RX400h

I rotate my Bridgestones and end up with howling tires after 30,000 miles - go figure. My Corvette has different wheel and tire sizes from front to back so rotation is not an option. I've been running Goodyear GSD3 tires (best tires I've ever had) and now hear that they may not be making them in my sizes any more. Thus, I may be in the same boat as you! :cries:

Car & Driver tested both and the RX400h came out on top with a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds. Faster, better gas mileage and smoother-shifting. What else can you ask for?

I would call your local auto stereo/alarm installer and inquire. I'll bet that they can install one in your vehicle.

BMW X5s and X3s are good candidates, but also Porsche Cayennes (non-turbo) and Ford Explorers also get beaten quite easily! :chairshot:

Having battery assist is like having a bottle of nitrous that is automatically replenished (albeit a bit slowly) by a large tank. If you are going to race someone, make sure your charge (bottle) is full. Car & Driver achieved a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds with a full charge. You couldn't beat that with an RX350 no matter how hard you tried.

Hopefully, solar power will come down in cost. Here in So Cal, the sun shines almost every day so the hope is that we can store some of that energy and heat for use in our homes and vehicles, economically. Perhaps midwesterners can produce electricity via wind-capturing devices as well.

The electric motor sound is very noticable only when accelerating rather briskly. Under most normal driving conditions, the RX400h is very quiet. Here in and around the big city, payback for a hybrid RX comes much quicker, especially since we were able to reduce our taxes by $2000. And since gas prices tend to average over $3.00/gallon, buying an RX350 makes sense only if you plan to sell it after 3 years or so or if you rarely drive your vehicles.

Regarding starting batteries: According to Consumer Reports magazine, the best battery out there is the Sears Platinum. Unfortunately, it costs $180 + tax. While our RX's battery is now over 5 years old, when it comes time to replace it, I will look into a Costco Kirkland battery (about $60) to see if its reserve capacity is beyond what the OEM battery has to offer.

Based upon what I have read, there has yet to be a hybrid vehicle made by Toyota that has needed a battery pack replacement. Some Prius cars have over 250,000 miles on their original battery pack. This is one of the reasons why NiMH batteries are still being used - extreme longevity, but also because they are relatively inexpensive (compared to lithium batteries) and can be recycled. At 60,000 miles, your RX has a long way to go before needing batteries.

Mix the potent V6/hybrid powertrain with a light-weight body and viola - fast hybrid that gets 33 MPG. I'll take one!

True, but if the previous owner did not have the vehicle serviced at the dealership, there will be no records to check - the danger being that you can't contact the previous owner to inquire about his or her maintenance records.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f33/guigiaro-builds-fastest-prius-17286/

This is true only if the dealership has service records of the used vehicle it is selling. There are many out there that do not. That being the case, I'd rather buy from a private seller who has records of all maintenence and repair work.

How many miles are on the odometer?

Based upon this tool's capability, I can almost guarantee you that all RX400hs have OBD II. My 2001 Corvette has it and that car is 4 years older than our 2006 RX400h (which we purchased in 2005). http://www.autopartsdeal.com/Parts_List/scan_tool/lexus/rx400h/

Uh oh, it looks like you'll need a Diagnostic Test Kit and a CAN Interface Module Kit to do the relearn procedure.

Keep in mind that many reviews are written after only 1000 miles of driving. Our Bridgestone Alenzas were incredible tires until about 30,000 miles when they started to "sing". Perhaps my 5-6000 mile rotations contributed to the noise but I've done the same with other tires and did not have this issue. (Except for Sumitomos which sounded off after only 10,000 miles).

Thanks for letting us know about that. Standard tranny Hondas are very reliable, that's for certain. Now my 89 Mazda MX6 GT with 150,000 miles on its auto tranny is still running well despite a couple of fluid leaks (not related to the transmission). I surely wouldn't mind replacing the Mazda with a Lexus CT200h some day.

That's very good mileage - congrats.

By the way, the traction batteries are nickel-metal Hydride, not lithium.

After owning many different brands of vehicles and speaking to many owners of other vehicles (including Toyotas), I can say without a doubt that Lexus is the most reliable. We have not had one issue in over 52,000 miles. That being said, I must also mention that should something happen now, especially something that incurs no charge to us, I would never say that I would never buy a Toyota or Lexus again. I can't imagine why you would feel this way unless you've never owned a Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Land Rover - all having far worse reliability. What brand other than maybe Acura (and it is certainly not free of issues) would you switch to?

Can I ask why on earth you would have 17-inch wheels and tires? What happened to the OEM sets?

Totally unique and beautiful work. You should work for the Lexus division!

I agree with Lemon. Ours was done last year.

Mmmmm, our RX400h has its original battery and it is now 5 years and 3 months old. It starts the car like it is brand new. I suspect those who have batteries that fail early were unlucky. Most Toyota batteries last well over 5 years from what I've seen. The Costco Kirkland battery is an excellent battery, especially for the very low cost.