So, I've been driving around in my RX350h for a couple weeks now, enjoying myself immensely (the annoying growl of the engine seems to have smoothed out, or maybe I'm just getting used to it). But last night I found out something that I think everyone here will find of interest.

When you start the car, if you put it in gear immediately and start driving, before it's done loading your profile settings, it can cause weird behaviours in the infotainment.

Last night I put the car immediately in reverse after pressing the Start button and started moving, not really paying attention. I immediately noticed the "touch screen beep" was back despite having turned it off in the settings, and my "frequent items" were back to the default stuff from when I first got the car.

I didn't understand why and it bugged me a bit, coming from the absolute trainwreck that is Android Automotive, I think I have a bit of "infotainment PTSD". So anyway, today I had to run some errands and when I started the car, I gave it some time to boot up and it seemed to completely reload my settings (even cycling through the bright color scheme before coming back to the dark one). And everything was back to normal, like it was before last night.

So yeah, moral of the story, the new infotainment system needs a minute to boot correctly and completely. It'll work either way but may act weird if it's been rushed.

 

Wow, that’s interesting. Hope they can do a software update for that. You’re the first person with a few weeks in the RX350H. You’re like a unicorn!

I’m curious about your comprehensive review of the car overall. I’m planning to take delivery in a few weeks and really anxious about this one and keep going back and forth on wherever I should go for the 2022 450h.

 

A balding and very tired unicorn at that But yeah I haven't seen a single other 2023 RX in my area yet. I guess my timing was good with my reservation, and also probably the fact that I went for the base trim and the most boring color

My overall short term review, coming from a 4th gen RX350, is pretty positive. I can go item by item, old one, new one:

Build quality:
- Old one: Everything was very well put together, but I had some nitpicks, like the hollow "thump" the doors made when you swung them a bit too hard. And some metallic looking plastic trims in there looked pretty cheap when you paid attention. Still great overall.
- New one: Everything feels more solid and tighter, but also a bit more modest for the base Premium trim. It's awesome in the places that are important to me though, better "thump" when you slam the doors, more comfortable seats.

Tech:
- Old one: I will miss the physical buttons and the real instruments in the dashboard, the analog clock, the super smooth volume button. But I won't miss the outdated infotainment system. The touchpad was okay, but not perfect. It only had USB-A ports, but there were a lot of them. The toaster-style cellphone storage space was quirky. Best cup holders in the business. Heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise, heated and ventilated seats, line keep/trace assist, loved all of that, and the fact that it came standard.
- New one: The base instruments cluster looks decent, but less exciting than most current Toyotas. The infotainment system is really really nice, even the "small" 10 inch one. Great touchscreen feedback, all the features you can hope for (I tried their subscription based Navigation service for a month, it's really good if you don't wanna rely on Apple Car Play or Android Auto, but a bit pricy). The touch-based fan speed control is too small though, and they went with oversized climate buttons, and a tiny volume ****, which makes no sense. You set the temperature like once every season but the volume control is always being fiddled with. All in all though, a good, overdue tech update. Bunch of USB-C ports, one old style USB-A, better laid out storage. Heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise, heated and ventilated seats, line keep/trace assist, still loving all of that! Oh and much better backup camera, old one was borderline insulting with the crappy resolution.

Driving impressions:
- Old one: My favorite highway cruiser of all time. The V6 was buttery smooth, no wind noise, no road noise, boaty suspension but in the best way possible. In stop and go traffic though, I was NOT a fan of the 8 speed transmission. It behaved sluggish and awkward pretty much all the time. It's a shame because that engine was sooo sooo good. The boatiness wasn't so cool either when driving in tight streets.
- New one: OMG, this is a city driving BEAST. Everything is so much snappier, more nimble, the frame somehow feels more rigid and the suspension more comfortable at the same time. It took me a while to get used to the new engine sounds though, especially when it starts in EV and then the engine kicks in a few seconds later. The first week, it felt scratchy and gruff (especially compared to the smooth low rumble of the V6). But as I said in my earlier post, it's getting much smoother now, engine break-in must help, but also I'm getting used to how it drives. The power curve is very different from the old one too. It's got instant torque from the electric motors but it seems as bit weak right where the old V6 started to pick up steam. If you keep insisting though, it does have power on tap, it's just delivered very differently. Where the V6 had a convex power curve, this new powertrain probably has a straight line going upwards and not peaking for a while. I can't wait to try it on the highway this upcoming weekend. I hope it's as quiet as the old one, and has as much passing power.

BTW, TheTopher just released a POV drive video of the RX350h if you want a sense of how it sounds in different situations:
Fuel consumption:
- Old one: I won't sugarcoat it, it was really bad. Around 14 litres/100km (16.8 mpg) in town and 10 (23.5mpg) on the highway. At least it took 87 octane.
- New one: This is THE best part about this new guy, around town, I get between 5.4 litres/100km (43.5mpg) and 6 (39mpg), without even trying (on winter tires, mind you). I put 91 octane in the tank, because that's what the owner's manual recommends. Again, we'll see what kinds of numbers I get on the highway this coming weekend, but I doubt it'll be much higher than 7 litres/100.

Audio:
- Old one: The base sound system was pretty lackluster, but it got the job done. Also there was a CD player in there, for those times when there's no mobile internet!
- New one: The base system has NO RIGHT to be this good. Seriously, it's awesome. I wonder if they didn't secretly put Mark Levinson speakers in there because of all the part shortages.

Misc stuff:
- The new one didn't come with an all weather cargo liner like the old one, also came with only one electronic key (but a second physical key for emergencies).
- The new wheels don't have a locking nut anymore, they probably figured they were useless as a deterrent hahaha
- They cheaped out on the tire valve caps! They used to be made of metal, now they're just crappy plastic ones like everyone else.
- There's about as much cargo space as the 4th gen, but less space under the cargo floor panel (around the spare tire).
- Glad the hybrid still came with a full size spare tire though.

Alright, I've gone long enough, hope that was helpful I'll update with my gas mileage numbers when I come back from my weekend road trip

Cheers

 

Thanks so much for this very helpful review!

-maadfw

 

Wow, that steering wheel cruise control function looks bad - not liking that at all. I guess I will be using the brake to disengage. That's going to confuse a lot of senior citizens who buy this car, trying to disengage the cruise control - expect they will be banging the brake pedal as well. What was Lexus thinking with that?

 

I forgot to mention, there's no head up display on the basic Premium trim, so none of that "touch first, then press" nonsense. It's all physical buttons with one fixed function each.

The 2023 RX is one of those instances where the base trim is the coolest to own.

 

If I could order a Premium Plus to spec with every option except the HUD, I would. But you can't really place a custom order, and the HUD is standard in the Luxury trim level.

 

ahh this was such an amazing share. Especially with you having the context and perspective of the 4th gen. Really appreciate you taking the time. Makes me feel much better about the 2023 model. Unfortunately the one I’ve been allocated has the head up display, but hopefully I’ll get used to it.

 

Glad I could help! Also, keep in mind that one of my main gripes with the 4th gen 350 is the 8 speed automatic transmission, which you would not get in the 450h. It's got the more linear, more seamless and excellent eCVT that all Lexus and Toyota hybrids get.

If your number one concern is fuel economy, the 2023 is the clear winner though. The 450h is almost as bad as the 4th gen 350 on the highway, and although it's a little better in town, it's nowhere near what the new 350h can achieve. And I'm sure you'll get used to the heads up display stuff pretty quickly.

If fuel economy isn't really an issue, and you don't mind hollow sounding doors, slightly dated tech and an a boatier feeling suspension, the 450h would still be a great option. That V6 is absolutely legendary (and simpler, and less plasticky, and better sounding, than the new A25A-FXS).

 

thank you again! I keep hearing about the sound thing? How bad is it? Is it like Toyota level? How’s the accelerator? I’ve heard that the hybrids have a vibrating hum or something? Some videos say the ride is smooth and quiet and others say otherwise.

 

If you have a musical ear, the new Dynamic Force engine, especially coupled with the eCVT, sounds pretty harsh at first, almost like something's wrong. Especially when the engine's cold. For the first 5 minutes or so, while it gets up to temperature, it sounds as rattly as a diesel car from the 90s.

But then it smooths out considerably. It's the linearity of the eCVT that's the most disturbing, where a normal transmission would upshift, in this case the whine just keeps on going until you let off the gas pedal. On a long acceleration it's very weird when you're not used to it. Also the engine is tuned to operate at maximum efficiency, which is somewhere between 2500-3000 RPM. That's a bit too high to sound normal if you're used to classic transmission behavior.

When the car was brand brand new, it sounded extra harsh, I was panicking a little bit. But now that I'm around 1000 miles on the odo, it's absolutely fine. It retains that gruff character but mellower, quieter on the acceleration.

As for the reviewers that complain about feeling vibrations or feedback in the accelerator pedal, I know what they mean, but I disagree that it's a flaw. Of course you feel it a bit in the pedal when it transitions from EV mode to engine power, but it's a smooth transition and that too mellows out after the first few weeks. If you've ever driven one of those modern cars that shut down the engine at every stop, it's way way smoother than that. And the hum from the regenerative braking/electric motor action is another of those sounds you get used to pretty fast. You won't notice it after a few weeks.

The thing you WILL notice though, is how quiet and smooth it gets once it's up to speed. It's almost 100% EV with a few subdued interventions from the engine here and there. An absolute joy to drive.

So, to recap, from 0 to 10, you're usually 100% on the electric motors (instant torque, super quiet, a bit of hum), then from 10 to 30 (mph) you get more or less engine growl depending on how aggressively you accelerate, and then it quiets back down completely as you glide along. Then when you get to a stop, as soon as you hit the brake pedal, the engine shuts down and the regen kicks in, so you hear the hum again for a bit.

It's different from what we're used to with non-hybrids, but it starts to feel "right" very quickly.

 

thank you for the very thoughtful answers. This has all been immensely helpful for me and I’m sure many others.

Enjoy the highway driving!

 

Thank you to BumbleD for a really good and thorough review.

 

So, after a few hours on the highway, driving pretty aggressively, here are my thoughts:

Not as torquy as the V6, but more than enough power on tap for passing and merging. It’s delivered more linearly so you gotta be assertive with the gas pedal. The engine stayed pretty quiet 90% of the time, unless I was really flooring it. But it sounds really cool and peppy at higher revs!

I was driving in Sport mode and testing the passing power a lot, and I still managed to average 7.5 litres/100km (31 mpg). I’ll drive more conservatively on my trip back for comparison.

 

I've been checking out all of the RX350h listed on the dealer's websites and none of the vehicles have the 360 camera which would be great for parking. That is a feature that I really like but so far nothing.