Okay, no pun intended,
but to those who can afford this car, which retails at $76,900CND +PDI and tax, I'm definately sure you can afford the gas and not intending to get this to save on fuel. Instead i'm pretty sure this will be bought for performance, style, bragging rights, and prestige.

May I suggest other alternatives?

why not look at the following too :

• BMW 550i retails $78,600CND manual trans, you'll get a V8 /w360hp.
• Next generation E90 BMW M3 SEDAN(Yes SEDAN), you'll have the option to get an SMG and have 400hp from a V8, I think it will retail for about $75,000CND
• Audi A6 4.2, This is a Big sedan like the Lexus and you'll get AWD, a 4.2L V8 and 335hp. retails for $74,940
• AUDI S4, Again you'll get AWD a V8 and 340hp. retails at $70,290
• Mercedes C55 Sport AMG Sedan. Again you'll get a handcrafted 5.5L V8 with 362hp. Priced at $73,600

I'm sure there are more cars out there to look at. But looking to spend this kind of money, i would switch from looking at japanese over to german based models, reliability wont be an issue anyway even though german cars are notorious for the "engine light" being always on headache, anyone who can afford these cars can afford the money to maintain and fix them.

I have a friend at work who bought the front wheel drive version of this car. It is a wonderful vehicle and bragging and seeking prestige has never been part of his behavior. As for performance and style, there is nothing wrong with that in my book. Heck, I'd buy a Lexus 600 hybrid in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

Might as well since we never have enough folks ready to tell every hybrid-electric driver what a terrible decision we have made and they would be ever so much happier if we spent our money the way they want us to . . . even if we don't ask for their advice.

Live and let live is my attitude and enjoy learning how it works for them.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

what i meant about prestige and bragging rights,
what i should have said and added is that, it's a personal thing. you can be proud and brag to yourself that you have bought something exclusive and not everyone can afford; that doesnt mean you have to brag to others, you may or may not, but what i mean is that you can be happy for yourself that way it shows to others that you are doing well in life and are happy.

that's what i should have noted. sorry for the misunderstanding

If i could afford one, i would probably get the BMW E90 M3

Unfortunately, the world is changing and it looks to me that fuel conserving vehicles are the next step up in our changing world.
those power crazed cars who's popularity peaked in the 80s are showing their signs of obsolescence.

CamelFilters, you don't get it: all those V-8s get horrible fuel economy. The GS 450h, on the other hand, has a V-6 paired with HSD and it will get mileage probably around 24-26 mpg real-world, while going 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, and being very reliable and luxurious.

The cars you mentioned are far less reliable (especially Mercedes), far less fuel-efficient, and in some cases are less luxurious and slower to boot. The Audi A6 4.2L goes 0-60 in 6.7 seconds according to a quick Google search.

Hello CGameprogrammer,

Yeah, i was aware about the horrible fuel economy of those cars i mentioned, however, all these cars cost roughly about $75,000 dollars canadian, with tax and everything, like options it will be close to $90,000. I'm pretty sure that the majority of specifically targeted population of people can afford these cars will not be concerned about fuel economy, however, there is that small percentage who MAY do, but that's not my business how people want to live their lives and how they spend their money; I'm just basing it on what I would be thinking if i had lots of cash and buying a car in this price range: i wouldnt care about fuel economy, i would be able to afford the gas if i can spend $90,000 on a car unless it was given free to me by someone really nice .

Now, regarding reliability, i also did mention that german cars are notorious for having their engine light always on. Believe me, I own one right now, and that thing never stops lighting up for every ****ing reason:ei, if i fill up with a different gas station other than Sunoco or a major brand, the light goes on. If i drive it hard the light goes on. If i accidentally forget to tighten the fuel cap , the light goes on. If i dont warm up the car properly first, the rpm jumps during up and down and then the light goes on.
German Luxury cars are TYPICALLY expensive to maintain and have loads of electrical problems, however, they are very nice cars to have and that is why people buy them. If I can afford to pay close to $90,000CND on a car, I should be able to afford to maintain it too. Furthermore, waranty is available on all those cars for 4 years anyway, so you wont be paying anything there if money is a concern. After the waranty is up, most likely a person who can afford this car will be buying another $75,000 car again.

Now regarding speed, I think that all the cars i mentioned are all pretty much in the very fast category; to me anything in the high 4s to high 6s to 60mph is already a catapult; considering some of those cars are full size sedans and weigh in excess of 4000lbs; anything below the high 4seconds is supercar territory.

If 0-60 is really a major concern in this price range i would probably pick a BMW M3 Sedan with a 400hp V8 engine. having said that, i read that the Lexus 450h has a peak power of 339hp; but i'm going to guess that it only happens when the batteries are at their peak level of charge: not sure, but dont quote me on that ===> that's another story.
what i'm trying to say, all those cars I mentioned are already in the "too fast" category. If you really want something superfast, get a superbike.
those things are awesome in speed and can do 0-60 in around 3 seconds; at the same time have your luxury car in your garage for cruising. Again, that's for those who can afford. There is no perfect car, sometimes you have to get 2 different vehicles to do 2 different things to suit your life.

My first intention was only making to make a suggestion, no one has to aggree with what i say, like another person said before "there are 6 billion people on earth, therefore there are 6 billion opinions"

have a nice day,

regards,
gj

The 450h is not supposed to put other luxury cars out of business, Camel -- there are good reasons for owning BMWs just as there are good reasons for owning the 460 or the 450h.

exacly what i was saying, I was only suggesting other alternatives,
i was never intending put down the Lexus 450h, nor i was saying the lexus was going to put other brands out of business; there are people out there who swear by one brand and others who dont and always switch. like i said before, 6 billion people, 6 billion different opinions on how to live and what car to buy

"it's your money, spend it how you want it" suggesting doesnt tell another person what to do with ther lives.
perhaps you can suggest other better alternatives than what i came up


gj

Someone in my area actually bought one of these, because they like the idea of the cleaner emissions, even though they can afford gas fine. They also were interested in the idea of hybrids beforehand, but preferred more power than was available in the Prius/Civic when those were the only options. Also, even if one could afford it, less money spent on gas is still a good thing, especially if you don't have to give up any performance or style to achieve the savings.

I know poeple who have owned nice German cars who "downgraded" to Japanese cars, even though they could afford all their maintenance work, simply because it was a pain to have to bring the cars in to get worked on frequently.

If I had the money to spend on a high-end vehicle, I probably would consider a performance/luxure hybrid like this, in part simply because I'm interested in hybrid technology, see a lot of potential in it, and would like to see it developed further -- I'm sure there will be several wealthy car-buyers that fit into that category as well.

for some of us, the question is not "can we afford the gas?" I just find it gulttinous to drive a car that gets 15 mpg on a good day

someone can look at the GS hybrid driver and say it is gluttenous to get 25 mpg, I guess, but at least a GS hybrid driver isn't getting 15

and the emissions form the hybrid will be far better than for any of the alternatives camelhair suggested

I met a GS H guy the other day, as he got out of his car and I wanted to talk about it. At first he bragged about how much power it has, probably thinking that I would be the typical guy and respond to the macho approach. When I commented on how cool it was that he had simliar (or better) performance to cars that get around 12 mpg, he got really excited, saying that is exactly why he bought it. He can indulge this guilty pleasure without really having any guilt!! His new car gets way better MPG than the car he got rid of!!

He just didn't want to focus on that at the start of a conversation with a stranger. Pretty funny.

no, there aren't actually

:-)

seriously, anyone who buys a BMW 5 or 7 series over the GS hybrid is just being stupid

I can see buying the 3 series, since that costs so much less than the GS hybrid. Or a Z3, since there is no hybrid or high mpg roadster (other than the Tesla, which costs only 60k more)