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If your car was showing a 6.3-litres/100 km fuel consumption average on a run from Vancouver to the Okanagan and back, you’d expect to be driving a product with fairly minimal power and torque, nothing wonderful by way of creature comforts and perhaps a little too much engine and transmission noise over those long mountain passes. With so many economy cars, there are usually some sacrifices to be made. As the old saying goes “you can’t have it all ways.”

This kind of driving experience is usually part and parcel of budget mid-size cars with thrifty fuel economy, but if you move up a market slot or two and buy a 2010 Lexus HS 250h, all those notions of lost performance and refinement go right out the window.

This Lexus is a new kind of product altogether - a mid-sized entry- level luxury car with the fuel consumption of a thrifty “city commuter.” It’s comfortable, refined, luxuriously trimmed and good looking and will more than likely prompt a host of alternatives from rival upscale automakers. Right now, though, it’s just about in a class of its own.

This new Lexus is not based on any other product marketed in North America by either Lexus or Toyota. It has some platform relationship with the European market Toyota Avensis, but few buyers over here know that particular car. The HS 250h is a stand-alone 5-passenger hybrid sedan that will not be sold in gasoline-only form at all. From a (hybrid) size standpoint, the car sits between the Toyota Prius and the Lexus GS 450h - and it’s priced accordingly, though closer to the Prius than the GS at under $40,000.

Under the hood is the first ever 4-cylinder gasoline engine from Lexus (of 2.4-litres) and being a hybrid, it benefits from a high- output electric drive motor. Paired together, the power sources develop 187-horsepower. While it may be a surprise to some that Lexus didn’t opt for a V-6 as basic power unit, it’s worth mentioning that the drivetrain for the HS 250h is technically very sophisticated and packs in even more advancements than other Lexus and Toyota hybrid vehicles. Unlike most luxury cars, this Lexus will run happily on regular gas.

Certainly the car seemed to have plenty of power for the major passes I crossed as I headed for the Okanagan. Also, the altitudes didn’t seem to affect the car much either. High altitudes will extract some horsepower from any vehicle, of course, but the HS seemed happy enough in these conditions. There are four drive modes - Normal, Power, Eco and EV. I used the Eco mode the whole time and while Normal and Power give better throttle response, Eco seems to reduce fuel usage most effectively - it even cuts back automatically on air- conditioner usage. In EV mode, the car can be driven purely on the electric motor under certain circumstances.

The transmission, incidentally, is a continuously variable (CVT) unit and it proved to be one of the quietest I’ve ever tried. As with other hybrid systems, the one in this Lexus uses braking and coasting to help constantly recharge the battery. It’s possible to get even better fuel consumption figures than I did under certain conditions, but given the terrain, I think my test car did very well indeed.

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The HS 250h is a good-looking car and, as mentioned earlier, is not simply a carryover from another Lexus/Toyota styling job. I liked the grille design, which is much bolder than on other Lexus products. Despite space taken up by the batteries in the rear part of the car, the trunk is quite large and more than adequate for most touring applications, even with a full load of occupants. It’s roomy inside and there are plenty of stowage spaces for odds and ends.

The dash and its surrounding switches and controls are up to the usual high standard we take for granted with a Lexus product. This is by no means the top product from Toyota’s luxury arm (which now has four hybrids), but you wouldn’t think so to glance around the cabin. Part of the central console protrudes well into the space between the front seats and normally it carries the interface for the navigation system. My test car didn’t have this option, so the space was taken up by a useful lidded oddments bin.

There are three versions of this new Lexus - Premium, Premium Sport and Ultra Premium with close to a $9,000 price spread between the models. My test car was fairly basic, but very well equipped, even so. Even at the lowest prices, HS 250h equipment includes ten air bags (yes, ten!), four driving modes, dual zone climate control, keyless entry, a power moon roof and a full “suite” of electronic stability and braking technology.

Lexus should get full credit for launching this car. Hybrids are still only a tiny percentage of the automotive market in North America and there are still too many automakers standing in the wings to “wait and see” where this technology is headed. Given that this Lexus is not that much more expensive than some rival hybrids without a prestige nameplate, it’s really something of a bargain - especially if you opt for the base model.

SPECS AT A GLANCE...

BODY STYLE: 4-door, 5-place entry level luxury sedan
ENGINE: Hybrid powertrain based on 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
TRANSMISSION: Continuously variable
PERFORMANCE: Zero to 100 km/h in approx 9-secs
FUEL ECONOMY: As tested, 6.3-litres/100 km average over widely varying terrain.
PRICE: Base car, $39,900