated recently in Indiana.

Highlights from the plug-in cars of tomorrow:

Bright Automotive, the RMI spinoff, unveiled its series plug-in, the Idea, in Washington, D.C. Whether the Bright Idea will be as game-changing as its name implies remains to be seen. (For fun, read “Small car brain drain” about such names.) The vehicle is a small van, similar to the Ford Transit Connect. Bright says it will make extensive use of aluminum, composite materials, and lightweight systems. Bright claims it will have a 30-mile electric range when the Idea is launched in 2013. As we understand it, the Bright Idea prototype was driveable. 

The Chevrolet Volt is the most famous plug-in series hybrid (or “range extended electric vehicle, as General Motors wants us to call it). GM says the Volt will have a 40-mile electric range and will go on sale in November 2010.

Henrik Fisker, a former designer for Aston Martin and BMW, is trying to beat the Volt to market by contracting out manufacturing and engineering work and using a gas engine supplied by General Motors. The $80,000 Karma luxury sedan is scheduled to debut next summer.

Tesla Motors, famous for its all-electric Roadster, also plans to sell a plug-in hybrid luxury sedan, called the Model S, starting in 2010. Tesla, founded by PayPal billionaire Elon Musk, has been struggling to raise enough funding to build its own factory for the Model S.

In California, another new startup called Aptera plans to sell hybrid version of its small electric two-seat commuter in 2011. So far, plans for the electric version, called the 2e, have been delayed.

In sheer numbers, these cars won’t take the world by storm, being produced in quantities of around 10,000 or less (up to 30,000 for the Bright Idea.) But if they all succeed, they could sell as many as 100,000 units combined or about the number of Toyota Highlanders or Chevrolet Tahoes sold in a year. As a start, that might be what it takes to move the needle and make consumers notice.

—Eric Evarts

Earth Day: Making greener automotive choices

In the automotive world there are a number of ways to make greener choices. The most notable is to drive a more fuel-efficient car or SUV. Manual transmission vehicles can also save gas and money, although finding models with manual shifts gets tougher everyday--they simply don’t sell in the numbers they used to.

Hybrid vehicles typically deliver the highest fuel economy numbers in their class and there are a number of new models hitting the market, including the new 2010 Toyota Prius, which the company expects to get 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway, the Honda Insight, (40 mpg city/43 mpg highway), and the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, which both have an EPA estimated 41 mpg city/36 mpg highway. We have not yet run our own real world fuel economy tests in these vehicles to confirm these numbers, however. To see how Consumer Reports tests fuel economy, see our video. Compare fuel economy on all vehicles tested with our new car selector.

Other alternate fuel vehicles racing to the market include plug-in hybrids such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt and a number of electric vehicles.

Besides buying a new vehicle, how you drive your current car can also help save gas by avoiding unnecessary drag, driving smoothly, and at moderate speeds. Car pooling and taking mass transit are other options.

For more suggestions on how to live more green, visit Consumer Union's Web site Greenerchoices.org and our Earth Day special section. For more tips on saving fuel and alternative fuels, see our Green car guide.

—Liza Barth

Earth Day: Future panel says electric cars are inevitable

We’ve seen the future of the car, and at least some of them are electric.

That was the conclusion of a panel discussion about on The Future of the Automobile at the New York International Auto Show. The discussion was interesting, and the highlights seem relevant on Earth Day.

The three-member panel, presented by Newsweek magazine, included Henrik Fisker, the man behind the luxury plug-in hybrid planned for early next year; Lou Rhodes, head of advanced vehicle development at Chrysler, and head of the company’s electric vehicle program; and Kevin Smith, editorial director at Edmunds.com.

The highlights:

• As many as half the cars sold in 2020 will be electric cars, hybrids, or plug-in hybrids.
• Since the other half (at least) will not be, it is important to continue to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
• Automakers are improving the efficiency of gas engines by one- to two percent a year. This will not be enough to meet upcoming fuel economy and carbon emissions standards.
• These upcoming electrified cars won’t be boring. It’s human nature for people to make purchase decisions based on emotion, rather than logic. So automakers will have to find ways to make the cars fun and/or good looking.
• Electric cars will help automakers create more interesting designs. The car companies will be freed from the packaging constraints of traditional internal-combustion engine power trains. New flat battery packs can go under the floor, electric motors are small, and other components can be placed most anywhere.
• The electric cars showing up at auto shows today don’t have many of these advantages, because they’re based on existing cars to keep production costs down.
• Batteries are still much too expensive and have limited longevity. While engineers are working on these issues, costs will not come down significantly until enough electric cars are sold to bring greater efficiencies from mass production.
• Since the gasoline engine in plug-in hybrids (in which only the electric motor is attached to the wheels) only acts as a generator, they don’t need advanced technology and should be much cheaper than the engines available today. (Fisker said he’s looking to spend $500-800 wholesale, on gasoline engines for upcoming plug-in hybrid models.)
• The future of cars with 7.0-liter V8 engines will be in museums.

These plausible predictions suggest the near future will be an interesting, and maybe even electrifying, time in the auto industry.

—Eric Evarts

Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section

 

Unveiled: 48-mpg Kia Soul Hybrid

Kia took the wraps off its Soul Hybrid at the Shanghai Auto Show (shown here). The car shown is said to look much the same as the concept unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, which had a 1.6-liter gasoline engine matched with a 20-horsepower electric motor and continuously-variable (CVT) transmission. A conventional hood replaces the transparent one shown in Paris, leading some to speculate the Shanghai car might be production-ready, or close to it. Kia claims fuel mileage will be in the 48 mpg range, aided by regenerative braking, automatic engine shut down, and restart at traffic lights. Despite online rumors to the contrary, a Kia spokesman said there are no current plans to sell the Soul Hybrid in the United States.

Read our Kia Soul preview.

—Jim Travers