Hybrid Heaven in a Lexus

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Mileage, eco-friendliness, quickness

The Bad: Price premium over nonhybrid alternatives

The Bottom Line: A performance SUV without the guilt

Reader Reviews

You've gotta figure Steven Spielberg can afford to buy any kind of car he pleases. So, it says something that he and many other Hollywood luminaries have rushed out to buy the new Lexus RX 400h, the hybrid version of the best-selling crossover sport-utility vehicle.

Now that I've test-driven one, I can see why. The RX 400h takes a lot of the guilt out of owning an SUV because it drives like the quick, sweet-handling luxury vehicle it is while also getting good gas mileage. You don't feel like you're despoiling the environment every time you run out to the supermarket, as some of us do in a gas-guzzler. Best of all, you can get a $2,000 federal tax credit for buying a Lexus hybrid right now, the company figures.

To give you an idea of its speediness, the RX 400 can go 0 to 60 in around seven seconds, which is faster than the RX 330, the hot-selling conventionally powered luxury SUV that the 400h is based on. That's because the RX 400h not only has a sizeable 3.3-liter, V6 gasoline engine, but uses its two supplemental electric motors to enhance performance, as well as improve fuel efficiency.

The RX 400h's combined powerplant generates 268 horsepower, 20% more than the 223 horsepower generated by the RX 330's conventional V6 engine. In its publicity material, Toyota boasts that the RX 400h has "the acceleration power of a 4.0-liter V8" -- and that's just about how it felt.

Powerful as it is, the all-wheel drive RX 400h I tested is rated to get a respectable 31 miles per gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. You can even use regular fuel, though the owner's manual says premium is recommended "for improved vehicle performance." In a stretch of 390 miles of mixed, mainly highway driving I got 27 miles per gallon in my test car. And on Interstate 80 heading into New York City I was getting 28 mpg, vs. well over 30 in the Ford Escape Hybrid on the same stretch of road.

By comparison, an all-wheel drive RX 330 is only rated to get 18 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway.

Late last year, Lexus introduced a new, front-wheel drive version of the RX 400h for Sunbelt buyers that's rated to get 28 mpg on the highway and 33 in the city. Both versions of the RX 400h are also certified by the Environmental Protection Agency as "Super Low Emission Vehicles," meaning they're among the most eco-friendly wheels you can drive.

The AWD version of the 400h starts at $46,755, vs. $45,355 for the front-wheel-drive version. It comes with an impressive amount of fancy standard gear, including leather upholstery; an outside rearview mirror defogger; windshield wiper de-icer; power windows, doors, seats, and moon roof; a power-tilting and telescoping steering wheel, adaptive headlights that swivel as you turn the steering wheel; headlight cleaners; and adjustable seat heaters. One reason gas mileage is so good: a high-tech and very efficient continuously variable transmission also comes standard.

Standard safety features include seatbelt pretensioners and front-side airbags. Front and rear-side curtain airbags are also standard, as are antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and braking assist if you slam down on the pedal (you'll want that if you've ever had a deer suddenly spring into your path).

If safety is a high priority, though, be aware that a hybrid has the same rollover risk as other SUVs. A note in the owner's manual of the RX 400h frankly warns that the vehicle's high ground clearance and center of gravity "causes this vehicle to be more likely to roll over" than a car.

There aren't many options on the RX 400h. The main ones are a navigation system and rear backup camera that used to be standard but is being turned into a $2,350 option, a rear-seat entertainment system ($1,840), an upgraded sound system ($980), wood interior trim ($380), and heated front seats with rain-sensing wipers ($665).

One aside to hybrid-phobic readers: Lexus says it's untrue that replacing the battery in a hybrid vehicle will cost owners a small fortune.

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