By Mike Torpey on 2013-09-19 - Driving Force news editor and responsible for organising our daily output. He was staff motoring editor of the Liverpool Echo for 20 years.
Lexus hybrid proves
a tax buster
LEXUS is bolstering the appeal of its GS range for business car users with the arrival of a new 300h hybrid model.
It will join the established GS 450h in the range early next year with the promise of class leading benefit-in-kind tax rates of 13 per cent, thanks to CO2 emissions of 109g/km from its 2.5-litre full hybrid powertrain.
Compared to its key premium market diesel and hybrid competitors, the GS 300h SE delivers tax figures that can save customers more than £2,000 a year.
In entry grade SE specification and with leather upholstery and sat-nav options added to bring it in line with the competition, the model has considerable tax advantages over rivals like the BMW 520d SE, Audi A6 2.0 TDI SE and Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI SE.
Forego the leather and navigation and the advantages are better still - for 40 per cent tax payers.
Tax apart, GS 300h customers will also be saving money on fuel and road tax as a Combined consumption figure of 60.1mpg is expected for the SE model, with 57.6mpg for the Luxury and Premier versions and 56.5 for the F Sport.
The SE's 109g/km emissions place it in band B for road tax, while the Luxury and Premier at 113g/km and F Sport at 115g/km all fall within band C.
Exterior and interior styling for the new GS 300h mirror those of the more powerful GS 450h and though full equipment details have yet to be released Lexus says there will be a raft of luxury features.
They include 17-inch alloys, 10 airbags, electric steering wheel adjustment, 12-speaker sound system with DAB radio and DVD player, cruise control, push button start, parking sensors, xenon headlamps and electrically adjustable heated front seats.
The brand is also making a new design shift lever and colour head-up display available for the GS 450h, as well as a Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which uses the same radar technology as the Blind Spot Monitor to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from either side when reversing out of a parking space.
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