We are considering the new Lexus TX compared to the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Platinum Max. We need the car by the end of January. Our local Lexus dealer in NY doesn’t have the TX yet. We were given a price of $63,000 for Grand Highlander listed above. Any ideas on prices and availability of the TX? We originally looked at the Lexus RX 350h but it seemed a little small. I’d appreciate any insight.

 

While Lexus dealers were sent initial allocations to dealers, they haven't started building them yet. I use the following website to check if they've started building them: Grand_Highlander_Allocation_Sheet.xlsx - Google Sheets The info page on the spreadsheet shows all the Toyota and Lexus models and allocations. For example, they just started building the RX450h+ PHEV last week and that was added immediately so I'm assuming the TX will show up in the same way.

Unless you are open to any exterior / interior color combination, it may be difficult to know whether you'll get that TX model by January. You may want to contact your local Lexus dealers to ask about their expected allocations. Additionally, most dealerships have waiting lists on these so you might be out of luck anyway.

Are you looking for a base TX vs. F-Sport (which is more comparable to Hybrid Platinum Max in terms of horsepower)?

My wild guess is the Lexus will be in the range of $10,000 more for a comparable model.

 

The build and price is up for the TX 350 and 500H. Looks like MSRP for the 500H starts at $69k.

 

1. Prices are up on the Lexus website.

 

I’m curious about this comparison, also. I sat in a Grand Highlander and Highlander recently. Both had noticeable impingement in the footwell area, allowing for less room for your left foot to rest as well as it does in most other vehicles. The previous generation Ford Explorer had this issue even worse and long drives were miserable for it.

I love the rest of the GH and H, and the TX looks great. Just not sure I could deal with the tight foot area. I guess we’ll see what the TX feels like as soon as they are available to sit in.

 

Since the TX is built on the same chassis as the GH, I would think the footwell area will be virtually identical.

 

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Does anyone know if the TX will have a non-performance hybrid variant? Like a similar powertrain as the RX 350h? I feel like that'd be a real sweet spot in this segment. For folks that want hybrid technology but not necessarily F-Sport.

 

So far, Lexus has not divulged any plans to add to the available powertrains in the TX. My best guess is if they decide to add a non-performance hybrid it would be the same as the one they are currently offering for the Grand Highlander. It is a 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid engine that has 245 net combined hp (no turbo and not plug-in). This is in contrast to the Grand highlander Hybrid MAX engine that has 362 net combined hp (4-cylinder turbo hybrid engine, no plug-in), which is practically identical to the powertrain of the Lexus TX500h (F Sport). Right now, the only other hybrid powertrain option in the TX is the 550h+ which is a V6 plug-in hybrid. Even though the TX 550h+ is not marketed as a performance variant, it has more power (404 hp) and quicker 0-60 than the TX 500h F Sport.