Rx450h Gen 2 Buyers guide needed

[Prince Bob]

Good evening all!

I'm looking at purchasing another Lexus, this time a RX450h gen 2 pre facelift.

Initially I decided an SE-I had everything I needed and I didn't want the complication of air suspension. However I have found a few SE-L models without air suspension. The main differences appear to be, heads up display, Mark Levinson audio, LED lights, extra adjustments on seats and radar cruise.

Is the heads up display worth the extra? And does anybody know the LED lights compare in terms of brightness to the xenons?

Out of interest what is the typical mpg? I've never owned a hybrid so am not familiar with how to get the best out of them.

Any common issues with these? Are flakey alloys still a Lexus issue? 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Barry14UK]

I have not had head up display on any vehicle before but like this option very much so would always want this on any further vehicle if an option. I set the display just above the bottom of the screen and do not find it disconcerting.  I find I can't see it with my normal sun glasses on which are the darkest permitted for drivers according to my Optician, so I have had to get some that are not quite so dark.  There are after market HUD units which are placed on the dash and project onto the screen but I can't say how good these are or how suitable for the RX.  I just use my HUD for speed awareness but if you use the Lexus SatNav this is also shown on the screen but I much prefer my TomTom.

The LED's are very good on the RX but I am LED to believe you have to replace the complete headlamp at considerable cost in the event of failure..  Don't know if you can just replace the bulb on the Xenons so an aspect you might check on.  I would say the LED's on my RX are marginally better than the Xenons on my BMW which do have replaceable bulbs but you need somebody with experience of both types on RX models. (It's not just a matter of brightness but pattern and coverage).

As regards MPG, this has been extensively covered in a thread within the last 14 months.  In, short there are many factors that affect MPG,one of the biggest being the duration of normal driving and how much of this is on motorways and in town.  Best I have seen is 37 on a long easy run in summer.  Used only for a round trip of 3 miles to supermarket in winter it shows about 19.7 which soon improves on longer journeys.  If you do 10,000 mpa I would say an overall average figure of about 30mpg would not be far out for most people.

Certainly worth carefully checking alloys where some report probs.  Mine are fine on my 2015 3rd Gen RX.

 

 

 

                                                                                                        

[Gliderpilot]

I like the HUD and now never look at the speedo, and you can change the units to KPH for France etc. It also gives you directions from the satnav. I average 30 mpg but on one long run following friends towing managed 38. The LED headlight take a bit of getting used to as there is no fuzzy edge to the pattern it just draws a line on the road. On my car you can't adjust the height of the beam from the dash (no button). A replacement LED headlight unit is about a grand from Lexus.

[jumpingjehovahs]

I’ve recently sold my 2010 SE-L Premier, I averaged about 30mpg over 25000 miles, my best run was about 37.

I couldn’t live without a head up display now, they’re such a good idea and really help with keeping your eyes up on the road, especially if using NAV.

The LED Headlights were good, but they never blew my mind. Good, and crisp light but I can live without them.

The alloys on the car were in great condition, and despite an ugly coming together between my alloy and a sharp kerb, there was no sign of damage or peeling etc.


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[DanD]

I used to have an SE-I, and I wished at the time that I had gone for the SE-L in particular because of the LED lights and the Mark Levinson audio. The HUD can seem to be a bit of a gimmick, but one that you soon get used to and miss when you no longer have it.,

I believe the SE-L also has ventilated seats (as opposed to heated only), and a camera under the passenger side mirror to help with parking (precursor to the 360 degree camera). This camera is activated by a steering wheel mounted button.

I used to cover around 26k miles per years at the time and my average was around 28mpg, driving the car 'normally'. MPG is very much dependent on the type of roads you use and your local topography: motorways and hills are not the RX's best friend if MPG is a priority.

[Prince Bob]

On 1/12/2020 at 8:02 PM, jumpingjehovahs said:

I’ve recently sold my 2010 SE-L Premier, I averaged about 30mpg over 25000 miles, my best run was about 37.

I couldn’t live without a head up display now, they’re such a good idea and really help with keeping your eyes up on the road, especially if using NAV.

The LED Headlights were good, but they never blew my mind. Good, and crisp light but I can live without them.

The alloys on the car were in great condition, and despite an ugly coming together between my alloy and a sharp kerb, there was no sign of damage or peeling etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

30mpg average over 25000 miles is very impressive, that's a good 10mpg up on my current average 

[Prince Bob]

On 1/12/2020 at 7:04 PM, Gliderpilot said:

I like the HUD and now never look at the speedo, and you can change the units to KPH for France etc. It also gives you directions from the satnav. I average 30 mpg but on one long run following friends towing managed 38. The LED headlight take a bit of getting used to as there is no fuzzy edge to the pattern it just draws a line on the road. On my car you can't adjust the height of the beam from the dash (no button). A replacement LED headlight unit is about a grand from Lexus.

Thanks for input, is it possible to replace the individual LED's?

[Prince Bob]

On 1/12/2020 at 8:02 PM, jumpingjehovahs said:

I’ve recently sold my 2010 SE-L Premier, I averaged about 30mpg over 25000 miles, my best run was about 37.

I couldn’t live without a head up display now, they’re such a good idea and really help with keeping your eyes up on the road, especially if using NAV.

The LED Headlights were good, but they never blew my mind. Good, and crisp light but I can live without them.

The alloys on the car were in great condition, and despite an ugly coming together between my alloy and a sharp kerb, there was no sign of damage or peeling etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the insight, did you have air suspension on your SE-L premier?

[Prince Bob]

On 1/11/2020 at 9:59 PM, Barry14UK said:

I have not had head up display on any vehicle before but like this option very much so would always want this on any further vehicle if an option. I set the display just above the bottom of the screen and do not find it disconcerting.  I find I can't see it with my normal sun glasses on which are the darkest permitted for drivers according to my Optician, so I have had to get some that are not quite so dark.  There are after market HUD units which are placed on the dash and project onto the screen but I can't say how good these are or how suitable for the RX.  I just use my HUD for speed awareness but if you use the Lexus SatNav this is also shown on the screen but I much prefer my TomTom.

The LED's are very good on the RX but I am led to believe you have to replace the complete headlamp at considerable cost in the event of failure..  Don't know if you can just replace the bulb on the Xenons so an aspect you might check on.  I would say the LED's on my RX are marginally better than the Xenons on my BMW which do have replaceable bulbs but you need somebody with experience of both types on RX models. (It's not just a matter of brightness but pattern and coverage).

As regards MPG, this has been extensively covered in a thread within the last 14 months.  In, short there are many factors that affect MPG,one of the biggest being the duration of normal driving and how much of this is on motorways and in town.  Best I have seen is 37 on a long easy run in summer.  Used only for a round trip of 3 miles to supermarket in winter it shows about 19.7 which soon improves on longer journeys.  If you do 10,000 mpa I would say an overall average figure of about 30mpg would not be far out for most people.

Certainly worth carefully checking alloys where some report probs.  Mine are fine on my 2015 3rd Gen RX.

 

 

 

                                                                                                        

Thanks for the input, current mileage is only about 5k a year was just curious about 'real life figures'. 30 mpg is brilliant certainly a million miles better than the ML500 I was considering

[jumpingjehovahs]

26 minutes ago, Prince Bob said:

Thanks for the insight, did you have air suspension on your SE-L premier?

You're welcome, happy to help. I did, it seemed to be quite reliable, certainly in the massive stack of bills I had with the car there was no mention of it ever being touched and it seemed to go up and down as it should, sometimes the pump was a little loud but I think that was cold weather rather than age. The only caveat of the air suspension, I would say, is that I couldn't really tell. I don't think the car was exceptionally smooth, especially when compared to conventionally sprung RXs.

[Gliderpilot]

52 minutes ago, Prince Bob said:

Thanks for input, is it possible to replace the individual LED's?

Don't know about that but knowing all motor manufacturers like to get their pound of flesh, probably not.

[Barry14UK]

2 hours ago, Gliderpilot said:

Don't know about that but knowing all motor manufacturers like to get their pound of flesh, probably not.

I don't know if Lexus make their own headlights but should be able to answer any questions about defective parts and replacements.  My BMW xenons were made by Hella who also do the halogen ones.  Hella used some type of plastic connector on the part that alters the elevation.  These connectors break after a few years and BMW expect  you to replace the whole headlamp.  Some guys found that they could melt the glue that attaches the outside acrylic like material to the headlamp body and replace the broken connectors with aftermarket ones.  However Hella/BMW must have got wise to this because they subsequently changed the glue to a kind that could not be melted without damaging the headlamp.  So agree, manufacturers want to maximize  return on replacement parts.

[Prince Bob]

Evening all

A little update, I have put a deposit  down on a lovely example with full main dealer history. I chose an SE-I in the end. I missed out on 4 cars in total, a lot of vehicles listed for sale were actually sold, I collect on Friday!

[Herbie]

On 1/14/2020 at 1:25 PM, Prince Bob said:

Thanks for input, is it possible to replace the individual LED's?

Sadly not. A new LED sealed unit is over £800.

[Prince Bob]

On 2/3/2020 at 11:06 PM, Herbie said:

Sadly not. A new LED sealed unit is over £800.

I don't mind spending a few quid on parts, but that is ridiculous, I will make do with the xenons on the SE-I