This luxury hybrid represents everything a Lexus should be
Over the past decade, Lexus has become an industry leader in luxury hybrids.
Lexus’ Hybrid Drive (shared with parent company Toyota) is one of the most popular and effective systems of its type on the market today.
Two of the most visible cars to feature the parallel hybrid system, which sees a gasoline powered engine and an electric motor work in unison to provide propulsion, are the compact CT200h and the mid-size ES300h.
Earlier this year, Business Insider had the chance to check out the compact CT200h.
It was a car that divided Business Insider’s transportation team.
While my colleague Matt DeBord expressed his admiration for the fuel-sipping hybrid, I found the 134 horsepower, Prius-based CT and its continuously variable transmission to be unrefined, underpowered, and completely underwhelming.
However, my well-documented disdain for the CT200h does not mean I shy away from Lexus’ hybrids on spec. In fact, one of my favorite cars on sale today is a Lexus hybrid — the ES300h. Recently, Business Insider had the chance to evaluate a blue Lexus ES300h hybrid on the streets of suburban Atlanta. The 2017 ES300h starts at $41,820, but our test car came in at a tick over $50,000.
In 1989, Lexus arrived in the US and took the auto industry by storm with a lineup of cars promising European luxury and Japanese reliability at a much more affordable price point.
Since then, the ES has been a staple in the Lexus lineup.