Ah that makes sense

So PHEVs do charge like a normal hybrid, the difference is in how specific models let you choose whether you want to use the battery pack for full EV driving or not, In my Pacifica PHEV there are no modes, it just automatically uses the battery pack until its done then it goes to hybrid, but when its in hybrid mode it will operate like a non plug in hybrid, charge the battery and coast on battery etc.

Some PHEVs will let you select to have the engine run to charge the EV battery specifically. My Pacifica only does this in remote start.

 

Wait a sec. You can get a pano roof on the GH but not the TX? Why would anyone get a TX over a GH?

 

Unless im mistaken the GH isn’t a PHEV right?

You can get the sunroof on the non PHEV TX

 

I might be wrong here. I thought about 20 posts earlier the discussion was the pano being unavailable on the TX550+ which is the top trim level. I just briefly looked at the top GH trim for comparison.

 

The TX550+ is the PHEV, thats the top trim but its the plug in hybrid. Lexus is saying for whatever reason the PHEV and the sunroof are not compatible.

If you get a TX500h you have the 4cyl turbo hybrid system but no plug in and you can get the sunroof. Very strange.

 

They must need that space for the battery.

 

Haha! Roof battery!

 

Lol. It's the interior cabin height, with the pano roof you lose a little height and in many EVs / PHEV's the battery is under the rear seats and big enough to force them to lift the rear seat so you're sitting higher and also less leg space from the knee down. I think one reviewer actually said this about the TX, that he was sitting higher in the PHEV in the back vs the regular. And he was one of those 5'8" or 5'9" reviewers that they use to always make it seem that cars are soooo roooomy....

 

But how can all the other PHEV models have both? Designed from the ground up planning to have an EV variant there should be room to design it in such a way that they can have a sunroof, everybody else does.

 

Well with that logic it might just mean that Toyota has forgotten how to package cars lol!

 

Then I think you may not understand how a PHEV and a regular hybrid differ. PHEV is meant to charge via a wall outlet/level 2 charger. That provides the sizable battery enough power to drive in EV mode for 30+ miles. After that then it can perform as a typical hybrid. Yes, some PHEVs do have the ability to have the gas engine charge up that driving battery, but it's very inefficient gas wise. Generally only used in other areas really where you know you need to run on EV power within certain city limits etc and you need to charge that up on your way there. People with plug ins don't really use that functionality in the States.

 

The Sequoia's 2nd and 3rd row is a perfect example of this.

 

Yup, great example...

 

The fact the 2nd row is now non adjustable blew my mind on the test drive....

 

They did the same non sense to the GX. Who in their right mind thought that was a great idea?