So here is the deal. Our club SELOC had our 5th annual car show Sunday (a thread on that later). VVti was gracious enough to bring out a Fiint Mica RX 400h to share with people at the show.
Okay, so VVTi, our main man says "ya'll want to take for a spin".


So I drive first, its myself, VVTi riding shotgun, Bitkahuna and Blondeguy (SELOC member) in the back). Its also about 200 degrees outside. So we are battling heat and weight.

Okay, now lets get this. The car was gorgous. Flint Mica outside. Grey leather interior with the "h" aluminum trim. The interior was worth the asking price. You touch the materials, they feel expensive. You look at panel gaps, they fit with precision. The leather is soft, the seats are comfy, I would like more lateral support, but I say that in any car short of a GT-3. One thing I notice is its roomier than the RX 300 (and I'll write up that comparison soon). I am 6"5 about 215 and there was plenty of room. When Bit drove, I sat in the back, he maybe about 6"2, and I was comfy. Not great, but unless you drive a 750li, well all rear seat room is the same to me.

VVTi says, hey, start the car. I do. Or I thought I did. I see the car electronics light up. I feel the A/C blowing COLD air. I don't hear an engine. I don't feel a thing. Nothing. I do it again to make sure its on. The same thing. TUrn the key, not a sound. The car is running ALL ELECTRIC in park. Its SCARY how quiet it is. Can I get one of these for my ex-girlfriend?

Then, VVTi shows us how the NAV/and the "energy" screen works. We shft gears and the screen shows you what is being used! Engine? Battery? Slushie machine? Its all there. Pretty cool trick. TAP the brakes, and well, it recharges.

GENIUS.

Okay, time to go, Click on the seatbelts, these guys know how I drive. I punch it off the line right away, WHAM, the car pushes you back, not like a Ferrari but more like a strong wind. It was INSTANTAOUN. Unlike the RX 330, no waiting.

This car already is I think 400lbs heavier and has 4 people in it (who just ate double cheesburgers with fries and Bit had a double salmon burger) so I expect it to be sluggish. its no RACE CAR but it is faster than the RX 330. You can tell the difference.

It almost sounds like a litttle S/C inside the car when I floor it. Kinda cool. Kinda weird too. I hit the brakes and they feel solid. They feel a little different too. But they feel much more solid than the RX 300.

I hit the express ramp and basically do not let off the gas, sweeping to the HOV lane. In a blink, with almost no road noise and no struggle and no shifting, we are at 100mph.

That simple. I did mention no shifting. The CVT tranny is smooth as butter. Smooth as a lady named "Diamond" sliding down the pole at your favorite strip club. SMOOTH. I do 80mph most of the time on the freeway and the car is effortless. It handles better than the RX 300 at speed, it didn't tip as much as the RX 300. It was very balanced.

Very impressed I was. We stop at a light and Bit and I swap seats. We leave the drifting to him
He will add his throught in this thread as well, since he really was driving the snot outta it. As a passenger, I can say the RX IS NOT a sports car. It sways and tips. It feels like a SUV when pushed. It does thought A MUCH better job than the RX 300, which IMO, can feel clumsy and a lil scary at the limits. The RX is much more planted.

And to think, while driving like this, we didn't expend as much gas. That is the funny thing. We never really talked about the gas mileage. We talked about the increased performance.

Lexus executives must be grinning somewhere. Is it worth $50,000. Yes. easily. Better performance, better gas mileage, the RX interior/exterior, the quality, you FEEL like its a bargain. That is how a good buy should make u feel.

As for pics, I didn't take any but I am sure someone did.

BIG THANKS TO VVTi and Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett!!

 

Great write up Mike. I'll have to go test drive an RX 400h real soon.

 

Pic1 - the RX400h and VVT-i's GS430!

 

great review! seems like you guys had a lot of fun... i hope to see one this weekend!

 

Pic2 - the display designed by someone on drugs hat will leave most people scratching their heads!

 

Thanx for the review, it's really tempting for me to go test drive one now . . .

 

I am not an SUV guy. But the RX 300 won me over. the 330 extends on its qualities. When pushing hard, it clicks in my brain, I don't care if Ferrari makes a SUV, they are NOT fun and NOT something that should be driven like a car.

That is why I like the RX, it knows what it is. A comfy, luxurious, SUV.

 

OK now my impressions...

I don't think I've ever driven a CVT type car and it's 'different' When you floor it (as I did every time I was moving and not having to slow for traffic) the engine and the electric both go on, the engine revs to a certain point (4200) and STAYS THERE as the speed climbs. The gearing is seemlessly changing. The car can move but it's not neck snapping, it's a decent push with a torque curve that felt very flat (no surprise given how the car pegs itself at peak rpms). The 'go' is impressive enough though that with 4 of us in it, I 'hit it' while already moving and we all heard at least one tire chirp!

The brakes - even though I know what's going on - felt really decent. In most driving the 'normal' brakes don't even engage at all! The deceleration occurs as kinetic energy is returned to battery energy, no doubt through a very stout turbine set of gearing in the generator. It feels quite natural at the pedal, and VVT-i said that normal brakes (except under very heavy braking) only engage from 5mph to 0! At one point I did hit the brake pedal pretty hard and guessed that both regenerative and normal brakes engaged, and the stopping power was quite impressive!

The interior really is very nice. I'm not really a fan of the brushed aluminum and maybe it worked for me because it was in bright sunlight, but the quality of everything was top notch.

What blew me away most though is that almost NO interior space is sacrificed with the hybrid engine and batteries! The batteries are under the rear seats and apparently the rear seats are slightly higher than a regular RX330 but headroom was still just fine. Oh and Mike I'm 6'3.

The other cool thing about this setup in a traffic clogged city like Atlanta and its suburbs, is economy is better IN THE CITY in stop and go (about 31!) than on the highway.

Given it's decent drive train I just wish Lexus offered it with 19's, 1 inch lower and some stiffer sway bars. Then it would be truly GREAT!

 

Oh and a bit more background - I used to own an RX300. This RX400h is WAY more refined.

 

My friend bought one of these couple of months back. It is definetely worth the $ and it is a silky smooth ride in every way.

 

So do you now think the Lexus hybrid is worth more than just the gas savings with it's $3-4K premium over a comparable gasoline model ?

 

Woo hoo great review guys!

 

Good write-up.

Better city economy is normal with just about every Toyota-designed hybrid. The gas engine usually doesn't run as much around town. The electric motors do more of the work.

Why, though, do you want larger wheels and a lower, stiffer suspension? This was not designed to be a sports machine. The tires on hybrids are generally designed for economy and low rolling resistance, not spirited cornering. A larger tire footprint would add drag and lower mileage.

 

Oh great great reviews. I enjoyed every bit of them. Thanks to Sick, Bit and VVT-i.

One thing related to the RX400h I found missing in both of your reviews is the VDIM system. Did any of you feel it, since you seem to have pushed the SUV around its limits? Any comments on its usefulness?

 

Darnz Sick, you are only that tall.