RX500H VS RX450H+ WHICH ONE IS REALLY BETTER..

lexus.gs.uk · August 22

RIDE,HANDLEING MPG,RELIABILITY,TRANSMISSION,SMOOTHNESS,RESPONSIVENESS ETC

I HAVE A GS450H F SPORT I FIND THE CVT GREAT. HOW IS THE CVT COMPARED TO IT.. MORE QUITE OR MORE NOISY SINCE IT IS A INLINE 4..

FredD · August 23

i think the RX500H has an automatic gearbox which is most likely less noisy. On paper the RX500h seems better than the RX 450h+ except for fuel consumption. A thing to keep in mind though is tax. I read an article yesterday that the government is about to reintroduce the 2030 petrol/diesel ban (that the tories had postponed to 2035) and I have no doubt that because of its significantly higher C02 emission the RX 500h will be a target for increased road tax etc (the government is bound to significantly increase road tax on high C02 cars if it wants to meet the 2030 ban). My view is that the 500h is probably a nicer car but could be very expensive to drive in 2 or 3 years time if road tax increases.

Ken R · August 23

1 hour ago, FredD said:

i think the RX500H has an automatic gearbox which is most likely less noisy. On paper the RX500h seems better than the RX 450h+ except for fuel consumption. A thing to keep in mind though is tax. I read an article yesterday that the government is about to reintroduce the 2030 petrol/diesel ban (that the tories had postponed to 2035) and I have no doubt that because of its significantly higher C02 emission the RX 500h will be a target for increased road tax etc (the government is bound to significantly increase road tax on high C02 cars if it wants to meet the 2030 ban). My view is that the 500h is probably a nicer car but could be very expensive to drive in 2 or 3 years time if road tax increases.

Agree wholeheartedly. The 450h+ is very fuel efficient for the size of vehicle. I recently ran mine exclusively in HV mode and was hitting mid 50's in mpg. EV mode I get around 45 miles and have broken the 50 mile barrier when outside temperatures suit.

Xez · August 23

I find that the CVT is generally unobtrusive noise wise but then I don’t tend to use the sports mode or drive particularly fast. Handling is fine for a large and heavy SUV, but the weight is noticeable over speed bumps. The drive and transition between HV and EV is incredibly smooth and very comfortable for long distances. I would recommend trying a test in both types of car and then assessing your findings against your expectations.

ColinBarber · August 23

The two models are quite different. The 500h is aimed as a driver's car, only available in F Sport trim, with a conventional transmission and rear wheel steering. But don't expect too much more than 30 mpg (and could be worse depending on driving style).

As above, it is recommended to test drive both.

lexus.gs.uk · August 23

Hello guys thanks for all your replies yes ive done loads of reviews on both i gathered the 500h is a bit nicer to drive more of a drivers car but mpg is higher only thing i seem to come across especially in the U.S reliability wise is the 6 speed auto transmission isssue few have been replaced very early . As for the 450+ seems to be smoother and fuel efficient, more smoother then the 350h which seems to be a bit ruff.Most reviews i also seen love the 500h but if they had a choice they would take the 450+ not sure the reason why im guessing more smoother as a daily or it just ticks many boxes in 1 car.

*What is the mpg hybrid mode only on the 450+ compared to 500h ?

*Sitting postion do you sit high up more then a sedan

Ps i also have a heavy foot now and then 🤣 and the noise the ecvt in my gs dont bother me at all i kind of like it..

ColinBarber · August 23

50 minutes ago, lexus.gs.uk said:

What is the mpg hybrid mode only on the 450+ compared to 500h ?

Ps i also have a heavy foot now and then 🤣 and the noise the ecvt in my gs dont bother me at all i kind of like it..

People are getting up to 50 mpg in the 450h+ in HV mode - much better than the 500h.

The noise is the engine, not the CVT - it isn't as nice in any of the new RXs due to them being I4 rather than the V6 which you currently have - it's not bad, just not as nice.

GSLV6 · August 23

Keep the Vee 6. One of the most reliable, tractable engines ever to grace an RX!

lexus.gs.uk · August 23

Oh right yes v6 is buttery smooth .. the 500h didnt sound too bad its just the reliabilty of a hybrid+turbo to a inline 4 just seems too complex for something to go wrong .. at the same time toyota/lexus has been makeing turbo cars reliably since the supras etc i might just wait it out and see how it goes with these RX in the long run and test them all out in the meantime..

ColinBarber · August 23

8 minutes ago, lexus.gs.uk said:

Oh right yes v6 is buttery smooth .. the 500h didnt sound too bad its just the reliabilty of a hybrid+turbo to a inline 4 just seems too complex for something to go wrong .. at the same time toyota/lexus has been makeing turbo cars reliably since the supras etc i might just wait it out and see how it goes with these RX in the long run and test them all out in the meantime..

Not sure I'd want to keep any modern Lexus beyond the 10 year Relax warranty. The GS450h F Sport for example is a ticking time bomb with regards to the rear wheel steering and a £2k repair bill when the rack fails.

lexus.gs.uk · August 23

Yes i seen quite a few gs450h f sport come up with the rear steering issues thankfully my gs drives perfect .

That being said the rx500h comes with rear steering so i would want to avoid any future issues regarding the rear steering it seems the more i think of it the rx450+ makes much sense or just keep my lexus gs450 f sport few years more

Also few test reviews have confirmed the 450h+ handles better then the 500h without the rear steering plus so im not sure how the 500h performs better with it.. also 450+ is faster then quoted to 60

GSLV6 · August 26

tested figures (not claimed) between 450h+ and 500 are about the same, circa 6 to 6.5 (tested by whatcar) seconds for the RX450H+ and (depending on whose figures you believe) 5.6 to 5.8 secs for the 500h. Tested 1/4 mile also show the 450 h+ to be slower at 14.6s/95mph V's 14.2/97mph. Power output is greater in the 500h: 366bhp V's 304bhp for the 450h+ so I don't know where your data that the 500h was slower than the 450h+ came from?

By comparison the gen4 RX450h has 0-60 time of around 6.6 to /7.5 seconds (fasted tested conditions quoted from zero to 60 website for 2021/2022 Fsport 450h)) depending where the test was done and other variables, and has a 1/4 mile test of 14.8s so really, there's very little performance difference even between the new 450h+ and outgoing gen4 V6.

lexus.gs.uk · August 27

Hi i think i read the article on this site

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-lexus-rx-450h-luxury-first-test-review/

Also im looking to get more info on the rx500h transmission issue as theres quite a few reports on failed tranny over in the US.. also how does the rx500h mpg comapare to a mk4 lexus gs450h is it similar or a bit worse

GSLV6 · August 27

My gen 4 achieves about 37mpg motorway, combined it's about 35 to 36mpg with a best achieved on a cross country trip of 44mpg. Claimed mpg (combined) for the 500h is around 42mpg or 6.5l/100Km. However, many owners are claiming that the 500h is nowhere near economical as the claims suggest, citing mpg (combined) figures of between 25 and 34mpg, so on that basis, the 4th gen are more economical. Some reports cite as tested, a combined of up to 34mpg so I guess it depends how heavy the right boot gets! If I drive like a saint, I can regularly achieve close on 40mpg combined in the Gen 4. I'd sacrifice the extra performance for the cabin quality and economy of the Gen 4.

ColinBarber · August 27

3 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

Claimed mpg (combined) for the 500h is around 42mpg or 6.5l/100Km

No, the 500h claimed mpg is around 35 mpg.

The new 350h is the replacement of the old 450h, and that is more fuel efficient.

lexus.gs.uk · August 27

So on a long motorway run the rx500h should achieve 40mpg if the claimed combined are true to 35mpg which usually is never true. Also the 350h seems quite louder then then 450h+ is this because the 350h is down on power and sound way more buzzy..

ColinBarber · August 27

1 hour ago, lexus.gs.uk said:

So on a long motorway run the rx500h should achieve 40mpg if the claimed combined are true to 35mpg which usually is never true. Also the 350h seems quite louder then then 450h+ is this because the 350h is down on power and sound way more buzzy..

Hybrids don't typically do much better on a motorway run. Not sure why Lexus only publish the combined figure in Europe but in the US the two figures are essentially identical (although cannot be directly compared to Europe because of the different testing method and imperial vs US gallon size).

The 450h+ has powerful electric motors so the petrol engine has to do less work (less revs) compared to the 350h for the same level of performance. Perhaps that's why you found it noisier.

GSLV6 · August 27

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

No, the 500h claimed mpg is around 35 mpg.

The new 350h is the replacement of the old 450h, and that is more fuel efficient.

You're right....I was quoting information from sites other than Lexus which stated 6.5l/100Km.

Just checked Lexus site and it is indeed 35mpg, so real world perhaps high 20's?

Looks like it's less efficient than the Gen4 450h then.

lexus.gs.uk · August 27

The 450h+ has powerful electric motors so the petrol engine has to do less work (less revs) compared to the 350h for the same level of performance. Perhaps that's why you found it noisier.

Ok this makes more sense why its a bit quiter as stated above.. i am guessing the ecvt has a 1 speed gear change which i feel on my gs450h when i floor it feels kind of nice feels like a gear shift..

FredD · August 27

If the Gen 4 is more efficient it begs the question why they replaced the V6 engine ?

ColinBarber · August 27

42 minutes ago, GSLV6 said:

Looks like it's less efficient than the Gen4 450h then.

13 minutes ago, FredD said:

If the Gen 4 is more efficient it begs the question why they replaced the V6 engine ?

The 500h isn't meant to be a gen4 450h replacement - that's the job of the gen5 350h and it is more efficient.

The 500h is meant as a high performance version of the RX, way beyond the old 450h, and as a result uses more fuel.

FredD · August 27

Sorry my comment was in relation to the 450h+. If the RX450h 4th generation is more fuel efficient than the 450h+, why have they replaced the v6 by a 2.4 petrol engine ?

lexus.gs.uk · August 27

The new gen 350h and 450h+ is more fuel efficient then the 4th gen rx450h as stated before people have got 50mpg

The other question was new rx500h compared to the 4th gen 450h on fuel

Spock66 · August 27

42 minutes ago, FredD said:

If the Gen 4 is more efficient it begs the question why they replaced the V6 engine ?

Probably due to cost, emissions and the overall industry trend to smaller engines with fewer cylinders.

ColinBarber · August 27

38 minutes ago, FredD said:

Sorry my comment was in relation to the 450h+. If the RX450h 4th generation is more fuel efficient than the 450h+, why have they replaced the v6 by a 2.4 petrol engine ?

The new 450h+ is definitely more efficient than the old 450h, even if you don't plug it in and charge it. V6 engines are all but gone - the emissions are too high to meet current targets.