It must be every politician's dream: to have a green, clean image and yet the power to knock the socks off competitors. If there were ever a sign that hybrids are as much about environmental hype as reality, it's the sight of politicians swarming around the likes of the Toyota Prius and the new Lexus GS450h.
Political spindoctors have their beady eyes on the potential green votes as several government ministers set out to show the sacrifices they are prepared to make in their daily lives to save the planet. So what if the car they chose was actually the fastest GS version on sale? So what if it weighs two-tonne with leather seats and wood veneer? It's an electric car for the modern age and our politicians are modern, caring people, right?
Welcome to the must-have motor for the image-conscious. Who cares if you spend your free time clubbing baby seals: you drive a hybrid, and that balances your moral checklist. Right?
It's important not to get carried away. As good as it gets - in, say, the Toyota Prius - hybrid technology is not going to save the blue whale or restore the polar ice caps.
What we have here is the ultimate in token environmentalism. It's a bit like British Conservative leaders bicycling around London: great photo opportunities to be had, provided his driver in the trailing Lexus carrying his briefcase doesn't get caught in the shot.
For many, the initial purchase may be driven by a desire to get a foothold on the moral high ground, and cause a mild moral discomfort to those of us who don't. Yet a slightly more economical V6 engine in a two-tonne executive car should not give owners the right to think they're one-step closer to God or a hippie colony.
So is hybrid all hype? There's a huge degree of that about these cars, but even if you don't cry yourself to sleep each night worrying about the impending extinction of the Tooth Cave spider or the long-toed salamander, the GS hybrid has something for even the most cold-hearted scoundrels amongst us: performance.
The fact is, hybrids have the potential to be real hot-rods. The great feature of electric power is instant performance. Hit the switch and there it is. Acceleration to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds is impressive enough, but it's the mid-range power - from 80 to 120km/h that's really incredible. Effectively you have the performance of a 4.5-litre V8 but the fuel consumption of a 3.5-litre V6.
This V6 petrol engine is backed up by not one, but two electric motors: one is used to start the 292bhp V6 and work as a generator and the other supplies an extra 197bhp and 275Nm of torque to the rear wheels in full flow.
The GS450h is the most powerful GS you can buy, producing 339 bhp of combined petrol and electric power compared to the rather languid 283 bhp the 4.3-litre, V8-powered GS430 makes.
That also brings it in line with the likes of the 367 bhp BMW 550i and range toppers from Audi and Jaguar. Mercedes new E500 may have its beating but not by much and it's worth remembering the Lexus keeps company with these big V8s despite the fact it's at least one whole litre of capacity and two cylinders down on its competitors.
Simply put: think of the 450h as the performance GS and simply forget the whole hybrid thing altogether.
There will, of course, be a few telltale signs of its hybrid elements. For example, the boot houses 40 nickel metal-hydride batteries that are constantly recharged by the first electric motor, so they can power the second one.
It also means there's one-third less space back there than in the standard GS, something that will not appeal to the golfers out there. Lexus claims 430 litres for the boot and that's less than the Ford Focus saloon or even the Toyota Corolla saloon. You could probably squeeze one golf bag in there, but it would be tight. A weekly shop for more than two people, and you'll find the back seats starting to take up some of the excess.
Apart from this inconvenience, the only time you're aware that this is a hybrid vehicle is when it goes all quiet in traffic as the electric motors take over and the petrol engine shuts down. The GS450h features a constantly variable transmission (CVT) rather than the conventional automatic gearbox. That's an impressive technical achievement in itself, given that it's extremely rare to find CVT in real-wheel drive cars. Its benefits no doubt contribute to the car's performance, for it doesn't have to drop down a gear when you accelerate during overtaking. All these milliseconds make a difference when you're faced with approaching traffic.
As for the rest of the car, it's little different inside from the GS we road tested several months ago (Motors; April 20th, 2005). There's a very impressive level of standard specification such as Bluetooth phone connnection, a 14-speaker stereo system, park assist, sat-nav and cruise control to name but a few toys that would normally only feature on the options list of competitors.
It also features the Lexus touchscreen control screen, only this time it also offers a fuel consumption information screen as well. The rev counter has also been replaced with a rather pointless dial telling you how many kilowatts you're producing. On the road, the extra weight doesn't impact on the car's handling too much, and the suspension is clearly designed for comfort and even in "sports" mode the ride is far from harsh.
Sadly, steering remains as inert as it is in the rest of the model range, giving little in the way of feedback to the driver. That said, it's suited to the comfort principles of the car, lulling the driver into a relaxed ambling drive.
So to the big question of fuel economy, surely the raison d'être of the hybrid GS. Lexus claims a combined fuel consumption figure of just 7.9 L/100km (35.8mpg), but the nearest we came was 9.5 L/100km (30 mpg).
It really depends on how and where you are driving. In some instances our average was closer to 14 L/100km (20mpg), though that will creep up with more attentive driving habits. Then again, who is going to tip-toe around in an €85,000 car? If you're that concerned about fuel prices, wouldn't you get a bicycle?
What you get with the GS450h is a refined, well-engineered car that's up with the best of the rest in terms of performance. It's got all the luxury you'd expect from an executive Lexus and includes a raft of electronic gadgetry to help you wile away the miles either in the backseat or front. Thanks to a VRT rebate of €13,568, it's also extremely well priced for the performance on offer. Just don't crow too loudly about its environmental benefits.