CDN_Lexus

"Prices for the RX 330 with these option packages are $55,780 and $63,335 respectively. Prices for the RX 400h are expected to be announced at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto later this month, but buyers can expect a premium over and above these figures for a similarly equipped hybrid RX.

The Lexus RX 400h goes on sale in Canada in March "

The above excerpt taken from the review from Canadian Driver quoted some errors.

I received notice from Lexus Canada stating that the prices are still in negotiation with Lexus H.O. Japan, so therefore the price release will not be happening at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The release date will be on or around the U.S. release date of April 15, 2005, not March.

Butter04

Any word on the MSRP yet? I called a while ago and they said around 50k...

LexFather

Well a loaded RX 330 is 48k, so a loaded RX 400h will be at least 50k. It should be 4-5k more than a RX 330 with the same equipment (AWD). Welcome Clublexus.

BTW, the first 10,000 are already sold, so Lexus says unless people drop off, the wait will be till mid summer. They expect 25% of RX sales to be hybrids and plan to export 24,000 RX400hs to the United States.

meanboy

I read in one mag today that the est price was 45k but I can't remember what it had. The quarter mile was 15.2@92mph. EPA rated mpg was something like 28mpg. I was just glancing at the mag so the numbers might be slightly off.

hejo

Ordered my RX400h today.
Here in Germany there are no deposits, but they can take you to court if delivered and not paid...
Delivery promised to be in June / July


I was told that Air suspension system is not possible.
same with adaptive cruise control.
Audio system not capable of playing mp3

Looking forward to exchange some infos...
Starting to count the days.....

Dealer will have a RX400 to test / drive on 1st of March.

Greetings from Germany
Hejo

LexFather

Welcome to Clublexus!!! This may interest you

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=150416

rl9905

As Most of us here have seen and heard about the RX400h mostly in still picture, photograph and even read a lot about it too. How about see it in action, here's a website with video clips of the RX400h.

http://www.lexus.com/assets/magazine/q105/index.html

lexguynj

Thanks for that great link. I enjoyed that one.

The other one you may know of with more video is at this link:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=103268

Enjoy! I am starting to like this vehicle more and more and I formerly had an RX330!

cbest1465

I had signed up for the Lexus Hybird Newsletter. Here's the latest issue (Winter 2005, vol 5) The price has finally been set. I thought the Nav would be an option, however the way I am reading it, sounds as if it is standard. Doesn't have the word "available" in front of it.

Many of you have been with us from the beginning, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the world's first luxury hybrid. The good news is that the wait is almost over. And the very good news is that as a sign of our appreciation for your patience, you are among the first group of people to receive official information about the revolutionary Lexus RX 400h.

To begin, we thought we'd give you the two most highly anticipated numbers. Arriving in Lexus showrooms on April 15, 2005, the RX 400h will be priced at $48,535 MSRP [1].

Perhaps one of the most stunning attributes of the RX 400h is its impressive performance. Combining the power output from its electric drive motors and the 3.3-liter V6 engine, gives you brisk acceleration from 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds [2], outperforming many of its V8-equipped competitors.

Even with its enhanced performance, the RX 400h still gives you the optimal mileage and low emissions that you expect from a hybrid. The estimated combined fuel-economy rating of 28 mpg [3] equals the average for compact sedans. And its estimated EPA city fuel-economy rating is even better. At 30 mpg, the RX 400h's city mileage more than doubles those of many V8-equipped luxury SUVs.

The RX 400h features an AWD system that utilizes a separate electric drive motor at the rear. Not only does it provide extra torque on demand, the intelligent system actually helps to manage front and rear torque distribution according to traction conditions.

It's only fitting that the next generation of luxury SUVs would feature the all-new Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) [4] system. Rather than reacting to vehicle wheel slippage, VDIM's advance sensors allow it to anticipate such conditions. As soon as any slippage or loss of traction is detected, it applies the Electronically Controlled Braking (ECB) system and controls the Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i) to help maintain the correct course.

As you can see, with the innovative RX 400h we didn't just go out of our way to create the new benchmark of luxury SUVs. We also set out to make April 15, 2005, one of the most inspiring dates in hybrid vehicle history.

Comfort and Luxury
- Brushed-aluminum accents
- Voice-activated DVD navigation system [5]
- Automatic dual-zone climate control with smog-sensing air filtration
- 10-way adjustable driver's power seat with memory function
- Power rear door with remote keyless entry
- Available Mark Levinson [6] audio system with 11 speakers and in-dash,
six-disc CD auto-changer
- Available DVD Rear-Seat Entertainment System (RSES) with remote
control, wireless headphones and seven-inch LCD
- 38 cu ft [7] of rear cargo capacity; 84 cu ft [7] with rear seats
folded down
- Illuminated entry system

Safety
- Front dual-stage airbags Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) [8],
driver's-knee airbag, front seat-mounted side airbags and side curtain
airbags
- Welded-steel unibody frame, side-impact door beams and impact-
dissipating front and rear crumple zones
- Rollover sensor
- Backup camera [9]
- Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps
- Rain-sensing wipers

Warranty
- 48-month/50,000-mile basic limited warranty with Roadside Assistance for
48 months/unlimited miles
- Powertrain and restraint system coverage is provided for 72 months/70,000
miles
- Corrosion perforation protection is covered for 72 months, regardless of
mileage
- The hybrid-related components, including the HV battery, battery control
module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter, are covered for
96 months/100,000 miles

cbest1465

Link to past Hybird Newsletters from Lexus

http://usalexus.programhq.com/activi...arc/index.html

hejo

today i had the pleasure to drive the 400h for about one hour.
Conclusion : Impressive and exciting! overall very positive!

Positive :
Comfort,
stepless accelleration,
very high torque pushes you in your seat
very good handling (better than RX330)

Neutral :
seems to be designed to impress sportive drivers
reaction on throttle very fast, everything but sluggish /slow

Negative :
engine reaction very fast, / nervous (Porsche fans might like this!)
Toyota seems to focus on performance / accelleration / power instead of optimising fuel consumption
No wood interieur
No air suspension
No MP3 capability of the sound system

Greetings from Germany

MichaelTX

Don't Jump the gun on bashing the RX400h. The real focus is improved fuel economy at low speeds and in stop and go traffic. Early estimates are that the vehicle will have higher fuel economy in the city than it will when traveling down the road at highway speeds. The real key to milage will be the driving habbits of the owner.

hejo

Hi Michael,
no bashing at all!
I fully agree that fuel consumption depends on the driver, but this is the case for any other vehicle...
My decision to order the 400h was based on the unique capability to drive this car like a grandfather : relaxed, smooth, quite, comfortable at minimum fuel consumption .... 95% of total usage.
However beeing able to jump, accellerate, using shear power ...for fun ... or for safety during overtaking etc. 5% of total usage.
In traditional cars you might have the choice between econimcal driving (D) and the sports position (S) to decide what you prefer.
My (subjective) impression driving the 400h (Prototype) was that it seems to be in S-Position allways (possibly to convince the press-testdrivers of its sportive capabilities).
I am quite sure that the behavior of the engine (rpm) in reaction to movements of your right foot is more influenced by sound design... imitating a conventional drive system rather than in view of an optimisation of efficiency...fuel consumption.
Not knowing how the final vehicles from actual production will behave i might wish to have a possibility to influence the characteristics of the drive system , simply making it easier for the driver to succeed getting lowest possible fuel consumption.

spwolf

Awesome! You have to understand that in the US, focus is all performance so this has been priority, HOWEVER you should also probably understand that when you press that gas pedal - it is electric engines that give you the "boost", so essentially you are not spending much more gas anyway.

This should also serve as an reminder how Europeans are completly different than US buyers. We are more likely to value fuel consumption and ocassional boost of power due to mostly city or two lane highway driving, while US buyers are more on their gas pedals. This is also why diesels work so well in the Europe - they give you awesome acceleration when you need it due to turbocharger, and yet when you cruise at 1,500 rpm you only spend 35mpg in SUV.

Nevertheless, RX400h should be awesome even in Europe because it is so much more refined that diesels, especially in cold weather... And yet it also saves gas as well - it should spend less gas than comparable diesel (that can do 0-100kmh in 7 secs).

How much should the price be in the Germany? Before taxes and all?

Rockville

Hello World, here comes the RX400h. When I drove it for about an hour in January I was stunned by the silence, the smoothness, and of course the acceleration. The deposit list has grown to over 11,000 and by release on April 15th should exceed 12,000. These folks haven't test driven the car and may have seen only a prototype in an autoshow on a pedestal if at all. When the rest of humanity gets the chance to drive this very futuristic blend of power they will be hooked like I was. Since the rear motor/generator adds power when needed and becomes a charging device when slowing down the drive format is AWD on demand. It has the Electronic Power steering like the new GS series has. This is needed here so that you get assist when the gas engine is turned off while stopping and short distance driving. The Air Conditioning is also powered electrically. There is no alternator. The V6 is detuned for maximum fuel efficiency. The V6 is operated at the optimum RPM for the situation. Since there is no accessory load on the Gas Engine it is slightly more fuel efficient when sustaining the speed. There are two sets of planetary gears sandwiched together that can make any effective gear ratio possible without jumping from cog to cog. When braking the RX400h under moderate situations the generators create the resistance necessary to slow the 400h down until the last 5 MPH when the friction brakes finish the job. Less brake wear and the energy for slowing down is recaptured and sent back to the battery to charge it. My favorite feature found on the new GS430 is the VDIM system. This very advanced stability system is light years ahead of its predecessor VSC. It is standard on the RX400h. This will make it superior in snow, slippery conditions and emergency maneuvers than the already excellent RX330 with VSC. I cannot describe adequately the confidence the driver will have with VDIM. The combination of these cutting edge technologies in a versatile package such as the RX make this quite a good value. We were told that there still is some Hybrid tax advantage for 2005 that will be reduce by 75% in 2006. Another reward for those who had the forsight to put their deposits down. The next Lexus Hybrid will be announced at the end of March/April which will be the high performance GS450h. The next Hybrid after that will be the IS and eventually all models will have a Hybrid version. Honda is the sole competitor in Hybrid technology and has a more limited system. The new Ford Escape which has given Ford so much pride is the Prius Gen 1 technology under license. Ford bought the plans from Toyota and makes their own parts but it is a 4 cylinder chain drive and two generations behind the Lexus. Eventually in about 50 years the availability of Gasoline will be very scarce. Hydrogen fuel cells do not combust the Hydrogen but they produce electricity much like a battery does. Batteries and Electric motors will be needed for a Hydrogen based transportation system. The Hybrid is the first steps in that direction. The atmosphere will not have the constant greenhouse gas emissions which are radically changing our planet's weather systems. There finally is hope for humanity and it is called Hybrid. The Europeans are much more concerned about fuel costs as their per Liter cost is double to triple the US. The Black forest is a vestige of its former self from the acid rain damage. They need Hybrids. The Chinese have a taste of Capitalism and they want more. They are already feeling the enviromental consequences of more and more cars and buses and manufacturing byproducts. They need Hybrids. Hybrids don't emit Dioxin like Diesels do. What will they call our time in History? The Gasoline Age? This is the start of the Hybrid Age and things will never be the same again and that's a very good thing.