Les Lex 2018

Sound like they hold their value a little better now. My agent called me this afternoon. He did a comparison. ES-350 Luxury is 46k vs. 52k for an ES300h. An additional 6k to add Hybrid drive to the same vehicle style. The hybrid adds 13% to the cost. ES300h ins was a $150 increase vs. $34 increase for the ES350. Agent claims that the Hybrid costs more to insure than the ES 350. With gas near 5 a gallon, it’s still possible that the hybrid will pay its own way. But no more turning off the RX at long lights and gridlock traffic. We can even go thru the drive-thru again, without looking like gas hogs. I swear I have never gone thru a drive-thru in an RX. And I’m not even a Global Warming junkie.

They still owe me a breakdown to justify the increase. I'm expecting that next week. I suspect they will say repair costs are higher due to three motor generators, an Inverter, and big Hybrid battery. All else being the same. Thanks, Dave. If my RX or the ES are totaled out, the cost of replacing either one is exactly the same. But If it is heavy damage, the Hybrid will be more expensive to repair, I suspect. I'll also request a bid for an RX450h+ and a Rav4 Prime. That should tell us the full story. Another pre-sold ES300h came in today in HSV and I got to sit in one finally. Yes, now I can reach the center display without leaning forward. My 300h is only 3 serial #s from the one that just arrived here. So I expect I'll be taking delivery next week in Birmingham.

Just jumping from an RX 350 to a ES300h, (same sticker price) my car insurance went up 25%. The agent then closed by saying "Have a nice day", LOL!. That alone killed a bunch of MPG gains going from 22 MPG city to 43.

I found an LC 500 for you in Montgomery for 104,000, Dave. Sorry, no hybrid! The 2012 Camry h had a similar gear selector config. Coming down from the 12,000 foot level at the Rocky Mountain National Park, CO visitor's center, down to about the 6000 foot base of the mountain, and bumper-to-bumper tourist traffic, being able to lock in a selector gear was priceless. Without it, the brakes would have been smoking, baby... Will I take the LS300h up to the 12,000 foot level for a shake-down? Probably not - Once was enough...

Good points Dave! I took my notes and did a report explaining all the modes of operation and how they work. When I got my first Hybrid 10 years ago, I knew nothing about it and found no resources. When the car started to move there was always a jolt coming from the car and I actually thought it was an old style starter motor doing that. Dummy Me! NO clue... IF you have ever seen the ugly Inside of an automatic transmission (Torque converter / bands / clutches / gears), you could easily come the the conclusion that the Direct Drive Hybrid transmission is simple, easier to repair and has fewer parts.

I had to watch it about 5 times over several months and take a lot of notes before I could figure out how and why it works. No telling how much the unit costs to the manufacturer. Not a clutch in the darn thing. John also does one on the rear motor which is a lot simpler.

PHD - John Kelley builds up the Toyota P710 transmission piece by piece to show you why it is the best transaxle on the market. It drives the Lexus ES300h.

Persistence, George, was the key, for sure. One clarification about engine vs. NET HP at the wheels: The 2.5 liter 215 hp Dynamic Force, Atkinson-Cycle Engine develops 177 HP @5700 RPM, Torque 163@3600 RPM. Engine Model A25A-FXS. However: The vehicle has 2 electric motors (one in the front transaxle and one in the rear-end) for a combined Net 215 h p. The gas engine is rated at 169 or 177 ft-lbs of torque and the electric motors provide an additional 149 ft-lbs of torque. Different sites provide slightly different numbers. It's not always clear to the reader which numbers they are talking about. So, where AWD used to mean a drive shaft to the rear end, power to the rear wheels is via wire in Hybrids, and often expressed in KW.

Congrats there, George! Same here for the NX 350h and ES300h. Waiting list only. Two finally popped up in Birmingham. Both white with cream interior, and son of a gun if one was still not pre-sold - Listed in route from Georgetown KY. Same place my Camry H was built. A Story straight from my salesperson: A lady had to put down a 3K deposit to get a NX 350h of specific colors and equipment. February order and it still ain't in. It's only a thousand down for a WYSIWYG. I'm sure you have a good sun shade for the dash. The electronic and info system can get mighty hot in the Mojave. My neighbor worked in Palmdale and he had to reach in and start the car and wait around till it was cool enough to sit down and touch anything. He did have a dark grey car.

Nice ride, George! Great choice and the right color for the hot California desert. Is this your first Hybrid? From my experience, the Toyota/Lexus Hybrids love the hot weather from an MPG point of view. I just ordered a copy of your ride, also in white. Due to a severe leg injury, my wife needs a step stool to get in the RX so I relented to going back to the Sedan. I tested the 2012 Camry H and I was able to get over 50 MPG at 55 MPH for 400 miles at 85 degrees outside, with AC off. Next morning in a cold rain, it was only getting 46 MPG, all Interstate between St. Louis and KCMO. In the suburbs / no interstate, it always got over 40 MPG. Hybrid drive only w/o the engine running would only go about a mile in city traffic before kicking on the engine. The ES300h specs... 2.5 liter 215 hp total @5700RPM Torque 163@3600 RPM. 43 city 44 highway MPG. A 13 Gal. tank Range of 350 to 520 mi based on speeds between 50 and 70 MPH. Dim: 196″ L x 73″ W x 57″ H vs. RX 193″ L x 75″ W x 67 H. The electronically controlled transmission and Hybrid engine combination are now reaching the limit of efficiency, converting energy to work. Great Choice, George!

Castrol Edge 0W-16 Advanced Full Synthetic oil is 62 dollars a six-pack on Amazon. But only the hybrid NX uses it for now. Their Turbo's use the 0W-20. But pity the engine designer that has to specify / spec an engine oil that will crank an engine at 50 below zero in Fairbanks, Ak and still maintain oil pressure sitting is afternoon rush hour traffic at 118 degrees in the shade (Las Vegas).

The RX line still require the 0W-20, from what you said. Thanks for looking that up.. Les

My 2022 NX 350 Operator's Manual states the following: Quote: "SAE 0W-16 is the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold wheather. If SAE 0W-16 is not available, you may use 0w-20. However, it must be replaced with SAE 0W-16 at the next oil change". Les

Yes! They have been using synthetic for 10 years: SAE 0W-16 is now mandatory.

I drove the Camry Hybrid for 4 years. It had basically the same engine and e-transmission and same EPA MPG numbers. it always made city EPA of 41 MPG. On the highway, at 50 it got about 48 MPG. At 70 it was a lot lower due to drag resistance. the hotter the weather, the better the MPG. Thing did not like cold weather. I'm signed up for the NX 350h and hoping for about the same results as with the Camry. You can down load the 800 plus page Operators Manual free from Lexus and Quick guide also. It's easy to use because you just pick a subject in the Table of Contents and it takes you to the right page.

Thanks, Andy! This site at NHTSA still rated the 21 at 4 stars... https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/LEXUS/RX 350/SUV/AWD My 13 Camry Hybrid XLE had a 5-star Driver side rating. But I'd rather be the guy in the RX in the case of a Frontal collision. The RX is higher off the pavement and much heavier.

The 2020 I drive and the 21 had 4 star ratings for driver and passenger. It was the 2022 RX 350 that lost the 4 star rating. Being almost identically equipped, maybe it was something crazy, like an airbag screw-up that cost them a star, Andy. No clue!

What's gone is the iconic hourglass symbolism on the grill. But if you look carefully, there is an insert above the Lexus Emblem that can be swapped out with a piece that brings the hourglass back into view. The shape is there, but it's painted white. If the bland symbol of a trapezoid fails to grab enough attention to run out and buy one, then, they can always replace the nose piece with something akin to your 22, Mike.

Compared to the 2022, the 23 grill looks like the nose of a shark and appears less aerodynamic. Interested to see the drag ratio. Probably decreased the drag a bit on the side and the tail end. Same hight and length. One inch wider and 2 plus inches longer wheel base. https://youtu.be/tik3Tyq16AA

Today in less than an hour, Lexus IS unveiling the Next Gen RX. https://www.lexus.com/newRX

That's about right, Mike. June Consumer's Reports just did a survey on the "Most Reliable" of 5 year old "Brands". Lexus was #1, Toyota #2. BMW #15 and Audi #16. GMC was dead last at #23. Let us know how it goes in Houston. I may need to go down there to test drive a 23.

I'm guessing that Lexus decided to go with a more sleek and curvy SUV and not make it so boxy looking like, say, a Highlander. Cargo area isn't everything. Tell me about the strange times, Mike. When I went to trade up to a 2020 RX, they had a corral full of unsold RXs and the one I picked out had been sitting on the lot for 5 freaking months, rusting and racked up 100s of miles due to test drives. I made em a deal they couldn't refuse, because their "not so Live Stock" was going no where fast. Today, They have like one or two "Don't Wants" on the lot and list a bunch of "On Order/Pre-solds". So you had to go to Texas to get one - Smart move: The Relentless pursuit of Perfection.

You might be missing the fact that you can put a full size Lazy Boy Lounge Chair in the RX, still in the box and it fits with the hatch closed. Saved a 100 dollar delivery charge. I have yet to try to squeeze a refrigerator back there cause the hatch probably would not close.

USNews claims the Lexus RX provides 18.4 cubic feet of room behind the second-row seats and 56.3 cubic feet with the second row folded down. Unlike the 3-row model which keyesLexus.com shows that for the RX350L, with all rows in an upright position, it has 7.5 cubic feet of cargo room. Folding down the third row increases the SUV's cargo room to 23 cubic feet. Congrats, Mike! If your dealer is like mine - they put your Lexus in a special delivery showroom with lots of lights. Then they bring you in to inspect the 350.

I would hate to see the Black Widow disappear off the grill. It became a sort of standard Trademark for Lexus.