G30540i

That makes much more sense. Yes, the transfer cases are fragile on X-drive. Stupid BMW puts staggered setups on Xdrive vehicles, knowing full well that the rear will tend to wear out faster. You have to keep the front and rear within 4mm of each other or the stress can break the transfer case. Since you can't rotate the tires, it gets super expensive really fast if you want to protect the transfer case.

havec

According to CR, at the moment, it looks like the main competition to the 450H+ is the 2024 BMW X5 PHEV. But it gets worse fuel mileage than the non electrified X5 and its reliability isn’t particularly good.

WellsB

Yeah, I don't really consider the X5 to be competitive due to the 58 mpge in EV mode and 22 mpg in Hybrid Mode. The RX450h+ is 83 mpge and 35 mpg hybrid mode.

havec

Comparative mileage is reduced by the 87/91 octane gas price. The 450H+ is fully loaded.I haven’t bothered to figure out the actual price of the X5 when comparatively equipped.

WellsB

I believe the X5 is 89 octane minimum 91 recommended compared to 87 minimum 91 recommended for the 450h+. Personally, I run the recommended so that would not factor in for me.

wrinkle

Here’s a comparative review, where the X5 is noted as Canadian $ 20000 more expensive. The mileage was not noted, I think, but the reliability factor was noted. I think Lexus nailed all the practical matters, for a SUV. If I want handling/performance, I will get a sports EV instead, maybe a BMW, but not a SUV for that 🥸

havec

Thank you for posting the great video! Definitely Lexus. Definitely don’t need all that power and the Lexus drive train is proven to be reliable. The 2024 BMW PHEV is new and unproven.

jaxn1010

Well, after 14 months I finally decided to sell the RX and get the X5 (x50e). Was a tough choice, but with my disappointment in the issues addressed and slow pace of the OTA updates from Lexus, along with the "can't replicate" front end wind noise, it was time. Thanks to all users who offered advice and opinion on the 350; I do appreciate it. Best of luck!

deaded

Bummer.

I'm sure you are going to love the X5. It's a wonderful car and I totally would not kick it out of bed. We love our new RX450h+ (so far) and I love our history with Lexus (4 cars), so that kind of skews my viewpoint.
But, when you reach age 60 you start looking at those comfort features much more closely.

coolbrazz

Sorry you had a bad experience with your RX. I've had (2) and now an TX with no problems. With the X5 imo you'll have a better driving experience performance wise, but hope it will be trouble free.

havec

Consumer Reports released their review of the RX450H+ today. It scored 89 the same as the Honda Accord Hybrid and the RAV PHEV. The Camry Hybrid scored 93 probably due to its 47 mpg. CR wasn’t thrilled with the engine noise. The Camry has the same engine and it wasn’t dinged for being noisy. Hopefully, other members on this thread have access to CR and can opine on the review.

havec

Reading through the new Consumer Reports Road Test of the RX 450H+ I see that the it uses premium fuel while the RAV4 PHEV uses regular fuel. Is there any differences between these 2.5 liter Atkinson's engines that you know of?

Consumer Reports only dings the RX 450h+ for having a noisy engine while all the other hybrids and PHEVs with the same engine don’t get dinged for a noisy engine. Wonder why?

Markfm

Maybe it's the "premium penalty"? Something that's acceptable in a standard vehicle make isn't as acceptable in a premium brand. In Lexus' case they're known for a quiet cabin, so something that detracts from that gets a score downgrade.

havec

Good point.

havec

I had a 2013 Avalon hybrid with the 2.5 Atkins engine. Has this old power plant gone through any evolution in the last 10 years? Still wondering why the Lexus 450h+ requires premium fuel while the RAV4 PHEV engine runs on regular 87 octane.
The Lexus 450H+ does have 2 more horse power. Maybe, the Lexus RX450h+ has been tweaked. Probably more for marketing purposes as it is a hard sell to get the same engine powering everything from Highlanders to Camerys in a vehicle that costs so much more.