Lexus RX Hybrid: 2nd Generation

Lexus Magazine writer Rod Mackenzie took an RX 450h on an adventure through Malaysia in a quest to find a remote resort called Fraser’s Hill:

For years, I’ve fantasized about penetrating Malaysia’s dense jungle interior on a modern-day Heart of Darkness journey, complete with creeping tigers. This exotic road trip, however, comes with a major perk: after crossing the Singapore/Malaysian border, my chief rest stop will be the urban jungle of intriguing Kuala Lumpur.

My excitement builds on the drive to Fraser’s Hill. The drive isn’t long (64 miles), but it feels like a road trip to Avatar’s deep-space Pandora. The road gets twisty, and the scenery, which is growing ever more dense, couldn’t offer a more striking contrast to Kuala Lumpur’s glass and neon playground. The farther I drive, the more I feel myself disappearing into the jungle’s 20 shades of green.

The stunning range of Malaysia, from ultra-futuristic Kuala Lumpur to the lush Titiwangsa mountain range, is beautifully detailed in this photo essay — definitely worth clicking over and looking through the slideshow.

[Source: Lexus Magazine]

The Bangkok Post has some engine variation rumors regarding the RX & LS:

Later this year, Japan’s top nameplate is set to offer a third engine variant of its RX sport-utility vehicle in the guise of RX270 with 2WD. For the first time, the new entry-level RX would be getting a four-cylinder petrol engine currently used in the Toyota Fortuner and Land Cruiser Prado.

Such a move would help widen the RX customer base, which currently has only two pricey options including the V6-powered RX350 and hybrid-driven RX450h, both of which are priced at over B5m due to 50% excise tax.

Earlier, Lexus had pledged to not build a four-pot motor for the RX in the form of RX240 (Toyota Harrier-style) fearing a diluted image.[..]

For long, Thai product planners have aspired for a six-pot unit for the flagship LS saloon which its parent firm in Japan refused to develop.

Sources say it is possible the next-generation LS could see a V6 option alongside the V8 (LS460) and hybrid (LS600h) so it can compete with the BMW 730i and Mercedes-Benz S300 on the B8m front. A hybrid version using the V6 petrol/electric combination of the RX450h and GS450h is also possible.

A RX 240 wouldn’t be entirely out of the question, after all, the ES 240 has been available in China since last year — however, I’m sure Lexus will wait to see how the RX 270 is received before making any decision.

As for the LS V6 rumor, it’s an older rumor, and it certainly makes sense given the import taxes placed on big V8s in some countries. More interesting is the thought of using the hybrid/V6 from the RXh, which would turn a V6 flagship sedan into something with much larger potential appeal.

LS 450h, anyone?

[Source: The Bangkok Post]

Toyota & Tesla are now two weeks into their partnership (in which Toyota purchased a $50M stake in Tesla), and it’s rumored that their first joint-project will be converting a Lexus RX to a full electric prototype:

Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the models. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla compact car, the RAV4 and RX light trucks are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the vehicles haven’t been announced yet.

The target for a model developed with Tesla would be for a car that costs about $40,000 with 150 miles (240 kilometers) of driving range per charge, the person familiar with the plans said.

“Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer, said in a July 10 e-mail message.

It may not be a vehicle as exciting as Tesla’s own Roadster, but with the RX already engineered to support a battery pack with its hybrid version, it’s a natural choice to be prototyped using the Tesla electric platform.

Even more than the models chosen, I’m surprised by the speed of this partnership — I wouldn’t have expected an announcement so soon, never mind the possibility that we may see a full-electric Lexus prototype before the year is out.

[Source: Bloomberg]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 2010 Lexus RX its TOP SAFETY PICK award.

This designation recognizes the RX for earning the highest possible rating for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, along with being equipped with electronic stability control, which is standard.

Read the IIHS Annoucement

My three month winter road test of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h wrapped up last month, and it’s safe to say that the experience has changed my opinion of Lexus’ most popular vehicle.

It’s not that I didn’t understand the success of the RXh — from a purely practical point, it’s easy to see how combining the ride height, safety & versatility of a SUV with the handling and fuel efficiency of a car would be appealing, but beyond that, the RX never struck me as an emotional vehicle. Sensible, sure, but certainly nothing to get overly excited about.

As it turns out, I just wasn’t looking at it in the right way.

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Last week, right before my long-term Lexus RX 450h loaner was set to be returned to Lexus Canada, I had the opportunity to bring it to my local Lexus dealership, Performance Lexus in St. Catharines, Ontario, for its 8,000km oil change.

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