Lexus RX 400h Full Review
Posted: 25 March 2008 by Adam Vaughan
Let's be honest; we all want to be good and have an early night in with a good book -- but how tempting is a night at the pub with your mates? This same struggle between good intention and good plain fun applies to your choice of car, too.
For the vast majority of the population, a small, cheap and efficient hatchback would satisfy our requirements. But many car buyers want more than a box on wheels -- they want status, style, luxury and the ability to mount kerbs at will. Which explains the existence of the SUV.
The problem with these behemoths is that most are about as fuel efficient as a holed supertanker, which is not good for the planet or guilty consciences. Fortunately, the people at Lexus believe they have a solution.
The luxury car brand's RX range has now been extended with the launch of the RX 400h, which is the first hybrid SUV in Europe. Like its rivals, the Lexus has four-wheel drive, but in this instance the petrol engine drives only the front wheels and the car has two electric motors to help out. One powers the rear wheels when necessary, while a second electric motor assists the petrol engine when full acceleration is needed.
It may sound complicated, but that's because it is. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system is fiendishly complex, constantly monitoring all manner of variables in order to deliver the performance required by the driver in the most efficient manner possible. As the driver, the only significant difference will be the silence after you turn the key. Possibly followed by the abundance of cash in your pocket.
Driving it requires no extra effort or technical expertise; simply slot the automatic transmission into Drive and sail away. The battery packs are impossible to drain completely, as they charge when braking or coasting -- so there's no need to trail a power cable from your front door every evening like you do with an electric car.
Despite its size, the combo of electric and petrol engines means this Lexus SUV can accelerate surprisingly fast
Under certain conditions, the RX 400h can operate entirely on battery power. That means only the faint hum of tyre and wind noise will disturb you, and in traffic all you can hear are other cars' engines. Accelerate more keenly, and the petrol engine will join in to provide extra urge. Even so, the smooth six-cylinder unit is refined and quiet, failing to disturb the car's relaxing nature. Unless, that is, you decide to floor the throttle, when the engines combine to deliver highly impressive performance. It's easy to alarm other road users with its acceleration.
Driven hard, this Lexus can't be described as frugal, but with a little care and restraint you can achieve 34.9mpg, though we usually achieved high twenties for mpg in our tests. A comparable BMW X5 4.4 is no quicker to 60mph (the RX 400h does it 7.6 seconds) and can't better 25.4mpg. Continue reading...
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