No misunderstanding, just a salesman misinforming a customer. I am very aware that this is not an electric car. If EV mode was designed as you described, that is fine, but it is not how it is being sold.

 

So far, so good. Indeed I will keep you informed.

 

Not confused at all My car is also in ECO mode. You should try the EV mode and then get back to me.

Used for parking? What is the point of that? Does that really make sense to you and seem like a good feature? How much gas do you think that will save you? And do you think Lexus thought "we should spend all this money to add a feature that allows the car to go in to EV mode while a person parks"?

 

It's obvious you were oversold on the functionality of the EV mode by the sales person. I don't know how much responsibility Lexus itself takes over the statements made by individual sales people or dealerships, but from a corporate marketing standpoint, I've never seen any promises of suitability of EV mode for use in heavy traffic. Just some vague suggestions that sometimes you can creep around a parking garage or sneak quietly in the driveway late at night if the planets are in alignment is about all the suggestions of suitability I've seen. I think the dealership should be assigned all the moral responsibility here, but again, not sure on the issue of legal responsibility. Hope you get fair treatment...

That said, if you really are interested in saving gas in heavy traffic, as others have said, forget the official EV mode, but instead use unofficial EV mode (as I call it). Here's the difference:

OEV
activated by driver request
max speed 25mph
max power (first and second band in the hybrid meter)

UEV
activated automatically
max speed 42mph
max power (first band in the hybrid meter)

If the system is warm and the demand of heat or A/C is not heavy (ECO mode on helps with this, having climate control off really helps with this), then whenever coasting or maintaining speed less than 42mph will result in the engine going to 0rpm. When creeping along in traffic, avoid the power meter from going beyond the first band. If the needle rises above the first band the engine will start. This means gentle acceleration. If you need to suck up to the bumper ahead and then be back on the brakes all the time, constantly repeating, this will never work. If you are stuck in traffic for a long time, the battery will deplete and the engine will be forced to run to recharge. Try to time the recharges by stretching out the battery to those points in the traffic where you might need extra power or get going faster than 40mph where the engine will start anyway. If will only run until it gets 1 or 2 more bars of charge, so you can quickly get back into the rhythm. There is a lot of art to getting this done right, but it certainly can save a lot of gas vs just idling all the time and being quick on the gas to keep up with the bumper in front.

 

David
If you read what Droid wrote, it's about as accurate as anything I've seen yet on how to enjoy the reasons the (h) was designed and built as any I've read yet.

Unless you've got something in writing to substantiate the claims you say your sales person gave, I doubt you have much legal standing based on what you've said so far here on C/L, but I'm not a lawyer. Just sayin ..... The manufacturer and the dealer are obligated to provide what's printed in the contracts.

I'm twice retired and once from the retail side of the auto business. I've never heard of a legal suit similar to what you're talking about succeed. But maybe it has and I just didn't know it. Please do keep us informed.

 

David, you really need to educate yourself on what hybrid vehicles are and what they are not. You got all bent out of shape for no good reason.

RX450h is not designed to bend laws of physics. Nor is it designed like an EV to drain the battery - as it only uses a very small fraction of its capacity as a energy buffer, which significantly prolongs its life.

The only thing you will accomplish is Toyota/Lexus removing the EV mode altogether... just proving their point with 2nd Gen Prius, which did not have this button for USDM. So, big thanks from the rest of us.

 

David - I strongly suspect that viad-a is correct. If your lawsuit has any merit, it will result in the elimination of the EV switch on future RXh cars.

I own both a 2012 Prius Plug In and a 2014 Highlander Hybrid (which is mechanically identical to an RXh). The Prius Plug In actually defaults to EV but it has a smaller ICE and a much larger traction battery. The Highlander Hybrid acts just like the RXh which is described here. The difference between these cars is visible in the photos in the last post in my thread which starts with "Oh My" which is now near the top of the second page of threads.

I am as frustrated with my Highlander Hybrid as you are with your RXh.

This I know. The RXh EV switch is a carry over from the Prius which is a lighter car with a smaller load on the battery and the electric motor during EV mode operation, AND Toyota/Lexus has placed an overwhelmingly high priority on operating its cars in a way which will allow them to last.

We need to be grateful that Toyota/Lexus has kept its promise and our cars are among the most "bulletproof" out there.

 

Vlad, I will work on this if you work on your comprehension skills. I have no problem with the EV mode. My issue, as stated very clearly, has to do with the EV mode and how it was represented and its functionality. And as for the rest, I will be very happy if Lexus remove this useless feature or figure out a way to make it work the way other vehicles have that cost half the price.
You are welcome.

 

David, clearly the issue here is that you have unreasonable expectations due to miscommunication between yourself and your salesperson. I am really not sure how you can be helped by any party at this point.

 

David - If Toyota/Lexus could have produced a 5000 pound SUV (the RXh) with the same performance characteristics as a 3000 pound economy car (the Prius), they probably would have. The two cars have many things in common but they appeal to a slightly different market so the design emphasis is slightly different where the laws of physics require a choice.

Keep the following in mind with your superior comprehension ability. Those who sell the Lexus get their paychecks from a different company than Lexus. Before you purchased your Lexus it was purchased from Lexus by the company which sold the car to you. If you read the owners manual printed by Lexus, you will not find any representation that the EV mode will perform as your salesman suggested.

Further, if you read your sales contract, it very likely says that no verbal statements by a salesman are binding on Lexus or the selling company.

Do keep us posted on your lawsuit.

 

I've got comprehension problems too, so I went to my filing cabinet and looked up the sales literature from the 2010, the 2011 and the 2012 RX. They were pretty generic and I didn't see a reference for EV mode at all. They were however RX sales pamphlets and only had a couple of pages of Hybrid information.

I don't think I could start a class action suit based on that information, or lack thereof. Good luck with yours.