Colo Springs RX400h

Right after I posted this question here, I thought of calling the dealer. The guy in the service department said that the electrical motors and components are sealed and there should be no problems - other than getting high centered which happened to some SUV's yesterday.

Yesterday we had 14 inches of snow at my house here in Colorado Springs. It was that very heavy, very wet type of snow. Here is my question: Can you have any problems with the electrical motors or any other electrical components on the 400h with that type of snow getting that high up in the undercarriage? I haven't looked underneath yet, but you would think that the electric motors would have vents for cooling. Can very deep levels of snow get into those vents and cause problems?

If have read other posts about going through snow but not regarding deep snow getting caught up where it shouldn't.

Husker,

I have a 2006 without Levinson sound, so I can't answer any questions about the 2007 model verses the 2006 model or the Levinson sound. But here are pro and cons of owning a 400h from my perspective.

Cons:

1. Price, but you know that - on the 2006 I got a $2200 Federal and a $3445 state credit so that offset the price issue for me.

2. The 400h is not for off road use. I emailed Lexus to make sure it was OK to use on gravel/dirt roads, and they said that it was. But in general, it is for paved road use.

3. Some people complain of engine noise. In my opinion, there is only one time when you ever get more noise than a non-hybrid, and that is if you accelerate from a very slow speed quickly - in other words, when you "floor it". The reason you get more noise is that the engine doesn't shift at set intervals as it does with regular transmissions. You never feel a "shift" with the Electronic Continuous Variable Transmission (ECVT); however, the ECVT does allow the engine (or electric motor) to rev up more in fast acceleration. That being said, I have found that I never need to accelerate in a manner that causes this extra noise. If you accelerate at a good but not racy rate, you will not experience this extra noise. The bottom line is: this is the quietest vehicle I have ever been in, so don't let the noise comments concern you.

4. There are a couple of situations where you may get a different feel from the 400h than non-hybrids. When starting from a stop going up hill, you may feel a small shudder. I think this is because the rear motor kicks in for a short time. Second, around 40 MPH, you may feel some minor shudders also. Again, my thinking of what this is is the front electric motor switching from driving mode to battery charge mode. This happens frequently back and forth at around this speed.

5. Don't be suprised if no one at the dealership or at Lexus knows much about the Navigation/Bluetooth workings. However, you will be getting the Generation 5 version rather than the Generation 4 that I got. There are several additional features with the Generation 5.

6. We haven't had much snow yet, so I don't know how it will do in snow. It sounds like that will change big time here in Colorado Springs tomorrow, however. I'll let you all know how it does.

Pros:

1. Mileage: I started off getting 25.5. As the motor broke in and as I learned how to drive the SUV my mileage improved to around 28.2 in the city (50/50 local roads verses highway) and 27.5 out of city on highway going 75 to 80 MPH. But here's the kicker: you get that kind of mileage on a 4300 pound SUV with the power and acceleration of a V-8!

2. Ride: I love the ECVT with no shifting. The SUV feels solid and sure footed.

3. Quiet: This is the quietest vehicle I have ever been in - even considering the revving noise mentioned above.

4. Environment: Super Low Emissions - we all have to start thinking about what we are doing to this world of ours.

5. Engineering: To me, this vehicle is an engineering marvel. Look on the Lexus site at the animations of how the hybrid parts all work. You can also look at this Toyota site http://www.hybridsynergydrive.com/en/top.html (follow all the links at the bottoms of each page). After looking at these sites, you'll see that the Toyota/Lexus hybrids are different than any other vehicles. When you press on the accelerator, you are really just talking to a computer. In fact most of the systems are controlled by the computer. There are no serpentine belts - everything has been reengineered to make the hybrid function for maximum efficiency. When you start out on electric motor power, the engine kicks in seamlessly - you can't even feel or hear it start, amazing! I can go on, but then you'll think I'm a salesman or something.

6. Fun: Giving you the immediate feedback on your mileage makes driving even more fun to me. It's like a game: how can I improve my mileage? I look forward to driving it every day.

7. Back seat floor is totally flat - no hump.

8. Hybrid components are covered by 100,00 miles or 8 year warranty. (I also got the extended warranty on everything else for under $2,500, so everything other than maintenance items are covered to 100,000 miles. To me this is fairly cheap insurance if you plan on keeping SUV that long, as I do.)

Last comment: I like the aluminum trim over the wood trim also.

I think you'll love the 400h - If I had it to do over again, I sure would.

Here ya go Colo Springs, 689 hybrid decals to choose from:

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/search/poe/gif...amp;ru=&rn=

Thanks. I'm not much of a sticker person. I really wanted a chrome badge of some type. Looks like my options are the Camry hybrid bagdes or nothing. I'll probably go with nothing. Thanks for all the input, though.

If someone does find some other type of chrome hybrid badge, please post it.

More on the Hybrid Badge saga. I talked to the Lexus dealer about the 2007 hybrid badge on the rear door panel molding that is not on the 2006. He didn't check on price, but said it would be pricy. The only idea the dealer had was to have their guy who does their pin striping to paint a hybrid logo. I'm don't think that I want to go that way though. I did break down and bought the RX400h license plate holders.

I must not be the only one who thinks that having a hybrid is something to be proud of and wanting to display it - I have noticed that all of the 2007 hybrids are coming with hybrid badges or more prominen badges.

I agree. Lexus and one other vender that I found do have license plate holders with "RX400h" on them, but I have found nothing with the word "hybrid".

Colorado. I just noticed on the Lexus site that they sell a small rear window sticker that says, "Lexus Hybrid Drive." Check it out.

Tom

Yeah,

I saw the sticker, but the back window is so dark, I doubt that it would be seen very well. Also, I wasn't sure where the sticker would go related to the rear window defroster. It didn't have the luxury look I was wanting. Thanks for the ideas though.

Thanks. I hadn't found anything on the Internet relating to a Lexus Hybrid Badge. That would definitely be better than using something from a Toyota product.

I wasn't going to post this question because I thought people might think it was a dumb question, but I'm glad I did now.

I am thinking about adding the "Hybrid" badge that comes on the sides of the Camry hybrid to the sides of my 400h. I would like for it to be more noticeable that I am driving a hybrid. The only thing that identifies that the RX400h is a hybrid to others is the "h" plus a few exterior differences that most people don't know exist.

I am interested in what others think. Are any of you wanting to do the same, or are there negatives to doing this that I am not thinking about? For example, are thieves more likely to steal hybrids.

I wonder why Lexus doesn't allow this to be the case with the RX?

I suspect so that Lexus dealers can charge $100+ per hours to do it for you.

Ask your dealer. My dealer said that they would do unlimited (within reason) personal settings for free.

Just to reinforce what others have said, check your tire pressure after delivery from the dealer. After reading the posts here, I checked mine this weekend, and they were at 44 psi. Mine were higher than what others have found probably because I'm at 6500 feet above sea level. Checking the tire pressure must not be on their checklist to check before delivery.

Does anyone have an idea of why Lexus is shipping them with this high pressure? Could it have to do with making them ship better?

Can the RX400h be safely driven on dirt or gravel roads? I'm not asking about rough terrain, but just country roads.

Does anyone have a 400h and drives it on country non-paved roads?

I've taken mine off road. Nothing too demanding but there were ruts and loose gravel, some steep sections and water crossings. It performed flawlessly and the AWD pulled thru some short patches of slipery stuff just fine. Tire are not the most grippy, and you wouldn't want to go for miles under those conditions, but it will handle most country road, or mountain cabin driveways with ease.

I never bottomed out, and I dont' think I would want to. Looking under the car there is only a flimsy plastic sheild between granite and $$$$ electronic components. If you balance the car on a rock the wrong way you could end up stuck and poor.

Remember the car cannot be towed normally it has to be flatbedded out.

Thanks. I was hoping someone had actually driven the 400h on gravel, mountianous roads. You were the first to have actually done it who has replied to my question.

Can the RX400h be safely driven on dirt or gravel roads? I'm not asking about rough terrain, but just country roads.

Does anyone have a 400h and drives it on country non-paved roads?

Here is what Lexus sent me regarding this question:

"Thank you for contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction. We are dedicated to providing superior service. In circumstances that require our attention, we will assist in the resolution process.

The RX 400h is intended for use for paved driving. Off-road use should be limited, for example: a flat dirt road will be fine. Serious off-roading like large mud puddles, fording streams, rock climbs, etc. should NOT be performed by the RX 400h. Your local Lexus dealership may be able to tell you if your RX 400h can handle your local road conditions. We apologize for any misunderstanding you may have had. Please be assured that your inquiry has been documented.

If you require further assistance, please respond to this e-mail, or contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. "

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Looks like we can safely use the 400h on non-paved roads to visit our friends.

Can the RX400h be safely driven on dirt or gravel roads? I'm not asking about rough terrain, but just country roads.

Does anyone have a 400h and drives it on country non-paved roads?

Is there some specific issue you are concerned about?

Yes, the Owner's Manual says that the 400h should not used "off road". We have friends who live in an area where we have to drive on 8 miles or dirt/gravel road to get there. So, I am trying to find out if driving to their house is considered "off road" or not.

Can the RX400h be safely driven on dirt or gravel roads? I'm not asking about rough terrain, but just country roads.

Does anyone have a 400h and drives it on country non-paved roads?