ejvette

For a 6k difference in price unless your keeping the car for 8+ years I don't see the Economic sense. If your someone like me who's going to get a new car evey 3 to 4 years you drive 12 k a year average 20 mpg that's 600 gals of gas a year let's say with the hybrid I avg 28 mpg I save 172 gals of gas at 3.5 a gallon that's $600 bucks a year gas savings. Unless you just want bragging rights about how green you can be or you drive a lot of miles a year why pay the 6k more ?

currybob

Some of that may be true but my RX450H was closer to $4500 more and that comes with the CVO tranny and few other minor options. People will spend 2,000 k on gps and hardly use it.

Also this is not my first Hybrid and the others I traded in over the years has brought a high value because of it being a Hybrid. I always got about the amount of the hybrid back when traded. Of course these were 2 year old cars but felt it was well worth it.

Bob

wa3cuj

I am one of those geeks (it must be my engineering background) that keeps track of my net worth in Quicken. I update the value of my vehicles roughly every 6 months and use the Edmund's private party value for my numbers. Amazingly, when I updated it for the end of December, the value of my 450h had actually increased!!!!!! I have no idea if this can be link to the perceived cost of gasoline. The salesman that I purchased this from told me that the value of used hybrids goes up pretty quickly as the price of gas goes up -- it is the psycological effect.

I tried to do a financial analysis when I purchased my 450h but decided I could not make it payback. However, the feature set was what I went for. If it were strictly a financial decision it would be difficult to justify an RX over a Kia.

Get the vehicle you want that fits within your means. Like my one friend says "This isn't a dress rehearsal. You can't take it with you."

ejvette

You guys brought up a very good point which never occured to me which is vehicle value on the back end.... Although in my case I usually lease and hand them the keys back in 36 months.

JimH2

In many scenarios, the break-even mileage is likely near or greater than 100,000 miles. If one assumes a $ 5,000 difference in vehicle cost, and a 7 MPG difference in gas mileage, the break-even mileages if gas costs $ 3.50, $ 4.00, and $ 4.50 per gallon comes out to 130,000, 115,000, and 101,000 miles respectively. One can take a percentage of these mileages based on any percentage difference in the $ 5,000 or 7 MPG figures above to come up with another break-even mileage for their use. This excludes any increase in trade-in values. However, if a trade-in value was $ 1,000 better for the 450h, then the net difference in cost changes to $ 4,000 and the break-even mileages change to 104,000, 92,000, and 80,800 miles respectively.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I think it's well worth the difference in cost if you do the miles and most is city.
Not for me at 6M miles per but I do like the hybrid technology in our Camry.

RXSF

small price to pay to drive a hybrid if you ask me. less time at the pump and the silent driving has its own thrill to it. there are a lot of reasons.

some are:
green
mpg
exclusivity
options that arent available on the gas model: LED headlights
noise reduction

TorontoIS

I bought the RX 450h after comparing it to the 350. For me, it was what I wanted. I loved a few things about it that weren't available on the 350. The LED headlights for one I think are great looking and make the front end of the RX 450h a bit more distinctive. As well, I really love how smooth and quiet the 450 is compared to the 350. When I'm driving, so often there is perfect silence, unbelievable silence that I have never experienced in a car before.

Another thing is the power, the electric motors have tremendous torque that is instant on. The 450 can haul *** !

flystone

I don't think you will ever come out on top by buying a hybrid if saving money is your main concern..
The money you saved on gas eventually will go toward a new battery and the premium you paid compare to a non-hybrid RX will range from $4,500 - $6,000 and I don't think by the time you want to sell your RX, you will be able to get that much more on a hybrid version compare to a non-hybrid..

There are many reason to get a hybrid, but saving money probably won't be one that make much sense..

Hal56

after driving a loaner 350, its much more than the mileage--the 450h just feels better, in many ways.

More solid, quicker and faster.

Stormforge

+1. agreed. when you die, you leave everything behind.

to OP: if you can afford an RXh and you like the features it has over the regular RX, then get it. if it's not within your budget or it disturbs your sense of financial responsibility, then don't. there is no right or wrong about it.

but like wa3cuj said, you can't take your possessions with you if you die. why not enjoy life (and the luxuries that you can afford) while you still can enjoy it before disease, old age, or a fatal accident takes it away from you. from this perspective, saving an extra $4-5K would be moot (imho at least).

kitlz

I was looking at the 350 when the 3rd gen came out. But the extras on the 450h did me in. Being a hybrid was just one of them. If saving on gas was a priority, I would have gotten something else.

Another reason to drive the 450h, the rims. Love em! Hey, you only go around the world once

k9shelly1

Quick question on the hybrid. Does it come factory with duel exhaust? If so, why and why doesn't the 350? I really like the look of it and would love to have seen it on a 350.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

and without the dual exhaust,I'd rather not have the chrome tip.
A RX should have a dual exhaust.SUV/crossovers at less than half the price have dual exhaust.

LexBob2

I agree. At the RX price point and segment it should have dual exhaust tips. It would balance out the look from the rear too IMO.

As it is, they do a good job of concealing the single tip.