Drove The 400h Today

[jerryray]

I had my 04 RX330 in the dealer today for the driver doos seals. My salesman was there and we exchanged greetings. I asked when they were getting the 400, he pointed to one that was there with the lexus rep. So I asked to drive it.

I was the first one in the dealership to drive it.. as tall the salesman were drooling.

First looks, the interior is about the same. Then turn the key and you will see the power train display on the screen, there is also a display below the speedometer, this shows the regenerative braking and charging.

It is so strange to turn the key on and not hear an engine running. So you step on the gas and it goes. Smooth, no hesitation at all, quiet. No more sloppy shifting, can't hardly feel any shifts, just power...

As will smith said in Independance day "I gota get me one of these"

The cars are being delivered without Mark Levinson or rear entertainment package.

But can be ordered, which I will.

I was not that impressed with the Mark Levinson system, which this car had.

My standard premium with my own subwoofer sounds better..

The rear seats sit up a little higher and there are vents just below the seats so air can run over the batteries. The battery warranty is 100,000 miles or 8 years.

The breakwater blue which is my favorite will NOT be available on the 400, in fact no light blue at all, that hurts....

[LexRexBlue]

Thanks for the info. I didn't think they'd let us test drive it because if someone preordered a car I'm assuming they wouldn't want one that had been test driven.

I intend to go to the dealership tomorrow morning. Since I wanted the dark blue I don't have a complaint about the colors. I know mine is coming but I don't know if I was able to get my first preference in colors. I provided 3 possibilities.

[RX400h]

Thanks for the info. I didn't think they'd let us test drive it because if someone preordered a car I'm assuming they wouldn't want one that had been test driven.

I intend to go to the dealership tomorrow morning. Since I wanted the dark blue I don't have a complaint about the colors. I know mine is coming but I don't know if I was able to get my first preference in colors. I provided 3 possibilities.

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I was told by a Lexus salesman that each dealership will have a test-driver RX400h, just as Toyota has a test-drive Prius, so you need not worry about the dealer letting someone drive an ordered vehicle. I guess that one was a few days early; the test-driver arrival date was supposed to be on the 18th (Monday).

[LexKid630]

I know my dealer doesn't have a test 400h as of last week.

[Husker4theSpurs]

One of the salespeople here told me the other day that they weren't sure if they were going to get a test 400h now or not ... sounded like something had changed.

[jerryray]

My dealer quoted me a 3 month wait for the model with Rear entertainment, guess I'll have to wait.

BTW some food for thought. Come winter time the RX400 still will require the gas engine for heating. SO the engine will start come up to temp and shut off. I would guess winter gas mileage will suffer?

[RX400h]

My dealer quoted me a 3 month wait for the model with Rear entertainment, guess I'll have to wait.

BTW some food for thought. Come winter time the RX400 still will require the gas engine for heating. SO the engine will start come up to temp and shut off. I would guess winter gas mileage will suffer?

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From what I've read, the engine will always start up when the RX is energized for the first time (after sitting for many hours). I believe the reason is for something other than for cabin heat.

BTW, Three months is extremely good for someone who is not on a waiting list. Most dealerships have a 12-month wait for any new sign-ups.

[patt]

My dealer quoted me a 3 month wait for the model with Rear entertainment, guess I'll have to wait.

BTW some food for thought. Come winter time the RX400 still will require the gas engine for heating. SO the engine will start come up to temp and shut off. I would guess winter gas mileage will suffer?

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I've wondered a bit about the heating. I'm not much concerned about it in my mild winter climate, but I've wondered how well it will do in a very cold climate like Minnesota. I haven't heard that the engine cycles on just to produce heat. If one sits and idles long enough, it will have to come on for battery drain. I have read that it has an electric water pump to circulate the water so that the heat will still get delivered when the engine is off but that still assumes that the engine was on at some point to heat up.

I expect in normal driving the engine is on enough of the time to provide enough heat, but what about when traffic is stopped or going very slowly (like when there is a road problem going over the Sierra in the winter). Well, I guess one can pop on the seat heaters and throw a sleeping bag to the back seat passengers. The seat heaters will drain the battery giving the engine an excuse to run.

[SW03ES]

The gas mileage definately suffers on our Prius in the winter.

[RX400h]

I'm willing to bet that Toyota made sure that temperature extremes would not be a problem. Every new vehicle design is tested in blistering heat and bitter cold. Remember the old Volkswagen bugs? Having insufficient heat was commen then, but unheard of now.

[Unlisted]

you also just can pop the gas cap open. The car waits to it depressurizes so there is no vapor runoff before the latch releases.

[LexRexBlue]

I drove a 400h this afternoon. It was about 86 degrees out. When I turned the key the Ready light came on right away. Before I moved the car, the engine did come on, I think it was because it tried to cool the car which was outside in the sun.

Acceleration was wonderful; especially between 30 and 65. I even took it up to 75 mph. The brakes required a little more pressure than my '99 RX. The steering was a little tighter than the 330, but looser than the '99RX300. The engine was smooth. With the windows open you could hear the engine when accelerating, but it wasn't extreme or the whine they talked about. Overall, I was very impressed with the car.