Htony

Yes, RX is unibody, front wheel drive vehicle. For serious/safe towing we need truck chassis with real frame like GX460 or Toy 4 runner. Used to pull 7500 pound fiver
with Ford F250HD, Super cab towing special when kids were young. Never had trouble living near the Rockies. Never had an overheating problem on the truck on the
winding high altitude roads. Usual MPG was like 6-7. With dual fuel tank could cover barely 300 miles, LOL! After kids grew up, I sold the rig, built a small 4 season
cabin in the foothills. Lots of wild life, wild horses, fishing...

vlad_a

As mentioned above, RX is FWD platform - not great for towing. 4Runner (Limited has full-time 4WD) or Lexus GX would be a much better fit.

F250

It's not, and you already know that. However.... there is a difference between "can" and "should". The first refers only to capability, while the latter is more related to design purpose. I'm sure that you already know that, too, because....


See... you're already addressing the issue yourself with your last sentence!

Would I pull that 5'x8' Uhaul trailer again with my RXh.... yes, if I really need to and my truck is not available. However, I'm going to do everything in my power to NOT be placed in that situation because the truck was designed for much more than that 5'x8' trailer and is perfectly happy and completely unhindered for pulling it throughout it's 500,000 mile lifespan. At the same time, if my wife and I are taking a long weekend to somewhere within 12 hours or so... that drive will be made with the Lexus, and not with my truck! Vehicles are designed for a purpose, and perform best when operated as designed (assuming the folks who made the design also built it to really run that way).

lexusrus

Enter the LX570. ("ENTER THE DRAGON", from Bruce Lee)
The LX570 should be able to do it with style and ease!!!
But the mpg will nowhere be as good as the RX450H. It is a trade off. But for medium to long trips (more then 6 hours), we usually take the LX570.

charleston

This forum is funny at times, everyone thinks the vehicle is so delicate and incapable. (The amount of people on here who think 100,000 miles is high mileage always gets me)

With the tow package you are fine on both fronts. Lexus wouldn't give that weight (that number is decided on by engineers and most importantly LAWYERS) if it wasn't capable of towing it.

vlad_a

Tow rating has little to do with lawyers or legislation. There's a steep climb road somewhere in Nevada, where a vehicle with a tow payload has to sustain a specific constant speed.
It doesn't mean it will be a great experience, but the vehicle will be capable.

Htony

That is combination of vehicle, properly equipped, plus driver skill. Honestly some drivers frown on towing something
behind. Backing the vehicle with something hitched behind, etc. Specs. are based under ideal condition like MPG rating.

tus

It is more than the lawyers. Of course it's also more than a standard test since there's always a factor of safety engineered into the thing, but even with this the experience is almost always less than ideal. These days it seems like the factor keeps getting smaller and smaller in an attempt to make things cheaper and more efficient.

On something related but different, as a 450h owner, I guess there is no standard for backing up with a load hooked up, or if there is Toyota/Lexus didn't remember to factor it in.

lexusrus

Consider this:. Towing at "capacity" up a sustained climb of some 6% grade in 115+ F degrees hot weather for any length of time is no fun where you CAN NOT keep up with traffic and EVERYONE is passing you AND LOOKING AT YOU (I hope you have real dark tinted windows!!!). Then you start a sustained downhill decent where you are hitting the brakes constantly (the CVT transmission/regenerative braking not slowing the RX450h down enough) to the point of possible overheating something?

So after you complete your towing expedition.......do you soon change your engine oil and transmission fluid? Many don't do it.

Sure it is capable, but not ideal. Personally I would not do it with the RX450h/RX350.

phlorida

Note that this was the first post for the OP and that they have not replied in eleven days.

vlad_a

Hopefully, OP moved on to GX and T4R forums.

jrfiero

They probably haven't replied bacause of all the opinionated b.s., tangents about other vehicles, and other nonsense which doesn't answer their question.

Jonas

F250

Never mind.

H0P

He's probably fishing...

RX300IM

Road trip from Southern CA to Yukon Territory.
I've been towing this 3000 lb travel trailer with no issues. I am able to maintain 55mph comfortably. It may not pull as strong as a truck going uphill but it does the job done.

Original engine/transmission