2013 Lexus GS 450h First Test - MotorTrend Magazine
While V-8s and luxury sedans are a vintage union, there's been a divorce with the new GS. Further evidence of the auto industry's pervasive powertrain downsizing trend, the new, 338-horsepower GS 450h has replaced the V-8-powered, 342-hp GS 460... The GS 450h has been fitted with much of the latest technological wizardry of the Toyota empire, starting with the second-gen version of Lexus Hybrid Drive. Increasing engine efficiency plays a hefty role in improving fuel economy from a humdrum 22/25 mpg city/highway on the '11 model to a that's-more-like-it 29/34 mpg city/highway on the 2013 GS 450h (up 33 percent combined mpg). A 200-hp motor handles the glamorous tractive and regenerative braking responsibilities, whereas a secondary 180-hp motor acts as a generator, engine starter, and engine speed controller. Lexus won't divulge the torque output of each motor, claiming the hybrid-averse individuals of the world just combine engine and motor torque into one erroneous figure, and that's not how these specs add up. (The same can be said for hp as well,... Source: www.motortrend.com
