27-05-2006 14:27
The new Lexus GS 450h introduces hybrid power to the premium executive saloon market, a car that delivers exceptional performance to rival its conventional V8 competition, together with fuel economy and low emissions levels that yield equally powerful cost of ownership benefits.
Using the latest development of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system, the GS 450h follows the RX 400h luxury SUV in giving drivers a technically advanced but thoroughly practical and rational alternative to the high power petrol and diesel models that dominate the premium segment.
The GS 450h can accelerate from nought to 62mph in 5.9 seconds and from 50 to 75mph in 4.9 seconds, maintaining linear acceleration all the way on to a top speed of 155mph, with none of the typical ‘jumps’ between gears experienced in a conventional drivetrain.
At the same time, the GS 450h returns 35.8mpg in combined cycle driving, fuel consumption that is on a par with C-segment petrol cars.
To aid drivers in keeping it’s 314bhp under control, the Electric Power Steering (EPS) incorporates Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS), which alters the steering gear ratio according to vehicle speed. This gives minimal steering effort at low speeds, with improved feel and feedback as speed increases. The VGRS system is linked to the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) and Lexus’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system, helping maintain stability and increasing driver enjoyment up the limit of the car’s performance capabilities.
Should you find yourself out of control, The GS 450h is also equipped with the latest generation of Lexus’s Vehicle Integrated Dynamics Management (VDIM), which co-ordinates the ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with the Active Variable Suspension (AVS), Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) to improve vehicle stability and handling, up to its performance limits.
And if all that fails to get cruising safely, SE-L versions of the GS 450h feature Lexus’s Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system, which primes the front seatbelts and emergency braking when an unavoidable frontal collision is detected. This works in tandem with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which automatically matches the speed of the GS 450h to that of the vehicle ahead, maintaining a safe distance.
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