RX400h

The other thing you should consider is heat from sitting out in the sun. Black seats can get firey hot, but have the advantage of not showing dirt or dye as well as do lighter colors.

So, RX400h, just how do you think those batteries got charged, or was it a form of Keebler's Magic Oven?

Or was it from the inertia created by gasoline and/or the ICE being used directly to charge the batteries.

"Official EPA ratings...."

Please don't be insulted but would you mind referencing the actual publishing source?

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1. Kinetic energy is recovered during braking.

2. The front and rear electric motors redirect this as electrical energy to the electronic control unit.

3. The electronic control unit returns energy to the high voltage battery.

As far as EPA figures, look here: http://www.invoicedealers.com/cars/Summary...me=Lexus+RX400h

Has anyone seen any OFFICIAL EPA cty/hwy mileage ratings for the RX400h? Like directly from Lexus?

Yes, the official EPA ratings are 31 City and 27 Highway for the RX400h. Anyone who really believes that the 330 will get better city milage should back away from their crack pipe. Remember, 0-40 MPH without using ANY gasoline says it all. Having what amounts to an electric supercharger AND large enough motors to propel a vhicle on their own is called having your cake and eating it, too. B)

That's why the highway MPG is so low. Any engineer worth his salt would simply charge, top off, the batteries and then not use them again as long as a reasonably constant speed were maintained or maybe if WOT is applied.

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The AWD RX330 is rated (using the same EPA test cycles) at 18/24 MPG, so no matter how you look at it, the RX400h far exceeds the city mileage (72% increase) and even surpases the highway mileage by 12.5%, and I expect real-world-driving to produce the same increases. As I mentioned a while ago, if you drive primarily on empty country roads and average 50-60 MPH, then cylinder deactivation is the way to go. However, if frequent stop&go driving is the norm, you will make up the extra cost of the hybrid is short time, especially with these and future gas prices.

Thanks, Patt!

Yes, Lo Jack is a dealer-installed option. Another DIO is a GPS system that allows you to track the whereabouts of your vehicle by going online and viewing a realtime map. If your vehicle is stolen, you can track its wherabouts and call the police. If your kid borrow the car, you can not only track its whereabouts, but can also prevent it from being started after it is shut down. With a Lo Jack installed, only the police can track your vehicle. Although both cost about the same to have installed ($1000 or so), the GPS retreival system requires recurring costs (from what I hear).

I will be getting a list of available dealer-installed options soon and may post them for others to see. And no, I will not be getting any $1200 Teflon coating option!

But I'll tell you this ... any owner that's an aggressive city driver will end up spending lots more on gas than if they stayed with the conventional RX...and I can only hope Lexus states it somewhere in the new owner's manual!"

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That's typical of ANY vehicle. As a matter of fact, many car magazines achieve FAR less gas milage than EPA figures show. Remember that many of us live in large cities that produce plenty of stop&go traffic - traffic that suits the RX400h perfectly, since speeds up to 40 MPH are attained via electric power only.

BTW, take anything you hear with a grain of salt. Case-in-point: I heard from a salesman that the Toyota Highlander hybrid uses a low-ower drivetrain that is very similar to that of the Prius and far less powerful than that of the RX400h.

....see what I mean?

I just finished speaking to a very courteous Lexus salesperson and manager and found out that my RX400h is due to be delivered on April 25th. I was even given the VIN number! Out of the 14 people who were above me on the list, only one picked the same color that we did - Bamboo Pearl. A couple of people picked "any color" and the majority picked Savanna Metallic.

Hey, if they can't get the technology down correctly in the RX330's engine/transaxle ECU, what makes you think the RX400h will be an improvement?

That's not your father's (Prius) hybrid system you know.

I think I'd trust Ford and Toyota to get the Escape correct before I'd try Toyota out on the RX400h. The Escape does have your father's hybrid system.

And think about what might have been behind, the cause of, the RX400h's two year production delay.

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Actually Nissan has had a high-HP vehicle with CVT tranny for quite some time now and reliability has been excellent. Therefore, yes, it is not that difficult to build a reliable CVT that is linked to a high-HP engine. The CVT has FAR fewer parts and should prove to be a much better alternative to the ever more complicated granny trannies. :chairshot:

The fix is arriving April 18th. It's called the RX400h - CVT tranny and enough torque to pull a house off its foundation. ....gotta love it!

I find it extremely odd that the rear rotors need replacing. The typical rear rotor or drum should last over 100,000 miles of average driving. As far as the tires, I would've bargained down the price of the vehicle, using the shallow thread depth and the prediction of having to purchase tires within a short time period as justification. However, that's water under the bridge. I would ask why the rear rotors need to be replaced and I would also buy replacement tires from Tirerack. You can save a bundle.

Yes, I believe they are the same combos. I also heard today that each dealership will receive one "test-driver" on or around April 18th.

Needless-to-say, I am eager to try one out! :D

I was told (today) that 60% - 80% (no DVD) is the correct number.

I don't have the breakdown of leather color combos, but this is what I was able to jot down after a conversation with a dealer today:

18% Savana

10% Flint Mica with black interior

10% Flint Mica with gray interior

14% Silver

10% Black

12% Bamboo Pearl

15% White

4% Neptune

The remaining will be interior combos within these color options.

Bill,

You should have started the quote mark with "Superior technology creates superior value.

..since that began the e-mail message that Lexus sent us. When I first read your post, I thought Lexus was asking you whether you would pay the $1200 for body prep.

My Lexus dealer maintains that they will charge MSRP only and will NEVER add a markup. However, I would be upset if they did try to sneak in the $1200.

...from a recent issue of Car & Driver.....

"At the rear wheels we find the rear electric motor (MGR), which is hooked directly by gear drive to the rear differential. This one is air- and oil-cooled, since it only functions intermittently (the other MGs are water- and oil-cooled), and it adds another 67 horsepower to the mix. Hermance says this motor cranks over 650 pound-feet of drive-axle torque to the vehicle’s overall tractive effort when it’s energized.

We believe him. Nail the RX400h’s throttle from rest, and you might hear front or rear tires chirping, depending on available grip. The V-6 growls with the usual determination when you’re hard on the gas, but the continuously variable transmission pegs its rotational speed somewhere near the torque peak and maximum volumetric efficiency, producing sound effects that are the opposite of a slipping clutch. Instead of a rising engine note as vehicle speed remains constant, the vehicle speed rises as the engine speed remains constant."

All-wheel drive is a common solution when torque gets above managable levels in front wheel-drive vehicles. However, this may mean that the 2 wheel-drive Highlanders may be a bit squirrely upon takeoff!

Patt, No. I have not been given a date. We are number 15 on the list, so I expect that the delivery date depends upon the number of those before us who have chosen the same color. We too, may have grandkids within the next 10 years but don't normally think that far in advance! :)

Hey, can I buy the one without the DVD if you decide to wait? :D Seriously, I know how you feel, since I am very happy I have the 12-CD changer in the Corvette. I guess the big difference between the DVD entertainment system and my CD changer is the cost. $2000+ is alot of money for something that would be rarely used (in our case, since we don't often go on 2+ hour trips). If the entertainment system included a satelite-TV feature, it would be much more useful, since most movies on DVD are a minimum of two hours long. At least with a satelite TV, passengers can catch the news or a 1/2-hour comedy during short trips.

On the other hand, back when I was a kid, my mother took me to the bicycle shop for my birthday to buy my dream bike. I really wanted a green bike, but that would've required that we return on another day. The only one available was red. Being a typical impatient kid, I took the red bike and regretted it ever-since.

So, if your husband REALLY wants that entertainment system and the wait isn't more than something you can stand, then I say - wait. Say, maybe if you're picking the same color as we are, we can trade vehicles! (You get the DVD and we get the lower price.) BTW, my wife has been waiting for 10 years for this vehicle; she's getting anxious as well!

Back in 2001 when I was shopping for the Corvette, I decided that I would get a CD player in the dash and no side molding. I felt that the 12-CD player was overkill. However, when I saw an ad by a dealership in Alabama who had my color coupe on order, but with the 12 CD changer and side molding, I decided to try to bargain the price down to see what they could do. They agreed to a $2500 discount off the MSRP AND a discounted extended warranty. If I couldn't get any discount, then I'd have speacial-ordered the car with only the options I needed to have.

My point is that it's always very easy to justify buying more if you are receiving a good or great deal in the process. It is also very tempting to buy more than you intended when quantities are limited and waiting lists, long. Therefore, I wouldn't blame you if you "go to the max" by getting it all, including the DVD system, especially considering the length of time we've been enduring. Heck, I may do the same thing if our color comes in and the vehicle is offered to us that day.

I may even take the day off from work!

Rx400h, I also forgot to note that the "great circle" distance of approximately 5000 miles actually takes one fairly far North - accurate for flying from Japan to California but possibly weather dictates that the ships take a longer path.

We have to do something while we wait for our cars.

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I agree! :D

april 20th will be the new in-store launch

Where did this info come from?

I did some back of the envelope calculations. It is about 5000 miles to California from Japan. I think cargo ships travel at about 15 to 20 knots or 17.5 to 23 mph. So it takes about 9-12 days sailing to make the trip. I figure that at a busy port it could take a day to get through customs. To get to LexRexBlue in New Jersey the via rail would be about 2750 miles more and I doubt the trains average more than 50 mph so that would be another 2 and a half days. Add another day for moving cars around including their final trip via truck. That adds up to 11 to 14 days for the West Coast and 14 to 19 days for the East. If they go by ship all the way to the East Coast, there is even more time.

If they are really going to have cars at most of the dealers on the 15 (and that seems to be what the dealers I've talked to expect) then all or most of them must already be on their way.

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Patt, you forgot to consider Northeasterly winds that typically can reduce travel from Japan by approximately 2.675 to 8.678 knotts, effectively delaying arrival to California by as much as 2 days, 4 hours, 18 minutes and 21 seconds. Of course, a car carrier is restricted to a maximum speed of 55 mph and the time period required to travel from the dock to the dealerships often overlaps rush hour traffic, which can delay dealership arrival by an average of 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 58 seconds. Hence, I calculate an amended "final destination" length of time to be between 13 days, 6 hours, 22 minutes, and 19 seconds and 16 days, 6 hours, 22 minutes, and 19 seconds.

Hey, I had some extra time on my hands tonight!

First, as some others have noted here, the acceleration is dismal, especially from a dead stop; the advertised torque is 242 ft-lb @ around 3400 rpm, but the profile (torque as function of rpm) must be very peaky, 'cause from a dead stop, it feels like I'm driving a ship (I may have been spoiled by my previous vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee w/ 4.0L engine, which has great low-end torque).

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In a drag race, however, the RX330 would immediately pull ahead of the Jeep 4.0L and leave it far behind in the dust. Ditto when pulling out to pass another vehicle at speed.

Small cylinder width, short piston stroke Toyota / Honda double overhead cam valvetrain engine like the RX330 engine love to spin fast and don't really come "alive" until you get up around 3,000 RPM and beyond. This has been a characteristic of most Asian car engines for the past 30+ years.

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Hah! Just imagine how the Rx400h's 650 lbs-ft of torque will feel. The Jeep will think a Ferarri F40 just blasted by it!!

I have seen a custom hood with an air scoop any one know where i can fine one??

thanks for the help

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How about here?

http://www.andysautosport.com/products.php...20Fiber%20Hoods

The salesman I spoke to today said that at least initially there would only be four colors rather than the 7 in the earlier releases. He said my first choice color is one of the 4 but he didn't have the list in front of him so he couldn't tell me which ones are out. He said they will send in their requests for colors in the first delivery and then Lexus will tell them what they will get.

This is a bit disturbing, as I have already chosen a color. Could this mean that I might be waiting months for a color that is not even offered? I will call the salesguy immediately to see what he knows.......

....just called the salesguy and he conferred with another salesman before telling me that as far as they know, there will be 7 colors offered. The confusion continues......!

As far as the other details, I will post if I hear or read anything interesting.

And I'll just wave you on....and wish you good luck....

I NEVER accept challenges on the public roads.

But try me at Daytona next year.

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Mmmmm, an RX300 vs an RX400h at Daytona.....That should be an interesting race and good publicity for Lexus and its hybrid champion! You're ON!

This member's post appears to be right-on: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ndpost&p=117197

The color mix is unknown at this time, but I was told by my dealer that there will be NO test-drive RX400s as there are test-drive Prius's at Toyota dealerships. The first one you drive will the one that matches your color/option choices. I agree that details are lacking. As far as choices, it's "DVD entertainment or no DVD entertainment?"

Everything else (except for wood trim, load leveling, and laser-tracking) will be included at the $50K price.

Oh, and any of you 400h owners see WWest on the road in his 300, blast by him and honk, will yah?