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A car with a “green” powertrain arguably should come with an eco-friendly interior as well. Enter the Lexus HS 250h, winner of the 2010 Ward’s Interior of the Year award for hybrids.

It features what Lexus calls a “proactive adoption” of plant-based, carbon-neutral “ecological plastics” in about 30% of the interior trim and luggage area.

That includes cowl-side accents, door scuff plates and a package tray behind the rear seats. The bioplastics emit about 20% less carbon dioxide than petroleum-based plastics.

That may endear upscale environmentalists who can afford to spend $46,672 on the market’s first dedicated luxury hybrid car.

But it is the HS 250h’s craftsmanship and use of conventional materials – leather and wood among them – that help make this stylish interior a standout.

Ward’s judge Tom Murphy has trim-fit issues here and there, such as the headliner. But judge David Zoia praises the overall material execution, calling it “top notch.”

It’s easy to get comfortable in this car’s laid-back 10-way power front seats with two lumbar settings. Cold? Flick on the seat heaters. Hot? Turn on the seat ventilators.

The cockpit’s center stack gently slopes up and away from sound-system controls at the bottom, to climate controls in the midsection, to the top-mounted navigation-information screen. It is positioned for improved visibility and reduced back-and-forth driver eye movement.

The center-stack design offers “mostly easy” access to the assorted buttons and knobs, says interiors judge Christie Schweinsberg.

Her only complaint is having to reach too far to change radio stations. That act should be made ergonomically easy in this age of satellite-radio channel surfing.