Worth getting the RX450H over the 350 in NYC?
02-07-19, 05:29 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Worth getting the RX450H over the 350 in NYC?
I live in NYC and the stop and go traffic is brutal on my 05 MDX, getting a whopping 10-11mpg. I see that the 2019 RX450H gets 30mpg city, even if it gets 25 mpg in NYC, that is almost 150% better than my MDX. I want to know if its worth upgrading from the 350 to 450h. Any of you guys live in NYC? If so what are your numbers? Please drop your year, model and MPG in the comments. Thanks in advance!
02-08-19, 04:05 AM
#2
Pole Position
We are on our second RX 450h and second ES 300h. I would not buy anything else but a hybrid or an EV when Lexus ever comes out with one. Both were year old and used when purchased. The ES was the same price as the ES 350's on the Lexus dealer lot. The 450h was $1,500 more. With gas at $2.25 the perfect time to negotiate on a hybrid not when gas is $4.00 a gallon. On the RX, averaging 29 mpg since purchasing. Avoided the drone issues with the CVT. Brake pads based on other's post will last 150,000 miles. On gas models they are being replaced at 50,000 miles. Two brake pad changes not needed will save us over $500.
02-08-19, 06:41 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
We are on our second RX 450h and second ES 300h. I would not buy anything else but a hybrid or an EV when Lexus ever comes out with one. Both were year old and used when purchased. The ES was the same price as the ES 350's on the Lexus dealer lot. The 450h was $1,500 more. With gas at $2.25 the perfect time to negotiate on a hybrid not when gas is $4.00 a gallon. On the RX, averaging 29 mpg since purchasing. Avoided the drone issues with the CVT. Brake pads based on other's post will last 150,000 miles. On gas models they are being replaced at 50,000 miles. Two brake pad changes not needed will save us over $500.
Last edited by b1gpapa; 02-08-19 at 06:55 AM.
02-08-19, 11:23 AM
#4
rNote that a fully loaded RX350 is only $2000 cheaper than a fully loaded RX450h because some options are standard on RX450h. It's a no brainer to go for the RX450h but expect to get only 25-26 mpg instead of the listed 30mpg unless you drive on freeway most of the time.
02-08-19, 11:36 AM
#5
Had a '17 RX 350 loaded and traded it for an '18 RX 450hL loaded. The 450h is such a smoother driving vehicle: No droning, no jerking transmission. Plus, the Mark Levinson audio on the 450hL is located behind the third row in the floor and blows away any stock subwoofer I've heard.
02-08-19, 12:31 PM
#6
Pole Position
In North Carolina. Owned the RX for 17 months and mpg after reset from day one shows 28.9 mpg. This is over 19,000 miles which about 80% is city and 20% highway. Remember you get better mileage with the hybrid in the warmer weather. Fuelly.com shows the 2017's are averaging 28.3 mpg.
02-09-19, 07:21 PM
#7
I am in the NYC area right across the river in NJ. I just got mine 2018 RX 450h last March and loving it. The primary reason I got the hybrid is the jerky transmission, vibrations, and drone noise I had on my previous 2016 RX 350 which I don't think is really fixed even on 2019 RX 350s. The base hybrid is only $1,000 more than a regular base RX, not $2,000 as yardbird88 mentioned. You need to compare to the all-wheel drive version as there is no front-wheel drive hybrid (at least in the US) - $44,970 vs $45,995. This started with 2018 model year when all the extra standard features were removed from base hybrid but still even with those extra standard add-ons in previous model years the hybrid was still about $1,000 more than a comparable regular RX. I guess Lexus wanted to allow more people to get into the hybrid at a lower price although I think it's not easy to find a base RX 450h at dealer lots. I could hardly find any $52K-$53K MSRP RX 450s back in March at the NJ/NYC area dealers. As far as the MPG go, I get around 25-26 during the warm months and around 23-24 during the cold season. I do mostly city driving. Sometimes the MPG goes up to 28-29 when I do some highway driving but only if it's in the 40-60 MPH range - if I go in the 80s the MPG drops closer to the city numbers. With my RX 350 I was getting 12-14 in the city and 19-20 on the highway. So, you do get much better mileage with the hybrid. But again the biggest selling point of the hybrid is the CVT transmission. Actually, Toyota's CVT is the best on the market. It's not really a CVT in a traditional sense - Toyota just gave it this name to mean infinite gear changes. It uses planetary gears and works more like a differential and has no belts like the more common CVTs from Honda and Nissan that fail after a few years. It is actually called a PSD (Power Split Device). "It acts as a continuously variable transmission (CVT) but with a fixed gear ratio" - see here http://eahart.com/prius/psd/. It has very few moving parts and is very reliable, Also, the two electric motors give you a bit of extra power and my 450h does take off like a rocket if I step on the gas - definitely not any worse than 350.
Bottom line: I don't see any reason why anyone would get a non-hybrid RX. It's only $1,000 more, has a much smoother transmission, and gives you double the MPG (at least in my case). But judging by the dealer inventory (at least around March 2018) there isn't much demand for RX hybrids even though even the Lexus LC 500h commercial points out that all Lexus hybrids "are comparably priced to the rest of the line-up" (
).
Bottom line: I don't see any reason why anyone would get a non-hybrid RX. It's only $1,000 more, has a much smoother transmission, and gives you double the MPG (at least in my case). But judging by the dealer inventory (at least around March 2018) there isn't much demand for RX hybrids even though even the Lexus LC 500h commercial points out that all Lexus hybrids "are comparably priced to the rest of the line-up" (
The following users liked this post:
eddie420 (02-24-19)
Trending Topics
02-10-19, 07:01 AM
#8
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
I am in the NYC area right across the river in NJ. I just got mine 2018 RX 450h last March and loving it. The primary reason I got the hybrid is the jerky transmission, vibrations, and drone noise I had on my previous 2016 RX 350 which I don't think is really fixed even on 2019 RX 350s. The base hybrid is only $1,000 more than a regular base RX, not $2,000 as yardbird88 mentioned. You need to compare to the all-wheel drive version as there is no front-wheel drive hybrid (at least in the US) - $44,970 vs $45,995. This started with 2018 model year when all the extra standard features were removed from base hybrid but still even with those extra standard add-ons in previous model years the hybrid was still about $1,000 more than a comparable regular RX. I guess Lexus wanted to allow more people to get into the hybrid at a lower price although I think it's not easy to find a base RX 450h at dealer lots. I could hardly find any $52K-$53K MSRP RX 450s back in March at the NJ/NYC area dealers. As far as the MPG go, I get around 25-26 during the warm months and around 23-24 during the cold season. I do mostly city driving. Sometimes the MPG goes up to 28-29 when I do some highway driving but only if it's in the 40-60 MPH range - if I go in the 80s the MPG drops closer to the city numbers. With my RX 350 I was getting 12-14 in the city and 19-20 on the highway. So, you do get much better mileage with the hybrid. But again the biggest selling point of the hybrid is the CVT transmission. Actually, Toyota's CVT is the best on the market. It's not really a CVT in a traditional sense - Toyota just gave it this name to mean infinite gear changes. It uses planetary gears and works more like a differential and has no belts like the more common CVTs from Honda and Nissan that fail after a few years. It is actually called a PSD (Power Split Device). "It acts as a continuously variable transmission (CVT) but with a fixed gear ratio" - see here http://eahart.com/prius/psd/. It has very few moving parts and is very reliable, Also, the two electric motors give you a bit of extra power and my 450h does take off like a rocket if I step on the gas - definitely not any worse than 350.
Bottom line: I don't see any reason why anyone would get a non-hybrid RX. It's only $1,000 more, has a much smoother transmission, and gives you double the MPG (at least in my case). But judging by the dealer inventory (at least around March 2018) there isn't much demand for RX hybrids even though even the Lexus LC 500h commercial points out that all Lexus hybrids "are comparably priced to the rest of the line-up" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSQmFO6_6PU).
Bottom line: I don't see any reason why anyone would get a non-hybrid RX. It's only $1,000 more, has a much smoother transmission, and gives you double the MPG (at least in my case). But judging by the dealer inventory (at least around March 2018) there isn't much demand for RX hybrids even though even the Lexus LC 500h commercial points out that all Lexus hybrids "are comparably priced to the rest of the line-up" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSQmFO6_6PU).
02-10-19, 01:12 PM
#9
Drove a few 350s and felt some of the complaints, decided I had zero desire to head down that road, vs the 450,
02-10-19, 01:16 PM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
Most drivers cant stand CVTs and the fuel savings from a hybrid just aint worth the lack of performance. Theres a reason most RX sales are non-hybrid. Our RX350 is buttery smooth with no hesitation issues.
02-10-19, 02:33 PM
#11
Pole Position
The wife and I test-drove both the 350 and 450h, one right after the other. Neither of us liked the feel of the CVT in the 450h and we didn't like the noise from the regenerative braking system. We also took into consideration that the 450h requires premium fuel which is 20 to 30 cents per gallon more in our area. We chose the 350 and are happy with our decision.
02-10-19, 02:36 PM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
The wife and I test-drove both the 350 and 450h, one right after the other. Neither of us liked the feel of the CVT in the 450h and we didn't like the noise from the regenerative braking system. We also took into consideration that the 450h requires premium fuel which is 20 to 30 cents per gallon more in our area. We chose the 350 and are happy with our decision.
02-10-19, 06:56 PM
#13
The wife and I test-drove both the 350 and 450h, one right after the other. Neither of us liked the feel of the CVT in the 450h and we didn't like the noise from the regenerative braking system. We also took into consideration that the 450h requires premium fuel which is 20 to 30 cents per gallon more in our area. We chose the 350 and are happy with our decision.
02-11-19, 03:48 AM
#14
Pole Position
I have a 2017 RX 450H and always use 87 octane regular. Never had one problem and gas mileage is as good as those that use premium. I have done this on cars that require or recommend premium for well over one million miles. Zero engine problems. If I am giving up a little performance could care less. It is a hybrid. What the experts say.
I always revert back to two MIT graduates that are car mechanics who had a syndicated radio show called Car Talk for 35 years.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/premi...egular-0#myth4
From the USA Today:
The only modern engines that should really need premium are those with superchargers, which force-feed fuel into the cylinders. "You're driving along and just tramp the gas and the knock sensor cannot sense the knock fast enough in some cases," because the supercharger boosts pressure so fast, says Bob Furey, chemist and fuels specialist at General Motors.
Burning regular when the owner's manual specifies premium won't void the warranty, nor damage the engine, even the most finicky automakers say. "You're giving up perhaps just a little bit of performance that a customer wouldn't really even notice, it's so slight," says Furey.
I always revert back to two MIT graduates that are car mechanics who had a syndicated radio show called Car Talk for 35 years.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/premi...egular-0#myth4
From the USA Today:
The only modern engines that should really need premium are those with superchargers, which force-feed fuel into the cylinders. "You're driving along and just tramp the gas and the knock sensor cannot sense the knock fast enough in some cases," because the supercharger boosts pressure so fast, says Bob Furey, chemist and fuels specialist at General Motors.
Burning regular when the owner's manual specifies premium won't void the warranty, nor damage the engine, even the most finicky automakers say. "You're giving up perhaps just a little bit of performance that a customer wouldn't really even notice, it's so slight," says Furey.
