GREEN LUXURY; . . . that drives like an econobox.(NEWS)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

It's not a Prius. For some reason, people want to compare the two: Toyota's pioneering, world-beater hybrid and this new, dedicated Lexus hybridelectric luxury sedan. There are a few points of similarity, but those are more or less coincidence, Lexus insists.

The front side member of the Lexus HS 250h chassis is similar to that of the Prius, for instance, but the rest of Lexus's fourth hybrid-electric vehicle is unique.

The ride and handling of the HS 250h may remind you a little (or a lot) of the Prius, but the suspension of the HS 250h is unique. Both have MacPherson-strut front ends, but the Prius has a torsion-beam rear end, while the HS gets independent double wishbones. The Prius has no bushings in its suspension; the luxury Lexus gets a complete set. The shocks are tuned for Lexus ride and handling, too.

The HS's 2.4-liter Atkinson-cycle VVTi four-cylinder, combined with its NiMH 30-kilowatt (40-hp) electric drive, makes 187 hp, good for a 0-to-60-mph time of 8.4 seconds, about a second better than the 1.8-liter Prius. The closest platform you could really compare it to is that on which the European Toyota Avensis rides.

So, why is it that during our first drive of the new car, all we could think was Prius? Maybe it was the CVT, a transmission choice that is never fun and just screams, "We love you, EPA! Or maybe it was because that first drive was in a base HS 250h. On our second drive, we had the Touring model, with higher damping force on the shocks. Our second car also had 18-inch wheels instead of the 17s in the base model. It felt a little better but not exactly in performance-sedan territory.

Maybe what we were really expecting was Lexus IS performance. Despite its occasional faults, we enjoy driving the Lexus IS. The HS 250h is similar proportionally to the IS 250, but the resemblance stops there.