gtfrench

Exactly my experience so far. It's practically perfect (6 mos., 8,000 miles, 26.6 mpg). Looks like the Nissan Mississippi plant is having problems.

This might explain a lot about the mileage results in CR's test (16 City/29 Hwy). I asked CR to send me the test parameters and the same engineer responded below. I'm now wondering if the CR City test is really valid for the hybrid. It doesn't appear to be long enough to allow for the normal cycles that the battery goes through in normal city driving conditions. I would think a longer test would give more accurate results. CR Fuel Economy Tests "Gerald, there are more details on our fuel economy tests here. As an aside, although we did not instrument it, it does appear that fuel economy for these hybrids (at least the "performance" hybrids like the Highlander and RX400h) doesn't suffer as much from a heavy foot - rather than dumping gas into the engine when you floor it, some of that power comes from the battery." Tom Mutchler, CR Auto Test Engineer Details of the tests The vehicles Our tests. We anonymously buy production models at retail. All vehicles are preconditioned for about 2,000 miles. Tire pressures are set to manufacturer specifications. Government tests. Automakers are allowed to use hand-built prototypes. Driving conditions Our tests. All testing is done outdoors year-round, never during precipitation, with all results adjusted to a standard temperature of 60° F. For gasoline-electric hybrids, we start our tests with the battery at the charge level you normally find--about half. A calibrated fuel-flow meter is used to measure gas consumption. Government tests. EPA fuel-economy tests are done in a laboratory with the test vehicle's drive wheels resting on a dynamometer, which has a roller that allows the automobile to simulate driving while remaining stationary. Gasoline consumption is calculated based on the amount of carbon emitted from the vehicle's tailpipe, which the EPA says is more accurate than a fuel gauge. To test all-wheel-drive vehicles, automakers and the EPA remove the front prop shaft and adjust the inertia weight on the dynamometer to account for four-wheel-drive factors. To test hybrid fuel economy, the EPA method allows automakers to start with a fully charged battery. The EPA tests represent driving in southern California at 75° F on a road with no curves or grades, which is ideal for optimizing fuel economy. City mpg Our tests. These tests are stop-and-go city-driving simulations on our test track, which has a total of 18 stops and 4 minutes of total idle time. Top speed is 40 mph. Two different testers each drive three runs for a total of six 2-minute, 40-second trials on every test vehicle. Total test time is approximately 16 minutes. Government tests. The city test simulates stop-and-go city driving with 23 stops and includes 5 minutes and 35 seconds of total idle time. Top speed is 56 mph. A professional driver manipulates the gas and brake pedals to follow a prescribed schedule of acceleration and braking while monitoring progress on a real-time graph on a computer display. The test runs for 31 minutes. Highway mpg Our tests. The highway tests are run on a specific section of state Route 2 near our test facility in central Connecticut. Two testers make eight 5-mile runs at a constant 65 mph. The tests are run in both directions to limit the effects of wind and grade differences. Each run is timed and limited to 4 minutes, 38 seconds. Total test time is approximately 37 minutes. Government tests. These tests simulate free-flow rural and interstate-highway driving. The professional driver starts from zero, maintains a fairly smooth speed averaging 48 mph, then slows to zero over a prescribed 12-minute, 30-second schedule. While under way, speeds range from 30 to 60 mph. Other differences Our tests. We run a test that the government doesn’t require: a one-day trip test, which reflects a mixed driving cycle. Five different engineers drive back-to-back on the same day over a 31-mile route that includes 26 percent (8.2 miles) freeway, 11 percent (3.6 miles) highway, and 63 percent (19.2 miles) stop-and-go driving conditions. Government tests. Automakers conduct the fuel-economy tests and submit their results to the EPA for certification. The EPA retests 10 to 15 percent of the vehicles. The EPA says that less than 10 percent of the retests are significantly different than the original automaker tests. The math Our tests. Trials within each type of test are averaged and corrected for ambient temperature to produce our published city and highway mpg ratings and our one-day trip rating. Our published overall mpg estimate is calculated as an equally weighted harmonic average of the city, highway, and one-day-trip results. Government tests. The raw test results are adjusted downward by 10 percent for city mpg and 22 percent for highway mpg, and a combined mpg is calculated as a weighted harmonic average using the two in a 55/45 city/highway ratio. Those adjusted figures are the ones published on vehicle fuel-economy stickers.

I sent a question to CR and got this quick response from one of their test engineers ... "The RX400h headlights have very good intensity and good width (which may be why you like yours), but their low-beam distance is quite short and the light cut-off is abrupt. The scoring for headlights strongly favors distance as that's directly linked to you seeing an obstacle early enough to brake in time." Tom Mutchler, CR Auto Test Engineer

A while back I compared the features of the RX400h and HighlanderH. This is what I came up with. The Highlander should be an excellent choice for people who don't care as much about the Lexus luxury image, comfort, convenience and safety. Certainly the styling and audio are superior in the RX 400h and these are some of the other features I wanted. 1 yr. better warranty AWD vs. 4WD New advanced stability control (VDIM) 18" vs. 17" wheels, better tires Better hitch capabilities Power liftgate ( this is very convenient) Superior power seat height adjustments, memory, and telescopic steering (good for shorter drivers) Free loaner cars/pickup delivery to my house One touch power windows Auto -dimming mirrors Reverse tilt mirrors and rear view camera Superior instrumentation and layout (personal preference) Driver knee airbag Xenon adaptive headlamps with washers Rain sensing wipers (this is even better than I imagined) Video system Superior Nav system upgrade with voice recognition Somewhat more cargo capacity and versatility Bluetooth capability for hands free phone (this was a must for me) The Highlander does have an option for a third row if that is important to anyone. It will likely be a big seller and very reliable. On the power comment, it's also interesting to note that of the 29 midsized SUVs on the CR list, only one of them performs better 0 to 60 mph - the Cadillac SRX (16 mpg) @ 6.4 sec. However, they are very close on the 45 to 65 mph test - SRX @ 4.3 sec. and RX400h @ 4.6 sec. Unfortunately, the Cadillac has had poor reliability.

I just received the latest Consumer Reports (Nov issue) and they have updated the ratings for midsized SUVs. The vehicles tested include the Highlander Hybrid and the RX400h plus the new MB ML350, Subaru B9 Tribeca, Nissan Pathfinder, Land Rover LR3, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Hummer H3. Their top seven (out of 29) recommended vehicles and overall ratings are now: 1. Highlander Hybrid, Excellent (22 mpg) 2. RX 400h, Excellent (23 mpg) 3. RX 330, Very Good (18 mpg) 4. Honda Pilot EX-L, Very Good (19 mpg) 5. BMW X5 3.0i, Very Good (17 mpg) 6. Highlander, Very Good (19 mpg) 7. Nissan Murano SL, Very Good (19 mpg) Out of 29 vehicles in this category, the MB ML350 (16 mpg) came out in 12th position, Tribeca (16 mpg) in 19th, Pathfinder (15 mpg) in 20th, LR3 (13 mpg!) in 21st, Cherokee (14 mpg) in 25th and H3 (14 mpg) in dead last 29th. The article describes a a few minor differences between the Highlanderh and 400h and praises their acceleration, transmission, fuel economy, low emissions, ride, fit and finish, access and quietness. CR also expects some buyers to be disappointed in the mileage if their interest in hybrids is only to save money. Also, the article states "According to our 2005 subscriber survey, the 400h's reliability has been excellent in the short time it's been in owners hands." Overall, a very favorable write-up. My experiences have been very similar to their description except for two areas, mileage and headlights. For some reason, CR really doesn't like the Highlander and RX400h's headlight performance. I believe the headlights work great. I also have experienced better gas mileage than 23 mpg (currently averaging 26.6 mpg with 7,000 miles). My mix of city and highway may be different than CR's 50/50 split. However, the CR ratings are probably good for an apples to apples comparison to the competitive vehicles.

Last Friday (July 8th) when I tried to register I received a new message stating that the registartion would be down until July 11. Sure enough when I tried again (for the umteenth time) on Monday it worked! However, I was a little underwelmed with the usefulness of the site. Patt - I can relate to your comments on last names. My wife and I have different last names and we constantly run into similar issues. Sometimes it is a headache and other times it's just funny to see people's reactions. We put cars in both names, but in our state we have to list one name first on all our cars so that we can do the re-registration all at once around one birthday. BTW, I picked Stealth as my car's nickname because of the color (Flint Mica/Black) and the fact that the 400h is so eerily quiet. I have to be careful in parking lots when people don't hear me approaching. I only have 3,100 miles so far. :)

I have noticed the brakes squeeking when in reverse after damp or rainy conditions. It seems to clear up quickly. I am in Michigan and we have had a lot of moisture recently.

I too have a Motorola V3 and had to upload numbers one at a time to my RX330. Very frustrating. I called Motorola about not being able to to a mass transfer and they claimed it was the car. Took a long time transferring them. ← It's true you can only transfer one at a time. I used the Bluetooth User Guide instructions for the RAZR on the lexus.letstalk website (download a PDF file). It worked Okay but took me a long time to go through the sequence many times. Hopefully I'll only have to do it once. http://lexus.letstalk.com/bluetooth/lexus/v3razr_bt.pdf

Yes, you can use 1-Dial while moving. That is the whole point of the 1-dial feature. When you press the phone button on the steering wheel the first 1-Dial screen appears. You can have a total of 18 numbers on 1-Dial, although #6 position is always the most recent incoming or outgoing call. I simply transferred my most frequently dialed numbers from my phonebook. It works very well.

My dealer called me specifically to let me know that if you run out of gas the car will only let you try starting it three times before it is disabled. You can add gas and then it should start, but if it is disabled (you attempted to start it three times while empty) the dealer will need to get involved. My reaction was ... Yikes, I'm never letting it get below 1/4 tank! My dealer is 90 miles away.

300 lbs. (4,065 vs. 4,365)

"Can you switch between the HS850 and the Lexus Hands free?" I guess the answer is Yes. In my experience the phone can only be connected to one Bluetooth device at a time. So for example, if you are already talking on the headset (RAZR connected to HS850) and you start the vehicle, the call will continue on the headset because the phone cannot connect to the vehicle as long as the headset is on. You see on the Nav screen that the bluetooth connection failed. However, if you close the headset while the vehicle is on, the phone then looks for available bluetooth devices and it will find the vehicle and connect. You can then continue the conversation using the vehicle audio system. It's a little complicated, but it works. "Our family usually has 2 cell phones in the car at a time and might switch to bluethooth phones for the 400H . Can you switch between the phone with the 400h in motions? Any problems with 2 phones in the car at one time?" Similar answer to above. I believe the system can be set up to pair with multiple phones, but only connected to one at a time. Each phone would need to be paired initially. I've never tried two phones, but I think you can connect with one phone, then turn it off and connect with a second phone while in motion. The system also allows you to have two separate phonebooks.

I have had very good luck with my Moto RAZR V3 using Bluetooth in the 400h. The pairing goes smoothly and it easily connects every time I start the car. The sound system works great with no noticeable delay. It's so sleek that I can just leave it in my pocket and use the Nav interface for everything. I also successfully transferred my phonebook to the 400h (although you need to do it one at a time). You can then put 17 names on the 1-Dial feature. These are the only numbers you can dial when moving. It works well and is easy to set up. So far so good. I also used the phone over in Europe a couple weeks ago and it worked flawlessly. Coverage on Cingular should get even better as they consolidate AT&T towers. I am using the Moto HS850 Blutooth headset and it works very well. I haven't experienced any significant interference. I wear it around my neck on a lanyard while traveling and place it on my ear when a call comes in. Good luck.

Saw this Lexus press release today about the IRS tax deduction approval: http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/...tml?id=20050506 There are also several press articles out that claim Lexus sold 2,345 in the later part of April. Here is one such article. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi...oll=chi-busine- ss-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true The IRS publication is at this site http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=104549,00.html

Not to much to brag about from what Im hearing.......People say the mileage is not as good as expected..:cries: ← Mileage is very good so far on my new 400h and it seems to be improving with age. I got 26.7 on my first 3/4 tank. The second tank seems to be even better (28.2 so far). One thing I notice is the mileage is always better when cruise control is being used. I'm guessing the hybrid algorithms work best when the computer controls the fuel consumption. It sure is a big improvement over the 12-19 mpg for other mid-sized SUVs. In fact, my spouses's small SUV Subaru Forester (4 cyl.) only averages 21 mpg. My former ML430 (similar hp, but a little heavier) averaged about 14. These are actuals, not EPA ratings. How well does your 4-Runner do? I see Consumer Reports measures the 6 cyl. 4-Runner at 16 mpg and the 2005 RX 330 at 18 mpg.

The issue with the M-Class is reliability. Look at Consumers Reports and you will see a lot of "Black Dots". My last vehicle was the ML430. It was the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In fact, it would be hard to name a part that wasn't repaired or replaced. Regardless of performance and economy, the car needs to be something you can count on. This car spent a lot of time in the shop and I just don't have that kind of time. I would seriously wait to see how the redesigned M-Class fairs in quality and reliability before buying. The Alabama manufacturing plant has yet to prove they can build an MB quality vehicle.

patt, same thing happened to me. The customer assistance person looked up my VIN number and she said it was in the system. She descibed my car exactly. She also got the same message when she submittted it to the owner site. She was very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. I suggested, as you said, that the site should give a more user friendly response and she said she would pass it on to tech support along with the VIN problem. She told me to expect a response in a couple days. We'll see ...

← What happens if you try to dial the phone via the keypad? ← While you are moving the keypad is not functional. The only way around it I've found is to dial the handset itself and it will connect. Kind of defeats the purpose.

I experienced the same problem with my VIN number last weekend. I tried it several times and double checked the number but no luck. I just assumed they were too new for the system. Let me know if you hear more from customer care.

I can't find any evidence in the 400h documentation that it has tire pressure monitoring, like on the RX 330. Is this correct? or does anyone know why it was omitted?

Yes, I can also do this using my RAZR V3 handset.

See my post here, http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ndpost&p=125818

Yes, you can answer incoming calls by simply touching the answer button on the steering wheel. When you do, the audio system and voice guidance is muted. You can also hang up from the steering wheel button or just refuse the call. While you are talking you can adjust the volume as well. The system remembers the last 5 received calls. It works great. It's true that you can't dial while driving. That goes for new numbers you want to dial, phonebook numbers, previously dialed numbers and recieved call numbers. However, you can set up 1-touch dialing for up to 18 numbers. You can populate (register) this list from any of the sources above and place the calls while driving. The 6th number is always the last received call, so in case you need to return your last call, it is available while driving. This works well for me, but there are occasions when you (or the person in the passenger seat) might want to dial a new number. I suppose this is the price we pay for our litigious society. Good luck

I picked up my Flint/Black 400h on Thursday and then had to go out of town for a couple days, so I finally got to drive it today (Saturday). I took all of the extensive manuals with me and read them on the long flights. It made for some interesting conversations because most people who saw me reading the manuals were very curious. Most Europeans don't expect to see the 400h for a few more months. One gentleman I spoke with wanted to trade his turbo diesel for one. Anyway, it was fun to talk about but I really wanted to drive it. When I returned to Michigan today, it was snowing! Not a real bad snow for us in the "great white north", but nonetheless, the RX400h handled very well and it was interesting to feel the AWD and watch the energy diagrams. The heated seats felt great, the auto sensing windshield wipers worked flawlessly, and the heated side mirrors came in handy. The black interior will work great from a winter dirt standpoint. All I can say is ... this is an unbelieveable engineering marvel. I'm very impreseed with how easily it all works. Seamless smooth power. It reminds me of the Teddy motto ... "walk softly and carry a big stick" This is my first Lexus, and I had been driving an ML430, so a lot of the differences are new and dramatic to me. The ML430 is truly a truck and it has good power, but the 400h is much more sophiticated and refined. There is really no comparison. bikeandsail: I did have the Lexus 3500# hitch installed and it looks great. Same 2" size as the one on my ML430. It fits snuggly under the rear bumper with a nice looking Lexus insignia rubber cover. I don't haul anything heavy, just bike racks (Thule and Sportworks) and a Kayak trailer. Also, I quickly paired my bluetooth phone (Moto RAZR V3) and it works great. The navigation is far superior to what I was used to in the ML430. I feel almost overwhelmed with all the new things to learn.

Congratulations! I also found out that my Flint Mica/Blk. (ML, no RESS) arrived today and it will be ready for delivery tomorrow. Unfortunately I have to travel to Europe tomorrow so I may not have it until Saturday or Monday. I'm having a hitch installed so some extra time was expected. I can't wait. I was #1 in line at my dealer, waiting since Feb 04. Full report to follow ...