You'll never guess in which category the GS 450h competed in the 2007 AJAC Car of the Year program. Would you believe: Performance Car?
No, it wasn't the fastest car, in a group that also included the Audi RS4, the Mustang Shelby GT500 and the BMW M Coupe -- but it was fast enough to justify being there.
The point being, the GS 450h represents a new direction for gasoline-electric hybrid technology. It's not just about squeaky-clean emissions and frugal fuel economy. Size the gas engine and the electric motor right, and those virtues can be combined with serious speed.
In the GS's case, the gas engine is a 292-hp version of the 3.5-litre V6 from the conventional GS 350. The electric motor is a 650V DC piece, rated at 197 hp (between 5,615 and 13,000 rpm) and 203 lb-ft of torque (between 0 and 2,840 rpm).
This combination can produce up to 339 hp (more than the gas-V8 GS 430) and great gobs of torque, which it dispatches to the rear wheels through a CVT transmission.
At the track, we're talking 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds and 80-120 in 4.5 -- both almost identical to a V10-engined Audi S8. On the road this translates into great swelling surges of acceleration that are as astonishing for their relative silence, as their speed. Plus, real-world fuel economy of about 9 L/100 km.
Have cake. Eat cake. Still have cake.
Muscle-sedan speed and a clean conscience
Usual hybrid concerns about battery life, cost, etc.