Whether you think it looks like a tricked-out Camry, or a tuxedo-wearing Prius with a trunk, one thing is certain - the 2010 Lexus HS 250h means that small high-MPG hybrids can be luxurious and green at the same time. And this car is very different from either the Camry or Prius - even though it shares the same 187-hp hybrid powerplant as the Camry, it is more powerful and roomy than the Prius - and more luxurious than either.

Several years ago Lexus set out to offer Hybrid choices on many of its models, but the HS is the first true stand-alone hybrid model in the lineup. It's their smallest car, but it has all of the Lexus feel and luxury that you'd expect. Even stepping out of the uber-luxurious Lexus LS600h and into the much smaller HS is no shock to the senses - both are genuine Lexus.

Priced at a starting MSRP of $34,650 (add $3,000 for the Premium edition, which we tested), the HS 250h fits between the IS and the ES. Official EPA fuel mileage for the HS 250h is 35-mpg in the city and 34-mpg on the highway. It's also a Super-Ultra-Low-Emission-Vehicle (SULEV).

Driving the HS 250h is actually quite different than other small hybrids, mostly due to the high level of content and luxury. It feels more powerful than expected, and it has very good road manners. The driving experience is enhanced by intuitive controls, large field of vision, and positive feedback from the car. Everything is within easy reach. We dig driving the car most at night - it's one of the best engineered and styled interior lighting setups we've seen. Day or night, in the city or on the highway, I was impressed with the very low cabin noise.

Lexus owners are found across every demographic but they have a few things in common - they want luxury, reliability, and features - all of which is found in abundance in the HS 250h. It offers adaptive cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod interface, multifunction display, heads-up instrument display, and a front-view monitor with a 190-degree angle of view.

The navigation system has real-time traffic and weather, and normal voice recognition and Lexus Enform, which connects you with an operator concierge via cellphone who can even download directions to your destination to the nav system. It even lets the owner customize and operate these features in the mouse-like controller mounted on the console. The list goes on.

The HS also includes leather trim, a moon roof, and deep insulation and thicker materials to reduce the noise, vibration and harshness that no Lexus driver wants. No doubt, the HS is a new kind of car for Lexus, and a real joy to drive.

The hybrid landscape is ever growing and changing, with more choices today than just a few years ago. Back then, that landscape was and continues to be dominated by Lexus hybrid models, and the HS 250h nicely compliments the Lexus hybrid franchise.

- by Vince Bodiford