Lexus GS450h 2006 review: road test

The $121,990 car includes radar active cruise control, adaptive variable suspension (the driver can set normal or sport), a vehicle dynamic management system, 10 airbags, electronic chromatic instrument panels, rear view camera, parking sonars, DVD satellite navigation, customised interior lighting, dual-zone climate control and 14-speaker – yes, 14 – Mark Levinson premium sound system.

It also has the smart entry and start: the car automatically unlocks when the driver grabs the door handle and allows a press-button start by detecting the "key" being carried by the driver.

The GS450h has all the features of the luxury version of the GS300 and GS430 petrol-only models with which it shares the bodywork. The vehicle dynamic management system until now was available only on the GS430. Lexus does not want potential buyers to have any excuse not to select the 450h hybrid.

Explore the 2006 Lexus GS range

• Lexus GS450h 2006 review: first drive
• Lexus GS450h 2006 review: road test
• Lexus GS450h 2006 review
• Lexus GS450h 2006 review: snap shot

The GS450h is the first Lexus hybrid to be released in Australia, although Lexus is part of the Toyota family which has the world's biggest-selling hybrid car, the Prius. Lexus says hybrid versions of its all-wheel-drive SUV wagon, the RX400h, and its flagship sedan, LS600h, also are on the way.

The GS450h has a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and a 650V electric motor. The electric motor has 147kW power – more than many petrol engines in medium-size cars. Power is not the sum of the electric and the petrol engines' respective maxima, but works out at a total of 254kW.

This power is more than the petrol engine siblings in the range yet it has 31 per cent better fuel economy than the GS430 and 19 per cent better than the GS300. Standard tests show just 7.9 litres/100km for the hybrid.

The GS450h runs a constantly variable automatic transmission.

Small Torque

Hybrid activity

FOR gentle start-offs, only the electric motor is used. When more power is needed, the petrol engine joins in. The battery provides more power to the electric motor if extra acceleration is needed. When decelerating, a regenerative braking system gathers energy usually lost in braking and converts it to electricity to be stored in the battery. The engine switches off when the car is stationary.

Dot points

ALL Lexus GS450h models will have vehicle identification numbers printed on 5000 Data Dot micro identification dots sprayed on to strategic spots on the vehicle. Each the size of a grain of sand, they can be read by special lighting. Data Dots are a theft deterrent and help lower insurance premiums.