2009 Lexus GS 450h 4-door Sedan

Lexus established some decidedly lofty benchmarks when it set out to create the world's first hybrid luxury sport sedan. Beyond a suitably generous load of comfort and convenience features, this rear-drive mid-size four-door was charged with providing the performance of a vehicle with a 4.5-liter V8 engine while turning out 80 percent lower emissions, operating ultra-quietly in full-electric mode, delivering all the expected levels of luxury and still possessing the requisite amount of enthusiast-grade handling behavior. Launched as a 2007 model and given a slight freshening in 2008, the 2009 GS 450h does a first-class job of meeting all of those criteria with few compromises. While owning its specific sub-segment outright, the GS 450h also faces off against many of the same players as its GS 460 kin, namely up-line versions of the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Infiniti M and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

You'll Like This Car If...	You May Not Like This Car If...
If you love everything about the comfort, quality and prestige of owning a Lexus but want to go the extra mile when it comes to performance, technology and environmental awareness, the GS 450h is for you.	Anyone concerned about dabbling in new technology – particularly the kind that commences on the side of $57,000 – might feel more comfortable in a conventional alternative like the equally sporty GS 460. Dual-mode battery packaging demands also slice the GS 450h's trunk capacity to little more than half that of the gasoline-powered GS 460.

The Lexus GS 450h sees no major changes for 2009.