Plus, the amazing Lexus model that will never appear on our shores... sob sob!
For those of you like me who love to browse around the Lexus showroom in KL (dreaming of the day you get the shiny new keys to your brand new car) and then, in the midst of wondering what a Lexus showroom in Japan looks like, boy do we have a treat for you.
A reader from Japan recently sent me these awesome pictures of the Lexus Yokohamatotsuka showroom in Japan. The name itself implies the showroom is located in the Yokohama Prefecture, less than an hour south of Tokyo.
Having visited a few Lexus showrooms here myself, but never one in Japan - the home country of Lexus, I'm very grateful for the chance to see how things are done differently in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The whole point of a showroom is to create an ambiance befitting the marque's brand identity. In that sense, the hallway of Lexus Yokohamatotsuka is more like the lobby of a hotel: Airy, spacious, modern. The space is designed with visual minimalism to that helps to relax, unwind and de-clutter the mind while it explores the striking models on the showroom floor.
Among the models doing the stationary catwalk on the front were the Lexus IS 300h (I've driven this and really liked it), the Lexus GS 350 (haven't driven this but really like it) and the Lexus RX 350 (driven this and liked it a lot).
But it's what was on the side that intrigued me most: A Lexus I've never seen before, the hybrid that is a best-seller in Japan but will never see the light of day in Malaysia. The Lexus HS 250h. From what I understand, this was also sold in the US of A but was discontinued in May 2012 due to adverse economic conditions that in turn affected market response of the Lexus HS 250h. Then in 2011 came the Lexus CT 200h, and then all interest in the Lexus HS 250h waned. Which is a pity, because this is quite an amazing car.
It uses a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder petrol mill mated to an electric motor for a combined output of 187 bhp. 0-60mph is accomplished in a refined, hushed and tree-hugging 8.4 seconds. That's not going to set land speed records, but hey, if you look at it from the other side, you don't get a Bugatti Veyron to be kind to the planet, do you? It's all about what the car was purpose-built for, what the engineers' brief was, and making a car to meet that target.
So why do I say it's amazing? Because while the official fuel economy is rated at 35 mpg, one driver discovered he could bring it up to 85 mpg. That's 2.4 times over Lexus' official economy figures!
Inside, Lexus' hallmarks of luxury and elegance are seen across the cabin. This car cannot be optioned in fabric seats. Leather seats come standard, and are wide and supportive, making mince out of long-distance driving. Also standard are dual-zone climate controls, tilting and telescoping steering wheels and power tilt, electronic parking brake and slide moonroof.
It doesn't end there either. Also standard is a 10-speaker sound system with a six-CD changer. Bluetooth? Standard too. A Lexus isn't a Lexus without the bells and whistles, is it, and the Lexus HS 250h certainly cuts the mustard.
With so much thrown in as courtesy, what can you option the Lexus HS 250h with? Well, how about a banging Mark Levinson sound system to put the hair at the back of your neck standing on its end? You can also get the Remote Touch, seen below, which makes it easier to scroll through the car's media and setting pages. And if you want to really impress your friends, go for the Heads Up Display that projects the car's speed and audio system status onto the windshield in your natural line-of-sight, so you when you hear David Bowie playing, you know it's time to pump up the volume without taking your eyes off the road.
The other noteworthy thing about the Lexus HS 250h is that, at the end of the vehicle's life, 85 per cent of the materials (plastics, metals, compounds and rubbers) are recyclable! Green drivers will no doubt bask in its strong eco credentials knowing that the bulk of the car will be re-purposed in other forms to contribute to a cleaner environment, instead of merely being crushed to a pulp and dumped inside a landfill. Good job with the choice of materials, Lexus!
In Japan, the Lexus HS 250h retails for JPY 4,955,080 (RM175,226 before taxes). If the government is so kind to lift the duties on hybrid cars again, would you consider this? Hell, I would!
In my next article, Part 2 of pictures from Lexus Yokohamatotsuka, I discover there's yet another stunning Lexus model in the showroom, one that borrows technology from the manufacturing of a Lexus LFA. So do check it out!
140-4, Kagetori-cho
Totsuka-ku
Yokohama-shi
Tel: +8145-853 2811
Cheers!
All Lexus
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