2009 Lexus GS 450h - CNET News
Our perfect power train combines high performance with excellent fuel economy, an ideal that the 2009 Lexus GS 450h comes the closest of any car we've seen to delivering. As much as BMW or Mercedes-Benz might tweak conventional internal combustion engines to achieve similar numbers, the GS 450h gains its lead through its hybrid gas-electric power train. The first thing we noticed when the 2009 Lexus GS 450h appeared in our garage was that the cabin tech hadn't been updated from the initial GS model launch in 2005. Lexus had a really good navigation and stereo system back then, but times have... Having gotten used to seeing traffic flow information, thereby knowing which routes to avoid, we felt a little blind rolling out in the GS 450h. Likewise, audio sources are limited in the GS 450h, even with the upgraded Mark Levinson audio system. Typical of Lexus hybrids, pushing the start button (the smart key sitting untouched in our pocket) produced lights on the instrument cluster but no sound from the engine. The GS 450h's cabin is nicely sound-deadened, but not so much as to hide the roar of its 3. 5-liter V-6 engine coming to life. For now, the big GS 450h rolled out of our garage under electric power. Source: www.cnet.com
