Lexus RX400/450h... Any good?

[carparkno1]

Thinking about a slightly off the beaten track SUV type thing that the wife would drive and can fit all manner of stuff in (estates are off the menu according to SWMBO).

XC60/90 has been at the top of the list and BMW have just put me right off with their efforts... Saw a Lexus RX in front of me and thought that may be worth a consideration. Am assuming it'll be built like a tank and lovely to be in... Anyone got any experience of the car? Engine wise and drive wise are they much to write home about? Certainly looks a nice place to be.

Any help would be appreciated.

[cptsideways]

Reliable, cheap to tax, comfy seats & quite wafty. The option to have is the rare "active stabilization" if you like cornering. Pretty good on fuel too especially round town. Very few issues afaik

[carparkno1]

cptsideways said:

Reliable, cheap to tax, comfy seats & quite wafty. The option to have is the rare "active stabilization" if you like cornering. Pretty good on fuel too especially round town. Very few issues afaik

Googling now. Cheers!

[Roo]

400 and 450 are very different cars to drive.

450, being newer, is much nicer. It's also more economical and cheaper on VED. Both are pretty rubbish though if you want/need a four wheel drive.

[cat220]

I've always liked these, went to test drive one a few years back however was disappointed by the size of the boot. Couldn't accommodate the pram we had at the time without moving the back seats forward. Whereas that wasn't a problem in my v70 or my 745i at the time.

[swisstoni]

They are surprisingly pokey inside. Lexus do make bigger 4x4s but don't bring them over here for some reason.

[carparkno1]

Hmmmm that's a bit disconcerting on the boot size. Is it a depth thing? I looked at the X5 and was stunned at how poor the boot was, there wasn't any drop to it so it was more like a hatch.

Appreciate the advice on 400 vs 450... Will need to look at this and test drive both.

[cat220]

carparkno1 said:

Hmmmm that's a bit disconcerting on the boot size. Is it a depth thing? I looked at the X5 and was stunned at how poor the boot was, there wasn't any drop to it so it was more like a hatch.

Appreciate the advice on 400 vs 450... Will need to look at this and test drive both.

Not deep at all, well compared to its rivals. Drove very well though!

[AmitG]

I had a good look around a RX450h recently, including a test drive, and am thinking about going for it.

Good things:

• Very quick. The 0-60 time is something like 7.9 seconds, but it feels a lot quicker, and it seems to just keep accelerating linearly whatever the speed.
• Very refined. Hardly any noise inside. Really comfortable. One of those cars where you could probably do long distances with no trouble.
• Interior is solid and well-made, and looks pretty cool (IMHO). Audio system is superb.
• No central propshaft means a flat cabin floor which is good for back seat passengers, load space etc.
• The Lexus dealer is nice, in fact their helpful attitude is swaying me towards buying one.
• It will probably run forever, they never seem to go wrong.

Bad things:

• Boot is small as other posters have said. The swoopy roofline compromises the boot space. But it's not unusable, and the length with the seats down is competitive (which for me is important).
• Not an off-road car. It was fine on single-track unmade roads but I doubt you could do any serious off-roading in it.
• It's biased towards comfort not handling. It's good over bumps etc. but wallows a bit in corners.
• The mouse thing that you use to control the screen is a bit annoying.
• It's 90% FWD with rear drive kicking in only when required, so it seems to drive more like a FWD car (I can't really describe it, but it "feels" FWD).

I like to buy cars that are niche in some way. The RX is I believe the only hybrid SUV on the market, and has an unusual drivetrain: the front axle is driven by a 3.5 V6 petrol engine (Atkinson cycle and transverse mounted) plus an electric motor, and the rear axle is driven by a second electric motor. Hence no propshaft, Haldex etc. - the 4WD is all done electronically, with the computer deciding when to engage the rear motor.

I would definitely go for a 450h over a 400, it is miles better.

[carparkno1]

AmitG said:

I had a good look around a RX450h recently, including a test drive, and am thinking about going for it.

Good things:

• Very quick. The 0-60 time is something like 7.9 seconds, but it feels a lot quicker, and it seems to just keep accelerating linearly whatever the speed.
• Very refined. Hardly any noise inside. Really comfortable. One of those cars where you could probably do long distances with no trouble.
• Interior is solid and well-made, and looks pretty cool (IMHO). Audio system is superb.
• No central propshaft means a flat cabin floor which is good for back seat passengers, load space etc.
• The Lexus dealer is nice, in fact their helpful attitude is swaying me towards buying one.
• It will probably run forever, they never seem to go wrong.

Bad things:

• Boot is small as other posters have said. The swoopy roofline compromises the boot space. But it's not unusable, and the length with the seats down is competitive (which for me is important).
• Not an off-road car. It was fine on single-track unmade roads but I doubt you could do any serious off-roading in it.
• It's biased towards comfort not handling. It's good over bumps etc. but wallows a bit in corners.
• The mouse thing that you use to control the screen is a bit annoying.
• It's 90% FWD with rear drive kicking in only when required, so it seems to drive more like a FWD car (I can't really describe it, but it "feels" FWD).

I like to buy cars that are niche in some way. The RX is I believe the only hybrid SUV on the market, and has an unusual drivetrain: the front axle is driven by a 3.5 V6 petrol engine (Atkinson cycle and transverse mounted) plus an electric motor, and the rear axle is driven by a second electric motor. Hence no propshaft, Haldex etc. - the 4WD is all done electronically, with the computer deciding when to engage the rear motor.

I would definitely go for a 450h over a 400, it is miles better.

Thanks for this.. Nothing there that is massively off-putting for me. It does seem the 450 is the way to go. Looking at official lexus prices it's a jump from approx 16k to around 23-25k for a decent 450 instead of a 400... Seems like it would be worth it for the better interior and engine etc.

Much appreciated!