I am a marketing student at Penn State University and am working on a class
project to market the Lexus RX400 hybrid. I was just wondering if you could
provide me with any information regarding the reasons you bought your RX400h. I would appreciate any information you could provide me with. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

You may be able to stear your research by creating poll questions. [needs to be a new thread].

Salim

 

I am a 400h owner with over 9,000 miles on the vehicle. It is my first lexus, and first non american vehicle of any kind actually. I am in sales and needed a mid sized SUV for work and pleasure. It was the first SUV of that size that i was aware of that was a full hybrid. Over a year ago like many others i could see a trend towards higher gas prices. I also felt i should try to do something to send less money abroad to oil producing countries. What attracted me to the rx400h was the combination of fuel economy, and smooth linear power in a package that provided safety, comfort and a style i could live with.

I was on a waiting list about six months prior to being able to drive one. The actual driving experience reinforced my decision. It handled well for a 4300 lb SUV, the power put a smile on my face and the CVT transmission is absoluetly the smoothest transmission in anything i have ever drove.

Some people complain that Toyota didnt engineer this vehicle towards more fuel economy. My dealer was honest in telling me up front that my mixed driving would be about 25 to 28 mpg which i consistently achieve. You have to remember this vehicle replaced a SUV that got 15 mpg, so i am quite happy with the mileage. Mileage aside, i have the power of a V8 engine with a v6. Very low emissions. People also forget that on EVERY driving trip this SUV regenerates power from braking and coasting regardless of mpg. It is a great balance of power and economy in the luxury segment.

There are benefits that i came to realize after the purchase. Not the least is this forum and two others that are a constant resource and support for any question i might have. I have never owned a vehicle where i could turn to so many knowledgeable people online. Also in learning how to maximize my fuel economy i have become a safer driver, slowing down, coasting more and anticipating what is ahead of me in a more involved way that causes me to think while i drive.

In short it isnt just fuel economy, or being green it is a total driving experience that is bigger than the sum of its parts. It is part of a stepping stone process of acknowledging and supporting toyotas deep commitment to hybrids, one that they started well before anyone else investing almost a billion dollars. Hope this is of some help, i would love to see what your class comes up with as a marketing strategy.

 

I have a 2006 RX400h...about 600 miles on it right now...and it seems very smooth. I have filled the tank like 2x and got about 25-26.5mpg. I think the car is very quiet which is great and the integration of the engine from electric is very smooth. I say this because I also have a 2005 Prius and I can distinctly tell the difference between engine and electric power due to the kick when the engine comes on. Overall I am satisfied with the car...but I am not to be the main driver of it soon...gs450h on the way...

 

The RX400h fit my needs and desires in a single package. I wanted a SUV type vehicle for the interior space and I wanted a performance/luxury sedan for long distance travel. The RX 330 was a nice vehicle except for its relatively poor acceleration performance. The RX 400h retains much of the same character of the RX 330, but adds a lot of performance to it. A neat fringe benefit is that the fuel economy is also better. The Infiniti FX series has a similar arrangement, the FX35 is nice, but the FX45 really comes alive. The price difference is about the same as the difference between the RX 330 and the RX 400h, but on the Infiniti, the additional performace comes at a cost of high fuel consumption. The Lexus use of hybrid technology for performance improvement without loss of gas mileage is great. The fact that the additional performance actually comes with better gas mileage is gravy.

I don't know about other owners, but after extensive research, my RX 400h delivers all I expected and a little more. The air conditioner works better in town than any I have ever tried, and the CVT transmission is a marvel in highway passing situations. No delayed kickdown, just instant response and great passing power.

Steve

 

I waited 14 months for my RX400h. I Love it! It drives smoothly with a great deal of power. It doesnt' hurt the environment and I buy about the same amount of gas but only once in 2 weeks instead of once a week. I still have my RX300 and the 400h gets about 8 miles a gallon better even though I'm not driving it to save gas. I don't take long enough rides to get good mileage, I have a short daily run which includes speeds up to 80 mph in a short stint, or I drive 1 mile trips. The options are great and everything really works well. I have no regrets. Sure I'd have preferred a cheaper price, but I don't have any regrets. I'd buy another one.