2013 Rx450H Vs 2006 Rx400H

[PCW]

I took delivery this week of a new 2013 RX450h after having the original RX400h since April 2005. Since it's been 7 model years of advancements I expected the new 450h to be more technically advanced then my 400h (it truly is), but I am amazed how much better it is overall. The 2013 handles much better, is quieter, and the transitions from no engine to having the engine cut on are not noticeable like they were on the 400h; especially at traffic lights. The 2013 feels much more substantial and you really don't hear the road noise or the loud engine go-cart like sounds that I could hear when I accelerated with the 400h.

I special ordered this 450h as I wanted the luxury package, the Mark Levinson audio system and Remote Start; not something that the Washington, DC Lexus dealers ever have in stock orders. My thoughts were that I wanted the options that I did not get or were not even available back on the 2006 model and I was willing to wait for my exact vehicle. It took 3 months but well worth the wait. I also had the Parts Dept order the Sport Appearance Package wheels (F-Sport wheels that are not dark graphite) which were switched out after my RXh arrived. The Luxury Package semi-aniline leather is very rich looking and the LED headlights (comes on the AWD version of the Luxury Pkg) are amazing at night and very contemporary looking during the daytime. I selected the Stargazer Black exterior with the new Saddle interior. It was a good choice as the metallic in the exterior color is brought out more by the saddle leather.

The only negative that I have on the 2013 is that Lexus relocated the spare tire inside the rear compartment as well as the 12 volt battery from under the hood and therefore eliminated the storage compartments that were under the rear cover on the 400h. But otherwise this new 450h is truly elegant and a pleasure to drive.

[lenore]

Funny that is where the old RX300 had its tire, but no rattle noises from the tire cover. As for the battery, that is not optimum to me, kind of like the german bmw cars......Glad your enjoying your new ride. Sounds like a very nice ride.

[RX400h]

Congratulations! I tell people all the time that in most cases regarding Japanese vehicles, it is never truly cost effective to keep a new car less than 10 years. However, the many advancements that are bound to be included with your new purchase cannot be measured in dollars.

I our case, we are still very happy with our RX400h (also purchased in April of 2005). I am fairly certain, though that our next vehicle will be far lighter and more efficient - perhaps a Mazda 6 or Lexus ES300h. The consistent $4/gallon gas prices are the motivating factor.

[mike5100]

I took delivery this week of a new 2013 RX450h after having the original RX400h since April 2005. Since it's been 7 model years of advancements I expected the new 450h to be more technically advanced then my 400h (it truly is), but I am amazed how much better it is overall. The 2013 handles much better, is quieter, and the transitions from no engine to having the engine cut on are not noticeable like they were on the 400h; especially at traffic lights. The 2013 feels much more substantial and you really don't hear the road noise or the loud engine go-cart like sounds that I could hear when I accelerated with the 400h.

I special ordered this 450h as I wanted the luxury package, the Mark Levinson audio system and Remote Start; not something that the Washington, DC Lexus dealers ever have in stock orders. My thoughts were that I wanted the options that I did not get or were not even available back on the 2006 model and I was willing to wait for my exact vehicle. It took 3 months but well worth the wait. I also had the Parts Dept order the Sport Appearance Package wheels (F-Sport wheels that are not dark graphite) which were switched out after my RXh arrived. The Luxury Package semi-aniline leather is very rich looking and the LED headlights (comes on the AWD version of the Luxury Pkg) are amazing at night and very contemporary looking during the daytime. I selected the Stargazer Black exterior with the new Saddle interior. It was a good choice as the metallic in the exterior color is brought out more by the saddle leather.

The only negative that I have on the 2013 is that Lexus relocated the spare tire inside the rear compartment as well as the 12 volt battery from under the hood and therefore eliminated the storage compartments that were under the rear cover on the 400h. But otherwise this new 450h is truly elegant and a pleasure to drive.

Funny but I have just bought a RX400H rather than a 450H for exactly the reasons you quote above. All I can say is there must be a big improvement on the 450H between 2010 and 2013, because I found the 2010 450 very noisy, never running on battery, and with awful pitch and choppy oscillations (roll was controlled brilliantly though). I first tried the SE version with springs and thought there must be something wrong. The luxury version with the air suspension was better and I was almost tempted but after I took it down a country road I realised that the ride would constantly annoy me. Then I tried a 2009 400H (springs) and found it acceptable. I think from other posts the problem may be the low profile tyres fitted to both 450's that I drove. I asked about swapping the wheels and tyres but it was very expensive.

I found the transitions fine on all models but the engine on the 450 noisier than the 400 This combined with bad road noise from the back (probably those tyres again) and persistent rattles from both front doors, helped me make the decision.

I agree with you though that the 450 feels more substantial (too substantial for me :D ) And I am going to miss all the tech things like smart start, cooled seats, wafting aircon, soft close doors, massage seats, electric blinds, fridge etc ..... strange .... as these were all available in my 13 year old LS430 that has just bitten the dust.

Mike

[lenore]

Well, I still love my RX400h (2008) have had it for two years and put almost 50k miles on it. It is truly a great city commuter, but man it is so comfortable for the long hauls...Sac to LA at least 7 times and it never wears me out. I Find its power beyond my expectations. We too drove a RX450H, but at the time I didn't want to go into another expensive payment. Found this RX400h for $25k and it makes every feature far better than the old RX300 (1999). We drove the 1999 till 2011 and sold it with 187k miles...I fully expect to drive this 400h to at least 250k miles. I expect the usual maintenance, do fear the hybrid batteries, and some of the systems such as Steering rack, air conditioner, etc. They are nothing like the non hybrid. We have had the Hybrid cooling pump fail, and one wheel bearing, but other than that it is truly a very tight, quiet vehicle at 129k miles.

[volosong]

To the OP.

Wow! To each his own. I'm glad you enjoy your new 450. On my last warranty service, just before it expired, the dealership gave me a '13 RX450H to use for the day, and I thought it was absolutely horrible and couldn't wait to get my '06 RX400H back. I just didn't like it at all and decided that day to drive mine into the ground. By then, I'll probably be too old to drive and they will take my license away.

[PCW]

I took delivery this week of a new 2013 RX450h after having the original RX400h since April 2005. Since it's been 7 model years of advancements I expected the new 450h to be more technically advanced then my 400h (it truly is), but I am amazed how much better it is overall. The 2013 handles much better, is quieter, and the transitions from no engine to having the engine cut on are not noticeable like they were on the 400h; especially at traffic lights. The 2013 feels much more substantial and you really don't hear the road noise or the loud engine go-cart like sounds that I could hear when I accelerated with the 400h.

I special ordered this 450h as I wanted the luxury package, the Mark Levinson audio system and Remote Start; not something that the Washington, DC Lexus dealers ever have in stock orders. My thoughts were that I wanted the options that I did not get or were not even available back on the 2006 model and I was willing to wait for my exact vehicle. It took 3 months but well worth the wait. I also had the Parts Dept order the Sport Appearance Package wheels (F-Sport wheels that are not dark graphite) which were switched out after my RXh arrived. The Luxury Package semi-aniline leather is very rich looking and the LED headlights (comes on the AWD version of the Luxury Pkg) are amazing at night and very contemporary looking during the daytime. I selected the Stargazer Black exterior with the new Saddle interior. It was a good choice as the metallic in the exterior color is brought out more by the saddle leather.

The only negative that I have on the 2013 is that Lexus relocated the spare tire inside the rear compartment as well as the 12 volt battery from under the hood and therefore eliminated the storage compartments that were under the rear cover on the 400h. But otherwise this new 450h is truly elegant and a pleasure to drive.

Funny but I have just bought a RX400H rather than a 450H for exactly the reasons you quote above. All I can say is there must be a big improvement on the 450H between 2010 and 2013, because I found the 2010 450 very noisy, never running on battery, and with awful pitch and choppy oscillations (roll was controlled brilliantly though). I first tried the SE version with springs and thought there must be something wrong. The luxury version with the air suspension was better and I was almost tempted but after I took it down a country road I realised that the ride would constantly annoy me. Then I tried a 2009 400H (springs) and found it acceptable. I think from other posts the problem may be the low profile tyres fitted to both 450's that I drove. I asked about swapping the wheels and tyres but it was very expensive.

I found the transitions fine on all models but the engine on the 450 noisier than the 400 This combined with bad road noise from the back (probably those tyres again) and persistent rattles from both front doors, helped me make the decision.

I agree with you though that the 450 feels more substantial (too substantial for me :D ) And I am going to miss all the tech things like smart start, cooled seats, wafting aircon, soft close doors, massage seats, electric blinds, fridge etc ..... strange .... as these were all available in my 13 year old LS430 that has just bitten the dust.

Mike

A friend has the 2010 450h and the 2013 version handles very differently: more solid, less truck-like, absorbs bumps better, and less choppy transition from motor to electric. Also the CVT Trans has a "sport" mode for quicker response. I have no idea how that was accomplished but it works. Also my gas mileage has gone from 22-23 to 26-28 all around. That's a nice increase.

[mike5100]

that's interesting Phil. The 450H I tested was a 2010 and it put me off so much I went for an older RX400H. It's good to know that if in a couple of years time I trade the 400 for a 450, there should be some improvements rather than a backward step.

Mike

[PCW]

So I've had the 2013 RX450h for a month now. Very minor complaints: (1) I removed the shelf in the glovebox as was just something to take up space without being useful. Everything just slides off it when you open the glovebox. (2) I removed the little cell phone holder in the console glovebox as I also thought that was useless. (3) It's more difficult to raise the rear hatch manually then it was with my 2006 RX400h. It has no lever, just a button you push. But that's about it.

On the positive side this RX handles much more solid and is quieter and more elegant inside. Also I was averaging 22-23 MPG in my 2006 and my 2013 is averaging 28-29 MPG. That's doing the same driving as before: approx 90% city and 10% highway. That's a nice increase for a heavier SUV by almost 300 lbs (according to Edmunds) and more horsepower. One new optional safety feature I really like is the Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) system. Not that I abruptly change lanes without warning, but I had no idea of how many people driving next to me just sit on my left rear quarter panel and cannot be seen in the mirrors. Also if you put on your turn signal to change lanes while someone is sitting in your blind spot the BSM symbol in the mirror flashes repeatedly so you know not to move over. It's a great feature and should be standard just like airbags.

[RX400h]

That's a nice increase for a heavier SUV by almost 300 lbs (according to Edmunds) and more horsepower.

On a side note, the 2006 RX400h is actually a bit faster than the RX450h, according to each being tested by Car & Driver. The 400h accelerated to 60 MPH in 6.6 seconds and the 450h in 6.8 seconds.

Also, the 450h weighs in at 157 lbs more than the 400h.

[PCW]

Here it is July 24 and since the hot weather hit the east coast earlier this month the gas mileage on my 2013 RX450h has dropped to 22-24 MPG from 28-29 MPG. I spoke to my Lexus dealer and they advised me to start tracking the RX calculated mileage the old way by tracking how many miles I drove divided by how many gallons the RX took to fill up and let them know in a month or so what the results are. So far I have got some interesting statistics. The RX calculated mileage on the computer ranged from +2 MPG to -3 MPG for each fill-up so far this month vs the manual calculation . So the RX computer's calculations are not an actual indicator of the gas mileage but an approximation of it! Also the highest RX calculated MPG I have achieved is 24.8 which turned out to be 26.4 doing the manual calculation. This is still better than my 2006 RX400h but not what I was achieving before the hot weather.

I don't understand why the mileage has dropped and why the computer is not accurate. In Northern VA, where I live, we started getting the 10% Ethanol gasoline additive in May and I always use the same gas station and get the 91 octane gas. I'm going to keep tracking this for another few weeks and then take the results to my Lexus dealer. I am good friends with the service Mgr and have been using the same Tech for many years. Hopefully they will be able to ascertain what the problem is.

[maseace]

I doubt there is a problem with the vehicle. The hot weather (with extra AC use), tire type, tire pressure, and driving habits (speed, braking) have a significant effect on the mileage. Your mileage will also be lower in winter when you use the heater more (the gas engine will need to run more to provide heat).

[Manwarr]

Bought a Rx 400h with a 113miles about 3 months ago. Love it so far, rides well & very powerful. will keep you posted.

[RX400h]

113 miles? Congrats! That's extremely low miles.

[dankstang]

Greetings

 

I bought a 2006 with 100k in 2012.  Hybrid battery finally died at 305k. Been the most reliable vehicle ive had.  Looking to possibly buy another one, but am considering a 450 to get an updated interior.  200k of same view gets old.  I would get another hybrid battery but the sunroof is stuck open and the AC doesn't work and it leaks oil.  I want maximum gas mileage and still be able to tow a trailer with some bikes/quads.  So far peddle.com offered me 1100 to tow it away as is.