RX400h

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.

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!!!!"

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. ← 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!

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.

...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.

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.

...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!

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.

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

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. ← ...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.

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.

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?

The RX (harrier) is available with a 2.4l engine in Japan. Just add the hybrid system and you have your RX330h with excellent mpg. The 400h is more about power than economy. ← It wouldn't be too funny if an RX330h gets blown away by a less expensive RX330. Buyers of mid to large sized SUVs want plenty of power. Spending more money with less power is one risk that Lexus does NOT want to take. The Ford Escape hybrid provides plenty of MPGs for those who want the big fuel milage numbers regardless of power loss.

....thus, the quandry I bring up! How will the oil remain hot enough to burn off moisture? A coworker bought a 4-Runner back a while ago and drove it to work every day. The trouble was that he lived only 3 miles away. By the time the engine had 50,000 miles on it, the oil sludge caused it to fail totaly. His engine oil never reached "operating" temperature, either to or from work. Why would this NOT happen in a hybrid that shuts its engine down at low speeds, in an environment that encourages on-off cycles that are spread apart significantly? Maybe SW can elaborate since he has a Prius?

Most us agree that engine oil needs to reach a certain temperature in order to "burn off" moisture that tends to make its way into oil. Typically, a temperature north of 180F is essential and that is why frequent short trips are sure to drastically decrease oil life. Full hybrids like the Prius and RX400h may travel many miles with engine off during high-traffic conditions which, one would think, would tend to allow the engine oil to cool down. Let's say you commute 15-20 miles one-way on your way to work every morning and that there tends to be fairly heavy traffic along the way. How would you suppose the hybrid would handle keeping the oil hot? If the oil does NOT remain hot or if it never reaches a high enough temperature to burn off moisture, wouldn't it be prudent for Toyota/Lexus to incorporate an oil life monitor that adjusts oil life accordingly? Does anyone know how this type of situation is dealt with? I may have to change oil more frequently if I see that the oil temp cannot get beyond 180 or so. Comments?

.....and 650 lbs-ft of torque!!!!

Synthetic oil is factory-fill in Corvette, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche, among others, mainly because of its extended drain interval capability(with a long-life filter, of course). Public perception is that if these manufacturers use it, it must be superior. Certainly, if you purchase any of the aforementioned vehicles as new, you MUST use oils that are approved by the manufacturer. Changing oil, like changing antifreeze, is an inconvenience to most auto consumers, so including long-life oils and antifreezes becomes a great selling point. The ultimate life of an engine is far less of an issue, as most consumers sell their vehicles long before the engines have failed due to wear. BTW, Consumer Reports has recommended that if your vehicle comes from the factory with dino oil, there is little reason to switch over to synthetic.

I see this type of argument all the time in the Corvette Forum and I have to remind them that my brother-in-law sold his Toyota van (1st generation) with over 300,000 miles on it. He changed his oil every 5000 miles and used plain ol 5W-30 petroleum-based oil. My point? Nitpicking over two brands of synthetic oil is rediculous. How many miles do you want your engine to last, 500,000? You'll be long buried before you recoup your extra cost. That being said, I must reveal that I use Mobil 1 in my Mazda MX6 GT-Turbo for obvious reasons. Dino oil has a tendency to coke around turbo bearings, something not as likely with synthetic oils. New turbos are NOT inexpensive. My Corvette comes factory-filled with Mobil 1 and I change it every year (5500 miles or less). However, our Nissan Quest uses regular Mobil and its engine has more than 110,000 trouble-free miles on it. The weak link with all synthetic oil engines is the filter, not the oil. If Lexus recommends dino oil and filter changes every 5000 miles, then that's what I'll do. You'd be wise to do the same.

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.