Road Reality » HS

Surprise! Hybrid Lincoln MKZ Price matches Gas version

John Suit — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:00:09 +0000

Ford dropped a bomb on the hybrid car market earlier this year with the introduction of the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Just to enlarge the size of the crater, they’ve announced that its base MSRP will be the same as the gasoline version of the MKZ, at $35,180. While not an insubstantial amount of money, it’s the first time a hybrid variant of a car hasn’t carried with it a multi-thousand dollar price hike.

2010 Lexus HS250h

Probably the MKZ Hybrid’s best competitor, the Lexus HS250h, the MKZ is exactly $80 more expensive, at least before adding any options. While the Lexus HS250h starts at $35,100, to get some of the more popular features the Lincoln has standard, you’re going to be looking at $37,870, plus a couple of options. Oh, and don’t forget the 6mpg advantage the MKZ Hybrid gets over the HS250h.

This move is one I see as a direct attack against Lexus by Lincoln. While Cadillac goes after BMW and Mercedes with sportier rides, Lincoln is aiming squarely at Lexus, with the quiet comfort of the MKS and now the hybrid version of its fairly popular MKZ model. Paired with Ford’s SYNC technology and its EcoGuide hybrid displays, the MKZ Hybrid looks hot, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one!

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Lexus HS250h Gets Pinto-Like Recall

John Suit — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:54:57 +0000

Well, despite a lot of automakers learning from Toyota’s previous recall mistakes, it seems the automaker’s luxury segment didn’t learn a lesson from Ford’s mistake in the 1970′s, the Pinto fires. According to Jalopnik, Lexus is recalling their 2010 HS250h luxury hybrid sedan, due to excessive fuel leakage resulting from a rear-end collision.

The NHTSA runs a test where a deformable moving barrier strikes the rear end of a car at about 50mph, and during the test on the Lexus HS250h, it was found that more fuel leaked than regulations allow.

Lexus NCIR Filing

While the report hasn’t yet hit the NHTSA’s Recalls & Defects site, it appears as though Lexus is going to try and get in front of this recall, although as of this writing, the manufacturer hasn’t devised a solution for the roughly 13,000 affected vehicles.

Stay tuned to Road Reality for updates as they become available.

by John Suit

Source: Jalopnik

Certified: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Gas Mileage

John Suit — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:31:36 +0000

I’ve written about the upcoming 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid before, and even speculated on its gas mileage. Now it’s official! The EPA has run the new luxury hybrid through its paces, and certified it at 41/36 mpg city/highway. Those numbers match the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, its Ford-branded sister car.

While all Fusions and MKZs share the same underpinnings, the MKZ has had a nicer interior and quieter ride from the start, not to mention a bigger engine and available all-wheel drive. It’s a smart move for Ford to hybrid-ize its entry-level luxury car, because now they have a rival to Lexus’ HS250h, and even beat it as far as fuel economy is concerned.

The MKZ Hybrid will use Ford’s SYNC and SmartGauge, which shows drivers how economical their driving is through intuitive graphic displays, as well as the Lincoln-standard Bridge of Weir leather and genuine wood trim.

Being bigger, more powerful, and having more standard features than the Lexus it competes with should be a big hit with consumers who are looking for a more luxurious Fusion hybrid, and even some of those who shop Lexus’ hybrid offerings.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

PedalGate Update: Recall on 2010 Prius / Lexus HS

John Suit — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:35:25 +0000

We knew it was coming, and Toyota has announced another recall; this time for the brakes on the 2010 Toyota Prius. In a slightly surprising turn of events, the automaker also included their 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrid, which is based off of the same design as the Prius, with Lexus appointments and refinement. Toyota is recalling a total of 148,500 vehicles for problems with the dual braking systems mentioned in the previous article. The problem occurs when the car’s computer needs to mix the traditional friction braking system with the regenerative braking system employed by most hybrids. This transition period can leave drivers without proper braking power, even though Toyota says that the brakes will work and that drivers just need to apply more pressure to the brake pedal.

The specific models affected are the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS250h, both manufactured since May, 2009. Owners of affected Prius models should receive a letter from Toyota starting next week, while HS250h owners should expect to see their letter a couple of weeks later. Toyota is still finalizing the software changes which will be applied to owners’ cars to fix the braking issue, and will announce the fix as soon as it’s ready.

It’s a tough time to be a fan of Toyota, so let me know if you’re experiencing any problems with your Toyota, or are affected by the recalls.

In the mean time, if you do experience braking issues with your Toyota, remember to apply constant pressure to the brake pedal and use as much force as is necessary to stop your vehicle. The brake pedal is one of the strongest parts of a car, so don’t be afraid to stand on it with both feet.

by John Suit

Source: Toyota