Considering an RX400h

Punisher · June 28, 2022

I am considering purchasing a new RX400h. This would be my first hybrid vehicle and first Lexus so I'm doing some research before I pull the trigger. I was wondering if I could get some input on total cost of ownership, major repairs/costs that I may encounter down the road and common issues people experience with this vehicle. My philosophy is to buy a good vehicle up front and drive until the wheels fall off. I currently have over 200,000 miles on my Acura TL which I bought new. I am a careful driver and do all required maintenance through the dealer. It's expensive but you have to pay to play. My car has been extremely reliable but it's time for an upgrade. My TL will be used as a secondary vehicle. Since I drive my vehicles past 100k miles I'm wondering how the hybrid battery holds up, if there is loss in performance/range, when do batteries need to be replaced and what is the cost of doing that through Lexus. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Les Lex 2018 · June 29, 2022

The e-CVT drive train has been around for over 10 years, and I did not hesitate to throw down for a 2nd hybrid. The hybrid's drive battery performance starts degrading immediately and over time, but you would not notice that because the built in capacity of the battery to do what it's required to do is great enough that you would not notice that until the degradation is so bad that MPG falls off and eventually, the battery goes dead. It has a good warrantee.

Cost of a new one? About 5 to 6 grand, unless you can find one used. All kind of videos on You-Tube to help you make your decision. Suggestion: Get a quote from you insurance before jumping to a hybrid. You may need to know the difference in insurance rates between an RX 350 and an RX 450h.

Dave can tell you a heck of a lot more about the 450h. I never owned one.

RX400h · June 29, 2022

Les, are you sure that a new hybrid Lexus cost $5000 to $6000?😏

We've had our RX400h for more than 17 years and now have over 133,000 miles on it. In some ways, maintenance is a bit more costly than a non-hybrid but the much higher fuel mileage in city driving more than offsets that slightly higher maintenance cost. Our brakes were done at about 120,000 miles. Most of the other requirements are the same as those for the RX350. Some RX400h owners have over 250,000 miles on their original battery packs. We currently average 24 MPG for a combination of city and highway mileage - a drop of 1 MPG since new.

Also, Consumer Reports has consistently given the RX line "much better than average" reliability ratings throughout the years. A quick review of the Acura TLX reliability ratings in CR shows that overall, they are also very reliable. However, their weak spot has been minor transmission issues for 2015, 17, and 19 model years.

Feel free to ask me any other questions regarding the user experience.