DriveTech

2006 Lexus RX 400H

One of the problems you will find when you purchase a Hybrid vehicle is that there is not very much power under the hood for those situations when you need to move out! One of the drawbacks is the use of fuel, the more power the more fueled used. Lexus has corrected that problem by hooking up the Hybrid Synergy Drive to their 3.3-liter 24 valve dual overhead camshaft V6 with Variable Valve Timing Intelligence (VVT-i) and “wala” you wind up with an estimated 31 miles per gallon in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the freeway, not bad for a five passenger sport utility. Now check out the fuel mileage of the non-Hybrid version of the RX 400, 19 in the city and 25 on the freeway, well worth a look.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the Hybrid Synergy Drive develops approximately 270 horsepower compared to the 230 horsepower that the RX 330 gets so jumping into the Hybrid world may not be such a bad thing.

My test vehicle came from Lexus Carlsbad for this story but I just returned a 2006 Lexus RX400H back to Lexus just last week and I had the opportunity to drive it a full week and found it to be a real comfortable vehicle.

One thing you must know about hybrid vehicles, they need to be driven like hybrid vehicles, carefully, light on the gas and brake pedal no more “jack-rabbit starts” and staying in town as much as possible, that is what the hybrid vehicles were designed to do. Unfortunately most new hybrid owners do not realize that if they drive it like their old car they will never reach the fuel mileage and become disappointed in the vehicles fuel mileage. But with the Lexus RX400H you will not only experience the great fuel mileage but the horsepower needed to get you where you want to go at low and mid-range power. The system utilizes regenerative braking to improve the electric motor, functioning as a generator when the vehicle is coasting or braking and converting the energy that is normally lost during braking into energy. The transmission of choice is a one speed CVT transmission (Constance Velocity Transmission) that when you drive it you will find it hard to tell the difference between the CVT and a normal automatic transmission except for an occasional light clunk when the engine shuts off and the Synergy system kicks in.

Lexus has treated the interior with a high-tech look, brushed aluminum and in the center of the dash not only will you find a very good navigation system but if you feel the need to keep an eye on the Hybrid Synergy System you can and if that is to much there is a small display in the center of the speedometer housing that can be turned on and off as needed. I personally don’t need to see where the electricity is going as long as I have it. The Rx400H was a perfect vehicle to incorporate the Hybrid Synergy System, you get great mileage plus you have a full size sport utility that can tow up to 3500 pounds of whatever it is you need to tow. The interior is very luxurious with very comfortable seating for all occupants with electric adjustments for the front driver and passenger, 10 adjustments for the driver and eight for the passenger and a center console for the rear passengers that has an arm rest that has a storage area plus cup holders and if you look up you will see an entertainment center mounted in the ceiling housing a DVD player and a couple of wireless headphones. The driver gets a pretty good sound system up front as well, plus a full navigation system all mounted in the center of the dash. The instrumentation cluster will keep you on top of your Lexus plus there is an information system for added information center for those of you that need to more information.

Safety is all around you in front airbags, driver knee airbags, front and rear side air bags, front seat side air bags, 3-point seat belts for all occupants, plus there are enough systems on board to help keep you on the road with the rubber side down and the shiny side up.

So if you think a Hybrid is for you make sure you change your driving habits especially if you have trouble getting the mileage the manufacturer thinks you should get. Lexus has answered the problem of good fuel mileage but poor performance, leave it to Lexus! Thanks again to Lexus Carlsbad for all their generosity.