2009 Lexus GS 450h Sedan

Hot performance hybrid

By Nina Russin

2009 Lexus GS 450h

Some hybrids are green; others are candy apple. The Lexus GS 450h sedan is a candy apple red hybrid: utilizing electric motors to boost power rather than fuel economy.

The hybrid powertrain includes a gasoline engine and two electric motors: one that controls engine speed, and the other which drives the rear wheels. Together the electric motors give the 3.5-liter V-6 the power of a 4.5-liter V8. It’s hard to argue with a five-second, zero-to-sixty acceleration time.

Because electric motors develop peak torque at very low speeds, the GS 450h is the king of the entrance ramp. Very few cars will beat it off the line, or in the 30-to-50 mile-per-hour acceleration range. Read the rest of this entry »