I've got a chance to drive a 13' 450H AWD loaner over the weekend while my 350 is in shop for rattle and alignment repair. Here are few impressions after a weekend of driving.

1) The ride quality on 450H is far much smoother than 350. The 450H loaner has Dunlop and all 4 19" tires are at 36 PSI. My 350 has Dunlop and 19" tires are at 32 PSI. I can immediately feel the ride on speed bump and bumpy road that I drive daily are softened very nicely. I guess the extra 300 lbs on battery and/or electric motor make big difference.

2) CVT is a very interesting piece of technology. At first I found the initial response on throttle from idle has lag. Then I found out the car is in Econ-mode. After turning it off, response is back to normal and it does not have the initial throttle response lag like F-sport that I test drove a year ago.

I only hear engine whining on hard acceleration and don't feel the punch of being pulled to the seat back, but the car actually going very fast. It is weird to hear no gear shift, but definitely a very interesting feel. It is like driving a non-shfiter go-kart with one gear.

3) Engine start/stop - engine shuts off when car goes to complete stop and restart after few sec when the car is back in motion. At first I thought, "Oh engine dies, but wait, this is a hybrid… "

4) Brake feel and sound - brake pedal feel is stiffer than 350's. When the car comes to stop, there is some rotating sound that I think it is recharging battery.

5) Power gauge.. watching the Charge/Econ/Power gauge is fun. It is like watching the Econ meter on 350.

6) MPG - got around 26 MPG in mixed driving in SF Bay Area. It is 3-4 MPG below the advertised 30 city and 29 hwy. My 350 is getting 19 MPG in mixed driving.

In summary, I think RX hybrid model is a very good cruiser and family hauler. My wife loves the soft ride and now she is questioning me how to improve ride on our 350. With close to $6K (before tax) more, I will still hesitate to get 450H model just for 7 better mpg. However, my perception to hybrid model has changed to very positive way and may consider one in the future. At the same time, I am also disappointed that Lexus couldn't make the ride quality on 350 as good as 450H.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year everyone

-- william

 

I owned the 2012 RXh for a while. I think some of the "nicer ride" comes from the batteries.

My h seemed to lag unless you really got your foot in the throttle. Yes ECO was off.

Handling was softer in the corners with a good bit of body lean.

 

It's not a typical CVT. And you're right, the response is immediate. 2 electric motors permanently connected to the wheels will do that. It becomes very obvious when switching to a traditional auto. You also get used to how linear the acceleration is. When I get back into my IS, it takes me a few minutes to get reacquainted to the power curve. I didn't pay the extra for a hybrid just because of MPG. I love the drive train. After owning a Prius, there was no going back (except to a manual transmission).

If you heard a hovering noise at low speeds, it may not be the batter recharging. 13+ hybrids sound like UFOs at low speeds in EV mode to warn pedestrians. I had to be extra careful with the Prius at the parking lots because people can't hear it coming.

 

And if you have animals, same issue applies. Dogs, for example in a country setting, are commonly run over as they get older (they don't hear as well when older, and they certainly don't hear hybrids.

The 2014 RX 450H is my second Lexus. I traded in an IS 250 when I bought it. They are certainly different vehicles, but the ride in the 450H is about as good as it gets. Simply an outstanding vehicle. Glad I spent the extra $$ on it.

 

Thanks for the review, william. You're right, driving the 450h is like playing a game with all the screens and trying to keep it in range. The power is definitely there too, though it takes a while to get used to the pedal feel. Same with the brakes. But it sure sounds cool when coming to a stop. People turn around trying to figure out what the noise is, LOL! My 450h doesn't have the chirp like vlad mentioned. Don't worry, I haven't run over any dogs. Humans by far are the most susceptible animals between the cell phone glued to their ear or hand

I hope you consider the 450h in the future. Sure, it costs a few more bucks but you also get a few fun toys to play with

 

eventhough i have a 350 i admit the 450h is a better purchase.
anyway,
You guys make me chuckle.
we still have a Prius so i have an idea of what sound you guys are referring to.


@Kitlz, i'm going to bet i turn more heads with the sound I'm making.

Anyway, here's the "spaceship" sound from my RAV4 EV ( same with another forum member cossie)
and the second video, you'll hear the brake assist as well as the regenerative braking

 

Will (and others), as Anita said thanks for the nice observation. What you described are many of the reasons to step a grade up to the (h). Too many people want to gauge it with a slide rule and talk about how many miles/years it will take to justify the additional dollars to break even.

Given enough time yes, you will but consider the whole package of a smoother and quieter ride, more trim and features along with less ownership cost once purchased. And it's considered a model grade up designated by 450h VS 350. During the ownership you'll find oil changes, tire rotation, and brake fluid change (at 30,000 miles) the only real maintenance many won't do themselves. Very likely (due to regenerative braking) you'll go well over 100,000 miles before needing front pads. I still have one of the very 1st Gen III models produced and he's still looking and running like new w/56,000 on the ODO now.

Back in April I ordered the new 7th generation Corvette Stingray (C7) that was built early in October so I've been distracted to that forum quite a bit (not to mention hours and miles traveling ) but will try to drop in here more often now. The (h) is still my daily driver .