Goodbye Mondeo man, hello Lexus lad

With the Germans on top in the luxury saloon car market, Lexus may have a new hybrid that challenges its rivals

The Germans have reaped the rewards of focusing on lowering carbon emissions. With the advent of the emissions-based tax regime in July 2008, many BMWs actually dropped in price, with 5-Series owners now paying as little as €160 a year in motor tax. A model that was once the preserve of the boardroom has become a middle manager’s fleet car. The 5-Series is now BMW’s best-selling model, outselling the likes of the Opel Insignia, Renault Clio and even the Ford Mondeo. In recessionary Ireland, “Mondeo man” has been usurped by “520d driver”.

So what does all this mean for Lexus? Well, there’s a volume race on amongst the premium German brands, and that undoubtedly impacts on the premium prestige of the brands. At the executive level, image is vitally important. The boardroom bosses don’t particularly like to see their staff driving the same cars as them.

Lexus embraced hybrid to an even greater extent than its mainstream parent, Toyota. In the US, where it excels, the brand has achieved remarkably strong sales, particularly given that US motorists are still wary about diesels. In Europe, however, diesel is king in the executive market and so Lexus has suffered. Yet in a way it has given Lexus a niche premium status.

The new GS450h is something of a star in this regard. It can’t really compete with the volume premium variants on price, but what it offers is the high-end performance of a V8 with the relatively impressive fuel economy of a much smaller engine – and all at a mid-range executive price.

In terms of looks, the new car builds on the sleek lines of the previous generation but adds more aggressive lines. When Lexus first revealed photos of the new-look GS, we baulked at the big grille, but in the metal the car looks far sleeker and the grille less austere. It’s smart, sleek and executive.

The cabin has been improved as well, and while there is not much to talk about in the rear, up front the new crystal-sharp video screen and controls are intuitive, even the point-and-click mouse-like control – what Lexus calls its remote touch interface – on the central console. Opt for the range-topping premium pack and you get a massive 12.3-inch LED screen. In the context of a car cabin it’s like having a 40-inch flatscreen TV. The Premium grade also boosts the sound system from the standard 12-speaker layout to a 17-speaker Mark Levinson system. It’s the drive-in movie theatre – only you don’t leave your car park.

In its larger cars Lexus has always tipped more towards luxury than its rivals, and the new GS continues this trend with a fit and finish that would not look out of place in a top-end luxury model. There’s room enough for three adults in the back, and the big boon of this generation’s hybrid GS is that the car finally has a boot. The last generation suffered under the space requirements of the battery pack, which took up an inordinate amount of bootspace. Thankfully the battery is now stored vertically behind the rear seat and the car now boasts a 465-litre boot – not a class leader by any means but 55 per cent bigger than before. Golfing GS buyers can rest easy.