2007 Lexus GS Sedan

Lexus engineers had several goals for the industry's first high-performance hybrid rear-wheel-drive sedan. First was to deliver the performance of a modern 4.5-liter V8 with the fuel economy of a 2.0-liter engine with four cylinders. Second, the emissions were to be 80-percent cleaner than those of an average car. Third, the noise level during electric-mode operation was to be one-half of that during normal engine operation, a goal achievable due to redesigned fans and motors. And, finally, the acceleration from zero to 60 mph was to be as quick as a Porsche 911 with a Tiptronic transmission. By all accounts, the engineers were successful. The notion of using the attributes of a hybrid powertrain to achieve exemplary performance in a rear-wheel drive, luxury sports sedan can be expected to cause quite a stir, and we found that the GS 450h lives up to its promise. It delivers a big dose of performance, it's quiet, it's as comfortable as you would expect of a Lexus and it has all the environmentally friendly qualities for which people buy hybrids.