RX400h

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?

I got it from a dealer that the R400h will start at 40 or 41K with AWD, he thinks there will be no FWD offered.

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Boy, were they way off the mark! $48.5K to start and a minimum of $50K for a while with the only option being rear DVD ($52.5K)

As far as I know, there will be no load leveling or wood trim, at least for the time being.

Greetings,

Does the rear DVD sound go into the car's sound system? If yes and you want to

listen to a  movie or a an audio DVD, could you do as well with a non-Lexus

DVD player system?

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

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Good question, Bill. Perhaps someone who has a DVD entertainment system can answer that one?

I agree with your position on the rear DVD player.  My luck, the one out of eight that comes with it will be the only one with my favorite color choice!  We'll see ...

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My salesperson told me that he thought no one else (higher-up on the list) picked my color! Now THAT would be convenient. I guess I'll be finding out how well the Mark Levinson stereo sounds and how quickly the heated seats reach the comfort zone. The excitement builds.....

Very consistent with the information from my dealer in Michigan.  In case you missed my post, here is the link.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ndpost&p=117197

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The way I look at it is that I can buy two laptops with headphones and extra batteries for the same cost as the DVD entertainment package. The big advantage of having the laptops for long trips is that you can take them anywhere else as well - hence, my choice of NO entertainment system.

Today I spoke to the salesguy at the Lexus dealership to which we submitted a deposit last April. He explained that at least initially, there will be only two packages available - with the DVD entertainment package and without the package. Everything else is included - meaning Mark Levinson and heated seats, I presume.

I asked him if he was going to be getting a test-driver 400h any time soon and he replied that the first 400 we drive will be the one we can buy. The expected number of 400s coming in is 5 per month, but we can conceivably be offered ours a bit early if our color is not selected by anyone else above us in the master list.

As a side note, I test-drove a Toyota Prius today and as SW mentioned, it is a great economy car but is NOT a luxury car. Road and engine noise is typical of a lightweight economy car. We also took a look at the Highlander hybrid costs. These will be offered in both 2 and 4-wheel drive options and are $5000 above similarly-equipped Highlanders, although non-hybrid highlanders are not available with GPS. Lower-priced Highlander hybrids will not have the GPS and the most expensive Highlander hybrid will run $43,000. The low-end versions with no GPS can be had for $36,000.

The cop that pulled me over was pretty cool I guess, I mean I was doing 87 in a 65 and he only put 10 over on the ticket. I could have been alot worse but my biddest gripe is I wasent the only one speeding there were 3 or 4 cars going the same speed if not faster and he pulled me over  :chairshot:

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This is how the conversation usually went before I had a radar detector:

Officer: "Do you know how fast you were going?"

Me: " Uh, about 60?"

Officer: "Try 75 in a 55."

Me: "I thought I was going with the flow of traffic. What about all those cars passing me?"

Officer: "I got YOU - License and registration, please!"

Me: "That's IT; I'm buying a RADAR detector!!!!"

RX4- Stands to reason the RX would be louder than the Camry, its an SUV on 18" rims and its a higher profile vehicle. The RX is designed to feel kinda "trucky".

The Camry itself is very quiet though, so that doesn't mean the RX is loud.

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I don't think the rx's are loud at all...i do notice that the rx330 is louder than the rx300, only becuase the the size difference. Overall they are the quietest SUV's i have ever driven in. That's why i bought them not another brand.

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Well, you guys gave me a good chuckle tonight. How did saying that my coworker thought her Camry was quieter than the RX330 turn into "the RXs are loud"? I have to admit that I've never driven an RX330, but I'm sure that I would not be disappointed by its sound level. Remember, I drive a Corvette almost every day and believe me, anything is quiet compared to that!

Okay, carry on, men!

My neighbor took his BMW in for service recently and returned with a Toyota Camry. He told me that the BMW dealership he uses will loan you a Camry for free, but if you insist on a BMW, you have to pay!

When I need to leave my Corvette at the Chevy dealership, I get a giant Silverado pickup or an Impala, along with a bill for $10 to offset the extended warranty "limit".

BTW, a coworker leases an RX330 and told me that her previous car, a Toyota Camry was quieter than the 330. I guess it's a good thing that Lexus is adding more sound insulation to the RX400h. Maybe now it'll be as quiet as a Camry!

I just picked up a 2005 RX330 Flint Mica, and I seriously looked at the 400h.  I just couldn't justify the 400h.  Sure, it has some cool looks, but it's not worth the $8k+ price difference that my delaer drew up.   Much better to get a nicer outfitted RX 330. 

Everyone would like to have a "green" car -- but not with the crazy costs...  it even costs more to insure the 400h over the 330...

Christopher

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Gosh, have you EVER driven a vehicle that has 650 lbs-ft of torque? That much torque will pin you to the seatback as if you were in an SR-71 Blackbird climbing to cruise elevation!

No, it's not just the green thing that attracts many to the RX400h. It's that all-addictive torque. Once you have it, nothing else will do. My Corvette has 400 lbs-ft of torque and I'm looking forward to that first test drive in the 400h. Then again, it may just spoil me even more.......!

BTW, I doubt that it will cost more to insure the 400h. I called my insurance company last year to inquire as to whether there would be a change in rate between our 94 Nissan Quest minivan and the 400h. Since the agent didn't have info on the 400h, she compared rates between the Quest (value=$4000) and the RX330 (value = $40,000). Our cost for insuring the 330 would be the same or slightly less than the insurance for the Quest. Therefore, I have confidence that there will be little change between the cost to insure the Quest and that to insure the 400h.

I wouldnt expect it to have 280hp, that would be in RX400h territory. If it gets the 3.5, it'll be detuned.

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...but I can guarantee you that it will have nothing close to 650 lbs-ft of torque and 30 MPG city!

I was under the impression that the Prius is considered a mid-size car - with the same amount of room as say, a Camry or Accord. Is it narrower? The RX400h is a 5 passenger vehicle, but isn't the Prius as well? Believe me, I feel that the 400 is perfect, but the way the as-purchased price keeps creeping up, I'll be skipping vacations soon!

I really think that Lexus had to make the "out-the-door" price significantly higher than that of the RX330 so that the 330 sales are not siphoned away. Who would buy an RX330 at $38K if a 400h that gets almost twice the milage and generates more than double the torque were selling for $42K? The same will apply to the highlander, I'm sure. I think the key for me and my wife is to drive and compare the cost, milage, comfort, and responsiveness of each vehicle.

Of course, I will report my findings after we do.

But look at the competition, at $55,000 they're still 5k under their nearest competition AND with better gas mileage.

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True, but dang, those Prius's are starting to look better and better at $26K!

I will definitely be doing some comparing within the next month.

I dont know if this is the right place to post this but  a I got ticket this weekend  was driving pretty fast any way I was thinking about getting radar detector Valentine or a escort 8500 x50. My biggest concern is do these things really work ? Has any been saved from getting a ticket by using a radar detector ?

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...great tips by SW and I have to say that I've had a few radar detectors, as well as a laser diffuser that actively scrambles police laser.

There are three "top-of-the-heap" radar detectors on the market. In order of cost, (least to most expensive) they are:

BEL 995

Escort 8500

Valentine 1

All are very capable radar detectors and although they all have laser detection, this feature is passive and typically won't give you enough warning when police fire a laser beam at your front license plate. The best protection against laser is an active laser diffuser that sends out the correct wavelength of light to render police laser useless for a few seconds (enough for you to slow down). The Laser Echo (www.lidatek.com) and the K40 (not sure of the website) are very effective laser countermeasures.

I have a BEL 985 (a couple years old) and it has a wide variety of features, such as a voice that announces the signal type (Ka band, etc) or highway emergency (rarely happens but is nice to have). It can also display your battery voltage and you can even have it flip the display readout if you need to mount the unit upside down. I think I paid $200 for it - well worth the money, IMO.

Another thing you might consider is a remote setup. I believe all three offer this setup. The advantage is that the officer, if for some reason pulls you over, will not be negatively influenced by a detector in plain view.

Hey, there ARE plenty of speed traps out there and it takes only one to drain more than the price of a detector from your pocket.

I hate to say this, but this pricing structure is starting get out of hand. What's next, only fully optioned RXs will be available at $55,000? Lexus may be pricing this thing beyond the comfortable reach of some who would like a faster, more economical 330 for a few thousand more. How far can they push us until we say, Okay, THAT's a bit too much money?!!!

I love the vehicle, but my pockets aren't bottomless!

Good info, let me threw this back to my dealer and say "What's Up!" I am told Ray Catena is one if not top selling Lexus dealer in the country.

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If you haven't already seen this pdf document, this is a good summary of what will be offered on the 400h. It seems clear that Laser Cruise and Air Suspension will not be options. The other features that appear to be missing are Push Button Start and Tire Pressure Sensor.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt/2006l...lex400h-2_s.pdf

Good luck with your dealer.

Actually.......The only dealership owned by JM Family Enterprises, JM Lexus in Margate, Florida, has distinguished itself in the industry as the #1 volume Lexus dealership in the nation. Earning this status of top sales volume for nearly a decade, JM Lexus also boasts extraordinarily high customer satisfaction and owner loyalty ratings.

A member of the Elite of Lexus for its superior customer service, JM Lexus was the first new car dealership in the nation to be named a J.D. Power and Associates certified Retailer. Quality and customer value are gained from the dealership's cutting-edge uses of technology, via Internet sales and service, to its unique customer-focused strategies.

I have not been able to verufy this info, but it could very well be true.

Just curious, for those who pre-order the 400h, will they need to pay the MSRP without a chance to negotiating the price when they can pick up their new cars?

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I have not heard about price except that the base price is $48,535, and that Lexus usually does not charge over MSRP.

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...and they surely will NOT be charging less than MSRP, that's for certain! I am number 15, so if there will be test-drivers in at the dealerships this month, I may have mine by May. :)

Now I'll bet that if you bought the 400h in April and for some reason had to sell it in November, you'd get pretty close to the MSRP. However, try the same thing with the 330 and you're likely to be out $5,000 or more. Until something better comes along, the resale value of the 400 will be extremely high for years to come.

Another thing that is worth big bucks to most folks is the 650 lbs-ft of Torque that is available at very low rpm. This is more than twice that of the 330! That kind of rocket-power is very valuable, even in day-to-day driving. Add the extra sound-proofing and you've got a heckuva lot of vehicle, even for 50K.

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I am afraid that you are dreaming. Any new car will lose 10% or more of the its value as soon as it leave the dealer lot. For hybrid, it loses more, bcs the the used car buyer will not have the one time tax benefit.

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...not around here - a used Prius, if you can find one, will cost you very close to MSRP. The same held true for the PT Cruiser a few years ago when dealers were marking up every one by thousands of dollars. Those fortunate enough to pay MSRP could turn around and sell at a profit. This is what we call "Supply and Demand". It happens all the time and the RX400h will be in SHORT supply and High demand for some time to come.

The RX400h is going to be marketed as a performance upgrade that also gets the fuel economy of a compact car  27-31 mpg.  I spoke to a dealer employee that drove it during a training class & he said the acceleration & torque is far superior to the RX330.  He stated instant power off the line & power on demand at freeway speeds as well.  Suppose to put out 268 horse power???

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Correct, and 650 lbs-ft of torque! This should be one "sleeper" that can be very entertaining at stoplights!

So does this mean that you are willing to wait until May/June to get the options you've specified? I placed my deposit in April 04 and expect to be offered the 400h by the end of May or early June. My hope is that one will be available for test-driving within the next month, but hopefully sooner.

They've talked about this on the Prius boards a lot, if you want to check them out www.priuschat.com is the best one. Lots of gurus on there that have done oil analyses and things like that. Our Prius only gets about 500 miles a month put on it so we change the oil every 4-5 months or so. The oil stays good and clean, much cleaner than the oil on my ES which gets really nasty really quick (I use full synthetic on both cars). I believe the engine is designed to reach operating temperature really quickly.

wwest has a Prius too, I think his is the older model though.

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I will check out that chat forum - thanks!

VGR, I have no qualms about changing oil early if needed. However, I am curious as to how Toyota tackles this issue. I drive my Corvette 8-9 miles to work almost every day and the oil temp (I keep that readout displayed on the digital info gage) shows that during the Winter months, the temp gets up to about 180F. It can get as high as 200 during the Summer, but I have to wonder how low it would be if I lived in a colder state.

Dave

Thanks for the info. For some reason, I thought the laser cruise was standard equipment. What number are you on the list?