Colo Springs RX400h

We have gotten an average of 27.4 on our 2006 400h over almost 15,000 miles. I track it on greenhybrid.com. The overall average on the site for 48 400h's is 25.4. I get 28.6 to 29.1 in the Summers. In the Winter I only get 25.8 to 26.3.

I had the bra, mirrors and door handles done at a place that specializes in window tinting, bras, etc. They were about 1/2 the cost of the dealer. Do the mirrors for sure. We just got back from a road trip, and when we got home I couldn't believe all the dead bugs on the back of the mirrors. I'm sure they are just as exposed to rocks.

I purchased the extended warranty when I purchased the vehicle. Here was my logic. I have always bought new cars and then kept them for around 8 to 10 years. If you weren't going to keep your 400h for over 7 years, I wouldn't buy the warranty. The cost was $2435 which is a lot. However, if the energy monitor goes out after the original warranty period, it costs $6,000 to replace. Think of all the motors that your car has - seats, windows, mirrors, windshield wipers, back door, etc. Think of all the electrical equipment and computers that could go bad before 100,000. Then there is the engine and non-hybrid drive train that is only covered to 70,000 (I think - or is it just to 50,000?). Will the CV Boots last until 100,000?So it doesn't take much, really, to go wrong to get back the $2435. To me it's the piece on mind of knowing that I will have no major expenses to 100,000 or 7 years. Because we all know that when unexpected expenses happen, its always at the worse possible time.

I agree with one of the posters. Test drive both. If you do and you can afford the difference in price, I think you'll buy the 400h. Let's face it. If we all were only interested in the lowest price, Lexus wouldn't even be in business. Test driving both is how we ended up with ours. We test drove a 400h, then drove the 350. As soon as we got back, we started negotiating for the 400h because they only had one and another couple was test driving it as we got back from the 350 test drive. You'll love the ride. To me, the ride, smoothness, quietness, and acceleration are worth the difference in price even if you don't save on the mileage - which you do in fact save. My overall mileage is 26.8 MPG over 10,000 miles by the Energy Monitor. Actual mileage is probably around 25.8 because the monitor seems to be off by around a mile per gallon which jives with my personal comparisons of actual verses monitor MPG.

When our Audi A6 was new, we had it in for repairs for about 20 days out of the first month. We had a loaner, but like you said, when you have a new car, you want to drive it. We called the Sales Manager and complained that they had the car more than we had it. He agreed to pay the first month's lease. Lexus is supposed to offer exceptional customer service, so you may want to at least try for 1/2 month's payment.

We took our first long trip in our 2006 RX400h. So I thought I'd share our mileage information for those who might be interested. First we have the Michelin original tires with 10,000 miles of use at end of trip, and I started with 38 pounds of pressure. I used Premium the entire way. The trip from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas and back was 1644 miles. We didn't drive for mileage - we went around 5 MPH over the speed limit. So, most of the trip we were going 80 MPH. Over the mountains the speed limit is mostly 65, so we went 70. The results were that we used 65.181 gallons of gas which calculates to 25.22 MPG. The mileage on the Energy Screen said that we got 26.3 MPG. During the trip over the mountains, going downhill the batteries charged to where all the bars were shown as green. On the way up Vail pass, the batteries got down to only one purple bar. I have to say that I love the way the 400h goes over mountian passes. Nice and smooth - no constant shifting. And no stressing at the top as with non-hybrids. I wonder how a RX330 would have done on this same trip. I know that the story is that on the highway, the hybrid doesn't do any better than a RX330, but the battery system definitely does its thing the entire time causing me to think that it is somewhat better - even on the highway - than a regular vehicle of the same type. By the way, my overall mileage with the 400h over the first 10,000 miles that we have had it is 26.8 by the Energy Montior which means probably around 25.8 actual.

breckbound, wwest is always negative on the 400h AWD capability and its ability in snow. However, if you look at the cars he owns, he doesn't own a 400h. I do own a 400h and live in Colorado Springs where we had a lot of snow this year. The 400h did great and went through some intersections where some other 4WD SUV's were stuck. If you are going to be going off road in deep snow, I'd get something else. But if you will be driving on paved roads in snow, you'll get much better mileage and a much better ride with the 400h verses other 4WD's. If you use the search function, you'll see several other threads about this same topic, some of which I responded in more detail.

To me the 400h has it all. Good mileage (average 26.5 Winter and Summer), great acceleration, quiet, smooth, super low emissions, adequate luxury items (I don't care about an Ipod or XM Radio), works good in snow and ice. I have been lucky to get one with no problems. I haven't had to take mine in for any fixes since I bought it last August. No noises, no unexpected surges, no brake problems, no battery problems, no automatic wiper problems, etc. For those that have had these problems, I feel for you; but mine has been problem free. (I am knocking on wood right now.) By the way, I have bought at least 11 new cars, and this is the first one where I didn't have to take it back to the dealer for one or more problems.

Below is an answer given on another forum regarding the "B" Gear Position. I believe it to be correct based upon experiments I performed as stated earlier in this thread. I believe if you perform the experiments that I mentioned, you can see for yourself that putting the transmission into B mode increases the regenerative capability. I believe that the reason Lexus discourages the frequent use of the B Mode is to prevent the overheating of the rear motor - just as this is the reason they discourage heavy off road use. "Deceleration in “B” Range While the vehicle is being driven with the shift position in the B, and decelerates, the wheels drive MG2 and MGR, causing MG2 and MGR to operate as a generator, charge the HV battery, and supply electrical power to MG1. Accordingly, MG1 maintains the speed of the engine and applies an engine brake. At this time, the fuel to the engine is cut."

Maybe call the 1-800 number and ask to speak to a supervisor, reminding them that they are supposed to be very customer service oriented?

Bump! I would like to know as well. Why don't you email Lexus with your questions. If you go to their web site, they have an area where you can email questions. Since Lexus sells 400h's outside of the US, they should be able to help you with your various questions.

Try the following. I did and it sure looks like the B position increases electrical generation. Going down hill in D, watch the gauge on the left. Then put the transmission into B. The gauge moves immediately into the "Blue" zone (generating electricity). Then going down hill in D with brakes engaged to slow - not stop, watch the gauge again. Now, shift to B again with no change in brake pressure. I think you will see the gauge move further into the "Blue" zone when you shift to B. Either the gauge doesn't show what it is supposed to show, or the B positon does increase electric generation.

You might have mentioned it before, but have you noticed any unusual wear on your tires at 36psi? I'm actually running them around there as well but mine still still to new to tell anything yet. Anyone know if Lexus officially changed this yet? I was concerned about running my tires over the recommended pressure until I read the following article. I don't run mine at maximum pressure, but I think I'll get better wear and mileage at 36 psi. I have the Michelin tires, and I don't see any excessive wear. But I am only at 4200 miles. Here's an article from Officer.com about tire pressure. It presents a case for using maximum tire pressure. To go to the actual site, copy the following link, paste it into your browser, and hit Go. http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp...19&id=27281 SGT. DAVE STORTON EVOC Contributor Officer.com How many officers check the tire pressure on their patrol car on a regular basis? We all seem to be great at checking that the lights and siren work, because the time to find out they don't work is not when you get a Code 3 call. Likewise, the time to find out your tire pressure is too low is not when you are in a pursuit and trying to take a corner at high speed. What is proper pressure? The proper tire pressure for the Police Crown Victoria is 44 psi. If you look on the sidewall of the tire, you will see that it lists 44 psi max pressure. Regardless of what vehicle you have, use the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Higher pressure results in better performance, decreased tire wear, and it lessens your chance of hydroplaning at a given speed. This number on the sidewall lists "the maximum amount of pressure you should ever put in the tire under normal driving conditions." Pursuits and Code 3 responses are not "normal driving conditions." Many agencies maintain tire pressure at 35 psi since this is what is listed in the owner's manual and on the door placard. The reason the owner's manual lists 35 psi is because we get the same manual as the civilian version of the Crown Victoria. The police version, however, is fully loaded with communications equipment, a cage, and your gear. You are not looking for a soft and cushy ride, you want performance. Myths about pressure Let's put to rest some common misconceptions. The tires will not balloon out creating a peak in the center portion of the tread when tire pressure is above 35 psi. There is a steel belt that prevents this from happening. Also, you are not overstressing the tire with higher pressure, and the tire will not be forced off the rim with higher pressure. The picture above is Bobby Ore of Bobby Ore Motorsports driving a Ford Ranger on two wheels. The tires on the left side have 100 psi in them, and they happen to be tires and rims from a 1999 Crown Victoria! This is a dramatic example of how pressure holds the tire in shape, and how much stress a tire can handle. Performance If you were able to watch a tire as it travels across the ground at high speed, you would see that it deflects to one side during cornering. The faster you are going through a corner, the more tire deflection you get. As the tire deflects over onto the sidewall, you get less traction and more of a tendency to understeer or oversteer. This could spell disaster when negotiating a corner at high speed during a pursuit or a Code 3 run. Higher pressure keeps the tire from deflecting onto the sidewall as much, which keeps more of the treaded portion on the road. A good demonstration for EVOC instructors is to have students drive a high-speed course in a vehicle with 32 to 35 psi. Then have them run the same course with 44 to 50 psi in the tires. The student will experience a marked difference in performance. Having officers experience this difference in vehicle performance is much more effective than just telling them to check their tire pressure. Hydroplaning When a tire rolls across a road covered with water, the tire tread channels water away so the rubber remains in contact with the road. The factors that affect hydroplaning are speed, and water depth. Conventional wisdom says that vehicles will hydroplane in as little as 1/16th of an inch of water. Not so coincidentally, legal tread depth is 1/16th of an inch. Tire manufactures and the Association of Law Enforcement Emergency Response Trainers International (ALERT) have shown that tires have more of a tendency to hydroplane when pressure is low. This happens because the tire footprint (the portion of the tire actually in contact with the road) is larger. For those of you who water ski, think of which is easier to get up on: a fat ski or a skinny ski. More tire surface in contact with the water makes it easier to hydroplane, just as it is easier to water ski on a fat ski. Also, a soft tire can be pushed in more by the pressure of the water on the center portion of the tread. This results in less rubber in contact with the road. Tire wear Much better tire wear results from maintaining proper pressure. Tires with lower pressure will wear off the outside of the tread faster from the deflection of the tire during cornering, and the tires will heat up more from increased road friction. This is one of the factors that caused the failure of a certain brand of tires on Ford Explorers some years ago. In 1999 the San Jose Police Department realized a significant cost savings by increasing the pressure in the training fleet to 50 psi. They soon followed up by increasing the pressure in the patrol fleet to 44 psi. For liability reasons, most agencies are reluctant to exceed the maximum pressure listed on the tire for actual patrol vehicles, but they reap the cost saving when going to 50 psi on training vehicles. Next time you inspect your vehicle, make sure you check your tire pressure since your ability to performance drive is significantly affected by it. You are not driving to the store to get a loaf of bread! You may be called upon to chase a dangerous criminal or respond to assist another officer in trouble. You don't wonder whether or not your gun is loaded before you hit the street; don't' wonder whether your tire pressure is correct once the pursuit starts. Check your tires routinely, just as you do with all other critical equipment.

Going down mountain roads, I use the B position. It keeps you from having to hold your foot on the brake for the entire decent. You all are more mechanical than me. But when I look at the guage on the left and put the transmission into B mode, the gauge moves into the "Blue" zone which shows that it is generating electricity. Also, adding brakes to the B mode gets you farther into the "Blue" zone than just brakes. Are you sure the B mode has no generating capacity?

I have a 2006 AWD. I user Premium gas, and have my tire pressure at 36 psi. I got 28.2 during the Summer months, and have gotten 24.9 during the Winter months, so I am averaging around 26.5 overall. You can improve your mileage results a couple miles per gallon by observing the driving techniques discussed in other posts.

In the 400h, 99% of the time you are in 2WD. Only when you first start up and when your front tires start to slip will the rear wheel drive kick in. So when you are moving at 65 MPH, you are just using 2WD. However, that being said, the 400h does work well in the snow. We have have a great deal of snow this year, and I have been very pleased with how the 400h has handled the snow and ice. You can see when the rear wheel drive is active by looking at the Energy Monitor.

We had a pretty good snow yesterday and today. When I got out this morning, the side streets had about 10 inches of snow, with even more at the intersections where the snow plows had pushed more into the side streets from the main roads. The 400h did well, not slipping or getting stuck. In this storm there were plenty of people getting stuck, including some SUV's and 4wd trucks. So it was definitely a good test. I could tell that the tires are not the best in the snow. I will get some with more aggressive tread when I replace the original tires.

Here's an article from Officer.com about tire pressure. It presents a case for using maximum tire pressure. To go to the actual site, copy the following link, paste it into your browser, and hit Go. Why this site recommends maximum pressure and the auto manufactures recommend something less is the question. Anyone have the answer? http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp...19&id=27281 SGT. DAVE STORTON EVOC Contributor Officer.com How many officers check the tire pressure on their patrol car on a regular basis? We all seem to be great at checking that the lights and siren work, because the time to find out they don't work is not when you get a Code 3 call. Likewise, the time to find out your tire pressure is too low is not when you are in a pursuit and trying to take a corner at high speed. What is proper pressure? The proper tire pressure for the Police Crown Victoria is 44 psi. If you look on the sidewall of the tire, you will see that it lists 44 psi max pressure. Regardless of what vehicle you have, use the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Higher pressure results in better performance, decreased tire wear, and it lessens your chance of hydroplaning at a given speed. This number on the sidewall lists "the maximum amount of pressure you should ever put in the tire under normal driving conditions." Pursuits and Code 3 responses are not "normal driving conditions." Many agencies maintain tire pressure at 35 psi since this is what is listed in the owner's manual and on the door placard. The reason the owner's manual lists 35 psi is because we get the same manual as the civilian version of the Crown Victoria. The police version, however, is fully loaded with communications equipment, a cage, and your gear. You are not looking for a soft and cushy ride, you want performance. Myths about pressure Let's put to rest some common misconceptions. The tires will not balloon out creating a peak in the center portion of the tread when tire pressure is above 35 psi. There is a steel belt that prevents this from happening. Also, you are not overstressing the tire with higher pressure, and the tire will not be forced off the rim with higher pressure. The picture above is Bobby Ore of Bobby Ore Motorsports driving a Ford Ranger on two wheels. The tires on the left side have 100 psi in them, and they happen to be tires and rims from a 1999 Crown Victoria! This is a dramatic example of how pressure holds the tire in shape, and how much stress a tire can handle. Performance If you were able to watch a tire as it travels across the ground at high speed, you would see that it deflects to one side during cornering. The faster you are going through a corner, the more tire deflection you get. As the tire deflects over onto the sidewall, you get less traction and more of a tendency to understeer or oversteer. This could spell disaster when negotiating a corner at high speed during a pursuit or a Code 3 run. Higher pressure keeps the tire from deflecting onto the sidewall as much, which keeps more of the treaded portion on the road. A good demonstration for EVOC instructors is to have students drive a high-speed course in a vehicle with 32 to 35 psi. Then have them run the same course with 44 to 50 psi in the tires. The student will experience a marked difference in performance. Having officers experience this difference in vehicle performance is much more effective than just telling them to check their tire pressure. Hydroplaning When a tire rolls across a road covered with water, the tire tread channels water away so the rubber remains in contact with the road. The factors that affect hydroplaning are speed, and water depth. Conventional wisdom says that vehicles will hydroplane in as little as 1/16th of an inch of water. Not so coincidentally, legal tread depth is 1/16th of an inch. Tire manufactures and the Association of Law Enforcement Emergency Response Trainers International (ALERT) have shown that tires have more of a tendency to hydroplane when pressure is low. This happens because the tire footprint (the portion of the tire actually in contact with the road) is larger. For those of you who water ski, think of which is easier to get up on: a fat ski or a skinny ski. More tire surface in contact with the water makes it easier to hydroplane, just as it is easier to water ski on a fat ski. Also, a soft tire can be pushed in more by the pressure of the water on the center portion of the tread. This results in less rubber in contact with the road. Tire wear Much better tire wear results from maintaining proper pressure. Tires with lower pressure will wear off the outside of the tread faster from the deflection of the tire during cornering, and the tires will heat up more from increased road friction. This is one of the factors that caused the failure of a certain brand of tires on Ford Explorers some years ago. In 1999 the San Jose Police Department realized a significant cost savings by increasing the pressure in the training fleet to 50 psi. They soon followed up by increasing the pressure in the patrol fleet to 44 psi. For liability reasons, most agencies are reluctant to exceed the maximum pressure listed on the tire for actual patrol vehicles, but they reap the cost saving when going to 50 psi on training vehicles. Next time you inspect your vehicle, make sure you check your tire pressure since your ability to performance drive is significantly affected by it. You are not driving to the store to get a loaf of bread! You may be called upon to chase a dangerous criminal or respond to assist another officer in trouble. You don't wonder whether or not your gun is loaded before you hit the street; don't' wonder whether your tire pressure is correct once the pursuit starts. Check your tires routinely, just as you do with all other critical equipment.

Yes, they are shiny, silver coated brass. So they are solid and sturdy - not like the plastic ones they had on when I bought the 400h.

I heard the batteries were made to be recycled - the nickol is valuable. Where did you get your information that they couldn't be. Also, what is your information source on the polution required to make the batteries verses savings?

Your dealer should carry a license plate holder that has RX400h on the bottom and the Lexus symbol to top. I got two from my dealer in Colorado Springs.

When I got my 2006, everything was standard except the upgraded sound system, which I didn't want and the rear entertainment system, which I didn't want. I think you will want the display unit. It is more than just a navigation system. It has the energy monitor and consumption screens which really help you understand what the hybrid is doing and helps you maximize your mileage. It also has the Bluetooth, which I agree with Robl45, is great. You can be traveling down the road talking to someone with both handles on the wheel and nothing attached to your ear. Another benefit, or not depending upon the call, is that everyone in the vehicle can hear what is being said and can be in the conversation. So my wife and I can both talk to our daughter at the same time. The display unit also has touch screen controls for your climate control, time setting, maintenance history, and other functions I haven't used yet. It also has the rear view camera which is really helpful when you are backing into a parking space. That being said, the generation 5 display on the 2007 model has some important improvements over the generation 4 on the 2006 model. In terms of deprecation, the key is how long you plan on owning the vehicle. If you plan to keep it a long time, which is what I plan to do, mileage becomes a bigger factor than model year at some point in determining price. I got the extended warranty, so I have everything covered for 100,000 miles. I plan on keeping it for most or all of that period of time.

Interesting. I have never noticed any noise from my roof rack, even with the moon roof open. Maybe try moving the arms? I have my front arm set as far forward as possible and my rear arm set as far back as possible. Husker, You have been on this site for a long time, so you have heard all the complaints regarding the 400h. Now, I haven't been on other model specific sites, and ever model may have just as many issues. But one of the things to consider before you purchase is whether or not you will get one of the 400h's with issues or not. I have been lucky with mine. I have no complaints with noises, lurches, lower mileage, or anything else other than the version of the voice command system that I got on the 2006 model. I have over 2200 miles on mine and have not had to take it into the dealer yet. That has never been the case with any of my other new cars (approximately 10 to 12). However, I do believe the people who are reporting problems. So there does seem to be problems with some individual vehicles. Lexus and the dealers seem to be responsive for the most part to fixing problems when they occur. I have read somewhere that 90% of 400h owners would purchase there vehicle again. But ultimately you have to decide if this model has more issues than other similar models and weather you will be in the 90% group or in the 10% group. Knock on wood, so far I am very happy with my 400h and love driving it every day. Good luck on your decision again. 12/2/2006 Husker, I am finding what katzjamr found. My mileage has dropped to 23.5 with the very cold temperatures that we have had this last week. Temperatures have been between minus 3 to only around 20 something this week. It seems funny that the cold has more of a mileage cost than running the air conditioner. This Summer, I was getting 28.2.

Here in Colorado Springs, we had about 4 inches of snow last night. I went the back way to work to see how the 400h performed on slick, hilly roads. Here are my conclusions from this limited trial. First, I had no problems with slipping; however, it didn't seem to be the kind of snow where others were having difficulty either. Second, the rear wheels only kick in when you are starting up or going very slowly up hill. So most of the time, even in the snow, it is a 2 wheel drive vehicle. Third, the ABS brakes seem to pump alternatively left - right - left, etc., and they work with softer pumps than I am used to. I liked the way they worked and they brought me to a safe stop when I did a panic stop (intentionally in a safe area, of course). Fourth, I would say that the 400h is not a sure footed as my other vehicle, an Audi A6. Audi's put 25% of the drive power to each wheel and can transfer power as needed to whichever wheels need it, up to 70% to any one wheel. Audi has been in the AWD businees longer than any of the other manufacturers, and I'm not sure if the RX350 would be any better than the RX400h. On finding a 400h with the color you want, have you looked at the Flint Mica exterior color with the drak gray interior (it may even be considered black) color. That is what I have; and I would think that if you like Black, you might like the Flint Mica. Flint Mica is a dark grey with green, purple, and silver metallic flakes that show up in the Sun. I like it.

Another benefit is super low emissions. The RX400h has a 9.5 EPA pollution rating with 10.0 being the best. The MDX is a 6 or a 7 depending upon the model. Other comparisons: A 2007 Corolla is a 7, and a Mini Cooper is a 2. So the Lexus hybrids are significantly cleaner than even most small cars. In fact, looking at the EPA site for small cars, nothing rates better than a 9.5, so the 400h is rated as clean as the Prius, the Honda Insight, and the natural gas version of the Civic. You can find the EPA ratings at http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicle/select.htm Here's my take on the RX400h. I am driving a 4300 pound AWD SUV that has the power and acceleration of a V-8. I have almost every convenience and gadget that can be put into a vehicle (I don't care about Sirius radio and the Ipod connection, however). I'm getting 27 - 28 MPG. I'm driving the quietest vehicle I have ever been in. I love the electronic continuous variable transmission. I am producing significantly less pollution than most small compacts. To my way of thinking, the RX400h has it all. We test drove the 400h, then test drove the 350. After driving the 350, we immediately negotiated for the 400h. The drive is just so much better, to me, I had to have it. In terms of the aluminum trim, why don't you see if you can find it at any other dealer on the Internet? Taking a trip to pick up what you want may be better than waiting for who knows how long to get it. I have the aluminum trim on a 2006 model and I like it much better than the wood trim also. Only major con to me is that the 400h is not for use off road, if that is important to you. Good luck on your decision. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.