The RX 450h

[VFR]

Afternoon.

Just joined as I am seriously thinking about changing my car & have settled on 2 options.

I like the look of the RX and it clearly oozes quality, plus watched a good number of YouTube vids on the car with the one from High Peak Autos giving me the best insight (IMO) Looking to spend around the 15k mark on this.

My head though says wait on a bit as Honda are about to release the new HRV hybrid that looks a real nice piece of kit as well, but of course would likely double my spend (but long term ?)

So yes I know "how long is that piece of string" question but apart from the RX's mpg/road fund outlays (ok in the scale of things) are these vehicles as reliable as the reputation goes assuming they have full dealership service history and reasonable mileage, with that in place I read that Lexus will allow you to also buy a Lexus warrant or suchlike ?

 

Thoughts appreciated.

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Brian and welcome to the best Lexus forum there is. Your post reminds me of one very similar. RX v HRV. Think that guy went the latter, can't remember why but that thread is within the forum somewhere. With your screen name being VFR am I right to assume you've got either the 750 or 800? 

The HRV is a good car no doubt about it. However the RX is a ruddy superb car. Yes I've had one and loved every moment of ownership (only sold it for financial reasons) but I'm still in the Lexus family. 

As for reliability oh yes most definitely reliable, a sublime ride, picks up if needed too.

One thing though have you driven a car with a CVT gearbox? If not I strongly recommend you find any RX or NX or is300h and test drive it. It's not like a normal auto gearbox where you hear gear changes. In the RX to put it bluntly you rev its nuts off till you reach your desired speed then let go of the gas pedal 90% to continue that speed. When I got my first Lexus I had to get rid because I couldn't get any head around the CVT. After ownership of an automatic (my 1st auto car ever) for a year to kind of get used to it so to speak I got another is300h and loved it to death. The CVT was actually really good and so smoooooooth and  more so in the RX. 

Find one nearby, any one , and take it for a test drive. I'm sure you'll love it. 

[Herbie]

Taking your last point first, if you have the car serviced at a Lexus dealership then the car gets a free warranty for 12-months on completion of the service. Have it serviced in 12-months time and again, you get another free 12-month warranty and so on until the car is 10 years old or reaches 100k miles. This is called the Lexus Relax warranty.

There is also the Hybrid Health Check that will be carried out as part of the service or, if you want to have your servicing done elsewhere, you can get the Hybrid Health Check as a stand-alone item at Lexus for £59. As long as it successfully passes this check, Lexus warrant the high-voltage traction Battery for 12-months and you can carry on doing this until the Battery reaches 15 years old.

The RX is indeed a very reliable beast but remember that people only come into forums like this when they have problems and need help, so if you read the forum don't be put off by all the problems you see - it's just that no one joins to say, "Hey, my car's running great".

It's not unusual for RXs and their traction batteries to reach 200,000 miles and beyond, they are truly excellent machines.

[royoftherovers]

Very sensible and well constructed Posting Herbie.

I think that Vlad must have drinking when he wrote this

"In the RX to put it bluntly you rev its nuts off till you reach your desired speed then let go of the gas pedal 90% to continue that speed."

 

[dutchie01]

Its quite simple with a CVT box.  I propably owned the first generation as a student some 40 years ago with a DAF 44. ( with sunroof it was a Deluxe!). The car had a variomatic gearbox which basically was a CVT with rubber bands. Idea is the engine immediately climbs to the revs that give you the max torque at the lowest fuel consumption. Problem with the DAF was that the engine with less than 50 hp was so underpowered it was really revving its nuts off to simply move. I guess that car was running on full throttle for 80% of the time a very stressed engine indeed ( it blew up on the highway later..)

Fast forward 30 years and start with the Prius Gen 1/2. Same problem. Underpowered engine thus revs needed to get torque. The IS 300H i owned with 220hp was a totally different experience as the engine is powerful enough to create torque at low revs, so revving its nuts off not needed just blip the throtthle and sail on making it a very relaxing and silent drive.

The RX450H i once had as a loaner when my car was in service was even better. The sixpot sings in true Lexus style and although revving in my idea was not needed at all to propell the car i liked to do it for the symphonious sound alone!

And no i do not miss the DAF..  

[First_Lexus]

Worth finding out where the HR-V is made. They were being made in Mexico, and - as a former moderator over on HondaKarma (before it vanished) - they had far more build related issues than you’d expect from a Honda. A couple of members who were Honda technicians listed some of the pre-delivery faults they were finding and it wasn’t pretty…

[royoftherovers]

11 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

Worth finding out where the HR-V is made. They were being made in Mexico, and - as a former moderator over on HondaKarma (before it vanished) - they had far more build related issues than you’d expect from a Honda. A couple of members who were Honda technicians listed some of the pre-delivery faults they were finding and it wasn’t pretty…

Comparing the HRV to an RX is silly. Apples and Oranges.

HRV to NX is sensible.

CRV to RX is sensible.

[VFR]

Hi guys and thanks for the input.

Yes I did note the issue on the vids I watched about the CVT but as the lad on High Peak pointed out if you relax and do not give the loud pedal a hard time it becomes a non issue.

For sure there is no comparison re the RX to HRV (the new one) that was just my sensible head saying give that a good look before jumping onto an RX, but I just know once I sit in the RX its game over if it has most of the things I like.

Heated seats.

Heated steering wheel.

Head up display.

Phone connectivity.

Some of these things I have seen listed on some of the adds but not all, wonder if they were on the option box when ordering new ?

BTW yes have owned quite a few VFR's and also remember Jan de Roy in his CVT Daf matted to a ford lotus lump racing in rally cross at Liden Hill against the likes of Keith Ripp (of Rippspeed} a few yeas back, well quite a few in fact.

[Mr Vlad]

Don't be daft John. Like I said. Putting it bluntly. Oh and I hadn't had a drink then.

You've got your head screwed on Brian. It will be game over when you plant your bum in the RX. The 'toys' you mention are standard on the Premier (I may need correcting). My 62 plate f sport had just about everything but adaptive cruise and heated steering wheel. 

I really liked the 1st and 2nd gen VFR750's, nearly bought one back in the day but got the FJ1200 instead. 

[Phil xxkr]

1 hour ago, VFR said:

Hi guys and thanks for the input.

Yes I did note the issue on the vids I watched about the CVT but as the lad on High Peak pointed out if you relax and do not give the loud pedal a hard time it becomes a non issue.

For sure there is no comparison re the RX to HRV (the new one) that was just my sensible head saying give that a good look before jumping onto an RX, but I just know once I sit in the RX its game over if it has most of the things I like.

Heated seats.

Heated steering wheel.

Head up display.

Phone connectivity.

Some of these things I have seen listed on some of the adds but not all, wonder if they were on the option box when ordering new ?

BTW yes have owned quite a few VFR's and also remember Jan de Roy in his CVT Daf matted to a ford lotus lump racing in rally cross at Liden Hill against the likes of Keith Ripp (of Rippspeed} a few yeas back, well quite a few in fact.

Is it me Brian, but what's the point you are making? Fish or cut bait as our colonial friends might say 😎

[VFR]

Hi Phil did not think I was making any point ?, just asking what known owners think & talking out loud myself now & then.

Hi Vlad 

For me the last 750 was the best as the castings & kit on that year was the best they had before Honda started to cut costs with the 800.

V-Tec the best looking for sure and I always fancied trying to get those type / style headlights onto the 750 fairing would look stunning as the fairing on the 750 (as you know) had the NR 750 looks in many ways. 

[mikey2001]

I'm not sure of your level of knowledge on Lexus cars, but some thoughts to bear in mind when considering the RX 450h.

The hybrid drivetrain and traction Battery system seem to be very reliable in general. There is no alternator, starter motor, clutch, conventional gearbox or turbo for example, which are parts that could likely fail at some point on other cars. The interior (certainly the 4th gen RX, of which I have experience of) is of a very high quality, and seems well put together.

One point that has been mentioned countless times on these forums, is the relatively small size of the 12v Battery. This is something that could be problematic if you only drive short distances infrequently, but most of the time this shouldn't be an issue.

[First_Lexus]

11 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

HRV to NX is sensible.

CRV to RX is sensible.

Surely if looking at size / range comparison it would be;

HR-V = UX

CR-V = NX

No UK Honda is really comparable with the size of the RX imho.

[Phil xxkr]

15 hours ago, VFR said:

Hi Phil did not think I was making any point ?, just asking what known owners think & talking out loud myself now & then.

Hi Vlad 

For me the last 750 was the best as the castings & kit on that year was the best they had before Honda started to cut costs with the 800.

V-Tec the best looking for sure and I always fancied trying to get those type / style headlights onto the 750 fairing would look stunning as the fairing on the 750 (as you know) had the NR 750 looks in many ways. 

Hi Brian, firstly apologies, for an overly curt and poorly phrased comment. What I perhaps should have said is, you already appear to have made up your mind but procrastinating on actually carrying it forward? I have been driving one now for 7 months and I have say its just great. I wrote a comment after 3 months as to my real world experience which you can dig out on here. 

[LenT]

22 hours ago, Herbie said:

… it's just that no one joins to say, "Hey, my car's running great".

Just passing so I thought I’d pop in to mention how well my car’s running.  🙂

[royoftherovers]

9 minutes ago, LenT said:

Just passing so I thought I’d pop in to mention how well my car’s running.  🙂

And my GS sailed through it`s M.O.T. on Thursday without any advisories.

Oh happy days and how nice to be able to all that one`s car is running delightfully in spite of having amassed less than 400 miles since last M.O.T. What a happy place this Forum can be.

[VFR]

5 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

Hi Brian, firstly apologies, for an overly curt and poorly phrased comment. What I perhaps should have said is, you already appear to have made up your mind but procrastinating on actually carrying it forward? I have been driving one now for 7 months and I have say its just great. I wrote a comment after 3 months as to my real world experience which you can dig out on here. 

Hi Phil & no need to apologise.

Yes I am fairly sure that I want one but just know once I take a short drive in one I will buy, but as I said my sensible head says wait until the new HRV arrives as that car has a lot of good tech and combines they new Honda styling trend (no more stupid transformer looking style that some many Japanese manufacturers have been making) and of course it will be reliable with warranty. .................. all at a price of course.

So sod it I am thinking, always liked the Lexus brand & the RX sure ticks a lot of my boxes as long as it is reliable if looked after (Bye & Large)

[Mossypossy]

Why is a used RX450h so much more expensive than a GS450h?

Is it because SUVs are just more "today"?

[Phil xxkr]

2 hours ago, VFR said:

Hi Phil & no need to apologise.

Yes I am fairly sure that I want one but just know once I take a short drive in one I will buy, but as I said my sensible head says wait until the new HRV arrives as that car has a lot of good tech and combines they new Honda styling trend (no more stupid transformer looking style that some many Japanese manufacturers have been making) and of course it will be reliable with warranty. .................. all at a price of course.

So sod it I am thinking, always liked the Lexus brand & the RX sure ticks a lot of my boxes as long as it is reliable if looked after (Bye & Large)

Coming from Staffordshire, as indeed I am originally, I know you to be level-headed and always value, value for money decisions. In the current market buying a RX450H circa 12-15 k means you will suffer minimal costs over say 2 years. Buying any new car means dramatic depreciation during the first 24 months far more than the rx450h will. So your decision is simple, buy a RX450H, keep it for 2 years then decide what you want to do, knowing its cost you less. 😎

[VFR]

Sat in one & had a test drive. (nice real nice)

Bought it today from a Lexus dealership as I had spent a good few days studying the web and this one & that one and went for a 15 plate rascal with that nice (IMO) tan leather interior and with a glass roof. They were also not very far away from (price wise) what is on offer from many others but of course the Lexus approved carried the day.

Have been offered club smart guard membership to keep it pristine (as they say) any of you bought this or have any knowledge ?

[Herbie]

8 minutes ago, VFR said:

Have been offered club smart guard membership to keep it pristine (as they say) any of you bought this or have any knowledge ?

If it's the kind of protection where some guy comes out to repair supermarket trolley dings and suchlike then you can get it half price elsewhere.

If it's a whole-car ceramic coating type of thing, go to a proper car detailer for a much better job at a much better price.

Enjoy your new beastie and let's see photos when you get it

[VFR]

As I thought Herbie & thanks for the input.

 

I have asked the dealer as it is going into the workshop prior to picking it up if they can tweak the ECU so I can have those nice bangs & pops as I come off the throttle & they are also fitting a nice set of smoked 3D number plates as well.      😬

[Barry14UK]

1 hour ago, VFR said:

I have asked the dealer as it is going into the workshop prior to picking it up if they can tweak the ECU so I can have those nice bangs & pops as I come off the throttle ........      😬

Tongue in cheek of course, it's not a BMW. 

[Davehedgehog31]

On 8/29/2021 at 7:49 PM, Mossypossy said:

Why is a used RX450h so much more expensive than a GS450h?

Is it because SUVs are just more "today"?

Think you're right with that assessment really. 

If it's your only car a hatchback is definitely useful. Bar the IS sportback and the CT, Lexus haven't really produced a hatchback that's not in SUV form as far as I can remember? 

With that said, saloons are a bit more versatile than people give them credit for, my old Saab 9-5 saloon would swallow bikes and was frequently filled to the gunnels for tip runs, house moves etc. As long as the rear bench folds then they're fine for 99% of cases. The SUV shape comes with its own compromises on driving dynamics, performance, economy and more. I don't think folk fully consider the tradeoff sometimes! 

Off on a tangent. Regarding the OPs question I don't think you'll go far wrong with an RX. Having owned many different brands of cars I reckon Toyota/Lexus' engineering and attention to detail is second to none. 

[Phil xxkr]

12 hours ago, VFR said:

Sat in one & had a test drive. (nice real nice)

Bought it today from a Lexus dealership as I had spent a good few days studying the web and this one & that one and went for a 15 plate rascal with that nice (IMO) tan leather interior and with a glass roof. They were also not very far away from (price wise) what is on offer from many others but of course the Lexus approved carried the day.

Have been offered club smart guard membership to keep it pristine (as they say) any of you bought this or have any knowledge ?

I am sure you will enjoy very much your new acquisition - I would also recommend a LOC gold card, I have found it incredibly useful for cost saving when I negotiated service Plans and for stuff from the likes of Halfords.