Luxury Lexus cheats the taxman

• ROAD TEST – LEXUS GS 300h LUXURY

RELAXED, comfortable motoring in a luxury environment with low tax penalties – it’s all part of the package with Lexus newcomer the GS 300h.

This latest arrival from Toyota’s prestige branch not only looks the part – long, low and stylish – it’s also a serious tax buster.

The model has just joined the established 450h in the GS range with 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 Lexus says 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.

Tax apart, GS 300h customers also save money on fuel and road tax as the SE model’s official Combined consumption is 60.1mpg, while the tested Luxury version and its Premier stablemate have a potential of 57.6mpg with a figure of 56.5 for the F Sport.

That said, my own tally over the course of 400 miles was way down on the official mark at 42.8.

Powering the GS 300h is a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 178bhp paired with a 105kW electric motor.

On the road the GS performs smoothly and efficiently, the electric motor cutting silently in and out while the automatic CVT gearboxbox is very sweet.

The car can be driven in Eco, Normal and Sport modes, altered via a rotary dial, and at low speeds for short distances purely on electric power, though anything more than a light touch on the accelerator will kick in the engine.

In Eco and Normal, the dial ahead of the driver shows three zones – charge, eco and power – but switching to Power mode sees the dial vanish to be replaced by a rev counter.

Hop inside and it’s luxury all the way in a beautifully appointed car that comes packed with upmarket kit.

In fact the only downside is that while four people can travel long distances in leather-clad comfort, a perched and rather cramped centre rear position makes it less welcoming for five.

Among many attractive features are a pin-sharp colour reversing camera and 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.