EDITOR WES RAYNAL: This was a fine weekend vehicle for hauling kids and junk to various activities. I’m not a huge fan of Toyota’s hybrid system, even this new, revised one. There is a lot of technology going on under there, and it’s not always the smoothest powertrain under acceleration or braking. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but it’s still noteworthy.
Cruising along it’s fine, but in the stop-and-go, it can be a weird experience. Overall it feels heavy like most hybrids do, not like a really big ute but as I drove along, a little voice kept saying, “I wonder how this would drive if it didn’t have all this hybrid stuff on it.”
To the interior for a minute: Lexus’s version of iDrive or MMI uses a little mouselike pointer that operates the screen for things such as navigation, the radio, etc., and it is among the best I’ve seen at simplifying all those functions. It works really well.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: No question that driving this vehicle takes a little getting used to. The throttle and brake react differently than nonhybrid cars. There is so much stuff going on each time your foot engages the pedals. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s different for sure. I, too, liked the Lexus interpretation of iDrive. No problems there. Plus, this has the rocking Mark Levinson sound system. This is a handsome-looking little ute inside and out that could easily be your daily driver.
SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: Right out of the gate it is clear that this hybrid RX is a load (it’s 300 pounds heavier than an RX350 AWD), and you feel every bit of it as the vehicle struggles and wallows around corners. The dull and heavy steering feel doesn’t do it any favors either. The hybrid system is just plain weird in the way it couples and uncouples, with surges of electric power at times and a CVT whir at other times. With all that cycling going on, I wasn’t sure if I was driving a car or a washing machine. It is at its best just cruising along at freeway speed, ironically when the gas engine is doing most of the work.
While I like the effort Toyota has made here with its version of iDrive, I don’t think this thing holds a candle to the intuitiveness and simplicity of Audi’s MMI. Further, in my test of what it takes to go from the navigation screen to changing the bass level in the audio system and back to nav screen, I lost track of the number of steps required. As I’ve noted with iDrive, by the time you look away to do all those steps, the car that slowed or stopped in front of you is now firmly lodged in your radiator. I’d say this interface will be ready for prime time after another one or two iterations, but right now, a simple button for “going back” doesn’t seem to be an option. Even BMW’s infallible electronics engineers saw the need for that kind of option.
All that said, it’s a nice, quiet, sharply styled luxury ute that I’m sure many a buyer will love because they don’t have to give up anything (including 3,500-pound towing prowess, at least in the AWD version), and they get great fuel economy. It just seems like an RX buyer has to give up a lot more than upfront cash to get the mpg this hybrid provides. I’m not sure it’s worth it.
2010 Lexus RX 450h
Base Price: $45,150
As-Tested Price: $54,393
Drivetrain: 3.5-liter V6; AWD, continuously variable transmission
Output: 245 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 234 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm
Curb Weight: 4,652 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 29/26.2 mpg
Options: Navigation system package with HDD navigation system, remote touch device, voice command, color LCD display with integrated backup camera, 12-speaker audio system with automatic sound levelizer, in-dash six-disc CD changer, enhanced Bluetooth technology, XM NavTraffic, XM NavWeather, smog-sensing automatic recirculation mode for climate-control system, premium package, comfort package, towing prep package, 19-inch wheels, LED headlights with adaptive front lighting, intelligent high-beam, headlamp washers, intuitive parking assist, wood-and-leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob ($9,243)
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