Lexus RX 450h
With each iteration, the already nearly-perfect Lexus RX series gets closer to actual perfection for a mid-size SUV. And the RX 450h hybrid gets the brand closer to perfection than ever, because it offers all the traditional and abiding advantages of the RX family — and in a hybrid form that dramatically boosts fuel efficiency, maintains the signature Lexus driving experience, and does so for a premium of only $1,250 over the comparably equipped gasoline-powered RX 350.
Allow me to start by confessing that RX, in its first and all its subsequent iterations, has been my favorite vehicle overall for most of its two decades in the market. When I first drove one, the RX’s remarkable balance in size, performance, drivability and style was basically unmatched in what was a small and vastly underdeveloped mid-size SUV segment.
And now that there are competitors to the RX galore, I still feel basically the same way about RX.
That is one reason I haven’t been wild about Lexus’s tinkering with near-perfection just to get a hybrid alternative for the RX line. But the 2020 450h is starting to make me a believer that Lexus actually could improve on its franchise SUV.
Check-check-check: The new 450h smartly doesn’t mess with the eternal attributes of RX, which include a generous amount of passenger room, Lexus’s trademark whisper-quiet ride, and seamless power delivery that has always been key to making RX so fun to drive despite the fact that it’s a utility vehicle and not a sedan.
But now when it comes to power, 450h gives drivers the option of selecting a version that takes the 3.5-liter gasoline-powered, six-cylinder engine from the RX 350 and augments it with three electric motors: a starter generator that also controls the vehicle’s transmission ratios; a front-drive motor that delivers 165 horsepower, and a 67-horsepower rear-drive motor. That totals 308 horsepower available overall to the system, along with 247 pound-feet of torque.
A continuously variable transmission performs the crucial task of choosing optimal ratios of gas to electric power input for the amount of propulsion the driver compels by stepping on the accelerator. And all-wheel-drive now is standard in all hybridized RX models.
All of this adds up to a significant fuel-economy advantage for the RX 450h over conventional RX models. The hybrid fetches 31 mpg in the city, where all hybrids are more fuel-efficient than on the highway, and 28 mpg on the highway. That compares with 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway for the all-wheel-drive RX.
With a $1,250 premium for the hybrid, RX 450h delivers a 36-percent overall gain in fuel efficiency in exchange for just a 3-percent price jump, Motor Trend calculated. Not only is the amount of the premium reasonable for the 450h, it also is considerably less than the hybrid premium some competitors charge for their competing models.
Another bonus with the new RX: For 2020, the vehicle has a new look with new headlights and a new bumper that continues the model’s design evolution that began a few years ago. Lexus even improved the suspension to enhance RX’s already-stupendous ride with slight improvements in comfort and stability. And Lexus added Apple CarPlayi and Android Auto as standard equipment this year.
Want all the magic of the RX plus a little something extra? The new 450h is your answer.
