Month: November 2021

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Quick Hit – 1 of 649 Lexus HS 250h (Low Production for a Reason?)

First, I have to admit that the only reason I clicked on this car and that I’m blogging about it is because I had never heard of a Lexus HS 250h. A couple of clicks on Google and I learn this 2012 model sold only 649 units – a bit of a unicorn. Five more 2012 units were sold in 2013. This “compact executive car” was imported from 2010-2012 and while it sold wildly in Japan, with a six month wait list when introduced, it never really caught on in the US. Google tells me the HS stands for Harmonious Sedan and the car fit between the IS and the ES. I’m thinking here in the USA it really never fit in at all.

Have to admit the interior is quite handsome, a bit stark but efficient. Took me a while to find the shift lever (below). Way out of date now but it is a 10 year old car. In keeping with the green theme, 30 percent of the car’s interior plastics are made from environmentally friendly materials. The car has nav, sunroof, and seat heaters to tackle climate change.

The HS 250h looks a bit like a Corolla to me. A high-end hybrid Corolla perhaps. The first Lexus four cylinder hybrid in the US. Good for 187 hp, 35 mpg, and a 0-60 mph time of way over eight seconds from this 2.4 liter motor. But you wouldn’t want this to go fast anyway. (If you want a fast, low volume Lexus, go for the RC F Track Edition previously covered here!)

Car and Driver says “The HS is strictly for folks who just have to have the Lexus of Priuses.” Seems about right. A fat Prius. This one-owner California car sold for about $38,000 new and 10 years later, with some decent mileage on it, is now selling for half that in Sacramento, California here.

Stock # 21677689  VIN # JTHBB1BA0C2049060

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Quick Hit – Another 1 of 50 Lexus RC F Track Edition

Didn’t we just see one of these 1 of 50 2020 Lexus RC F Track Editions here? Well yes, in August there was this one for $86,000 in Tampa. Now “Coming Soon” is a second one at a higher price and higher miles. Another unicorn. I’m going to keep posting on these until all 50 hit CarMax!

The Lexus RC F used to have a half-volleyball hump along the transmission tunnel just aft of the gas pedal that drove me bat shit. Hit me in the calf. It’s gone now, and I sat in an RC F last week and it fit just fine. The cockpit seems so modern and unconventional compared to all the Euro cars I’ve been covering. Afraid I dig it too much!

But the red interior makes it a non-starter for me, as does the “not approved by AARP” rear wing. But Car and Driver reviewed the car and while they thought it a pretty good Lexus, it was not a “track edition” the way you might think of an M4 or 911 GTS when it comes to track.

The car still does a very low four second 0-60 mph run and tops out at 168 mph. What little performance improvements there are over a base RC F are due to the weight savings from extensive carbon fiber replacement parts, and the downforce from the rear wing above.

Something about a naturally aspirated V-8 that sounds powerful and old school. Hard to think of a Lexus as old school It puts out 472 hp, within spitting distance of the Mercedes C63, the BMW M3, and Chevrolet SS’s I’ve covered here. Perhaps at only 1 of 50 in the USA it’s for a driver that wants an edge over “base” RC F’s, but at $30,000 more than a non-track car seems to be a stretch on value. Add MaxCare if you must and be into the high $90,000’s, but this car is still under Lexus manufacturer warranty. The car is “Coming Soon” to Gastonia, NC, just outside of Charlotte. The link is here, and because I’m finding the final pix I post from the website damn near unviewable, I’m going to start adding the VIN and Stock Number to better track (pun intended) cars when they disappear (and reappear) on CarMax websites. Why didn’t I think of that years ago?

VIN # JTHYP5BC2L5007752 Stock # 21639588 

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Quick Hit – 2011 Volvo C 30 T5 R – 6SPD M – $19k!

I remember well years ago seeing a Volvo C30 T5 R unicorn for the first time. As I noted in the last review of a C30 I did here two years ago, it was the sleekest Volvo I could remember since I spotted a 1979 262 Bertone back in my Army days. Didn’t know much about the C30 when it was introduced by Volvo in the US as a 2008 model. Automotive expert Wiki tells us the C30 draws on the rear hatch lines of the P1800 ES in the late sixties and early seventies. Perhaps. Here’s another 2011 C30 T5 R with a manual transmission spotted by my bud Hans.

The six-speed manual transmission should make this a fun hatchback. Mated to the 2.5 liter turbocharged five cylinder motor, pumping out only 227 hp, the C30 is only good for a six-second 0-60 mph run. The Volvo has more horsepower than a VW GTI of the same era but not as much as the four bangers to follow. Oddly, Car and Driver was not terribly enamored with the C30 T5 R when reviewed in 2011 here, complaining about the harsh ride, rubbery shifter, and lack of cargo space compared to the VW and the Mini. But HotCars.com in 2020 gushed over the car in a look back at unusual hot hatches in 2020 here. I think for cars like this there will always be a 50-50 crowd that loves-hates them. Hell, there were even people that don’t think my ’77 Gremlin was hot! (Hmmm – check out the Gremlin-C30 mug shots at the bottom? That won’t help sell this car.)

The Volvo is pretty spartan with features – Bluetooth and a USB port but no rear view camera or seat heaters. The C30 I covered two years ago was $5,000 cheaper than this one (but with 60 percent more miles) and seemed like more of a bargain.

The car sold new for maybe $32,000 and over a decade later is available here in Oxnard, California for almost $19,000. It’s a low mileage, one-owner, accident free car. As with more and more old European cars I’m seeing CarMax is limiting MaxCare to 125,000 miles and 60 months. But the reviews suggest these motors are good for 180,000 miles without missing a beat. Not a fast car, but a bit unique and certainly has Scandinavian style!

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The Quickest Quick Hit – 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid

Haven’t written about EV’s except for this post about CarMax briefly experimenting selling them in 2018, and this one from spring 2021 when they started carrying them again. Mostly I don’t write about them because I no zilch about them, and I’m clinging to my search for another V-12. I’m just not credible, even though as of today CarMax has 232 Teslas on their lots. But blog reader Cannon shot me this 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid unicorn two weeks ago with a heads up that this car does 0-60 mph in sub two seconds. SUB TWO SECONDS! Makes it the quickest production car in the world. And a unicorn.

The Plaid model is crazy fast, and that performance cost $40,000 more than a regular S. Reviewers at Edmunds whined it’s not worth it and the car is mostly a one trick pony – only good for drag races. My hunch is since their test driver couldn’t match the sub-two of other testers they’re bitter. Other reviews boast that the Plaid lapped Nurburgring a good seven seconds faster than a Taycan, setting an EV record.

The Plaid has almost a 400 mile range. It’s fast and high tech and fully loaded. At $157,000 I’m not sure it’s a bargain. CarMax is offering the full 150,000 mile / five year MaxCare option. EV’s aren’t for me yet, but then I’m driving a 50 year old carbureted Fiat in my spare time! I’m sure before I have ceased to be an EV of some sort will fill my garage. Find this accident free, one owner wonder here at Dulles, Virginia.

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