The petrol-electric hybrid Lexus RX has long been a big SUV that delivers surprisingly small running costs. Can the new 450h deliver against the latest plug-in hybrid rivals? Visit the Telegraph Cars website: www.telegraph.c...
I don't know why this guys are hunting the Lexus for things that doesn't exist.(probably to protect the European market). If you put this UFO near a X5 or XC90 the last two ones would look so oldish and out of date...and still using the very polluting diesel engines that are same age as the dinosaurs We have to admit that the Japanese are doing a marvelous job by leading the humanity towards a more cleaner and efficient world. Well done Lexus!
Another reason it will remain a niche choice is the styling. The fact that it is "sharper" does not mean that it is good. I would guess that most people even would call it ugly (me included)...
the banjo had nothing to do with a lexus. the 30 mpg figure is fantastic given the underpinnings - X5 dimensions, a 3.5 litre petrol engine and the 313 hp system output.
Not going to do well in Europe. It should be plug in hybrid, it would be more economical. Cvt is just stange. Normal automatic and 3.0 diesel would make i t much better.
this car shouldn't exist. It's too small for a V6; its tiny boot makes impractical for an SUV; too heavy to be sporty; too expensive for what you'll use it; too clumsy controls of the infotainment system that will frustrate the driver. All in all, it doesn't do anything better than competition ti worth it's existence. AND the music!... the subliminal message: a whim of american car that we the British don't need.
One of the most disgustingly ugly front ends in the history of motoring. There is absolutely no excuse for designing AND commissioning such an ugly design. Cars do not need to be eyesores. And yes, the music doesn't help.
i have a 10 year old RX450h with lots of km on it and i easily get 37-40mpg (UK) in city and countryroad driving ! yes you have to learn about driving or lets better say sailing this big heavy ship through the traffic !! once you be familiar you will never give it back or want a shit X5 or AUDI Q which are more in the shop than on the road ! !! greetings from germany
@@taseenrahman2520 ....mine is over 10, first battery and now 260000km...... still capable on Autobahn ;-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3bSB_TdBA8A.html
The underdog compared to those cars you mentioned, it seems you guys in the UK have a long way to go really. This car easily doubles and with some triples the sales of its nearest rival in the US and North America in general whether it be the Merc GLE, Audi Q5 or Q7, the X5 or Volvo Xc90. The reason why the RX is so popular is because it does the basics better than its rivals. It is the most comfortable in its class, the best interior design and top notch luxury and build quality. Then the most important category, it's by far the most reliable in its class. These are things most people want, all that spirited driving you get in a Porsche and Jagaur F pace isn't what most consumers globally consider when buying a luxury vehicle and that is what these cars are in the end. The RX is also very popular in the middle east and Asia, it seems Europe is where it struggles really and we all know why.
One thing about Europeans vehicles they are expensive to fix and not reliable. This Lexus as long you keep the regular maintenance you can easily make it to 300,000 miles no problem. I take that over overpriced European makers.
In my opinion new audi q7 is best car to drive but where is the Comfort?? We judge new cars how they ride in dinamic way but lexus can offer smooth and comfortable ride and very quiet. anyway we are to much habit to german cars and thats from hire ours negative opinion about Japanese brand.
That was a horrible review. This car is just as good if not better AND longer lasting and more reliable then the competition. Looks great also. The control isnt clumsy to use I have personally used it and its easy once you understand how to use it. Great Looks. Great ride. Great interior. Great Luxury. How can you review a car when you constantly comparing it to other cars. This isnt a comparison its a review of the RX leave it as that stop bringing up other cars.
A futuristic luxury Japanese car with the soundtrack from Deliverance? WTF! I know these are low budget productions, but you can easily get a track that fits the vehicle. This was editing by numbers, simply lazy and not something you'd expect from the Daily Telegraph. Poor production.
Hello at the Telegraph. This review was done many years ago and you might have changed your focus. But this test didn't quite impress me because he tried to sell Audi and BMW. In my opinion this test was a complete disaster, but many car reviewers have for years used all too much time on handling in twisty roads instead of driving comfort, every day use and the cost of ownership. Good luck.
I like the practicality of the sliding rear seats, like in the BMW X1, but otherwise that car looks like a waste of space on the market. The hybrid aspect sounds useless; you can get much better economy from a pure petrol or diesel engine. In my view, hybrid cars are something of a fad, and are a stepping stone towards better options in the future (whether all-electric or something else), and I certainly don't intend to get one. I had a good look at the market recently and ordered a petrol-engined car (new Audi A4, coming next week); I looked at Lexus but I'm afraid they had nothing that even made it onto my long list.
+Jonathan Oakey Comparing cars to SUVs is outrageous. It gets a good 30-35mpg in normal driving with no fuel saving techniques and for something that weighs over 2 tonnes with a 3.5l V6 petrol engine its great. Id be surprised if you get more than 40mpg in the Audi you bought in all honesty.
+Rayaan Shaikh I don't think the comparison is that outrageous. I've ordered the A4 Avant which has more boot space than the Lexus (505 litres versus 496) and is also quite luxurious and spacious inside. Yes, it's a car not an SUV so you sit a bit lower down; the Lexus has a few more fancy touches too, but it also costs almost twice as much as the Audi. Of course, you're right about the real world mpg of the Audi but I'm sure it will still be more economical than this hybrid. If I were given the Lexus as a company car, I wouldn't complain at all, but I think there are much better options for the money.
+Jonathan Oakey Thats like 9l difference, its not much at all. Not to mention an S-line A4 Avant specified to the same level as this RX is £46k. There's only £10k difference in it and its got more interior space and doesn't have to put up with a 2.0l
+Rayaan Shaikh The 2.0l engine that I've chosen, which is mid-range, is plenty since the Audi only weighs about 1.5 tonnes - 190bhp giving 7.5s 0-100 kph and a top speed of 238 kph, much higher than the Lexus (200 kph). At the end of the day, it's all down to personal choice and if you like the Lexus, that's great; I'm just saying that for me, the numbers don't add up, whether you're talking about performance, space or price.
Jonathan Oakey Yes but you see, the 0-60 times don't play well with hybrids as they take off slightly slower. Mid-range urge is a whole different story, itll get from 40-100mph faster than the Audi will.
The starting price off the RX is exact between the X3 and X5 (which cost the same as the XC90) and in the US Lexus see the RX as a alternative for the X3. The XC90 T8 is 13.000pound expensiver then the RX 450h and that is a lot of petrol.
You can use a mouse with your computer... so what’s so difficult. Sound like you already hated this car before starting the review. People have managed to get good mpg out of this car on other reviews, I think your just another German orientated review, get out of the box and look at what’s different can be better. The underdog can be better sometimes than following others like a lemming. I have just bought one and I have managed to get 60mpg out on it around town, even if the figures are out by say 10 mpg, that’s 50mpg around town in a car that weighs 2 tons. It’s a very very good car and. The mouse took me about a day to work out, it works fine. The hybrid does kick in and out a lot so it works. Your review is not got at all to get 35mpg you must be pushing it every place you went,. I don’t think you even tried to get the best mpg out of it. I have noted that using the monitor the car shows that even at high speeds letting off the accelerator the engine switches off and the battery pack is recharged very fast..so just letting off the accelerator for sort spells is a fuel saving. This is a very very good car for its size.
hey telegraph team, can i tell you a suggestion. i like that the reviews have music in the background (although this time was like wtf is going on) but please can you shut up the music when chris/rebecca is driving and talking? personally it kind of bothers me when they are talking and the music is still running in the background...it kind of distracts me.. feel like it should shut up. other than that detail i love the videos. thanks for reading my opinion. (sorry for my bad english)
We have a 2012 Lexus RX450h F-Sport and honestly there's no need to upgrade to this. Nothing new under the bonnet or technology wise. Indeed they've removed some things as standard on the F-Sport like the heads up display. Exterior styling is all over the place on the new one. Wheel design look nothing special while being an inch bigger than the last generation, headlights look too small, too much grey plastic on the outside like around the wheel arch. The floating roof section around the C pillar really doesn't look good in the flesh, we had a good look at one when our current one went for a service and it doesn't look right. I agree with Telegraph cars on fuel economy, the 2012 version claimed to get over 40+ MPG ...Yet we never get more than 35 MPG driving day to day. The best we've EVER achieved is 38 on a long run! A few other minor niggles that people need to be aware of. If you buy the F-Sport model, you would have thought they'd proudly put F Sport on the back wouldn't you? Well they don't! Only a very small logo on the front wing and bottom of the steering wheel, Other than that you would never know from the back. Secondly EXPOSED CUP HOLDERS, never has it been a good look and in the 2012 version they were covered up with a door. In this they are permanently exposed which does cheapen the look of the interior. Thirdly the "remote drive" which is the navigation mouse used to operate the sat nav has been changed from where you physically clicked the mouse itself to now clicking a secondary button on the side, when driving this makes it awkward as you have to have fingers on the top and side of the mouse and coordinate the two. Fourthly you still can't have rear heated seat not even as an option, the dealers say it is because of the batteries for the hybrid which are stored underneath... regardless it is a major oversight in a Luxury SUV as believe me sitting on cold leather seats in winter with no heated seats isn't a nice thing. Overall I do like the new Dashboard aside from the cupholders but that's about it, exterior stylish is a mess in my opinion especially around the floating roof and where it meets the rear door. Go and see one for yourself in a showroom. The latest car drives well but there isn't enough on offer for me to upgrade from the last generation. RANT OVER
+Eds UKGamerz New bateries are up to 10% more efficient. But what change German eng.?? the same engines (3.0 tdi) new particulate filters (more problems) and more power and the same consumption. And the last one.. more gears. I tested it in case mercedes gl320 cdi.. 224 hp + chip=260hp consumption in city 13,5 (before 14,7) new model 350 blutec with adblue! Power 258 and consumption 13,5 in city. Why i should pay mor for new engine with more illusive stuff.
+Dominik Sawicki I don't follow what you are saying regarding all those other cars, irrelevant! The batteries can hardly be 10% more efficient otherwise the fuel economy would be better in some form, I've tested the new car and the engine/performance/economy is identical to the outgoing model in real world testing (35mpg and it claims to get over 51). The whole point of a new car is to improve on things. Indeed given the claimed MPG has gone up and yet the real world MPG has stayed the same technically the ratio is worse than the outgoing car. You also finish by saying why should you pay more for a new engine... well the problem is you are paying more (the OTR price has gone up compared with the old model) and yet they haven't improved things under the bonnet (maybe on paper) but real world economy is VERY disappointing. They've also removed things like the heads up display which use to be standard, now is a £1000 option.
+Eds UKGamerz I have a 2012 RX450h F-Sport and here is whats new on the new RX. It comes with more kit for a start, Lexus safety system + is standard across the board meaning you get adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, pre collision system, traffic sign recognition and auto high beam. The new dash is also made of much better quality materials and it has more leg room in the back. The CVT gearbox is completely new and does a great job in mimicking a standard auto box now. The 3.5l engine, believe it or not is somewhat new. Its now got direct injection and port injection which leads to output of 260hp and more torque instead of the 249hp from the previous car. Therefore total output is now 308hp but the car feels stronger than the outgoing model due to the extra power from the engine. It also has auto heated and cooled seats which set according to the temperature. The new mouse is actually easier to use as it now has a dedicated back button and enter buttons on the side so you don't click unnecesarily which is a problem in my 2012 RX. The nav screen is also HUGE on the new models and IMO the exposed cup holders look fine where they are. Economy has increased in the test cycle, so obviously it has got more efficient. It all depends on how you drive. We all know that cars cant get close to these figures in the real world. Volvo's XC90 D5 barely gets 30mpg on a normal run.
Im still looking to see one of these on the streets of Toronto Canada. Haven't seen one yet. I think Lexus will pay the price on this one. My co worker just bought the 2015 a few months ago. I asked her why didn't she consider the new one. She said one look at that front end was all it took to forget about the 2016.
+Mike sorry, Audi is not superior by a long shot, everything is extra in an Audi.. Lexus has all the extras as standard. Volvo is plaqued by electrical problems.. Lexus are reliable and luxurious. :-)
