johnhey

Anyone has the info if there will be a TX 350h, similar to RX? (I mean the one with 2.5 L naturally aspirated engine not the turbo)
TX lineup missing regular hybrid, the assumption was we may get one since it exits in Grand Highlander and TX is basically luxury version of Grand Highlander

mhoran89

the TX 500h is the "regular hybrid" you are looking for. lexus carries a higher price point, and can respectively offer a car with more power towards a different demographic. it also makes sense for toyota/lexus to not launch another powerplant in the TX considering making the 2.4L hybrid is more than adequate. lexus also has the plug in hybrid TX they are coming out with soon (maybe it is already available).

the other thing is more stringent emissions standards are causing manufacturers to move away from naturally aspirated engines and more towards turbocharged ones. Audi used to have plenty of N/A powerplants and even had a beloved 3.0L supercharged V6 which is now a single turbo V6...

I don't see toyota/lexus messing with the powertrain options any more than they have, considering this car is only a North American market offering and is not available outside that market. just my two cents.

johnhey

RX has 350, 350h and 500h
TX has 350 and 500h so 350h is missing in TX lineup (that is what was referred to as regular hybrid).

There are two issues here, at least in Canada.
TX 500h is only in captain chair (no bench) so it is a big car but only 6 passenger which many people don't like.
also the price difference of TX 350 and 500h is 17k+ (Canada) why someone pays 17k more to save on gas!! (I know 500h has more hp and torque, but not many people want to race this family car in track!!!)
by contrast price difference of RX 350and RX 350h in only 2k which makes sense if you want to go hybrid, so you get my point.

as for TX 500h+ (plugin hybrid), it will cost you around $110,000 in Canada, so pricewise this model is out of reach of many people. (not sure why someone even want to buy at this price, you can get Porsche cayenne with less money)

mhoran89

this is exactly why the emotional purchase of a hybrid can make no sense financially. I would have to drive 150K miles or more to have a break even point between the 350 and 500h with a combined MPG of around 5 more miles to the gallon with the hybrid with a price difference around $7K USD. not to mention looking at a battery replacement around the 150K mile mark in the hybrid so any gas savings would be quickly offset. sometimes the hybrid really just doesn't make sense at all...

johnhey

I did the calculation for TX 350 vs TX 500h for Canada
to do apple to apple compare as far as what feature is included (in Canada ) TX 350 Ultra luxury package is equal to TX 500h Standard package.
the price difference including tax for Ontario is $14,350 CAD based on Lexus Canada website.
combine gas consumption of TX 350 is 10.3 L/100km and TX 500h is 8.6 L/100km so the difference is 1.7 L/100km
now considering average gas price of 150 cents ($1.5 CAD) per liter in Ontario and the saving on gas you will make of 1.7 L/100km if you go 500h instead of 350, it will take 560,000 KM to break even. ( that is 348K miles)

so Canadian buyers be aware....

mhoran89

this is exactly what I was saying earlier. it is an emotional purchase and people think they are saving the planet, while in all reality whether or not it is better for the environment (don't get me started on recycling li-ion batteries), they are spending more out of pocket unless they drive tons and tons of miles especially in a more urban environment. there is a reason a lot of people doing rideshare are in hybrid vehicles...

asj2024

Beyond the economics, the hybrid does not put out a lot of emissions compared to ICE-only cars. .

mhoran89

let me know how the emissions of the manufacturing of that li-ion battery works? and also what environmentally friendly landfill the battery will go into when it's useful lifespan is up? or how it will be completely recycled? honestly, it is a hard sell at this point for a model like this. if the MPG was double in the hybrid it would be a different story...

johnhey

On top of that you may reduce your emission to air, but in order to do that you have to disturb earth to mine and extract minerals for batteries (Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium etc) and then lots of waste for dead batteries.
So hybrids and EVs even could be bad for environment.

jccisgs

The 500h has a 2.4L turbo four hybrid drivetrain putting out 366 hp. It's basically the HybridMax powertrain in the Grand Highlander (362hp). This powertrain is geared more towards performance than fuel economy. If you want the 2.5L four hybrid CVT powertrain, you will have to step down to the Grand Highlander Limited. But keep in mind that powertrain produces significantly less power. It might be ok in the Highlander, it will struggle to pull the extra weight of the Grand Highlander.

mhoran89

you have a point. the CVT makes more sense for fuel economy. that powertrain makes a ton of sense in a smaller vehicle. there is a reason the 500h is a "f sport"...