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SALT LAKE CITY — Lexus loaned me its GS450h. It's a sporty ride with everything on it. It'll do stuff for you that you didn't know you needed done. But when does the tech become too much for driving?
Let’s start with the price of the GS450h that Lexus loaned us. This particular one goes for $69,754.
But it has gobs of stuff on it.
First, it’s a hybrid. Both motors combine to give you 338 horsepower. It switches from “eco” with a power-usage gauge to “sport” mode with a tachometer.
This Lexus is quick, but if you can go slow it’ll run in electric for the stuff like parking.
The voice-activated navigation works pretty good, or you have to use the pesky mouse thing.
The screen is not touch-activated, but it is huge and can play DVDs when you’re in park.
It has an automatic parking brake; memory heated and cooled seats; a heated steering wheel at nine and three o'clock (the rest of the wheel is wood); blind spot detectors; automatic wipers (we like Buick’s better); backup camera; steerable headlights; power sunshade; and the list goes on.
If you’re wondering, “How am I supposed to use all this technology while I’m going down the road?” you’re not alone.
“It makes me feel stupid because it goes too fast and it doesn’t do what I want it to do,” test driver Katie Carter said as she wrestled with the mouse controller.
“It’s too overwhelming,” said test driver Matthew LaPlante, a Utah State University professor; “There’s stuff going on over here, stuff going on over there; I can flip it around over here. I’m afraid I’m going to crash while I’m trying to figure out where to look.”
We took a trip from Logan to Salt Lake City. One way, we only had two average-sized co-eds riding in back.
“It’s pretty nice. There’s lots of legroom, which is nice,” test driver Emily Landeen reported.
The other way, three of them shared the ride. test driver Tmera Bradley got stuck with the middle position. First, when the center console lid slid back, it hit her in the knees. There was not enough head room, and “(Be)cause there’s an air conditioning vent right there, so on the way down here my knees got super cold ‘cause the air was blowing right at my knees,” she said.
Landeen never figured out how to open the vents behind her. Maybe she should’ve looked it up in the 860-page owner’s manual.
Don’t get us wrong, the GS450h is nice. Carter appreciated the upscale look and feel inside: “I really do like the wood, I like the look of the interior.”
But take it easy on the tech. Unless you’re parked.
Brian Champagne has reported on cars for more than nine years. He holds a Masters Degree in Communications from the University of the Pacific, and teaches at Utah State University.
