Personally, I'm glad the RX450h+ has an extremely efficient naturally aspirated 4 cylinder. It has more than enough power and gets outstanding fuel economy. I would not want to trade fuel economy for even more power, even if it were free, which it would not be. And a marginally larger battery would not add enough range to be worth it, in my opinion.

 

hmm, we only paid $1,250 over MSRP for our RX450h+. They were asking the same markups on the NX450h+.

 

For me personally it's not about the power (of the V6 vs 4 cyl) but smoothness and quietness. I test drove the '24 RX 350h and I felt it "struggled" with the 4 cylinder and not as quiet, but there is probably a bias in my impression given that I drove to the dealership in my V6 RX450h.

The fuel efficiency gain by going to 4 cyl vs V6 is not that great generally speaking if you are to believe the various youtube reviewers (Thomas from Autogefuhl compared the new GLE 4 cyl to the prior 6 cyl and came to this conclusion) and also my "ballpark" estimate in comparing the 2024 RX 500h 4 cyl (stated 27 mpg combined - seems low...) to my 2021 RX 450h V6 (stated 31 mpg combined, but in reality I was never able to get better than 27 mpg... and I don't drive hard and use 93 octane gas). Both the 500h and 450h weigh the same (the weight loss in the 500h from the smaller engine probably offset by various advanced systems like rear wheel steering, more sophisticated suspension, etc.). The 2024 RX 350h has a stated combined mpg of 36 though (and weighs approx. 10% less ~ 300 lbs).

 

Over 3,100 miles, we've averaged about 35 mpg in HV mode, which is is claimed combined rating.
The TX550h+ is claimed to get 29mpg combined.

I've never felt that the engine was struggling, and I've driven over mountain passes with it. The 450h+ has a good deal more power than the 350h.

I don't believe I've ever heard the 4cyl engine be louder than the 2013 V6 engine. Vibration is less perceptible than it was with the V6. The 4 is not as audibly smooth as the V6, but it's rarely heard in normal driving.

 

Interesting. I will wait until they get a RX450h+ down here to test drive one, I would've thought the driving experience in HV mode would be identical to the 350h. For now, the dealers are saying the 450h+ are at least 2-3 months away and TX550h+ probably 3-6 months away... South Florida

 

The 0-60 of the RX450h+ in hybrid mode is a more than a full second faster in 0-60 than the RX350h at 6.2 seconds vs 7.4. That translates to less throttle, and a more effortless feeling, for any given acceleration or cruising speed. For comparison, the RX500h, and TX550h 0-60 are both 5.9 seconds.

One of the things I appreciate most about the 450h+ is that the extra power is available near instantaneously. For example, if I'm accelerating up an on-ramp and need an extra burst of power near the end, to safely merge, I can get a near-instaneous burst of speed by flooring it, where our 2013 would have to step through multiple gear-shifts before it gave the required acceleration, with noticeable lag. Probably not an issue with your 450h, but definitely an issue with the previous V6 350s.

 

The 2013 V6 is probably a little less refined than my 2021 V6, likely not much, but even with my 450h, the hybrid doesn't help when flooring it, it's all the V6, so I think probably similar lag to the 2013. Hopefully the "tortured" sound of my V6 has been addressed somehow in the 2024 models (TX PHEV), as this is an engine tuned for refinement and certainly not hard work...

I think the difference with the 450h+ is that in hybrid mode, the 450h+ "hybrid battery" (which, according to another owner, is basically an "allocation" of the 18.8 kwh battery" equal to approx 2.8 kwh but could be more) is more powerful than the 450h hybrid battery (1.77 kwh) and as per your experience, gets involved when flooring it. For my 450h, the hybrid is only for low speeds and on flat terrain, as soon as you require more power, the ICE kicks in, no help whatsoever from the hybrid battery.

 

As of two days ago, we now have both the RX450h+ and the NX450h+ and after having driven both vehicles, they feel very similar in many ways. Obviously, the NX, being a fancy version of the RAV4 Prime, has a much smaller interior space. It's far from claustrophobic inside but, to me, it does feel a bit constricting, compared to the RX. The instant power on demand is great and acceleration is very similar to the Acura RDX 3.5L V6 that we no longer have. Before buying both of them, I was a bit fearful of switching to a vehicle with an eCVT transmission, as all of my previous cars had conventional shifting transmissions. I definitely did not want a four cylinder turbo, nor a BEV and one quick drive in the PHEV convinced me that this would be an excellent choice. So far, no regrets whatsoever.

 

According to several youtube reviewers, the eCVT is superior to the CVT. They don't go into details, but this is what they're saying. Some in a more dramatic fashion than others, emphasizing that "it's not the old CVT", obviously without any supportive information, but great acting and delivery. Having said that... these are the same people who are lauding and praising cars like the '24 Mazda CX-90 PHEV, comparing it to Lexus and BMW, and I just took one for a test drive... it's doesn't even come close. Even the salesman acknowledged that they're having trouble moving these... So take all this with a grain of salt...

 

The Toyota eCVT has zero in common with conventional CVT transmissions, mechanically. It is really an amazing piece of engineering.

Here is a deep dive on it;


Here is a more simplified demonstration;

 

I disagree on the Mazda CX-90. We recently purchased a CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus and it's very close, if not equal, to Lexus quality. We're a Lexus loyalist family, but the price and limited availability of the RX450h+ drove us to look elsewhere. We were able to get $10k off the sticker for the CX-90 Premium Plus, so it was ultimately over $20k less than the RX450h+. The Mazda is an entirely different driving dynamic vs. the RX450h+, but again, in terms of quality, they're near equals IMO. Mazda has also been great to work with - almost reminds me of the Lexus experience of yesteryear. I wouldn't write off the CX-90 if you're also considering the RX450h+, especially if you're able to get a deal like I secured.

 

I appreciate this and congrats on your new purchase. But I just didn't like the CX-90 PHEV. I went in with great expectations, maybe that was part of it. It felt heavy, very noisy - both in EV mode (very loud whiny sound) and also outside sounds in the cabin. I am comparing it to my 21 RX450h f-sport, both in hybrid and non-hybrid modes. For example, the RX in hybrid was silent in EV mode (basically identical to my Model S) while the CX90 was very loud in EV mode with that "EV whiny" sound. Also, I was expecting more luxury for that price point. It looks good from outside, but when you start touching the materials, the center console (wood-looking plastic), it just didn't work for me. I knew that they are touting driving dynamics, etc., I get that, but we had a Porsche and a BMW M and this did not drive like any of those either, those felt like drivers' cars... This, to me, felt "clunky". Yes, the salesman said they are discounting these heavily and they bent over backwards to set up the test drive, even though the dealership that I visited reminded me of the local Kia dealership, but that may be just in my area (the Volvo dealership had the same vibe). The interior felt cheap, even though Lexus is also cheapening out with the RX interiors and it seems like everyone (even Mercedes) is using cheap leather now (standard leather), unless you opt for their top of the line options (Nappa, etc.), which unfortunately the TX / RX don't have... With the discounts, I think it comes out to probably $15-20K less than a comparable RX and TX, and I feel that this is a fair price. It's a Lexus minus $10-15K in "upgrades", kind of like just above a Grand Highlander (I did not test drive one, just sat in one). On paper it looked great, reviews were great, I wanted to like it, but I just didn't feel it...

 

Hello to all. New guy here just signed a deal for one local in stock and not spoken for. The deal was msrp and no mark up. It’s possible so don’t give up in a search if you’re looking to snag one of these.
NDennis

 

Yeah, those predictions were a bit off...

Lexus has sold over 300 RX450h+'s, or over 10 times those predicted, on the west coast already. And another 267 to be sold, at the moment.

 

We test drove a CX90, an RX 350 and an Audi Q5e. When we bought, there were no Mazda hybrids available or 350Hs available. The Lexus was nice but my wife said the steering wheel seemed off center to the dash. The blank buttons on the steering wheel. I know they are programmable. And getting a hybrid would take forever.
Only the top trim CX90 had a power adjustable steering column, a must for my wife. The PHEV doesn’t come with the top trim. Also, no lock or unlock on the outside rear door handles. For 60k, the full warranty should be for 4 years. I also don’t like the black plastic around the wheel wells.
The Audi Q5e met all the criteria but, it was more money. But they had special financing. 2.99%.
Ultimately we went with the Audi. Our previous car was a Acura MDX hybrid.