2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh

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2010 Lexus RX

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Secrets of Lexus RX hybrid system, by Paul Williams

Oshawa, Ontario – When the redesigned, second-generation Lexus RX arrived for 2009, the hybrid version took a temporary vacation. It’s back for 2010, morphing from the RX 400h into the all-new RX 450h, with updated styling, features and technology that turn it into an extremely nice machine for those who like to mix some electricity with their petroleum.

As with many Toyota/Lexus makeovers, some of the differences are subtle at first glance. On the exterior, the RX is gently smoothed out, and looks leaner and lighter, even though its curb weight has increased by 129 kilograms, for a new total of 2,110 kg. Much of it is improved crash protection in the body structure, as the hybrid system is now smaller and lighter. The changes are far more noticeable inside. The centre stack sheds a number of its buttons and substitutes slim, horizontal air vents for the previous vertical rectangular ones, making everything look elegant and much less cluttered. The eight-inch LCD display is now tucked deeply into a recess in the dash, making it easy to read in all lighting conditions, while the centre console stretches back between the front seats, instead of stopping abruptly and hanging in mid-air as the previous generation’s did. The old design did provide storage space on the front floor, a boon for those who need to stash purses or briefcases close to them, but the new design takes that into account: the console is hollow at the front, with a generous storage space carved out under it that will easily accommodate most bags.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

Still, the propulsion system is the heart of the RX 450h, and its evolution has prompted the name change from the previous RX 400h. The new model uses a 3.5-litre V6 engine in place of the 400h’s 3.3-litre V6, bringing net horsepower up to 295 hp, from the previous 268 hp. Torque, which Lexus measures on the gasoline engine only, rises to 234 lb-ft from 212 lb-ft. The transmission is a continuously variable unit (CVT), but so well-done that it feels more like a conventional unit. Despite the increase in power and weight, fuel consumption actually improves: the RX 400h was rated at 7.8 L/100 km in the city, and 8.4 on the highway, while the RX 450h is officially measured at 6.6 in the city, and 7.2 on the highway. In my week with it, which included an 870-km highway round trip, I averaged 8.5 L/100 km (34 mpg Imp).

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

Naturally, there’s a premium for the technology, and the RX 450h starts at $58,900; as with most hybrids, you’re saving the planet, not your wallet. The conventionally-powered RX 350 starts at $46,900, but there’s a little more to the RX 450h’s premium than just the hybrid system. The 450h’s list of standard features includes heated and ventilated perforated leather seats, driver’s side memory, sunroof, power liftgate, card key, backup camera, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), and adaptive and auto-levelling bi-xenon headlamps with automatic high-beam feature. Adding those items as options to the RX 350 brings it to $51,500. The RX 350’s official fuel economy rating is 11.6 in the city, and 8.2 on the highway. I took one on the same highway trip earlier this year, in cold weather, and averaged 10.7 L/100 km (26 mpg Imp).

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

Like the Prius, the RX 450h is a full hybrid. It uses its electric motor to boost the gasoline engine when needed, and shuts it off when idling, but it can also run on electricity alone. Normally this happens automatically, when conditions are right and the weight of your foot on the throttle is light enough, but there’s also an electric vehicle (EV) mode. Set it thusly, and the RX will drive up to about one kilometre at a maximum of 40 km/h, according to the owner’s manual. Exceed any of the parameters – too-hard acceleration, too much speed, going uphill, temperature, and battery charge – and the car overrides it and goes into automatic mode, which seems to happen very easily. Just as with the Prius I drove, which has the same EV ability, it seems to be more of a work-in-progress as the company moves closer to plug-in hybrids. In any case, I did find the Lexus system to be more cumbersome to engage. On the Prius, it’s just an on-off button on the dash; on the Lexus, you must go into the driver’s information centre and then bring it up, using the steering wheel-mounted controls. (And yes, I will now admit that the elegantly uncluttered centre stack looks uncluttered because … well, because much of the car’s functions are accessed through the computer screens instead of buttons. Can’t have cake and eat it, too, unfortunately.)

There’s also an Eco mode that can be set once and forgotten, if you prefer. It regulates the throttle and cuts back on energy use to return optimum fuel economy if you’re willing to sacrifice some throttle response; even with it on, though, the 450h performs very smoothly and quite well. An exhaust heat recovery system warms up the engine faster on cold days. This helps it to reach operating temperature quickly, which then allows the system to use the electric mode sooner.

All-wheel drive is the only choice in Canada (the U.S. gets a front-wheel only version), but unlike on the RX 350, the on-demand system doesn’t use a driveshaft and transfer case. Instead, the rear wheels are powered when necessary by an electric motor. Along with the simplicity, the rear electric motor becomes part of the regenerative braking system, which captures and converts kinetic energy during deceleration to recharge the battery; the extra motor helps top up the battery faster. As with all factory hybrids currently available, the RX 450h doesn’t get plugged into the wall, but recharges itself. For that reason, it’s essential to leave a hybrid in gear while coasting, in order that it can recharge: the old trick of shifting into neutral on downhill grades to save fuel doesn’t work here.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

With the extra horsepower, this newest RX 450h feels strong and conventional on acceleration, if a bit noisy under the hood when asked to perform at maximum throttle. The gearshift is conventional, unlike the goofy little nubbin on the Prius, and includes a manual shift mode that toggles swiftly between the pre-set “shift points” on the CVT. Handling and suspension tuning have also been overhauled, and while the RX models have always been more about old-school luxury than canyon-carving sports performance, reaction to steering inputs feels crisper. The steering is still light, but it has better weight than before as well. You don’t fix what ain’t broke: there are a huge number of drivers who, if they truly wanted to feel the road, would go out and sit on the asphalt. For those who want a smooth-riding vehicle that handles effortlessly through traffic, it’s tough to do better than the RX, which probably explains why I see so many of them out there.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

All of the expected safety features are on board, including brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, and stability and traction control. The Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) monitors numerous sensors throughout the vehicle and, when it senses something’s out of whack with wheel rotation, brake pressure or body movement, it will apply the appropriate safety features to various degrees, providing stability beyond what would be possible if each worked independently. Should you somehow manage to get in deeper than that, ten airbags are standard, including knee bags for the driver and passenger, roll-sensing curtain bags, and front and rear seat-side airbags. The front seats have active head restraints to guard against whiplash, and the front and rear outboard seats have pretensioners and force limiters.

Save for the hybrid system’s power system indicator, which sits to the left of the speedometer in place of a tach, the RX 350 and RX 450h cabins are identical (the 350 is built in Ontario, the 450h in Japan). Quite simply, both are lovely. Standard features on the hybrid include heated and ventilated perforated leather seats, eight-way power driver’s seat, wood trim, power tilt and telescopic steering wheel, pushbutton start, and sunroof. My tester was optioned with a Touring Package, which added 19-inch split-spoke alloy wheels, voice-activated navigation system, XM Real-Time Traffic, 12-speaker premium audio system, rear subwoofer, USB audio input, and wood- and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob, for a total of $62,300. The only other choice is an Ultra Premium Package, at $71,400, which includes those features and adds numerous others, including a dual-screen rear-seat DVD system, dynamic cruise control, pre-collision system, and Intuitive Parking Assist.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

New for 2010 is Remote Touch: colour me smitten with this feature. Nestled in the centre console, it’s a controller for the computer screen that governs the navigation, climate control, telephone, audio, and vehicle setting systems. What sets it apart from joystick or dial controls is that it functions similarly to a computer mouse, making it simple for people used to working with such devices, especially since a hand accustomed to a mouse falls naturally to the Remote Touch’s shape. Use a finger to move a cursor over the dash-mounted screen, and then hit the “Enter” button on the side to execute the command. There are Enter buttons on either side of the device, allowing a passenger to easily use the system as well – very handy when a driver’s attention is taken up by watching the road. This has to be one of the easiest and best systems I’ve used, even including touch-screens.

The new instrument cluster is also simple and elegant, and the power indicates when the battery is charging, along with a range that you can use to stay in the most fuel-efficient range. The central driver information centre can be switched to a display that shows what’s powering the vehicle, whether it’s running on gasoline, electricity or a combination. What I don’t get, though, is that when you set the cruise control, the information centre informs you that you’ve done this. The screen then stays on that, instead of returning to the power display, and you must hit the steering wheel-mounted buttons to bring the display back up. Far better would be a quick “hey, you’re on cruise,” followed by, “… and we now return to our regularly-scheduled programming.”

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

There are several other nice touches throughout. A cupholder swings out of the dash on the driver’s left side, along with two in the centre console. The console box includes an ingenious design for those who prefer music from their iPods or other music players. The interface is in the very bottom of the deep box, and you access it by first removing a smaller inner liner. Plug in the iPod, set it in the bottom of the box, and then put the liner back in. The iPod stays safe and sound in the bottom, while any items you toss in stay in the liner, instead of piling on top of your expensive and fragile device. Finally, there’s a shallow tray up top for the smallest items. If you should want the iPod up top and outside of the box, you can also thread its cord through slots in the liner and right up to a covered cutout in the centre console, so you don’t have to sit with the box lid open.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Touring . Click image to enlarge

Much larger items go into a cargo area that’s 97 cm long with the rear seats up; fold them, and you get a not-quite-flat 162 cm of length. For extra-long items, you can remove the front passenger head restraint, and then fully recline the seat, giving you up to 275 cm of cargo length. It’s not perfect, but it’ll get the IKEA bookcase home.

In the direct competition department, there really isn’t much: just two truck-based hybrids, the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode. BMW will be offering a hybrid version of its X6 in the near future, which should really prove to be about the only thing that will go head-to-head with it if you want to compare unibody luxury SUVs with hybrid powertrains.

Overall, the RX 450h nails the definition of a luxury hybrid SUV, mostly because it shatters any perceptions people may have of the way hybrids used to be. It’s powerful, it goes from gasoline to electricity and back again with nary a jolt or a shudder, and it doesn’t steer like a video game. Whether it’s worth the extra price over a conventional RX 350 is a decision each buyer must determine, but the quality and performance of what you’re getting is already a given.

See Also:
Secrets of Lexus RX hybrid system, by Paul Williams

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