Review: 2024 Lexus RX450h+ Plug-in Hybrid [Canada]. First-ever PHEV for the best-selling RX family! 

You’re welcome! Thx for watching. Lexus’s headlight systems are really good and their auto high beams are also very sensitive (a good thing) compared to other similar systems.

Thx so much, Dave! Yeah, there’s some cool tech, and these electrified cars need the auto brake lights bc of the regen braking. I almost slammed into a Tesla the other day bc of its strong regen braking. :@

Hello there, thank you so much! Glad to know this RX450+ is offered in Scotland too. Hope you liked it. It doesn’t have the hardcore and sporty vibe of the German competition, but it fits the bill for a lot of luxury vehicles buyers wanting to save a bit of petrol if they happen to do a lot of urban driving.

@@forevr_8 No worries at all. I quite enjoyed the RX 450h+, 48mpg I achieved with it. In the UK we don't get anything larger than the RX, so no TX,GX or LX for us sadly. It is quiet and sophisticated. In the UK people tend to buy German or land rover over Lexus, which is a shame.

Hi Stephen, I am close to Oakville too, hello! I too have been to the Cambridge plant to see how Lexii are built, twice actually. It’s pretty cool!

Hello there, thank you for your kind note! I did drive the NX450h+ back in early 2023 when it was newly unveiled. The drivetrain is similar to the RX450h+‘s, and since your NX is smaller and a bit lighter, it handles better. You can’t go wrong with either. The RX will have more rear seat legroom and cargo space, but they perform very similarly with the NX a tad quicker. 👍

And yes, the RX450h+ is built in Japan as is the NX450h+!

Hi there, that’s an excellent point, thx for sharing. All plug-in hybrid vehicles have a built-in feature called, “fuel/oil refresh mode” where it will run the engine automatically as needed, but for sure, if one owns a Plug-in Hybrid, I would totally recommend using the engine to drive the vehicle at least once a week, esp. during winter, and to still change the engine oil every 4 months regardless of mileage. 👌🏻

@@forevr_8 How does it determine when the “fuel/oil refresh mode” kicks in?

I can’t speak specifically to the Toyota/Lexus systems, but I did do some work for Stellantis in the past for their PHEV models, and for their systems (which I suspect is similar across makes), the computer tracks the number of starting cycles, ambient temperature, how hot coolant temperature gets, and ratio of all-electric miles vs gas-only miles to determine when to run the engine and make electric mode unavailable. Gasoline can be stable for several months, and it’s much more important to run the engine so the engine oil can get hit and burn off any excess moisture and gasoline that gets into the oil supply since even a tiny bit of gasoline in oil can reduce the slipperiness of the oil and compromise engine protection.

@@forevr_8 That’s a really smart system. I haven’t seen the EV Mode be restricted on its own, other than when the EV traction battery runs out. Of course, I can always manually switch it to hybrid mode or even “Auto HY/EV mode”

Hi Jis, thx for your kind comment and for watching! Sadly it comes with just a tire repair kit. OEMs like to position tire repair kits as being “faster” to get back on the road, but the reality is they prefer providing those to save weight on the vehicles and costs. I myself always prefer having a spare tire.

Hi there, I think you’re right. EVs are a hard sell right now. The Canadian government is taking the wrong approach forcing EVs on consumers. They should instead let consumers decide what to buy just like how consumers decided to stream movies and stop renting.

Oh wow, what a glaring omission. In Canada, we only get one model, a fully loaded one since we’re a small market and probably it’s for Lexus to maximize profit.

You are correct that the the US doesn’t get the front passenger memory seat on the RX (RX350, RX350h, and RX500h), but the plug-in hybrid RX450h+ does have the front passenger memory seat. Unlike the other models which are built in Canada for the US market, the plug-in hybrid is built in Japan. (Perhaps for all markets?)

Yep. Did you get the RX350H? We got the fully loaded RX450H+ US version and it does in fact have the passenger memory seats.

Hi Mark, those plastic unpainted lower rocker finishers can fade over time and would look better painted on a premium vehicle in my humble opinion. If it’s painted, you can apply paint protection film to those rockers to preserve their condition. I also didn’t denigrate the front end. I actually applauded Lexus for taking a risk with the design, and that despite the radical design, it won’t deter loyal buyers. And also, everyone is entitled to their opinion on styling. Some like the front end and some won’t.

@@forevr_8 Sorry if I came off a bit harsh, it's just a culmination of my frustration with reviews basically seeming to want to cater for 'likes' instead of being totally transparent. I have had the outgoing iteration of the Lexus RX450h (my 3rd), and more than 6 yrs later it looks like new especially if you clean it properly. My other cars without it have not fared as well. I know sometimes people tend to ignore practicality for looks. One guy here even made a comment that the RX, "looked too utilitarian as opposed to "others" LOL. These are called SUVs (Sport UTILITY vehicles!) So, you can understand why when reviewers cater, it doesnt help. BTW, paint protection film gets ripped up in that location and is one more unnecessary step to have to worry about

Hi there, I had the vehicle for a week in mid-December. On one full change, I recall getting about 40 kilometres of all electric range with a mix of highway and arterial roads. Sixty km is indeee ambitious; I would think around 50 km would be realistic with some stop and go driving in the summer and no AC (if mostly highway, probably just 30-40km at most since EV mode is less efficient at high speeds).

That said, the value is over time, if you’re charging every night and using the car to pick up kids from school, do errands, go to the gym in town, or have a short commute to work, you could do all those short trips on electric power, which will help save a lot of gas and reduce emissions.

That’s a great price for a PHEV. PHEV would be my recommendation for people over a hubrid. Does your Outlander have a heated steering wheel?

Hi there, congrats on the RX350h! I hear you, and you’ll find value in the hybrid system. I just drove the Lexus TX500h 3 row (still gotta edit the video) and it was very efficient.