kitlz

Doug, the 450h does get slightly lower mileage on the highway. It's still more than the 350. But neither can compare to the Prius. Obviously you get the hybrid appeal, and carpool too. That's great. Maybe sometime down the road (pun intended), you might find yourself in the 450h. There's always room in da club

TechNut

Well, our alternate ride is a pretty easy switch, but I wouldn't haul any bags of cement in it either (although I did haul a 7' fig tree by folding the front passenger seat down). Anyway, this is the loaded Prius so it has all the goodies to satisfy us geeks. Now without a doubt, it is slower, lower and much noisier, but a pretty good commuter vehicle.

The irony is that the Prius was a big factor in our decision to purchase the MY13 RX. We enjoy the keyless entry, backup camera, Bluetooth and all those cool goodies in our Prius and wanted an RX with the same features. There was no overwhelming reason to upgrade from our extremely low-mileage 04 RX other than the electronic improvements and the updated look. My wife and I would joke about how "quaint" the RX was when we had to dig the key out and press a button to get into the locked car. How quickly we are spoiled!

Now my wife is really pining for the RX's Blind Spot Monitoring in the Prius. Fortunately for me, that option isn't available on the Prius at this time. The new Prius comes out in 2015 so I could be in trouble

As for the highway mileage, yes I realize it is still an advantage - I think about 4 MPG based on the EPA ratings. My point was only that the advantage wasn't as great on the highway and more of our RX miles are highway miles since we mostly use the Prius for our city driving - and yes, I would love to find myself in a 450 some day - perhaps if we move to a single car after retiring in a few years. I certainly do get the hybrid appeal.

Doug

go3Ds

We chose the RX hybrid for our full time travel after retiring in 2009 (We now just have a mailbox service and climate controlled storage room rental in the middle of the country). The early release 3rd Gen. 2010 RX450h was in high demand, so we had one shipped from California to our hotel in Arkansas at the time (July 2009). Very exciting day for us to say the least!

We have always been very happy with the Lexus reputation, quality, safety, low maintenance and Lexus dealer service experience, and the RX was the perfect choice for myself, wife and Yorkie dog as we began to travel the U.S. and Canada, both short term and long term stays. And still loving it. Besides the RX's 80 cubic feet of cargo space we needed, the hybrid version in addition to the better mpg, also has ultra low emissions, which is important to us. The standard VDMI, ECCV-i and the 295hp work to perfection IMO. Of course the hybrid is much more FUN to drive with all thats going on with the hybrid system. Love the quiet stops, along with observing all the energy monitors as we ease on down the road. Very easy to develop better driving habits. Love all the modes, EV, ECO, Sport, Snow and so on, and still learning new things, thanks in good part to our forums.

We also get an insurance discount for having a hybrid, and some hotels have prime parking spaces just for hybrids. A few hotels such as Fairmont even give free valet parking for hybrids.

The resale value on the hybrid is excellent! We got top dollar according to various book values, along with a very nice discount, when trading in our 2010 for our current 2013 in Dallas, July 2012. Very low depreciation after 3 years, 40,000 miles and having to pay our Oklahoma 3 1/2% new car sales tax, along with a small title fee. I don't think the trade in value % would have been quite as good, if it were not a hybrid, although overall any Lexus is very good.

Woodrow

I agree! Although we were unconcerned with the mileage when we bought our 450h (it was all about the improved comfort and handling, for us), I love knowing how the system works, and the changes that have been made to optimize the hybrid system! My wife and I both enjoy finding new ways to improve the mileage, and understanding the impact of adjustments have absolutely helped us develop better driving habits. I thought I was a very smooth driver before, but I have improved a lot! I've even noticed improved mileage in my IS as a side benefit of my new habits.

I have to say .... what a GREAT way to enjoy your retirement! Congratulations!

vlad_a

Woody,

I noticed no improved mileage in my IS, even when we owned a Prius.
It just begs to be driven.

Allannde

My "other " car is a Prius Plug in which has a life time 115 mpg average. We just could not consider an RX 350 with 18 mpg. We don't have the RXh yet. It is still in the factory because it is a "Special Order" car.

We have lived with this hybrid system since 2006 in the Prius and are both familiar and very happy with it. Over on PriusChat, where I come from, there are a bunch of really smart guys who do their homework and it is clear that the Toyota/Lexus Hybrid system is both well thought out and very mature. It enjoys a solid "bulletproof" reputation.

All are good reasons for this choice.

We are also looking forward to the fine ride as we have been retired for many years.

kitlz

Congrats Allannde. Welcome to CL. The good news, factory assembly is pretty quick. Crossing the ocean is another story. Been there, done that. It's so worth it though. Hopefully your RXh will be here soon.

A friend of mine used to work in the hybrid auto battery division of a company I'd prefer not to name. Their batteries are found in many popular electronic devices. She said having even a portion of Toyota's success would be a dream for them. Picture a myriad of people trying to figure out how to do it. Kinda funny if you ask me. More than a decade after the Prius was introduced and nobody has even come close. I would buy another Toyota/Lexus hybrid in a heartbeat. Love it!

If you don't mind, can you grace us with a picture of your 115 MPG () Prius. That's awesome!

Allannde

Thank you for the kind words. I have over 800 posts on PriusChat and have welcomed many "newbies" there. Now I am one.

And thank you for the opportunity to post a photo of my "Piper". Nothing gives me more pleasure .

kitlz

Big and small, we love 'em all. Toyota and Lexus, that is Piper is nice. I like! White is not a color I see very often. I'm sure you lots of fun driving the Prius. But just wait until the 450h. Any ETA? 2015? You might be our first.

Allannde

Anita I am guessing June 30 from what I hear around the edges. But there is no schedule at this point.

Piper was the first Plug in here in Spokane. It is the Advanced model with all of the "bells and whistles". It was part of the introductory program where we were guided through the whole process at the factory and shipping across the "pond". That was, indeed, a long drawn out procedure. This will be simpler with the smaller port but there may be a longer wait between ships. It is something of a mystery to me just how a place on the production line is chosen. There seemed to be some logic to the way that the Plug ins were assigned to production. Delivery to California with its warm winter was first.

There is not a big difference between the '14 and the '15 except price. My guess is that the '16 will have more substantial change. I like the last year of a model run. By then, the major "bugs" have been caught. Not that this is a major issue with Lexus or even Toyota.

I find it interesting that the factory at Miyawaka where this car is made is called "Toyota/Kyushu". As nearly as I can tell, all they make is Lexus.

kitlz

Yup, 2016 will be 4th gen RX, making the 3rd gen run six years. 2nd gen was also six. 1st gen shortest at five. In 2003, RX production began in Canada too, the first Lexus to be built on this side of the world. Can you tell I've been in the RX for a while, LOL!. Oh, and all of mine were first year of each gen (including the very first year of the RX) so I can confirm bugs are not a problem with Lexus. The only thing was missing out on the introduction of bluetooth in the 330 by a year.

Wow, how did you get the honor of the first plug in Prius in Spokane? One of our fellow members, Cruiter, picked up the first 450h to hit Atlanta. I could never imagine being able to do something like that around here. There's way too many dealers and people willing to pay big bucks.

Well, June will be here before you know it. Thanks for adding the reason why you chose the 450h. For me it's just awesome.

Allannde

Again, many thanks for your courtesy.

Speaking about the first generation RXh, I was on the wait list for one of those. I chose not to purchase one because it did to get the economy that I expected and I bought my first Prius instead. Now to have both a Plug in Prius and an RXh seems like a sort of Nirvana.

This thread is all about why we chose an RXh and I hope the subject has not been changed.

It is a good topic.

I have been impressed with the comments. They are both interesting and reinforcing to my rationalization (don't we all need that?)

Cruiter

Allan, like Anita said bugs (as a rule) are not an issue here. I'm still driving Watson (same color as your Prius) and he WAS the 1st RX450h here in Atlanta. He was born May of 09 and arrived here in late June. They even hot shipped him separately from the port for me so I'd have him for a 4th of July trip to FL.

I may sell him someday for the Prius, ya never know .

kitlz

Allannde, you're a little late to the RXh party but it's alright. We're glad you eventually made it! People like yourself already understand the appeal of driving a vehicle like the 450h. No rationalization is needed. You're not alone either. A few other members made the leap from another hybrid and/or their 450h coexists with another hybrid vehicle. For me it was my first foray into the hybrid world and I couldn't be happier with my decision. Funny, the 400h wasn't even on my radar when it first came out. I can't say that was a mistake or oversight on my part. I loved my 330! Why change? When Lexus had a preview of the 3RX back in February 2009, they only had 450hs on display. I wonder if it was their way to subliminally suck me in, LOL! That and the super sexy shot of an RXh smack dab in the middle of the 2010 brochure. I had to have those LED headlights! And of course only the 450h had them. Yup, hook, line and sinker.

I agree, reading other people's comments is interesting. It beats trying to justify it to non-hybrid owners. To them I can only say try it, you might like it.

Jim, I aleady have a name for your Prius when you get it. How about short circuit

Allannde

Well, Anita and Jim, in the spirt of this thread, the reasons that I chose an RX450h are:

1. There are few if any vehicles which are built to higher standards and have comparable reliability records.

2. I wanted a hybrid and Toyota/Lexus has no peer. Hybrid vehicles use less gasoline which seems like a responsible thing to do.

3. I wanted LED headlights, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Heads Up Display and the Blind Spot Monitor. Those are all available on the new RX 450h. I am mindful that senses and reactions are not the same as we get older and being a safe and considerate driver requires all the help we can get.

4. I want a comfortable and quality "ride" for this which will most likely be the last vehicle purchase before Mother Nature dictates that I drive no more.

I did not even consider the RX 350. The car the RX 450h replaces is a 1999 Volvo Cross Country which is hard to tell from new, even now. I could not justify replacing it with an RX 350.

After all, whether it is a fine car or humble "wheels". it is just transportation. If we are able to have the best, we are fortunate!

Allan