Omextreme

We are considering selling our Honda odyssey and getting a Suv.. The last suv we has was a 2000 rx300 and it was great. We plan to sell the Honda and take the cash and buy a SUV medium or large of some type. I have not followed the Lexus SUV line in recent years so I don't know much about them. I want to spend between 15 and 18k max. We have 2 kids and never use the 3rd row of seats in the Honda. I like the 470 size but I think my wife would be happier with the smaller one. I am not afraid of higher miles in a good car, I had a ls400 with 380k 0 issues.. if you could choose what would you do and why, are older hybrid 4xx series reliable, worth it etc... I am all ears!!

Looks like for our money we would be 2012 to 2013 ish rx350 or 2010 to 2012 (high miles ) 450h

Droid13

Quick reference:

Trans:
350 more traditional gear shifting, 450 no shifting - power and acceleration is more like a motor boat. The 350 will feel a bit more peppy from stop because of the 1st gear range, but the 450 is very slightly more powerful/faster overall.

Reliability:
No major differences between the two, both are highly reliable.

Economy:
On highway both are similar, in the city 450 is significantly better. 450 is supposed to use premium gas, many have reported no problems using regular gas.

Handing:
Of course with used cars, handling can easily vary a lot just due to age, but in general the 450 is said to feel slightly more stable because of the low battery weight. Around the parking lot, not much difference. If you go AWD, the 350 is more capable at putting power to the rear wheels. 450 uses electric only at the back (max is around 65-70 HP at rear). 450 is not for serious off-road use, probably not the 350 either, but 450 even less so. 450 comes standard with 19" wheels, 18" for 350. 19"ers tend to run a bit more firmly.

Maintenance Costs:
Not much difference, hybrid components are maintenance free for the most part. Replacing the 12V battery is more for the 450 because it uses an AGM type battery. Brakes should last a bit longer in the 450.

Usability:
No noticeable difference, same cargo room, same inner/outer dimensions

Model Year:
2013 was a mid-cycle upgrade for the RX, so if you can spring for a '13 you'll be getting a somewhat more modern version of the vehicle. '10s had a little more squeeks and noises. However, generally all model years have provide to be reliable.

Vs RX300.
Bigger, faster, a lot less "car" like. More room for 5 + groceries, but you'll be hunting for parking spots with a bit more room.

salimshah

Andy:
Please correct me as needed.

450h comes with a minimum set of options while 350 can be obtained with less delivery options.

I thought the 450h hatch deck was slightly higher due to the traction battery under the rear seats. This meant less hatch volume. Also 450h gets the doughnut spare while 350 can fit a full size spare.


Salim

Droid13

The 450 might be slightly higher overall, but I think this is due to the suspension/weight differences between 350 and 450. As far as I know, all the internal dimensions are exactly the same except for 1, rear seat legroom. The 450 has just very, very slightly more legroom (enough to put off trimming your toenails an extra few days at most) probably just due to the rear seat mounting position on top of the battery. Regarding spare tire options, no idea. Regarding the general options, yes the 450 had more minimum options, but the combination of the various option packages through the model years of both 350/450 probably means there's dozens of possible option combinations one might run across between the 350 and 450, but I can't think of any one option that was specifically exclusive to either over this generation of models. The enhanced stability control (VDIM) was always standard on the 450, but only available as a special option on the 350 and maybe, not sure, not at all on the first year or two.

EDIT: Oh, I just remembered an option that was exclusive to the 450 and even more exclusively to the 2010, which I have. the Aurora White paint. Better than Lexus Boring White, and the other 50 shades of grey Lexus offers (some a little more redder and bluer than others )

MellonC00

riredale

I love our 2010 RX450h, though admittedly I've never had a 350, I'm sure it's a fine car also. In fact, both vehicles are nearly identical except for the differences noted above. We bought it in October 2016, totally trouble-free to date. Overall mileage in the high-20s.

As noted, the 450h will get much better mileage in stop-and-go driving, no difference on the freeway driving. Lifetime hybrid battery, so should be no concern there. Regular gas is perfectly fine, all you lose is a couple horsepower for the sales brochure (engine is the same as in the Highlander, which specs regular gas).

Transmission is as smooth as a turbine, entirely shift-free and a bulletproof design. Car does great in the snow; we really got hammered a few years ago and it did just fine.

We got a 2010-11-12 because we loved the classic front grille appearance, didn't like at all the "spindle"look, but to each his own, I guess.

MellonC00

you should test drive the car for sure. check out this thread also regarding uncomfortable seats. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...d-threads.html

MellonC00

and don't forget the dreaded joystick based GPS system. The gen 2's at least direct access buttons.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ps-system.html

takeshi74

We've always preferred the performance, ride & slight economy benefit of the hybrids. We had a 400h and now have a 450h. However, with your budget you'd probably have better options with the 350. Even though you're not afraid of higher miles I'd still suggest getting the newest and lowest mileage option while also considering the specific condition of the vehicle in question as there's much more to consider than just year and miles.

IIRC the GX is an SUV while the RX is a crossover (CUV). The differences may not matter to some but you may want to be aware.

The GX was a nonstarter for us. We didn't want the SUV ride or fuel economy and we didn't need the added size/space. The RX is plenty for us but there are only 2 of us and every once in a while we have adult passengers and/or cargo. We were actually considering an NX but even the NX hybrid seemed to be fuel economy oriented instead of performance oriented as it had been on the RX's.

Worth is always highly subjective regardless of topic and my 2 cents are stated earlier. For us the hybrids are worth it but many don't find the added cost worthwhile. RX's are generally very reliable whether hybrid or not. However, reliability is impacted on an individual vehicle level based on care and maintenance of the previous owner(s) so proper inspections prior to purchase are a must, just as with any used vehicle.

Also a subjective matter. I will say that I couldn't stand it on the 3RX 350 service loaners we would get when we had a 2RX 400h. However, having owned a 3RX 450h for about 9 months now I'm used to the Remote Touch controller and prefer it over having grimy fingerprints on the 2RX touchscreen as I'm obsessive about that kind of stuff. I can't stand people pointing at things on my monitor at work and getting their fingerprints on either. It took a while but I'm very comfortable using RT. Being a subjective matter though, YMMV and there are plenty who can't stand it. OP should try both to see if this particular thing is a dealbreaker one way or the other.

ukrkoz

Hybrid repairs are 32% more vs non hybrid. Some gal did research on this and published article.
Donno. I owned two hybrids. Camry and Highlander. Camry is the only car that I am regretting selling. It was just so reliable. Better mpg, if you really sit down and calculate "savings", take around 10 yrs to offset higher cost. So is it worth it?
My son said something very intelligent few weeks back. When I said that I sit tight and wait for good full electric to come out. He said - yes. Combos never really work well, best is either good gasoline or good electric. I was struck how true this is.
So I sit tight and wait till Toyota will go full electric in 2020. Electric is electric. My NX will do till then.

salimshah

Is this for 350 vs 450H? If yes then it will be applicable.
Next question would be, is this cost of repairs or just reported incidences?
Another interesting stat would be the area of faults ... failures in the area of where the two models differ would be more applicable.

ICE based vehicles are now more than 100 yrs in production and have gone through lot of improvements. It will take some time for hybrids to shine and as you pointed out the EV may just trump them.

Salim

MellonC00

agree with this partly. On the used car market, the hybrids really don't command that much premium. for something with about 35K miles the difference (as I see it on popular websites) seems only to be between $1500 to $2500. When you take it out to something like 70K miles, the difference in price comes down to hundreds. Not thousands. And don't forget. Hybrids are faster and eats up less brake pad and rotors. Way less.
All electrics are great but still expensive (even with gas savings).

8342757

I can't really compare the two, but some comments as a 2013 450h owner (original and current):

1. My gas mileage runs typically in the 28-29 mpg range (60-75% highway). Last year when I visited a National Park with a 45 mph speed limit, I got better than 33mpg. When I am on a highway with 75mph limit, the mileage is a little below 28mpg.
2. I buy premium gas (91 octane), which seems to help when accelerating (more smoothly). I've also heard that since we are above 5000' elevation, we should not be using 85 octane fuel, but that is what most of the places sell as regular.
3. The only significant repair (outside of maintenance items, tires, etc.) so far has been the front door lock actuators; I replaced both when the first one went (just after the warranty ended). Lots of good discussion here and YouTube videos on the matter.
4. My exterior mirrors are slightly larger than those on the 350 loaners I have gotten recently, and I prefer the larger mirrors.
5. I understand why the BSM indicator is on the far extreme of the outside mirrors, but particularly for the right mirror, I have to turn my head to check it.
6. System map updates are expense and an annual purchase. I have not purchased them, instead using my Garmin GPS and recently Google Maps.
7. XM subscriptions are one of the type that you have to call annually so that they don't double your price and you tell them you want to cancel, and then they drop the price. It's a game I hate to play.
8. I had not really thought about front seat comfort until I saw the thread above, so that obviously hadn't bothered me.
9. I not sure how much good the cool setting on the front seats does.
10. Backup camera: sometimes it comes on immediately after shifting into reverse, sometimes it can take 10+ seconds. Dealership says it is a "network" issue and what I am seeing is typical when they tried on another of the same model (which to me says both have the same issue). I have not seen this issue on loaners. I posted that issue a while back on this forum and there was virtually no discussion, so I guess others are not seeing this problem.

Hope that helps.

Roy

alisher

Let me add my $.50 as a current 2013 RX450h owner.
You will also save on brake pads and rotors - mine has almost 55k and brake pads have more than half. But because of using regenerative braking it sometimes switches very odd to regular brakes and it feels like you lost brakes for a short moment.
So I would recommend to drive both somewhere on downhill road with brake pedal pressed and try to make a full stop to fill difference.