2010 Lexus LS 600h L

The 2010 Lexus LS 600h L, a hybrid luxury sedan that can be configured to seat four or five, is the most expensive hybrid car on the market. It now has to compete with the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid (Base MSRP: $87,950), which critics say is less expensive yet equally opulent and fuel-efficient. The 2010 Lexus LS 600h L gets some styling tweaks and new standard equipment, including an iPod connection, streaming Bluetooth audio, windshield deicer and high-output heater, parking assist and Safety Connect emergency assistance (similar to GM's OnStar). However, the basic underpinnings addressed in reviews carry over unchanged from 2009; see our detailed review of the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L (*Est. $106,035).

The all-wheel-drive LS 600h L's full-hybrid powertrain is composed of a 5.0-liter, V8 engine and two electric motor/generators. Fuel economy is a government-estimated 20 mpg city/22 mpg highway/21 mpg combined.

The 2010 LS 600h L has only been incompletely crash tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Standard safety equipment includes electronic stability and traction control, front, front-side, curtain and front knee airbags. Rear side airbags are optional as is a pre-collision warning system that can sense an impending frontal crash and automatically tense seatbelts and boost braking power.