RX400h

Holy cow! I wish I had the time to check your calcs! It must be nice to be retired..... Thanks for the herculean effort!

Remember, electric motor torque peaks at 0 RPM, so you can't really compare that torque number to say, the torque that is generated solely by an ICE-engine. We can probably trounce any SUV to 20 MPH, due to our exposive low-end torque. The 1/4-mile drag race is another story, but hey, what is more valuable during our day-to-day commutes? I'll take low-end torque, any day!

Ken, Most modern-day vehicles are gas cap-sensitive. I've read many posts in other forums of this type of thing happening. One of the things I like about my Corvette is that I can search the exact code that generates the warning light. Then, I can peruse a list of codes (on-line) and determine what the exact problem is. I can also monitor oil pressure, oil temperature, system voltage, individual tire pressure, etc in digital readout form and for many, in analog gauge form. Monitoring processes is very valuable, IMO and I hope other manufacturers will add more info to their dashes, sometime in the near future.

Wow! If this is true, I am impressed! I don't know of any other vehicle that has this feature.

Actually, Car & Driver recently clocked the RX400h's 0-60 MPH in 6.7 seconds. They mentioned that this time is better than that of a Porsche Cayenne-S. Of course, this kind of speed is dependent upon premium fuel and a fully-charged battery, but still, for the superior gas mileage it gets, compared to any other luxury SUV, the RX400h is among the fastest, even at 4600 lbs!

From a 2005 issue of Car & Driver:

....a happy MBZ owner - a rare bird, indeed!

Are you referring to that which is generated by a dyno? I haven;t seen anything, yet.

Mmmmmm, based upon your multitude of complaints, earlier, I would be so bold as to guess that you are, in fact, a Mercedes dealership owner........ :chairshot: Seriously, this type of problem is not uncommon with Corvettes and usually, the culprit is either a bad EBCM (Electronic Body Control Module) or a frayed wire harness in the driver's side door harness bundle. This is the first I can recall seeing anything to this effect. Most likely, it is not a harbinger of things to come.......unless you really ARE a Mercedes dealer.....

I probably never compared to a Fujitsu or Runco because the stores here in San Diego don't carry them. What I can't see, I won't buy. I did look at the Pioneed Elite and although its picture was better that most others, it was just not as crisp as the Panasonic's. Besides, the Pioneers I saw had a temporary burnin of certain images. It was disturbing after seeing that the Panasonic had no such fault. Regarding other cars: What makes you think I haven't driven other vehicles? Our RX was purchased because it is as smooth or smoother than any BMW X5, Acura, or Mercedes. It at least equaled them in quietness and trounced them all in fuel economy. It really was a no-brainer, at least to my wife and me.

Newsflash: SUV stands for "Sport Utility Vehicle", not "Go Anywhere Rock Climber Vehicle". The majority of modern-day SUVs are nothing more than family haulers. "Crossovers" are vehicles like the Dodge Caliber are not nearly as tall as the RX400h. Yes, sometimes the line between the two is blurry, but you can't argue with the success of the RX line.

That could very well be; it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they are!

Again, whether NiMH batteries or lead acid batteries are used, in order to allow the vehicle to reach highway speeds, you do need to incorporate a significant number of batteries in the vehicle in order to stay within the small range of charge that our current batteries require (to ensure long life, ie 150,000 miles). Assuming you do not agree with Toyota's battery life findings and believe that deep-discharging NiMH batteries will grant the consumer even 75,000 miles of life (6 years), do you also believe that this would be acceptable to the average buyer? I think not, considering the cost of a whole new set ($6,000+?). Despite what many people think, an all-electric vehicle is not a slam-dunk when it comes to acceptance by Americans. Height: Where do you draw the line? My wife wants to be sitting as high as the majority of the tens of thousands of SUVs on the road. She doesn't want a semi-SUV that is noticably shorter than all those MDXs, Tahoes, and such. A 2-inch shorter RX is YOUR version of how tall a vehicle should be, not that of the general public. There ARE vehicles that somewhat conform to your ideal; they are called "crossovers" - half car, half SUV. Lexus may someday produce such a vehicle but as you can see by the number of tall RXs on the road, tall is in much higher demand.

Good question, W; unfortunately, I haven't taken thermodynamics since 1978, so I'm a bit rusty. Judging by the lack of responses, there are not many MEs who work with engines around here, either!

If your quote read "Toyota is a pioneer because they conquered the details and successfully delivered what no other company would at the time" I would agree with it 100%. GM had a 100% electric car in production. Do you really think that a hybrid would have been that big a stretch for them? They already had the batteries worked out, and this was the biggest technical challenge. GM dropped the hybrid, not because they didn't have the technical expertise, but because big oil killed it and because they were afraid that if they pushed clean cars too much there would be a big backlash against their bread-and-butter gas SUV's like their recently acquired (at the time) Hummer line. I commend Toyota for what they did, but the main driver of their success was political, not technical. The all-electric vehicle that GM leased utilized lead-acid batteries. Sorry, but simply adding electric motors to that car was not going to allow it to do what the Prius and Honda 2-seater hybrids did. Toyota has many, many patents - a good reason why the new Malibu hybrids cannot compete with the Camry hybrid in mileage. By the way, the all-electric cars' battery longevity is not an easy problem to solve - run them down to a low percentage of capacity and their life suffers. Run them the way Toyota does with NiMH and you'll need far more to get sufficient range. People tend to think that Toyota never considered an all-electric car. Fact is that they have and chose the hybrid route, not because of politics, but because we are NOT ready for all-electric cars that require battery replacements every 3 years. Regarding vehicle height. You are forgetting a very important reason for making the RX400h like an SUV, regardless of off-road capability. MANY women (in particular) prefer driving up high so that they can see ahead of traffic - a definite safety feature. If you lower the RX to sedan height, it will not be attractive to this customer base. Just get a GS450h if you want sedan handling!

Remember that brainstorming is not nearly as difficult as bringing an idea to completion. I've seen far too many creative people go nowhere because they couldn't follow through. As they say, "The devil is in the details." Toyota is a pioneer because they conquered the details and successfully delivered what no other company could at the time.

I think you mean something other than "raving", which more or less means "praising". And regarding plasma TVs, I spent many an hour visiting store after store and studying picture quality, back when 1080i was the best (2 years ago). Everytime I compared the Panasonic plasmas to ANY of the competition, it was not a contest at all. The Panasonic plasma was superior in every way. I'm not sure why you didn't think so, but everyone else I spoke to who was looking for a big screen said the same thing - Panasonic rules the plasma roost. In fact, their current 1080P sets are even more incredible. Competion is very good, however - not as theings were 2 years ago. As far as Consumer Reports goes. I am a long-time subscriber and can tell you that the "ratings" they publish are based directly upon consumer-completed questionaires that are sent to us, annually. A large percentage of German vehicles simply cannot be compared to Japanese vehicles when it comes to high-reliability, based upon thousands of "reports" by the very people who spend countless hours in their vehicles each day. You can try to deny this all you want, but the fact is that there is no other organization that is as thorough as CU when it comes to product information. The fact that they do not accept advertisements speaks volumes about their integrity. Diesel engines are certainly getting better, but for many, the old stinky, noisey versions from MB and Volkswagen left a very bad taste in people's mouths. It still doesn't help that diesel fuel is commonly more expensive than premium fuel. Diesel engines are also very expensive to manufacture -another issue that cannot be ignored.

r6264, Your last response didn't include any additional comments, so I deleted it. Perhaps you hit the "Add Reply" too soon? Best regards, Dave

I would therefore venture to say that your wife cannot fly on a plane for any significant length of time? Believe it or not, you are among a very small minority of Lexus owners who despise the RX400h's seats. I agree that they are not as comfortable as they could be, but I know no one else who is literally pained by using them. In fact, a coworker and his wife, who are over 65 years old, are happy with the seats in their RX400h. And although Mercedes, Audi, and BMW all include super-firm seats in ther vehicles, their SUV sales are trounced quite often by Lexus sales. Lexus must be doing something right! Look, every vehicle has its good and not-so-good features. (The BMW I-drive is definitely a not-so-good feature), but by all means, let manufacturers know how you feel. If enough owners recommend the same change, perhaps we will see future models that incorporate some of these suggestions. I would love to see HUD (Heads Up Display) and tire pressure/oil life monitors in every car I drive, but for now, I am very happy with the RX.

Intstalling Eibachs in my son's Honda Civic was $360 (including 4-wheel alignment).

I can tell you this: Yes, any change in height will require an alignment and knowing Eibach (I just had a set of their springs and shocks installed in my son's Honda Civic), handling (primarily, sway) WILL improve noticably.

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/Susptab...=&brand=all

I too have to chuckle when someone is willing to compromise on choices that impact their day to day lives out of fear of something that may or may not ever happen. Sure, having to take your car to the shop is a drag. Having front seats that are so uncomfortable that we can't take the RX on road trips because my wife's back gets too sore is a much bigger drag. Seriously, if your wife is getting back pain from sitting in a Lexus, she needs to see a chiropracter or other specialist. I agree that the RX seats are not sportscar-like, but let's face it, Americans are getting bigger every year. A tight-fitting Recaro seat is just not an option for most 300-lb owners. In any event, if someone has serious discomfort when sitting on a plane or bus seat, it's time to see a professional.

That door sticker number is way off. I recommend 34-36 psi in each of all four tires, regardless of brand.

"Chopping" or "cupping" as tire wear is normally due to worn shock absorbers, but the tire wear I saw was obviously due to a combination of misalignment and underinflation (due to an incorrect tire pressure recommendation), not worn struts. I did find this explanation in "Allexperts" website: Here's some more opinions from Tom and Ray: