Rx400h: Awd Or Fwd?

[synergy]

Greetings! I'm a new member here and new to the Lexus community in general.

I'm considering purchasing a 400h and would like the opinion of current owners on the AWD system vs. the FWD system. I live in Missouri, and we usually get snow only a few times a year. My main concern is wet pavement handling and fuel economy.

Is the AWD system worth the extra money?

Thank you for your opinions.

[Rx330driver]

my opinion, tho i dont have a 400h, i have a 330 AWD. Now its just worst gas milage and more noise. and! it only kicks in when theres slippage underneath. So its not really AWD, its FWD until something goes wrong.

[synergy]

Well I think that pretty much answers my question with a resounding "NO", however, I would be glad to hear other opinions as well.

What about resale value... do you think AWD would bring a premium vs FWD in 3-5 years?

[LCB]

The AWD is also a little faster.

AWD: 0-60 in 7.3

FWD: 0-60 in 7.5

and the AWD is much safer in the rain.

The all-wheel-drive system is fully automatic. There is no driver involvement necessary. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRAC) automatically route power to either the front or the rear wheels as necessary to give a smooth ride and help provide optimum traction

[LEXIRX330]

I also have a RX330 AWD not the 400h but I am happy with the AWD and have not noticed any noise. I would think that your resale on a AWD would be much better than a FWD. I am happy with mine and if I don't think I would buy a SUV unless it is AWD or 4wd, kind of like a mini van. Just me...I guess

[rvtravel]

Greetings! I'm a new member here and new to the Lexus community in general.

I'm considering purchasing a 400h and would like the opinion of current owners on the AWD system vs. the FWD system. I live in Missouri, and we usually get snow only a few times a year. My main concern is wet pavement handling and fuel economy.

Is the AWD system worth the extra money?

Thank you for your opinions.

[lexus411]

I don't know if I missed something but the 400h is only available in AWD

[rvtravel]

Greetings! I'm a new member here and new to the Lexus community in general.

I'm considering purchasing a 400h and would like the opinion of current owners on the AWD system vs. the FWD system. I live in Missouri, and we usually get snow only a few times a year. My main concern is wet pavement handling and fuel economy.

Is the AWD system worth the extra money?

Thank you for your opinions.

The RX 400h's AWD is not like the RX 330. It is not noisy because there is no drive shaft to the rear axle. The rear wheels are driven by an electric motor.

[DeanB]

I don't know if I missed something but the 400h is only available in AWD

No no no. Its available in AWD and 2WD. In fact you can get it without Nav. and all sorts of other features now. Just saw a 2WD w/o Nav. last weekend.

Re: Noise: There is no transmission running the rear wheels from the front wheels, so you don't have the 'shaft' noise in typical cars. But, I have not compared the two, so can't say for sure.

[rexmiami]

My Lexuw ES300 was a front wheel drive and was much better in the snow than rear wheel drives.

My RX300 was AWD and was excellent in the snow; much better than FWD.

The AWD is different on my RX400h. The on board computer will decide when the rear AWD will activate by using the rear electric motor. We haven't had any snow in my area so I can't comment if there are any differences from my Rx300 AWD.

[skyfish400h]

Well I think that pretty much answers my question with a resounding "NO", however, I would be glad to hear other opinions as well.

What about resale value... do you think AWD would bring a premium vs FWD in 3-5 years?

Get the AWD...

better performance (0-60mph)

better handeling (some power to rear wheels at least)

better traction (duh)

better resale (no doubt AWD will be more in demand, that's why they came out first)

only downside is the cost, and I bet that if you did an apples to apples comparison between a comperably equipped 330AWD and the 400AWD you would find the cost of performance (pick your measure...$/hp or $/sec or $/ft-lb) difference between the 330 and 400 is less than the difference between the 400AWD and 400FWD. That would tell me that if I'm getting the 400 for performace reasons, I'm short changing myself by not going all the way and getting the AWD.

[gregandsherry]

Well I think that pretty much answers my question with a resounding "NO", however, I would be glad to hear other opinions as well.

What about resale value... do you think AWD would bring a premium vs FWD in 3-5 years?

Get the AWD...

better performance (0-60mph)

better handeling (some power to rear wheels at least)

better traction (duh)

better resale (no doubt AWD will be more in demand, that's why they came out first)

only downside is the cost, and I bet that if you did an apples to apples comparison between a comperably equipped 330AWD and the 400AWD you would find the cost of performance (pick your measure...$/hp or $/sec or $/ft-lb) difference between the 330 and 400 is less than the difference between the 400AWD and 400FWD. That would tell me that if I'm getting the 400 for performace reasons, I'm short changing myself by not going all the way and getting the AWD.

Ditto! By the way, we just came back from the Snow and we high recommend going with AWD! Cheers!