5th Generation RX Discussion: Official Thread (RX 500h, 450h+, 350h and More)

mikeavelli

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25.7 MPG for the RX500h in Eco mode, which is lower than the rated 27/28 mpg, and more in line with the turbo 6 cylinders you get from the competition. Could this be because the 500h’s engine needs to be broken in more?


A mdx type s with less power and much less torque is getting real world 18-20 mpg. 26mpg and 366hp/409lbs torque is fine to me. I assume it not having a 10 speed or even 8 speed hurts MPG.
 

sl0519

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25.7 MPG for the RX500h in Eco mode, which is lower than the rated 27/28 mpg, and more in line with the turbo 6 cylinders you get from the competition. Could this be because the 500h’s engine needs to be broken in more?


Lower mpg than a gs450h and probably not any faster LOL.
Actually I'm ok if it's performant enough to suck up a lot of juice, but it's just isn't fast enough to warrant an FSP badge. Germans are well under 5s 0-60 for their sub-performance lineup, so I don't really know who this car is for.
 
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Gecko

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25.7 MPG for the RX500h in Eco mode, which is lower than the rated 27/28 mpg, and more in line with the turbo 6 cylinders you get from the competition. Could this be because the 500h’s engine needs to be broken in more?


As stated in the video, exterior temperature: 34F.

A ~1.5 MPG drop in MPG in that kind of weather is 100% normal. I think most, myself included, see closer to 2.5MPG drop in colder weather.
 

ssun30

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After the painful one week experience with a Porsche Cayenne S I say Lexus has a fair point that RX500h targets conquest sales. People who get tired of one malfunction a day just want to switch to Lexus but still want to retain some performance.

List of things that went wrong in a 4-year-old Cayenne S:
Window switch panel fell off.
Ignition switch almost tore off.
Cruise control not working in at least two occasions.
Passenger side mirror fails to return to position after auto tilting in reverse.
Infotainment fails to connect to phone at least once a day and will reboot but connects fine afterwards.
Power window sensor fails to stop the window and almost broke my finger.
Powertrain so out of calibration that the transmission shifts rougher than a RAV4.

I will get so disgusted and buy an outdated uncompetitive GX460 too if I had to deal with these everyday. The RX500h means I don't have to make this unwilling choice.

I suspect a lot of German cars perform so well because they are calibrated for very tight tolerances. This makes them run well out of factory but not after years of wear and tear on the mechanical components.
 
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Sulu

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The only reason that RX doesn’t score a perfect 10 here is due to the clunky transition between battery and gas power. When the gas engine kicks on from EV mode to hybrid power, the engine makes a rough rumble that’s clearly audible throughout the cabin. Accelerate hard from a standstill and the RX Hybrid whines in protest.

The reviewer, knowing that they are driving a hybrid, must have been paying extra attention to the EV to hybrid drive mode transition. I drive a 2022 Camry Hybrid so can confirm that the transition is noticeable if you pay special attention (like keeping an eye on the drive mode graphics in the display), otherwise it is barely noticeable; it is most definitely NOT "clunky".
 

qtb007

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It isn't clunky physically. I would say it is audibly awkward as it transitions from engine off - low low to engine on - high load. Engine off to engine on isn't noticeable at all if you're making relatively similar power demand of the vehicle. But if you are coasting behind someone driving 40mph on a country road and make a move to pass, the engine kicking on and going to redline is audibly abrupt.

I'm fine with it, though. It is a very small tradeoff for how smooth the drivetrain is for the exact type of driving these cars do. It is a very small tradeoff for how efficient this drivetrain is for the exact type of driving these cars do.
 

JustADude

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Acceleration nust be great. How was cornering? Also how refined is this whole package vs a 350h?
 

mikeavelli

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Acceleration nust be great. How was cornering? Also how refined is this whole package vs a 350h?

Best handling RX by far. This does not have the grippy Michelin Pilot Sports I had in Cali. This has All Season Goodyears. Big difference. Not sure how the Michelins are packaged.

Refinement for all RX’s is good, F Sport Performance and Luxury packages have some higher end treatments inside.

The RX 500h has a very peppy gas pedal. I love that. It wants to move. Great throttle response. It takes off quick and is more than enough for most traffic. Obviously not overpowering.

Negatives are again the seats need more adjustments, a physical knob to change into sport (you haft to go into Lexus Interface) and the gauges while digital are meh. Really miss the F Sport/F circular gauges.
 

mikeavelli

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Seems like everyones not happy with that new steering control + HUD.

It isn’t the easiest thing. Tho it’s not new, the NX has it. I’ve been using it all day and it’s going to take time to get used to. I also can’t figure out how to reset the average MPG.
 

NVlaar

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So, after pretty much watching all the reviews on the entire planet, a few common complaints I see and (my own personal takeaways):

1. Buzzy/noisy 4 popper turbo and possible reliability issues.
(Well, this is the world with live in with all these crazy emissions standards, I do not think Lexus can do any other way. If the 4 cylinder is too noisy, just go with the hybrid.)

2. E-latches/doors (haven't tried them personally but people are not particularly fond of them)

3. New Steering Control + HUD setup (maybe they can always go back to good old layout with many physical buttons if all their customers are not happy with it)

4. Overly Aggressive/ Constant beeping safety systems ( This one also easy fix - just put a button to not beep at all and keep the alerts only the screens)

5. Screen way too big, eyesore especially during night time. ( People literally asked for bigger screens so deal with it )

All these things, like Mike said, wouldn't be just limited to the RX but also applies to the NX with same setup. Most of these 'problems' are easily fixable through software. People will always complain no matter what they do but overall I think they pretty much done a good job with this new model.
 

JustADude

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Sad to hear that the 2.4L turbo isn't refined. Idk if that's because he might have been pushing it or it's just buzzy like the 2.5L. The 8AR engine wasn't this buzzy. Why is the new gen engines from Toyota so unrefined vs older 4 cylinders. Sad that BMW makes a smoother turbo 4 cylinder than Toyota who's engines are known to be smooth
 

Kelvin2020

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So, after pretty much watching all the reviews on the entire planet, a few common complaints I see and (my own personal takeaways):

1. Buzzy/noisy 4 popper turbo and possible reliability issues.
(Well, this is the world with live in with all these crazy emissions standards, I do not think Lexus can do any other way. If the 4 cylinder is too noisy, just go with the hybrid.)

2. E-latches/doors (haven't tried them personally but people are not particularly fond of them)

3. New Steering Control + HUD setup (maybe they can always go back to good old layout with many physical buttons if all their customers are not happy with it)

4. Overly Aggressive/ Constant beeping safety systems ( This one also easy fix - just put a button to not beep at all and keep the alerts only the screens)

5. Screen way too big, eyesore especially during night time. ( People literally asked for bigger screens so deal with it )

All these things, like Mike said, wouldn't be just limited to the RX but also applies to the NX with same setup. Most of these 'problems' are easily fixable through software. People will always complain no matter what they do but overall I think they pretty much done a good job with this new model.
I test drove the RX350 FSport few weeks ago, and personally I don’t think the engine is noisy