Lexus RX400h
Looking for a family-friendly vehicle? Our
husband-and-wife team of car enthusiasts, Royce and Angela
Pedersen, put the Lexus RX400h through its paces.
What he
says
Since this is our "green" issue, it's only logical that we review
an eco-friendly family wagon and critique its family friendliness
as well as it's ability to preserve this wonderful world we live
in.
The Lexus RX400h seemed the appropriate
choice for this task, as it's the largest hybrid family vehicle
that I know of and, at a glance, certainly seems to it our
eco-conscious criteria.
Knowing that Lexus is a division of Toyota
had caused me to assume that the Lexus brand was positioned only
slightly above mid-market. But having now experienced one, I can
testify to its ranking among the best SUVs available. The first
thing that struck me was the weight and solid feel of every part of
the vehicle. It felt very tight and well-constructed, giving me
high expectations for how it might drive.
The Lexus RX400h was quite surreal
to drive. One very cool feature is that, as you drive along, the
engine starts and stops as it pleases, depending on how much power
is required. The driver is generally unaware of this because the
engine is so incredibly quiet! Some other contributing factors
include its considerable weight, sensitive steering, soft
suspension, consistent power delivery, and a strange sensation when
braking. I definitely knew I was driving something unique and
possibly ground-breaking.
Braking was excellent. However, the
braking sensation was strange in that you could feel more was going
on than just brake-pads against rotors - you could sense it
spinning the motors and charging the batteries. I had read that the
RX400h boasts over 200kw of power, which is respectable by any
standard and dispels any myths that hybrids are gutless. The
power delivery was remarkable, with loads of torque thanks to the
combination of petrol and electric power delivered from two
electric motors and a 3.3 litre V6 petrol
motor.
My only complaint is that the handling wasn't great. I
felt that for the amount of power this vehicle had, it just didn't
sit right on the road, and it wallowed into corners. I guess this
is what some people call "luxury" - a car built for a
smooth, comfortable ride, which is exactly what you get. Its
over-two-tonne weight is partly to blame, with the "hybrid"
batteries being the likely culprit. The drive-train is
all-wheel-drive, but I doubt many Lexus owners would find
themselves off-road except in the case of the odd parking
mishap!
The other thing that really impressed me
about the RX400h was the touch-screen control panel. It allows you
to customise every conceivable setting, and get all sorts of
information, such as trip stats, service intervals, diagnostics,
and engine details, such as how much work the electric motors are
doing, and how much power is being generated and used. The RX400h
was also equipped with a quality reversing camera, GPS navigation,
and an eight-speaker stereo system. The dashboard looks very
attractive and, rather than using the traditional tachometer, Lexus
have used a kilowatt gauge which simply shows you how
much of the 200kw of power you are using. How many Lexus drivers
would care about the RPM they are doing, anyway?
With so much time and attention devoted to
quality and luxury, I feel it's a shame they didn't come up with
more of a stunning shape. In my opinion, the look of the
Lexus RX400h doesn't do it justice and certainly doesn't turn any
heads.
What she says
Having familiarised myself with the luxurious Lexus RX400h, I
loaded the girls in and went for a drive. As we took off up the
road, my three-year-old, Ella, exclaimed, "Mummy, if you drive too
fast, you'll go to jail!" No, I wasn't speeding - I think it's more
the case that she's heard this being told to Daddy a few
times!
When I first turned the car on, I didn't
hear a thing. It was a little odd, yet also quite nice to think
that my car wasn't expelling exhaust fumes from the moment it
started. I felt "clean and green" until I remembered this is also a
petrol car and, at some stage, those exhaust fumes will kick in (I
refused to even think about the carbon footprint it already has
from its manufacture and transportation to New Zealand - but the
same can be said for most cars).
The interior of the car looks good and is
spacious, with plenty of leg room for front and rear seats. The
boot space was, however, a little lacking. So much of the valuable
space was taken up underneath the floor for the spare tyre, tools,
and emergency kits. I couldn't help thinking this was taking up
important shopping bag and stroller space.
Safety was definitely something on the
minds of the designers of this vehicle - which will please us
mothers. The RX400h boasts nine airbags and all sorts of
computerised ride management features. And with the number of
acronymic features such as ABS, EBD, BA, TRC, VSC, VDiM (describing
the braking system alone), you could be left wondering whether car
manufacturers compete to have the most abbreviations to describe
their car. As with most new family vehicles, the RX400h is also
well-equipped with quality fastenings and latches for
carseats.
The car does exude luxury; the highlights
for me were starting the car, the GPS navigation system that gives
you directions for your required destination (word of advice: Enter
the details before hubby starts driving, as he's not going to ask
for directions), the reversing camera, and the heated leather
seats.
Finally, you may be wondering about the
"tree-hug" factor of the hybrid Lexus. The Lexus RX400h boasts a
fuel-economy performance of 8.1litres/100km, which wasn't quite
what I got out of it, having achieved 10litres/100km around the
city. So from a fuel economy perspective, today's modern
diesels would give this hybrid car a good run for its money. Being
a hybrid certainly does differentiate the RX400h from its rivals;
however, buying an SUV is not a very "green" thing to do,
regardless of which model you buy. The thing that really sets the
RX400h apart from the rest is its reduced emissions - around
192g/km, which, over the lifetime of the vehicle, is what really
stockpiles you some carbon credits. Well… Almost.
Royce and Angela Pedersen are parents of two daughters,
Ella and Eva. Angela is OHbaby!'s Managing Director and Publisher
of OHbaby! Magazine.
As seen in OHbaby!
magazine Issue 4: 2009
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