RX400h

Surprise! Our Bamboo Pearl rocketship is here and will be prepped tomorrow morning! It was due to arrive on the 25th (Monday), but you won't see me compaining about its early arrival. Of course, I will provide a full report tomorrow night. The dealership is a fair distance from home, so I will have a good chance stretch its legs a bit. I WILL find out what the break-in procedure is before venturing out after the purchase. After all, we tend to keep our vehicles for many years. Anyway, here's to a soon-to-be Lexus owner (for the first time)!

Get ahold of a good leather cleaner and conditioner. I recommend Zaino cleaner and conditioner. You can find them here: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/mercha...gory_Code=Zaino Next, buy a vegetable brush that you will use to get some of the deep-set grime out. Use the brush and cleaner. along with a cotton towel until the dirt is gone. Follow with the conditioner (smells like a brand new baseball glove...Mmmmm) and follow directions for a great-smelling and clean leather seat. Another excellent conditioner (according to a coworker) is Connolly Hide Care. It softens the leather noticably, although it does not smell like leather the way Zaino does. You can read about it at: http://www.autogeek.net/conhid.html

The batteries are projected to cost $1000 when their warranty expires in 8 years. Until then, there should be no worries about their cost.

....nice write-up, Pat. I chose not to test drive, since ours is due on Monday, and I didn't want to tease myself. It's be like driving a Ferarri F40 and then going back to my car! Besides, I enjoy reading about other's experiences. My Corvette has a light-oak interior and a very dark dash for the same reason you mentioned. I used to have a convertible with black interior and I would cook when sitting in it after it had been sitting in the sun for just 15 minutes - no more black interiors for me! We expect to spend quite a bit of time when we go to the dealership to pick up the RX. I want to make certain that everything is explained (if they can).

The only thing I was told was that my vehicle is due to arrive on April 25th, nothing more, nothing less. Any other info I gathered came from the internet and magazine articles.

What ? They "made" you buy the lo-jack service ? Or you wanted the service but they charged you more for it because it was already installed ? I don't know much about lo-jack, but don't you pay lo-jack directly ? What does the dealer have to do with the monthly service fee ? ← I'll bet they amortorized the total cost over the life of his payments. No, you don't pay LoJack directly. You pay the dealer and they install/register the service.

Ahhhh, neck-snapping torque - now that's MY kind of family hauler! Corvette by weekday.......neck-snapping 31 MPG family hauler by weekend! I can't wait!

Yeah, the salesman we have been dealing with is making it sound too easy to get ours-he called my wife again since I posted and said "I expect your car to come in tomm, but you will need to get here asap when it shows, but I can hold it for you" Like I said, for such an anticipated vehicle hes making it sound too easy, maybe he just likes my wife??? haha RX400H from San Diego, if you want to email me when you bail on your "interest list" so I can pick up where you leave off, that would be great. stiksandstonesATgmail.com Thanks ← It looks like you have two opportunities (one from Patt as well) outside of the the dealer to which you refer. I'll call my contact to see if you can get in with a color choice.

Last April, we signed up with one Lexus dealership, one Toyota dealership, and e-mailed another Lexus dealership to be on an interest list. The Toyota dealership had us down as second in line for a Highlander hybrid. Three or four months later, the Toyota dealership decided to dissolve the list without telling anybody. Our deposit was refunded by crediting our Visa. Of course, at this time, the waiting lists for this vehicle at any other dealership was way too long. Although I am looking forward to getting the 400h, I was hoping to compare the two similar vehicles. Getting back to your story, I'd say that it would be extremely difficult to find an RX400h that isn't reserved. I am still on an interest list, so it may be possible for you to take that position (Since my 400h at another dealership is due here in one week).

Patt, How are you getting this info? I have been hesitant to call the dealership every few days for fear that it may become irritating to them. If there is some way to check status on-line (like the UPS tracking number system), I'd be looking there every day.

I'm willing to bet that Toyota made sure that temperature extremes would not be a problem. Every new vehicle design is tested in blistering heat and bitter cold. Remember the old Volkswagen bugs? Having insufficient heat was commen then, but unheard of now.

I use the internet (Yahoo directions) quite often to locate hiking trails, addresses of relatives, and other points of interest. Having NAV would be very helpful if "getting out of the house" means finding places on the fly or planning a long trip every year. Then again, I guess you can say the same thing about a cell phone and how often it is used. The nice thing about NAV is that you don't have to remember to bring it - it's there at your disposal at all times. The back-up camera is similar. You may never hit something without it, but once you have it, you'll eventually wonder how you ever got along without it.

Now I was under the impression that dealerships would receive batches of at least 5 or 6 at a time. (well, maybe with the exception of the demo unit) I'm still amazed that my #15-on-the-list spot is scheduled for delivery so soon (April 25th). One of my neighbors was telling me about the super-powerful diesel truck up the street. When I asked what kind of torque it was producing, he replied, "anout 550 lbs-ft". I then revealed the torque of the RX400h (650 lbs-ft). Needless-to-say, this figure trumps even the diesel monsters at GM, Ford, and Dodge by quite a bit.

From what I've read, the engine will always start up when the RX is energized for the first time (after sitting for many hours). I believe the reason is for something other than for cabin heat. BTW, Three months is extremely good for someone who is not on a waiting list. Most dealerships have a 12-month wait for any new sign-ups.

Is that review in print or online ? All the information I can find online says 7.3 sec, even from Motor trend's site. ← That was in print (latest Motor Trend at the library). The RX400h has been tested to 60 in 6.9 seconds by Car & Driver magazine. Road and Track achieved 7.3 seconds for the RX400h. Personally, I think Toyota should've continued to exclude the GPS from the Highlander so that it doesn't overlap RX400 sales. Still, the RX400h is quieter and smoother-riding and does have some nice touches like the rain-sensing wipers, blue-tooth cell phone, and pivoting headlights. These are all super-luxury items that add to the final cost.

I just read a review of the Highlander hybrid in Motor Trend. 0-60 came in 6.6 seconds. The Highlander is not as quiet or smooth-riding as the RX400h but dang, it is FAST!

My Bamboo Pearl is due on the 25th. I was thinking about hunting down a dealership that has a test-driver, but since I've heard nothing but praise about this vehicle, test-driving one that isn't mine would probably be a bit frustrating. Thanks for the review!

I was told by a Lexus salesman that each dealership will have a test-driver RX400h, just as Toyota has a test-drive Prius, so you need not worry about the dealer letting someone drive an ordered vehicle. I guess that one was a few days early; the test-driver arrival date was supposed to be on the 18th (Monday).

Actually, the price with all the options does top $40k. There are a lot more optional items than in the Rx including big ticket items like 4WD, leather, and Nav system. Fully equiped MSRP is $41290. At that price, it still lacks some of the features on the Rx400H. My husband said it is clear they are marketing to a different group from the Lexus when you see some of the features they call out as added by the limited: color keyed rear spoiler and urethane steering wheel and shifter with audio controls. The power train specs in the brochures are identical and the zero to 60 time is a smidge faster. For those who don't want all the bells and whistles, it looks like a great choice. The price difference is about the same as the difference between a fully loaded non-Hybrid Highlander and an Rx330. ← The only other negative is that when you buy a $40,000 Highlander Hybrid, it looks like a $23,000 Highlander, whereas the least expensive RX is worth much more. It's kinda like comparing a Mustang Cobra to a Corvette. The Cobra may be close in acceleration ability, but it still looks like a $16,000 Mustang!

Well this debunks WWest's theory about the Toyota gas guzzler SUV hybrids! As I recall, a tester in Hawaii averaged 34 MPG with the RX400h. We made a good decision - these hybrids will revolutionize the world!

However, if you leave your car at, let's say, an airport, can't it be towed away without your knowledge? I'm trying to figure out whether extra precautions are necessary.

The Prius people are not worried about theft, based upon their responses to a similar question, but how about RX people. I know a guy who parked his brand new Chevy Silverado truck in an upscale mall parking lot only to come out and find it gone. My question is - how safe are we?

I agree that that is an excellent site. I didn't even know that those options exist!

CITY | HIGHWAY 2004 Toyota RAV4 2WD Manual Transmission: 24 | 30 2WD Automatic Transmission: 24 | 38 4WD Manual Transmission: 21 | 26 4WD Automatic Transmission: 22 | 27 2004 Toyota Highlander & Highlander Limited 4-cylinder 2WD: 22 | 27 4-cylincer 4WD: 21 | 25 V6 2WD: 19 | 25 V6 4WD: 18 | 24 2004 Toyota 4Runner V6 2WD: 18 | 21 V6 4WD: 17 | 21 V8 2WD: 16 | 20 V8 4WD: 15 | 19 2004 Sequoia SR5 and Limited V8 2WD: 14 | 18 V8 4WD: 14 | 17 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 4WD: 13 | 16 I don't have the HP/torque ratings, but I can assure you that they are miniscule compared to that of the RX400H's 650 lbs-ft of torque.

Well, I figure it this way - As long as I don't have loan payments at the time the factory warranty is exhausted, I shouldn't have a problem with repairs. Therefore, I passed on the $2400 extended warranty. Thanks for the advice, Patt and Scoobie!