Lexus GS 450h

To state the obvious, the GS 450h is expensive. Base MSRP is $54,655 and can easily and quickly climb from there when piling on the options. But for that price, not only are buyers getting the Lexus prestige factor, they are also getting Toyota build quality.

Government fuel economy ratings for this hybrid is 22 city/25 highway. That’s not bad, but compare those figures to the gas-powered GS’ 19 city/27 highway. In overall combined fuel economy, the two vehicles are actually very comparable. But the standard GS has a starting base sticker of $44,915, almost $10,000 less than the GS 450h.

Considering that kind of premium and virtually no significant fuel economy advantage, when would the GS 450h make sense? When you crave performance, prestige, and a hybrid badge all in one package—and price is no object.