While Toyota hybrids are all about gas mileage, Lexus hybrids are all about performance, although it's a warm, responsible kind of performance rather than the head-banging AMG variety.
Lexus claims it has the first rear-drive hybrid (note the designation "h" in GS 450h for the company's growing line of hybrids), combining the port- and direct-fuel-injected 2GR FSE 3.5-liter V-6 with two motor generators and a hybrid battery pack for a combined 339 peak horsepower. It runs 0-to-60 mph in 5.2 seconds. Okay, that's not quite CLS55 territory, but it's V-8 power at 28 mpg, plus SULEV/ Tier 2/Bin 3 tailpipe emissions.
The GS 450h features a two-speed torque-reduction system and a longitudinal hybrid transmission, a 291-pound techno-wonder as compact as the Prius's transmission. Motor Generator 1, rated at 180 horsepower, is the primary generator and engine starter and controls the engine speed; Motor Generator 2, rated at 197 horsepower, drives the rear wheels and manages regenerative braking. The GS 450h can accelerate to 40 mph without the engine, making it a combo sport sedan/golf cart. Transitions are seamless, with none of the driveline jerk that often happens when the engine kicks in on other hybrid cars.
A battery-power meter replaces the tachometer, so you'll aim for optimum recharge instead of the redline. But draining the battery is satisfying. Passing from 50 to 100 mph (when you meant to level at 80) is the car's strong suit, with the exhaust sounding like an engine growl meeting an upshifting Waring blender. An alphabet soup of stability controls prevents smoky burnout launches and nine-tenths cornering, but the battery pack changes the car's weight distribution to 51/49, so it corners flat even without optional electronically adjusting anti-roll bars.
This is the essence of Lexus performance: a well-equipped sedan with high-tech power instead of big-bore muscle. Lexus will sell just 2000 a year in the U.S.--AMG-model numbers, but the desire for quality performance could push demand much higher.