Issues With The Rx400h

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Guys I'm the owner of a RX400h for a year now. This is my 4th luxury car-Audi and Alfa Romeo back in Europe, BMW here and now it's Lexus. The only reason I bought RX400h was not to get better mileage but to be more environment friendly and at the same not to trade off luxury feeling while driving it (because if you're not into luxury cars get Ford or Honda). First and foremost:

RATTLES

As I said on the other topic-any car with over $40k price tag should have none-period-use the plastic and engineering resources to make sure that it's not acting like sub $20k car. If they claim to be a Luxury car makers-than they're falling short of Daimler-Benz or BMW

ELECTRONICS

Well-let's be honest-it's cool to see how your hybrid system is working- but what use does it have??-I'd rather see what my average speed is or how many miles I can make on fuel left in my tank (even Ford hybrids give you that option).

Two sets of keys should automatically select different user modes so when you open the door it adjusts the car to your likes-and if your wife does it-car changes settings (like other cars do).

Interior Driver and Passenger lights-it's so stupid that they don't turn off when you lock the car-I could forgive it if the car didn't need Hybrid System Calibration every time you run down AUX battery like it happens in this case

And not being able to work on radio using GPS display is just ridiculous.

RIDE

Agree that the car has a smooth ride but try to accelerate quickly- engine noise is annoying-did you guys try driving ML500??

Also lots of wind noises getting into the car.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Not that I care . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

.

Interesting and telling phrase: "I don,t care". Used in reference to a car's mileage, or the ever increasing cost of gas (inextricably related), it's meant to say something interesting. Many here in So. Cal. take their R.V.'s and boats and other toys down to the Colorado river. Gas goes up in price. $2 - $3 - $4 -. but, many folks still seem to say 'I don't care". Typically, after topping off the boat's tank(s) with a $100 bill, the owners will say the 3 words. So, hey, I'm having fun, and I got so much money that it doesn't matter - so "I don't care".

Meanwhile, old man Waldon, the founder of Wallmart, and others who are VERY well to do, and others like him, that have his mind set, drive around in old beat up pick ups - or, like us in our family, we still clip coupons ... even though we certainly don't have to, and we have been blessed w/ hundreds of thousand in income per year. By "caring", we will have more to pass on to our kids, our charities, our family members in times of need, etc.

It dawned on me one day, that when the likes of Mike Tyson, or some hoytie toytie football player, or an up and coming rap star spends money like it's going out of style, they're proud to be saying "I dont care" because it's a form of bragging ... because in essence, they dont have to concern their self with the trifles of keeping track of the coins. Suddenly, when these folks end up broke, they want to blame it on the manager, or someone else, rather than simple foolishness.

We bought our 400h because it IS more economical than other pricy cars, and we DO care about mileage. We got rid of our Mercedes and our Range Rover because as consumer reports points out so well, the Lexus line makes the reliability of the Mercedes and the BMW and the Land Rover lines look like poo poo. Similarly, another article recently pointed out (Road & Track? . . . can't remember) that more folks with 6 figure incomes and above, are now buying Lexus, rather than BMW's for the simple fact of 'the bottom line' ... which means that many well off folks are NOT saying "I dont care". We DO have to schlep customers around in our lines businesses, so we need to have SOME kind of a nice car (no old beat up pick ups) that our customers would expect. But it's ok to factor other things into purchases of gas, or cars ... things like reliability, the value of a dollar, impact on the environment, funding al queda, and other intrinsic motives.

Sure, fit and finish are greater on this car or that ... and a such and such type cars can really plow through cornering ... (heck, indy cars do that ... but when they hit oil or debris it's all over) ... and some Lexus' squeek ... botom line, it's still the best thing going right now, for what it is.

[vinovelo]

Guys I'm the owner of a RX400h for a year now. This is my 4th luxury car-Audi and Alfa Romeo back in Europe, BMW here and now it's Lexus. The only reason I bought RX400h was not to get better mileage but to be more environment friendly and at the same not to trade off luxury feeling while driving it (because if you're not into luxury cars get Ford or Honda). First and foremost:

RATTLES

As I said on the other topic-any car with over $40k price tag should have none-period-use the plastic and engineering resources to make sure that it's not acting like sub $20k car. If they claim to be a Luxury car makers-than they're falling short of Daimler-Benz or BMW

ELECTRONICS

Well-let's be honest-it's cool to see how your hybrid system is working- but what use does it have??-I'd rather see what my average speed is or how many miles I can make on fuel left in my tank (even Ford hybrids give you that option).

Two sets of keys should automatically select different user modes so when you open the door it adjusts the car to your likes-and if your wife does it-car changes settings (like other cars do).

Interior Driver and Passenger lights-it's so stupid that they don't turn off when you lock the car-I could forgive it if the car didn't need Hybrid System Calibration every time you run down AUX battery like it happens in this case

And not being able to work on radio using GPS display is just ridiculous.

RIDE

Agree that the car has a smooth ride but try to accelerate quickly- engine noise is annoying-did you guys try driving ML500??

Also lots of wind noises getting into the car.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Not that I care . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

.

Interesting and telling phrase: "I don,t care". Used in reference to a car's mileage, or the ever increasing cost of gas (inextricably related), it's meant to say something interesting. Many here in So. Cal. take their R.V.'s and boats and other toys down to the Colorado river. Gas goes up in price. $2 - $3 - $4 -. but, many folks still seem to say 'I don't care". Typically, after topping off the boat's tank(s) with a $100 bill, the owners will say the 3 words. So, hey, I'm having fun, and I got so much money that it doesn't matter - so "I don't care".

Meanwhile, old man Waldon, the founder of Wallmart, and others who are VERY well to do, and others like him, that have his mind set, drive around in old beat up pick ups - or, like us in our family, we still clip coupons ... even though we certainly don't have to, and we have been blessed w/ hundreds of thousand in income per year. By "caring", we will have more to pass on to our kids, our charities, our family members in times of need, etc.

It dawned on me one day, that when the likes of Mike Tyson, or some hoytie toytie football player, or an up and coming rap star spends money like it's going out of style, they're proud to be saying "I dont care" because it's a form of bragging ... because in essence, they dont have to concern their self with the trifles of keeping track of the coins. Suddenly, when these folks end up broke, they want to blame it on the manager, or someone else, rather than simple foolishness.

We bought our 400h because it IS more economical than other pricy cars, and we DO care about mileage. We got rid of our Mercedes and our Range Rover because as consumer reports points out so well, the Lexus line makes the reliability of the Mercedes and the BMW and the Land Rover lines look like poo poo. Similarly, another article recently pointed out (Road & Track? . . . can't remember) that more folks with 6 figure incomes and above, are now buying Lexus, rather than BMW's for the simple fact of 'the bottom line' ... which means that many well off folks are NOT saying "I dont care". We DO have to schlep customers around in our lines businesses, so we need to have SOME kind of a nice car (no old beat up pick ups) that our customers would expect. But it's ok to factor other things into purchases of gas, or cars ... things like reliability, the value of a dollar, impact on the environment, funding al queda, and other intrinsic motives.

Sure, fit and finish are greater on this car or that ... and a such and such type cars can really plow through cornering ... (heck, indy cars do that ... but when they hit oil or debris it's all over) ... and some Lexus' squeek ... botom line, it's still the best thing going right now, for what it is.

Fantastic post!

I like this one: "Even Millionares deserve the right to sleep under bridges".

One thing that comes with age is the ability to see some of these people come full circle. I have seen

more than a few people like you describe that over time have plowed through (carelessly) a ton of

money only to end up near totally broke.

/Steve

[Jim Nazium]

The bottom line for me is that I originally picked the RX 400H based on it's quality of ride, style, reliability and enhanced mileage.

Now, after having owned and driven it for 4 months it has literally changed the way I drive and think about the environment.

I have always recycled, composted, and been of the mindset "waste not, want not", but this Hybrid Lexus really makes you appreciate what Lexus / Toyota had in mind in taking to consideration the World, Environment... and actually allows YOU the consumer to make a difference. Thanks Toyota.

I'm eventually going to add a Pruis...

Cheers,

MadloR

[louis'ride]

The bottom line for me is that I originally picked the RX 400H based on it's quality of ride, style, reliability and enhanced mileage.

Now, after having owned and driven it for 4 months it has literally changed the way I drive and think about the environment.

I have always recycled, composted, and been of the mindset "waste not, want not", but this Hybrid Lexus really makes you appreciate what Lexus / Toyota had in mind in taking to consideration the World, Environment... and actually allows YOU the consumer to make a difference. Thanks Toyota.

I'm eventually going to add a Pruis...

Cheers,

MadloR

Cheers to you "jim".. I am working my way through "issues" ---who expects issues when you plunk down 50K-- but I still love the car.

We have had Toyotas for years. This is the first luxury vehicle.

I fell in love with the RX when I first saw it in 99 or whenever. The first SUV I ever wanted, and I wanted one ever since. I still wasn't comfortable with the standard milage, was prepared to feel guilty when I finally made the leap. Upgrading to the 400h was really a last minute decision. Once I decided "if not now, when", I decided the price difference was worth the personal satisfaction of better milage.

Still working on improving milage, makes for a great video game. But it does make one think too. It reminds me to drive slower in town and I get a new kind of satisfaction. Safer and Greener. Great combination.

Louis (my standard poodle)

[RXREY]

I wasn't going to reply to this but when I saw the part about most rx400H's don't have rattles and squeaks, I about fell out of my chair. Do you work for Lexus? I call BS on this post, who are you kidding? I'm back at lexus after this weekend so for the third time they can tell me they don't hear the roof rack banging away while I drive down the highway and they dont' hear the back of the car squeaking away. My corvette corvertible has less squeaks, as does my jeep wrangler. I had to take the privacy screen out of the car. The thing comes with a privacy screen, it should not need to be removed. They said throw it in its compartment and it will be quiet, yea right, it made more noise. So plain and simple, BS BS.

Guys I'm the owner of a RX400h for a year now. This is my 4th luxury car-Audi and Alfa Romeo back in Europe, BMW here and now it's Lexus. The only reason I bought RX400h was not to get better mileage but to be more environment friendly and at the same not to trade off luxury feeling while driving it (because if you're not into luxury cars get Ford or Honda). First and foremost:

RATTLES

As I said on the other topic-any car with over $40k price tag should have none-period-use the plastic and engineering resources to make sure that it's not acting like sub $20k car. If they claim to be a Luxury car makers-than they're falling short of Daimler-Benz or BMW

I guess you never read anything about the first-year Mercedes SUV. It was so full of squeeks and rattles that sales plummeted for years. I don't think they ever fully recovered from the bad press they received after that fiasco. Even today, Mercedes Benz has one of the worst reliability ratings of any carmaker. I think if you were to poll RX400h owners, you'd find that the majority of them have few-to-no rattles or squeeks. Ours is virtually perfect in that regard.

ELECTRONICS

Well-let's be honest-it's cool to see how your hybrid system is working- but what use does it have??-I'd rather see what my average speed is or how many miles I can make on fuel left in my tank (even Ford hybrids give you that option).

Two sets of keys should automatically select different user modes so when you open the door it adjusts the car to your likes-and if your wife does it-car changes settings (like other cars do).

Interior Driver and Passenger lights-it's so stupid that they don't turn off when you lock the car-I could forgive it if the car didn't need Hybrid System Calibration every time you run down AUX battery like it happens in this case

And not being able to work on radio using GPS display is just ridiculous.

My interior lights turn off after a few seconds of closing the door.

Not being to use the GPS protects Toyota from getting sued by all the sue-happy leeches out there. It's sad that there are so many, but they are there, waiting to sue after a collision that happened while they were entering an address in the NAV system.

RIDE

Agree that the car has a smooth ride but try to accelerate quickly- engine noise is annoying-did you guys try driving ML500??

Also lots of wind noises getting into the car.

The ML500 gets 12 MPG in real-world city driving - no thanks! Yes, other gasoline-only vehicles are quieter during brisk acceleration, but that is a small price to pay for the extra power and twice the fuel mileage if the RX, IMO.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Not that I care but this is the biggest joke of all. Driving normally like any other car you would - there is no way to get even close to EPA number-and I don't care that RX330 has worse mileage and doesn't get close to it's numbers-think out of the box-there are other car makers than Lexus. My BMW was of by 10%-not 30-40%.Driving it in the city (live myself in NY) like a normal car - there is no way to get even close to 30. How about average 20. And I did try to challenge myself once-drove like a grandma for entire tank-what did I accomplish?- 24. But it gets better on highway-if you don't exceed 60-65 you can get something like 26-but who drives that slow??

Have you ever compared the "real world mileage" to that of any competing SUVs? The Mercedes and Volkswagens are horrible and the BMWs are not far behind. I'd go broke driving any one of the German SUVs, believe me.

TIRES

Enough topics here about that issue-nothing to add

Sure car has few other cool features but this is what the others have to offer-nothing special in case of Lexus.

For sure this is my last experience with that automaker-and definitely I can't recommended them to any of my friends.

It sounds like you never test-drove your RX before you bought it. While this is not the vehicle for everyone, it is rated #1 by Consumer Reports for very good reasons. I kindly suggest that you buy the Mercedes and don't forget to wave to us as we pass you at the gas station.

Year and a half...No rattles...don't work for Lexus. I had two rattles and I found out what they were like any clever man...one was the deelie bobs in the rear hatch area...they always need to be pushed in or have felt on them...OK, one rattle figured out,, the other was the backing for the back seats....they rattle when the seats are all the way back without passengers...that's it...amazingly great car...RX400h...I've never had a Mercedes...my sister does...it seems to always be in the shop. End of story. Rey

[NY_RX400h_Savanah]

Guys I'm the owner of a RX400h for a year now. This is my 4th luxury car-Audi and Alfa Romeo back in Europe, BMW here and now it's Lexus. The only reason I bought RX400h was not to get better mileage but to be more environment friendly and at the same not to trade off luxury feeling while driving it (because if you're not into luxury cars get Ford or Honda). First and foremost:

RATTLES

As I said on the other topic-any car with over $40k price tag should have none-period-use the plastic and engineering resources to make sure that it's not acting like sub $20k car. If they claim to be a Luxury car makers-than they're falling short of Daimler-Benz or BMW

ELECTRONICS

Well-let's be honest-it's cool to see how your hybrid system is working- but what use does it have??-I'd rather see what my average speed is or how many miles I can make on fuel left in my tank (even Ford hybrids give you that option).

Two sets of keys should automatically select different user modes so when you open the door it adjusts the car to your likes-and if your wife does it-car changes settings (like other cars do).

Interior Driver and Passenger lights-it's so stupid that they don't turn off when you lock the car-I could forgive it if the car didn't need Hybrid System Calibration every time you run down AUX battery like it happens in this case

And not being able to work on radio using GPS display is just ridiculous.

RIDE

Agree that the car has a smooth ride but try to accelerate quickly- engine noise is annoying-did you guys try driving ML500??

Also lots of wind noises getting into the car.

FUEL CONSUMPTION[/b

Not that I care . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

.

Interesting and telling phrase: "I don,t care". Used in reference to a car's mileage, or the ever increasing cost of gas (inextricably related), it's meant to say something interesting. Many here in So. Cal. take their R.V.'s and boats and other toys down to the Colorado river. Gas goes up in price. $2 - $3 - $4 -. but, many folks still seem to say 'I don't care". Typically, after topping off the boat's tank(s) with a $100 bill, the owners will say the 3 words. So, hey, I'm having fun, and I got so much money that it doesn't matter - so "I don't care".

Meanwhile, old man Waldon, the founder of Wallmart, and others who are VERY well to do, and others like him, that have his mind set, drive around in old beat up pick ups - or, like us in our family, we still clip coupons ... even though we certainly don't have to, and we have been blessed w/ hundreds of thousand in income per year. By "caring", we will have more to pass on to our kids, our charities, our family members in times of need, etc.

It dawned on me one day, that when the likes of Mike Tyson, or some hoytie toytie football player, or an up and coming rap star spends money like it's going out of style, they're proud to be saying "I dont care" because it's a form of bragging ... because in essence, they dont have to concern their self with the trifles of keeping track of the coins. Suddenly, when these folks end up broke, they want to blame it on the manager, or someone else, rather than simple foolishness.

We bought our 400h because it IS more economical than other pricy cars, and we DO care about mileage. We got rid of our Mercedes and our Range Rover because as consumer reports points out so well, the Lexus line makes the reliability of the Mercedes and the BMW and the Land Rover lines look like poo poo. Similarly, another article recently pointed out (Road & Track? . . . can't remember) that more folks with 6 figure incomes and above, are now buying Lexus, rather than BMW's for the simple fact of 'the bottom line' ... which means that many well off folks are NOT saying "I dont care". We DO have to schlep customers around in our lines businesses, so we need to have SOME kind of a nice car (no old beat up pick ups) that our customers would expect. But it's ok to factor other things into purchases of gas, or cars ... things like reliability, the value of a dollar, impact on the environment, funding al queda, and other intrinsic motives.

Sure, fit and finish are greater on this car or that ... and a such and such type cars can really plow through cornering ... (heck, indy cars do that ... but when they hit oil or debris it's all over) ... and some Lexus' squeek ... botom line, it's still the best thing going right now, for what it is.

Man I'd appreciate if you read my post entirely and did not take anything out of context!!! Where exactly did I say "I don't care about fuel mileage" ?? - I don't care that much that the car doesn't stand to its specs when it comes to gas consumption -feeling the difference?? For me it's not the biggest factor but it's not fair to future customers to say- you can get 31/27mpg using this car while it's totally impossible- and it's not 10, 20% off- it's 30-40%. Also stop this BS with putting down other companies like MB, BMW etc- Lexus is nothing else that Mercedes Benz Wanna Be. When it comes to Luxury- it is MB that marks a reference point and BMW with performance. I like my Lexus a lot but it's not the greatest car on the planet-sorry.

Going back to consumer reports-give me a break with those. They also say Panasonic is the most Reliable plasma and has the greatest picture and is much better that Fujitsu. Now anyone who has some knowledge about that will smile and ask who is Panasonic paying for that BS and how much?? That's just a one of many examples that made me re-think whole Consumer Reports fairy long time ago.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Man I'd appreciate if you read my post entirely and did not take anything out of context!!! Where exactly did I say "I don't care about fuel mileage" ?? - I don't care that much that the car doesn't stand to its specs when it comes to gas consumption -feeling the difference?? For me it's not the biggest factor but it's not fair to future customers to say- you can get 31/27mpg using this car while it's totally impossible- and it's not 10, 20% off- it's 30-40%. Also stop this BS with putting down other companies like MB, BMW etc- Lexus is nothing else that Mercedes Benz Wanna Be. When it comes to Luxury- it is MB that marks a reference point and BMW with performance. I like my Lexus a lot but it's not the greatest car on the planet-sorry.

Going back to consumer reports-give me a break with those. They also say Panasonic is the most Reliable plasma and has the greatest picture and is much better that Fujitsu. Now anyone who has some knowledge about that will smile and ask who is Panasonic paying for that BS and how much?? That's just a one of many examples that made me re-think whole Consumer Reports fairy long time ago.

Didn't mean to hurt your feelings Savanah,

Everyone's entitled to their opinions, and if you like your MB or BMW or what ever, that's ok. And the pendulum swings both ways, so hopefully we who say we love our hybrids ... that this will be ok w/ you too ... w/o having to hear we're driving a BMW or MB wana be's? Never heard that. Maybe that's what GM used to think about Toyota ... but now toyota is #1 ... so better to work on newer / better stuff, like Toyota is doing ... after all, that's way GM is now #2.

As I mentioned, we had a MB and an RR and compared to the reliability of our Lexus, many folks, including my spouse & I found them less reliable. Generally, ... MB's Caddy's etc are getting poorer reports while Toyota/Lexus gets higher marks (owners say so, and CR says so), and generally Consumer Reports (CR) gets it right. CR makes mistakes (like with the baby strollers) but they retract their neg's when someone says their wrong and shows data to back it up their point(s).

CR always is willing to take a 2nd look, or a third or forth look at their data. CR made neg's about the Prius a year ago or so ... and folks contradicted their dats with other data ... so CR took a 2nd look, and when their data was wrong, they admit it. Don't know about plasmas, but again, if some one points out bad data to CR, the same thing will eventually come out. Sorry you got a squeeker Lexus, but again, generally the 400h's are not that way. A few, yes. Our neighbor got a squeeker, and the dealer took care of it. The 400h is still relatively new (tho one poster said he condiders it a couple years older a model because it's built off the 330 chassis ... but it is STILL, way different), so even those issues are becoming less and less common.

But the beauty of CR is they are NOT sponsered by GM or MB or BMW or Range Rover ... unlike road & track and the like. Let's face it, when you accept $$$ from various sponsers that you'll ultimately have to write about? ... you obviously know what side of the bread the butter is on, right? Like it or not, CR's opinions ARE at lest neutral. THEIR's are the opinions that I talked about, so try not to get your shorts in a bunch if/when anyone quotes a neutral source, or their own experiences. Id DID at least acknowledge BMW handles well, for what that's worth. Oh well.

[RX400h]

Actually I DID buy a Panasonic plasma, not just because CU listed it as the best plasmas out there, but because I compared it side-by-side with many other plasma, LCD projection, LCOS, etc TVs and the Panasonics clearly (no pun intended) has the best picture quality, by far. My coworker has had a 42-inch Panasonic plasma for many years now and it has been trouble-free in every way. Ours has been the same. Even though there are new TVs with "higher resolution", our Panasonic matches the best of then at average viewing distances.

Okay, getting back to SUVs....the latest issue of Consumer Reports rated the luxury SUVs and the X5 and ML350 did not fare well at all. Once again, the RX400h is at the top with an excellent reliability rating. As usual, the Mercedes "much worse than average" rating pulled it way down on the list.

[RXREY]

Geeez-lousie, NY 400h Savana, just sell your Lexus and get a Benz already and be happy for Pete's sake. Life's too short to gripe about what cars we drive, shoes we wear, horse that we bet on. Relax and enjoy life a little more. I love my 400h and one more thing; no BS nor rattles. Rey in sunny L.A.

[silvercorvette]

I really don't care about what CR's opinion is because I have a low opinion of the magazine. I stopped reading it over 20 years ago and the reasons I have a low opinion of CR would take too long for me to list. But on the other hand I have owned (I currently own 4 cars a 1962 Corvette, a 1996 Corvette, a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, and my 2007 RX400H) and driven so many different rental cars that I can only guess that the number is somewhere in the triple digits and the RX400H is probably in my top 5. The hybrid is not for everyone, my dealer refused to sell it to me until I took it for a test drive. I love the car and suggest you take RXREY's advice, life is too short to spend being unhappy about a car. I had a bad experience with a Triumph Spitfire that I bought new, instead of remaining unhappy I sold the car after owning it less then a year. I love the car but hate the NAV system, the situation was easily corrected. I bought a Garmin SP 7500 and now I have zero complaints.

[skyfish400h]

I really don't care about what CR's opinion is because I have a low opinion of the magazine. I stopped reading it over 20 years ago and the reasons I have a low opinion of CR would take too long for me to list.

Sivercorvette, I won't try to change your mind about CR but I'm curious. So where do you go to get buying advise on consumer goods? How do you know which brands live up to the hype and which do not?

I really want to know, because when I'm ready to put my $$$ on the counter I like to know what I'm getting into and when I look at the ususal sources of info I find the influence of advertizing money to be too obvoius to ignore. How do you deal with that?

Sorry to take this off topic, but since CR is rating the RX as #1 (and I agree), I just want to understand what the alternatives are for getting the same information...

[silvercorvette]

You already know the answer because you found the place, it is the Internet. Is topped reading CR back in the 80's when I was doing a lot of photography. Every lens maker and camera tester used a specific test protocol for evaluating lens resolution, that is every one except CR. The came up with there own unconventional method for lens testing. In order for data to be valuable it needs to be verifiable by other scientists using the same testing methods. CR chooses to dream up their own method.

Also CR does a lot of articles about what frozen pizza, ice cream, hot dog etc tastes best. Taste is subjective. I may like a salty tasting pizza while you may hate it. I see no reason to have to rely on CR to tell me what ice cream their "taste experts" say is the best when I can go out and buy different ice cream brands and decide to eat the ice cream that I think has the best taste. There are many more reasons why I don't like CR but that is all I have the time for.

In the future try using the Internet and check out sites like epinions and forums such as this one

http://www.epinions.com/

[NY_RX400h_Savanah]

Actually I DID buy a Panasonic plasma, not just because CU listed it as the best plasmas out there, but because I compared it side-by-side with many other plasma, LCD projection, LCOS, etc TVs and the Panasonics clearly (no pun intended) has the best picture quality, by far. My coworker has had a 42-inch Panasonic plasma for many years now and it has been trouble-free in every way. Ours has been the same. Even though there are new TVs with "higher resolution", our Panasonic matches the best of then at average viewing distances.

Okay, getting back to SUVs....the latest issue of Consumer Reports rated the luxury SUVs and the X5 and ML350 did not fare well at all. Once again, the RX400h is at the top with an excellent reliability rating. As usual, the Mercedes "much worse than average" rating pulled it way down on the list.

Ever heard of Fujitsu, Runco, Vidikron?-you won't find them in the Big Box Sale Stores so I can't blame for not having something good to compare. I hope you didn't get Bose for your speaker system.

And why you all get so offended with my observations??- What- all of the sudden there are no issues with the car and no one can say anything now?? I'm sorry that my past experience with German cars (last one after 4 years almost no tire wear, no rattles and only thing changed -rear right stop light bulb) were so different than with Lexus-but it's a trade off that I live with. I have had higher expectations for Lexus and I'm disappointed-that's all- CAN I??? There is nothing more I hate more than rattles in a car-especially if they start as fast as in RX and honestly fact that I can't see how many miles I'll make on a gas left in the tank makes me p..d off more than car burning more fuel.

Now:

I do care about recycling every day-and I do it every day-unlike 95%of our nation

I don't throw anything on the street or out of the car-unlike 95%of our nation

I do donate my money to environmental org.-as much as I can

I do drive a hybrid car

And I'm embarrassed by our nation contributing 1/3 of the world's pollution and doing nothing about it

Why - it's as much as I can do to help our planet compromising it with my needs and possibilities. I can't get away with Prius and love Luxury-Any other option?- NO

I wish Porshe was making their Cayene hybrid or BMW rolled out their X5 on hydrogen-until then let's try to enjoy RX400h.

[RX400h]

In all likelyhood, you would be far worse-off by buying a Porsche, MB or BMW hybrid SUV, based upon thousands of responses to Consumer Reports questionaires. The Porsche Cayene is rated much worse than average and the X5 is not much better. The MB is among the worse, although perhaps a bit better than the Volkswagen Toureg (bottom of the heap).

No, the RX400h is not perfect and you may very well have one of the more noisey ones, but when compared to German SUVs, it is still head and shoulders above when it comes to reliability issues.

[RXREY]

It's not that you offended us as much as I think your opinions(NY RX400h Savanah) seem so disproportionate and written in such a caustic manner. That's all...It's all good. Wait it out and you'll get everything you deserve. You'll have more to choose from and you'll get exactly what you want. I am sure that there will be hybrids from many other car companies and without rattles(really, mine doesn't rattle...) and with great tires ( I simply PUT great tires on my 400h since I didn't like the ones the 400h came with!) and you'll finally be happy and all will be blissful. It's really not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. Life is good and I hope that I didn't come across as being offensive, I surely didn't mean to. I simply wouldn't have a car that I would complain about. I love my 400h so I'll keep it. You don't like yours or Lexus, GET RID of it and wait a little bit and get what you want. See? It's easy. Toodle-loo , happy in sunny L.A., RXRey

[silvercorvette]

I don't want to pile on but RXREY reminded me of something my grandfather used to say. IT is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. If you hate the car do something about it. I hated the NAV so I bought a after market Garmin and now I am happy. If I hated the car I would find a way to get rid of it regardless of how much time I had left on the lease. It is worth the money it will cost you to get rid of the car. In the long run it will be cheaper than blood pressure pills or ulcer medication

[RXREY]

Yes, we have much to be grateful for in this great land of ours. I had many lean years where I had to drive whatever I could get for the little money that I had at the time. I remember white knuckle rides across town hoping the car at the time would'n't stall at stop lights and hoped that it would start when I came out to it later...so those days are gone and I am very blessed and part of that blessing has been augmented by the contrast between the lean days of my youth and my life now with all its blessings. I wish all of you well and I do love this site and have been helped many times by all of you whenever I have had an issue. BTW, there are a few posts on how people got rid od rattles in their 400hs...I found out what the two were that I had and they were simple fixes. Peace to all of you, Rey

[skyfish400h]

You already know the answer because you found the place, it is the Internet.

...

In the future try using the Internet and check out sites like epinions and forums such as this one

http://www.epinions.com/

My problem with sites like epinions.com and tirerack.com (which I have used) is that they are random samples of individual opinion. Thre is no method applied to ensure some level of consistancy. You may disagree with they method they used on your lens example, but it was at least a method and it brought everyone of the judges onto the same page.

To me this has value. Coupled with the fact that CR buys their own stuff to evaluate (and sometimes destroy) and do not accept advertizing $$$ from anyone is why I still trust them.