Hello I am new to this forum and have never owned a Lexus or a hybrid.
I am on the fence about trading my BMW 335 for the 450H - I need more cargo room and love the idea of a hybrid.
So, I have read about colors and options but what about MILEAGE and performance?
Are you happy with your 450H - would you buy it again?
And (have to ask) what is the best looking color? Opinions on the aurora white pearl as I think (sight unseen) that would be my choice.
Somebody help me off this fence (either way)!

 

RX450h is definitely nice car to drive. It is quiet and the front seats are convenient. It is the drivers car. In my opinion cargo room is quite small. I have Mitsubishi Outlander 2009 where the cargo room is better.

Car is good but I'm disappointed for the navigation system. It gives strange routes and does not recalculate the fastest route. Also I bought $ 11 thermometer from Target, which displays the outside and inside temperatures both in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. My $ 2400 navigation system does only show in degrees Fahrenheit. I would by new Lexus without navigation system and also install my own thermometer :-)

Sakke

 

I would not buy again, in fact im going to sell it when I could break even. Gas mileage is awful, at least in my case, only getting between19-20 MPG. Unacceptable considering some people are getting closer to 30MPG. The car does drive nice, but I would say there is nothing exciting about it, not like a BMW.

 

Pretty interesting. Do you mean other 450h cars get almost 30MPG in your city? Or you meant other Hybrid vehicles with the similar size of engine can do so?

Lexus RX isn't X5. If your preference leans towards that excitement, SUV from BWM/Porsche seems to be the better choice.

 

My opinion is just that, my opinion. It's based on nearly 100 (yes it's true, I was in the business for just over 18 years) cars I've owned in my lifetime. Besides demo's, I've owned quite a few cars. Some were new, most were used that I bought for resale on 90 day notes.

My RX 450 h was produced in May of 09 making it one of the 1st production models. When it arrived at port, my dealer 'hot shipped' ahead of others and it was the 1st one in the Atlanta market. I took delivery the 2nd half of June.

To this date, my only serious disappointment is from this past Saturday when the windshield cracked 2/3 up from center after I lost my grip on the drivers side wiper when it slipped from my fingers after hand washing the car. It will be replaced hopefully w/o problems this Thursday. It must have been some freak occurrence due to water temps VS air temps or who knows. It just happened.

Little nit picking things like the pockets on the back of the front seats that really aren't pockets anymore or no coin holder soon disappeared as I became familiar with the 'new' Lexus technology. Some complain but I've learned the thinking on the new NAV system and really love it.

A few days after I took delivery and got my personal tag transferred, I made a trip with my wife and a friend to FL for several days. We were loaded with luggage and a Segway in the back (not light). I traveled at speeds mostly around 70 plus a lot of stop and go in FL. For the trip I did average about 30mpg with some above that. It was new and I only floored it once to pass on a two lane road.

I have nearly 9800 miles now and my 10k will come Thursday with my new w/s (covered by warranty). I absolutely love the car and if I had to buy another one next week, my only change would be for additional options such as the HUD or AWD (so I could have a trailer hitch).

I have the Starfire Pearl w/Parchment and still prefer it but my 2nd choice would be the Mica red, it's really sharp. My interior is similar in color to the '03 RX300 I used to have and no problems whatsoever keeping it clean but some folks for whatever reason seem to have a problem with that.

I bought it before any were available to drive but any reputable Lexus dealer will agree that if you order it and don't like it, you won't lose your deposit. They're still hot and pretty hard to find in inventory.

The winter temps affect mileage more for some than others. The colder it is the worse your mileage but any car will suffer worse mileage in extreme cold. I really don't understand people getting low twenty's unless they are starting cold and going just a few miles under hard acceleration. Our temps here in North Georgia were in the 20's and teens for several days and I still got over 27. I suppose if you drive it floored all the time you'll get less but it's not hard (you don't have to be a hyper-miler) to get decent mileage. There is an area on the way home that's approx 3 miles 35 mph country road then 25 mph subdivision. If no one is behind me so I can accelerate slowly on a warm engine I can travel the whole 3 miles on battery only staying under 40 mph. It only depletes the traction battery about 3 bars.

Good luck with your decision, I hope this helps.

 

I've seen many people around the area, loves to floor the car and stop hard at the next stop light(like 250ft away). That's how you get bad mileage.
It reminds me of that movie, Meet the Parents, where Ben Stiller was racing Robert De Niro, trying to get home to see the cat.

 

I am driving my first Lexus - a 2010 RX450h - after 13 consecutive Audi vehicles over the past 27 years. I have only had it a few weeks and only have 1400km on it, so I cannot comment meaningfully on the gas mileage yet. Besides, I live in cold, snowy Ontario. I think that the Navigation system absolutely sucks, compared to the Audi system. The one feature I absolutely love is the Heads Up Display of the current speed. Mine is black on black interior. This was not my first choice, but it was take that or else wait 4-6 months as they are in short supply. I have all the bells and whistles available in Canada, except the towing items, which I would never use. I was forced to take the rear DVD system as part of a package, even though I never expect to have anyone in the rear seats while I have the vehicle. As was pointed out above, it is a driver's car. It gives a very quiet smooth ride, even with 19 inch winter tires. I drove it 400 km on an express highway last week and have no complaints. Most of us, if we are honest, would admit that we bought a Hybrid because we ae gadget-minded and like the extra features on the top-of-the line model. I think you would have to drive 150,000 miles a year for several years to break even on the extra cost of the Hybrid. Have a look at the thread elsewhere in this Forum where gas mileage and premium vs regular gas is discussed at length. Best of luck with your decision.

 

Oscqc is right re the payback period...

We drive about 15k miles a year in So.California. The 450h was a $5000 premium over a comparable RX350. With our mix of street vs. freeway miles, we averaged about 19 mpg with our previous RX300 and RX330; I understand the new RX350 gets a little less mpg so let's call it 18 mpg for our conditions.

Over 15k miles, the RX350 will require 834 gallons and let's use $3.50/gal for premium (today it's $3.30 here). That's $2919 per year.

Our 450h, during what we cleverly call "winter" in So.CA, is averaging 27 mpg. For 15k miles, that means 556 gallons at $3.50 or $1946 per year. So we're saving approx $973 per year. It will take just over 5 years to return the $5k premium cost.

Now if during that time gas increases to $4.50/gal, the same calculation results in an annual savings of $1251 and a payback period of 4 years.

Many years ago we had a Mercury Mountaineer V8 that never passed-up a gas station...it had to average 10-12 mpg (the new ones are still at 13 mpg city! according to Consumers). It got to the point where we didn't want to even drive it. Bad buying decision on our part but we wanted to get away from minivans.

On the other hand, the 450h is clearly not a bad buying decision.

 

You can drive yourself nuts trying to come up with some form of breakeven analysis. I am a retired Power Engineer and when I was looking, you would have thought that I was analyzing a $100 million transmission project. I was building all kinds of spreadsheets that included things like depreciation, insurance costs, fuel costs, etc. I even found a spreadsheet on the internet that considered something like 80 variables in making the comparison. In the end you buy the vehicle you like and you will find ways of justifying it to your spouse no matter what!

There is a psychological value to a hybrid. Back when gas moved over $4.00/gallon one dealer told me that he sold several used Prius's for more than the original owners paid for them. I'm thinking that's nuts but people will put a lot of mileage on a vehicle trying to get 1-2 cents per gallon cheaper gas and then put 15 gallons in the tank for a 15-30 cent saving!!

Bing or Google hybrid payback analysis and you will find a lot of dissagreeing articles/posts.

 

The RX450hAWD is a great car. Have had it since last summer. Yes I would buy it again.
This is my opinion.

We have had the SUV since July 2009. It is tungsten with black interior. It has proven to be versatile. Mileage has ranged from 23-28.5mpg.

Things we enjoy in no particular order.
Fewer trips to the gas station. (Have had Land Cruiser and Tahoe)
The vehicle will respond if we drive for speed, power, or efficiency.
The electric A/C and ventilated seats work great even when temps are >90 degrees.
In winter the cabin warms up fast if it is not in the eco mode.
It has proven to be sure footed on snow.
Interstate driving is comfortable and quiet with plenty of power for passing.
It never feels under powered.
Headsup display integrated with the nav..
Handsfree phone.
Individual tire pressure reporting.
Imperceptible hybrid system.
Remote touch device for controlling electronic systems.
Plenty of torque to pull our sailboat trailer with dealer installed hitch.

Things we do not like.
Auxiliary power and USB plugs buried in the bottom of center console.
The center of the back seat is hard and uncomfortable. Ok for 2 passengers but not 3.
Hard to find garage door opener in the dark.
Satellite radio, weather, nav not impressed and did not renew.

Overall great ride for us. In my opinion the most versatile AWD hybrid.

Terry

 

ok--several issues--once again--my wifes mileage is appalling due to her driving style--I drive the same car same gas same weather same area--I get 5-7 more MPG.

I have a BMW and all the characteristics are vastly different--but thats intentional for both--as we say there is a time and place for each. Having said this--I saw wher ethe new SC wil be hybrid and if thats a Hardtop convertible I could easily swap the BMW 335 HTC for a HTC lexus SC hybrid

payback--I am in the camp where gas wil not only go to 6 bucks or higher and not be plentiful--so I really like the higher mileage for the obvious. Who theheck really knows wha tthe saving hte planet aspect is.

I wish the IPOD interface was better and as well all the electronics were more intuitive.

And once again-my wife absolutely loves the car, XM, etc--in TV advertising speak


thats priceless.

 

The Lexus hybrid is quite a different beast relative to a BMW. I would advise you to take some serious test drives and decide if YOU like its feel and are satisfied with its performance. It isn't a sports car, nor does it pretend to be. Personally, I love mine and purchased it after having previously owned a 2008 400h. I also love sports cars, having owned Porche, Ferarri, and presently have a 2002 Honda S2000. When I want performance and agility, I go to it. However, for a long trip, there is nothing like my Lexus. I just returned from a 750+ mile trip - over mountains, some city driving, speeds varied but up to 75+ mph, and got 28+ mph with two, unfortunately somewhat overweight passengers. One other important consideration re the BMW is reliability. Good luck with your decision.

 

I drove two BMW X5s a total of 200K before going to the 450h. Average X5 mileage was 18-19 across all driving, the 450h is 27.5 in the same conditions, burning regular. I'm not convinced premium adds enough MPG if any at all. I'll keep testing.

Would I buy again -- yep. Without a doubt.

The BMW has better road feel and is more sporty. For the mission of this vehicle I'm will to give that up for better mileage. Besides, a sporty SUV is an oxymoron. When I want sporty I'll buy a Porsche with a manual tranny.

As far as buying a hybrid -- I expect to get 30-50% of the cost premium back at resale, and I enjoy the LED headlights and CVT that aren't available on the regular RX. I look at the hybrid as a deluxe trim package that has features I value -- bigger wheels, etc..

And in the end, burning less gas is less gas burnt. Even if they start giving gasoline away, I'll still value better mileage.

The 450h has given me an excellent ownership experience and I look forward to running the wheels off the thing. BTW -- so far I've had no issues related to being the first year of the new model -- Lexus got it right. Some MB and BMWs I've owned had real first year issues.

Good luck with your choice.