The annual international summit meeting of governments, the Group of Eight, or G8, recently met in Hokkaido, Japan, with global hunger and the oil crisis receiving the most attention from the environment ministers. With oil and gas consumption and the ecological damage caused by pollutants receiving so much international concern, the current automotive market focus couldn’t be more favorable for an inspired hybrid niche. And when the entrant hails from the Toyota family, hybrid leader with its 45mpg Prius, carbuyers take notice.
This player in the hybrid stakes is Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota, and the niche Lexus has built with its new 2008 Lexus RX 400h, is the luxury SUV market. The RX 400h debuted in 2006 with its Lexus Hybrid Drive technology, which raised the bar for environmental friendliness in a luxury-utility vehicle. Lexus leads all luxury-vehicle badges by offering three hybrid vehicles, the RX 400h, the GS 450h sport sedan, and the LS 600h L flagship sedan.
Proving that even upscale buyers are thinking “green,” RX 400h sales make up nearly 20 percent of the RX 400 mid-size luxury-ute’s sales, showing that lavishness, quality automotive manufacturing, electronic advances, power, handling, creature comforts and environmental friendliness are not mutually exclusive.
The RX 400h combines hybrid technology with a powerful 3.3-liter V-6 gasoline engine to provide speed, strength and improved gas mileage. The 24-valve DOHC aluminum-block six-cylinder engine with VVT-1 pops out 208hp and 212 lbs.-ft. of torque and can run on 87 octane fuel, though 91 octane is recommended. Three electric motors and a hybrid battery pack take care of the non-engine work, with the front-wheel generator producing 167hp and 247 lbs.-ft. of torque, while the rear-wheel motor generator is good for 68hp and 96 lbs.-ft. of torque. The third generator starts the engine, and with the engines working in concert, the system puts out about 268 maximum hp.
With a curb weight of 4365 lbs., the vehicle is EPA rated at 26mpg in the city and 24mpg in highway driving. My own examination, which lasted a full week, and centered on Interstate highways, township streets, city boulevards and country roads, yielded a 25.9mpg average over the course of about 500 miles, and my highway driving was actually a little bit more efficient than my city treks.
Still, perceptually, I found the mid-20s to be disappointing for a Toyota-family hybrid. Perhaps because I have test-driven the Prius and have gotten nearly 50 mpg in that compact, and because I have tested competing manufacturers’ hybrid mid-size SUVs and have seen mid-30mpg results, I was negatively surprised that the RX 400h didn’t fare better in fuel economy. However, in defense of the RX 400h, none of the other vehicles I tested were luxury SUVs, and none provided as quiet and confident a ride as the Lexus. Additionally, Lexus was competing against itself (Toyota) in some respects, as Prius has received such lofty economic praise for its fuel efficiency.
The manufacturer claims a zero-to-60mph time of 7.3 seconds and that may be realistic, as my best zero-to-60 run, with the vehicle weighed, tuned and run as you would drive it off the car lot, was 7.4 seconds, en route to a 15.8-second quarter-mile. Driving was a quiet, smooth, quick-reacting pleasure for both pilot and passengers.
The Lexus hybrid-ute sports a new grille finish, chrome door handles and new blue hybrid emblems. A body-color integrated rear-gate spoiler adds sportiness to the 188.2-inch long, 72.6-inch wide, 66.4-inch high mid-size SUV.
Safety is attended to in full Lexus fashion with a high-strength cabin design and comprehensive supplemental restraint system, advanced front airbags for the driver and passenger, a knee airbag for the driver and front-seat-mounted side airbags. Side-curtain airbags are designed to help offer additional crash energy-management for the front- and rear-seat occupants. A roll sensor signals the side- curtain airbags to inflate if a predetermined threshold of vehicle tip-up is detected.
Inside my Bamboo Pearl RX 400h is a roomy cabin filled with delights. With seating for five, interior space measures headroom of 39.4 in front and 37.5 inches behind, legroom of 42.5 and 36.4, with shoulder room of 57.9 and 57.1.
The interior wants for little, with 10-way power driver’s seat, power back door, wood, aluminum and leather trim, heated seats and mirrors, lumbar support and intuitive gauges and instrumentation.
My test hybrid stickered out at $49,975 after more than $7000 worth of options were added to the base price of $42,580. The vehicle I examined added a navigation system with Bluetooth, voice-activation and energy consumption system ($2650); the Premium Plus leather interior with moonroof memory driver’s seat, roof rack, adaptive front lighting and illuminated entry system ($2060); two-level heated front seats and rain–sensing wipers ($695); 18-inch Liquid Graphite finish aluminum alloy wheels ($495); genuine wood interior trim throughout the cabin ($380); cargo net, cargo mat and wheel locks ($220) and a towing prep package ($160). A delivery, processing and handling fee of $765 was also added to the sticker price.
With RX 400h, Lexus has proven that luxury and concern for the environment can be compatible.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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