0930 to 1815 is quite a while to spend with any car when it is uninterrupted by anything other than bathroom stops and a single gas fill-up.
During a continuous time such as this, one becomes familiar with those elements of a car that bring comfort or angst to one's car purchase decision.
Comfort items -
The HS250 is a breeze to see out of. Glass everywhere, allows for a clear view of hazards in all directions.
Once mastered, the entertainment system works reasonably well. The iPod interface is a touch weird - if the car is turned off while the iPod is playing, it won't play the iPod again until one disconnects and resets the iPod.
The gear selector is a hoot and a half to operate, and the regen braking feature is AWESOME when exiting a freeway.
The seat BACK is extremely comfortable (for me).
The graphic display for the driver that shows fuel economy, charging status, and status is terrific and fun.
The rain sensing wipers are great.
Annoying, irritating and displeasing things -
The HS250 is LOUD on the freeway. The tires, being designed for fuel efficiency and low rolling resistence whine loudly, and pound on the expansion strips. There is a lot of wind noise along the entire upper window line.
The freeway noise washes out entertainment system performance.
The HS250 cruise control does NOT disengage with a light tap or a medium tap on the brake pedal; I could only get it to disengage by canceling with the cruise control stalk. When traffic ahead changes unexpectedly and the car continues to drive forward while you press on the brake, you are presented with quite a stressful, conflicted environment.
The lower seat cushion is woefully inadequate - combined with the lack of a dead pedal, one finds oneself exhausted after hours of micro movement and pushing back to stay in the seat.
Interior storage space in the HS250 is just weird - no cubby is deep enough to hold an average phone or iPod when connected to the charging cable. Also, when plugged into the console, iPod and charging cables have to be strung along the console to the center cubby under the armrest. Putting the USB/mini-plug and charging jacks inside the center cubby would seem to make more sense.
The interior materials are grossly inappropriate for a $42,000 Lexus. The center stack design is completely indistinguishable from a Toyota Venza, equipped with the identical entertainment unit, HVAC switchgear and secondary switches.
The entertainment (non-nav) has an LCD display that's light blue with black lettering. The other displays are LED, with lighted letters on a flat background. At night, the entertainment display is difficult to read in the extreme.
550 miles, 34.7 average MPG 75 average MPH. Not very impressive.
My thoughts, so far -
Without price weighting, the HS250 is not an impressive car. It is compromised in the driving experience, is agreeable for a moderately priced car, but wholly inappropriate for a luxury brand. The storage space and seating capacity isn't competitive. The car is, frankly, unattractive.
Price weighted, this is a turd. Ford would do very well by keeping one of these at each of their stores for comparison with their Fusion Hybrid that has far more room, better seating, equal features, better fuel economy and $32,000.
The HS250 has not moved today, and is currently covered in about five inches of snow.
Tulsa in Christmas -
I am "enjoying" being in Tulsa during their first ever blizzard warning. Tracey's parents are as charming as they ever have been, and I'm noticing that the absence of gift exchange provides more focus on human communications and reduces stress greatly.
I have some more political observations and social thoughts to share tomorrow -
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