Les Lex 2018

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:

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.

Latest on the new RX-500h.  NICE!

The Honda Ridgeline RTL has cross track and will hold a lot of e-bikes and Solar Generators and camping equipment.

My dealer has NO RX 350s to sell so he would probably give me a hug for canceling my order if I had one.

I would not be w/o Cross-Trac and Blind Spot Mirror for any reason.  In 4-years, CT and BSM have saved me from a few fender benders.

You still have the trailer hitch / trailer option but even that option has its many problems. You lose full use of the Backup cam and Cross-Trac.

Safety vs Fun...

Exactly, Dave!  The technology and geo-politics are changing so fast that you really want to slow down and ask the what-ifs.

And with all the extra weight in the various plug-ins, tires will wear faster and generate more heat. Can't forget the Ford Exploder that kept blowing out tires because Ford and Firestone could not settle on a reasonable weight limit for the specified tire (depending on which side you talk to, of course).

Engineers are only human...

But then again, the RZ 450e with a 0-60 of 5.2 sec. would be great for mountain climbing, but the rumored range of only 225 miles and an out-the-door loaded price north of 70K would qualify it as a novelty.  But, then, there’s a lot of money floating around California, where Lexus would be pushing / sending expensive electrics anyway.

Great that they are willing to work with you to find the problem, Charles.  

If Lexus is like Toyota, you can call the 1 800 number and file a request for assistance.  They will assign an expert from your dealership who knows the area of concern. You can take him for a ride and show him the problem.

If you can demonstrate the problem, he would do what it takes to fix it of course.

If he claims that it is a known problem, ask him to get you the Tech Bulletin.  The TSB should explain to them how to fix it.

If there is no TSB, then you need to ask them to decide on what and how they are going to fix the demonstrated problem.

That approach has worked well in the past.

The rear wheels in the Rx 450h are driven independently by an electric motor. So when the RX is coasting, the front and rear motors are generating power back to the Hybrid battery. With the system turned off, there should be an open/zero load on the motor generator so the motor offers no resistance (regenerative braking) to the wheels, but rather puts a drag on the rear wheels simply by spinning the motor constantly.  So, unless they put some kind of clutch off those motors, they would cause Both motors to spin when the RX is towed.  How that would effect the life span of your motors, only your Owners Manual knows for sure.  Since there is only one motor, there must be drive shafts coming off both ends that could be removed.

Couple of reasons, Dave.  Pre-owned vehicles take a hit after the warrantee run out because dealer and buyer have to pay for certification. At 3 1/2 years, it's easier to sell a vehicle that has a 4 year warrantee, so I believe.  Just so happens that it falls into the next generation RX. With the 16 to 22s all looking alike, it's a good bet the 23 will be a bit more daring in its style.

Huntsville is the fasted growing city in the state and my area is becoming gridlocked.  Gas tax went up but the new roads are still on the drawing board.

This in not a problem unique to our area.  I believe more people will start driving hybrids.  Down the road, it may be harder to trade an RX 350.

Greenies might even slap a Gas Guzzler tax on it.

I'm now getting about 18 MPG city due to long lights and heavy traffic. An NX 350h would put out 41 MPG city.  That is also an option that spells resale value down the road.  Thanks, Dave!