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Lexus says the hybrid will go 500-600 miles on tank of gas.Product Preview
Hybrid Lexus thrifty with gas, big on luxury
400h SUV loaded with goodies and should go for about $50K
Hybrid's engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission.
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KOHALA COAST, Hawaii -- I leased a Lexus RX 330 last summer and I didn't think my personal driving experience could get any better -- until I drove the 2006 Lexus RX 400h.
The RX 400h is a gasoline-electric version of my RX 330 and the first luxury vehicle on the market to feature fuel-saving, less-polluting hybrid technology.
When I drove the Lexus hybrid here last September, I was impressed because it delivers more than its conventional sibling. The all-wheel-drive RX 400h is more powerful and more responsive than the RX 330.
The RX 400h, a hybrid for the highfalutin', is destined to become one of the must-have status symbols for 2005. It also signals the end of the era of sacrifice when it comes to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.
Until recently, hybrid-loving celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg have been forced to tool around in entry-level hybrids such as the Toyota Prius. The arrival last fall of the Honda Accord Hybrid gave consumers the additional choice of a green midsize family sedan. Ford Motor Co.'s hybrid Escape brought the technology to SUVs. Now Lexus, Toyota Motor Co.p.'s upscale brand, is going after the luxury segment.
"There are people with disposable incomes who want to make a statement that they are socially involved, but they want to do it without any sacrifice," said Denny Clements, Lexus Group vice president and general manager.
The only sacrifice with the five-passenger, Japan-built RX 400h is monetary. Lexus has yet to announce formal pricing on the RX 400h, but expect as much as a $5,000 price premium over the RX 330, which starts at $37,825 for a base all-wheel drive model.
That means a well-equipped Lexus RX 400h hybrid, with such goodies as an optional Mark Levinson audio and navigation package, rear-seat entertainment and laser cruise control, will be priced about $50,000 or more, giving it the distinction of being the most expensive hybrid yet on the U.S. market.
Like most other hybrids on the market, the RX 400h, due in dealerships in April, is easy to drive. You don't have to plug it in and to refuel it you just stop at a gas station and use regular gasoline. The SUV uses a Toyota hybrid system that combines a 3.3-liter V-6 engine with a high-torque electric drive motor-generator plus a rear electric drive motor-generator. This combined system delivers 268 horsepower and goes from 0-to-60 in 7.3 seconds.
That's the same horsepower you'll get in the 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML500 SUV, which is equipped with a conventional 3.5-liter V-6 gas engine. The V-6 in the RX 330 makes 230 horsepower. The hybrid's engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission. Unlike my RX 330, which hesitates for a couple of seconds when you step on the accelerator, there is no such sensation in the Lexus hybrid. There are gobs of horsepower and torque that rocket you past other vehicles if you are merging or passing.
Unfortunately, Toyota says there is no easy way to put a torque number on the Lexus hybrid. The company doesn't assign a torque number higher than the 212 pounds-feet that is generated by the V-6 engine. Toyota says there is variability to the amount of torque in the hybrid, because not all of the motors are used at the same time.
The gasoline-powered RX 330 has 242 pounds-feet of torque, but the RX 400h clearly feels more powerful. The RX 400h should get better fuel economy than the RX 330, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which estimates that the RX 400h will get about 30 miles per gallon in city driving and 26 mpg on the highway.
In comparison, the EPA says the all-wheel-drive RX 330 gets 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. Lexus says the hybrid has a driving range of about 500-600 miles on a tank of gas.
During my daylong drive on clear roads in the RX 400h, I averaged about 28 mpg. In the procession of hybrids that Ive driven in the last two years, the actual mileage is often less than what the manufacturer claims.
But since I didn't have the opportunity to fill the RX 400h up on my own and calculate the mileage myself, I had nothing to rely on except the dashboard mileage readouts.
Because the RX 400h has electric power steering as opposed to the conventional hydraulic power steering in the RX 330, handling feels more precise and inspires more confidence. But the electric steering also may seem slightly weighty to drivers used to conventional power steering. The 18-inch standard wheels and tires are larger than those on the RX 330 and help improve ride comfort.
Sliding behind the wheel of the new Lexus hybrid, the first thing you'll notice is how similar it is to the RX 330.
"We didn't want this to be as gee-whiz a vehicle as the Prius," said Dave Hermance, Toyota's executive engineer for environmental engineering.
There are only subtle cabin differences between the RX 330 and the RX 400h. Because the 400h's nickel-metal-hydride battery is under the cushions of the rear seat, the seat is an inch higher than in the RX 330.
There are also cooling vents under the rear seat and consumers will have to remember to not block them with things like grocery bags or briefcases.
The RX 400h has subtle, high-tech cues in the cabin. Brushed-aluminum accents replace the conservative wood in the RX 330 and a power meter replaces the tachometer on the instrument cluster.
On the exterior, you'd really have to know what you are looking for to recognize the differences between the RX 400h and the RX 330.
The hybrid is 300 pounds heavier, as well as an inch longer and slightly smaller. It also features minor changes such as fog lamps, a new grille and a new bumper with an air cooling inlet.
Parked in your driveway, however, the 400h will not immediately broadcast to your neighbors that it's a hybrid. In fact, the only place you'll see the word "hybrid" is under the hood on the engine cover.
Lexus hit the right note with this design philosophy. I love my Lexus -- understated navy with a gray interior -- because it's so low-key on the outside and so spectacular on the inside. To deviate from that approach with the hybrid version would have been wrong.
Safety gets a lot of attention with the Lexus hybrid. Standard features include a knee air bag for the driver, front side air bags and side curtain airbags with rollover sensors that protect all outboard passengers. Adaptive front headlights that illuminate a curve as the driver steers into it are also standard, as is a sophisticated stability control system.
Because the RX 400h's engine is often off at lower speeds -- the gas engine often shuts down when the vehicle is stopped or driven slowly through traffic -- engineers had to pay special attention to noise control.
Simply put, the potential is there to hear and be annoyed by external noise, as is true with all hybrids. Because of this, Lexus installed a special windshield with acoustic glass and designed the radiator cooling fan to reduce noise. The cabin is quiet, although I found the engine to be noisy on acceleration and going uphill.
For those unwilling to shell out big bucks for the Lexus hybrid, there's an easy solution. The 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is due out in June and is basically a less-expensive version of the Lexus. The Highlander Hybrid will also carry a $4,000-$5,000 price premium over its conventional counterpart, which starts at $24,645 including $565 destination, for the base four-cylinder model.
The Highlander Hybrid will hold the distinction of being the first seven-passenger hybrid SUV on the U.S. market. But, if you can afford it, the silk-stocking Lexus RX 400h is a painless and luxurious way to be an environmentally-conscious citizen.
The electric steering may seem weighty to drivers used to conventional power steering.
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The Detroit News.
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