Used 2017 Lexus RX 450h Consumer Reviews
Lexus RX 450 > 350
I spent a lot of time shopping for my new car and ended up buying the Lexus RX 450h. Before settling on the RX 450h I drove many of the competing vehicles including Audi SQ5, Q7, Mercedes GLC AMG, GLE, Volvo XC60 and XC90. I also drove the Lexus RX 350 as well. Initially I wasn't looking for a hybrid but I am glad I drove the 450h and ended up buying it. I've driven other hybrids as rental cars over the years (Prius and Ford Fusion) and in most cases the switch between electric and gas isn't particularly smooth, not so in the RX. Other than hearing the gas engine, it's just continuous power and smoothly switches over. The CVT makes the vehicle incredibly smooth as well with no gear changes. For the 2017s, the hybrid carries a pretty big premium for the base vehicle but upon closer inspection, it comes with a lot of standard features and in the end it really only adds about $1800 to the price of the vehicle. For 2018, the hybrid packaging is different and now has the same features as the base 350. The premium is now only about $1000. For that you get, in my opinion a much smoother vehicle and much better gas mileage. Bottom line, even if you aren't interested in the hybrid for environmental reasons, I still think it is a better vehicle and worth the upgrade costs. To address one common complaint, the weakest part of the RX vehicles is the user interface for the entertainment/navigation system. The remote touch control isn't as convenient as some other systems but it is more than adequate. Some times the user interface is a bit more complex than needed. That said, you will get used to it and don't let that turn you off from a great vehicle. Bottom line, if you are going to test drive RXs, take an RX 450h for a spin. I think you will like it.
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One Sweet Ride
I really like the design of this car, contrary to what others have posted. To me it is modern and very distinct. The only negatives on the design are that the rear cargo area and visibility out the back window is somewhat limited. However, as soon as I got used to using the camera, mirror, and warning systems, visibility was not an issue. Also I am glad to give up a little cargo room to avoid the boxy rear on you see on most SUVs. The backup warning system lets you know if a car is coming when you are backing up. I don't know how it sees around corners, but it seems to. The design of the interior is amazing. I got the parchment and bamboo interior, and it feels and smells very luxurious. The seats are leather trimmed, but most surfaces are what Lexus calls NuLuxe, a synthetic leather. The material is not cheap feeling at all and is supposed to be a lot more durable and less prone to wear than real leather. It feels very substantial and leather-like. The bamboo is beautiful, especially on the steering wheel. The only vehicle I would compare to this Lexus is a classic Rolls Royce, circa 1960 ( I rode in one once). The car accelerates OK, it is no Tesla, but has plenty of torque on the low end when you press the pedal to the metal, thanks to the 3 electric engines. Braking has a different feel because of the hybrid system, but stops quickly for a 2 1/2 ton vehicle. Cornering is just OK. it is a tall, heavy car; not a sport car feel but what I would expect in a big luxury car. The vehicle has a tendency to over steer when you accelerate into a turn, which does not inspire confidence in handling. The ride is silky smooth and quiet. Passengers are well insulated from road noise and imperfections in the pavement. The remote opening 5th door is a convenience. The vehicle side doors seem heavy for such a luxurious vehicle. Everything else is so refined it seems like they would have some kind of power assist or counter balance. The rear door is always operated electronically. The Infotainment system is the only real negative I have for an otherwise superb vehicle. I have been working with the voice commands with varying degrees of success. The voice command options seem too limited. Lexus apparently went with its own navigation system rather than partner with somebody that knows what they are doing like Google or Garmin. Note to Toyota: you are a CAR company - why would you think you can make a competitive navigation system? You can't. And they want $240/year after the first year, much more than buying a better Garmin. The manual states you can integrate the voice command system with an iphone - and a small and otherwise worthless compartment in the middle console seems designed to hold a small iphone. The on-board bluetooth integrated my Samsung cellphone seamlessly into the car's voice and sound system. Mileage has been less than claimed, but has improved since the battery has become conditioned and I learned to drive the vehicle. I got 29 MPG (vs. claimed 28) on a recent highway trip, averaging 70 MPH. Around town I've averaged 26 MPG (vs. claimed 30), but that seems fine for such a heavy vehicle. Most of my trips are short, and the air conditioning is usually working at warp speed in our Las Vegas heat. The Lexus RX450h requires premium gas. I have driven a lot of nice cars, and this is the nicest. I love it.
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- Base Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $27,000114 mi away
- Base Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $22,4419 mi away
- Base Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $26,24085 mi away
Absolutely awesome redesign of this car.
If you are looking for an high end hybrid SUV that has all the latest technology, power, comfort, luxury and eye catching style, then look no further! The new 2016 450h hybrid is not only the sportiest looking SUV on the market, but it is also provides a fantastic driving experience. I recently traded in my 2011 450h for the 2016 revised model and am just smiling ear to ear. Everyone I show it to is in awe. I was lucky enough to get in early on this vehicle and can tell you first hand that it is worth every penny. From the new and extended high tech navigation system to all the upgraded safety features, Lexus has hit the bullseye. Ergonomically, it is the most comfortable ride ever and at my age (59) this is critical to driver comfort and safety. Again, Lexus hits the mark on so many areas that I can't imagine driving anything else. By the way, I am just a consumer and these comments are real and true!
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My Dream Car!
I bought my 2016 RX 450h 3 years ago. Although my purchase experience at Lexus of Carlsbad (CA) was the absolute worst, the vehicle is awesome. I love its luxury package and its many safety features, the front CD/DVD player, the panoramic moonroof, the outstanding Mark Levinson audio system, the heated and cooling reclining seats, and it’s amazingly smooth and quiet ride quality. Although I didn’t purchase my RX there, Lexus of the Monterey Peninsula does a great job of servicing it. Unfortunately, desirable features as Apple Car Play and Android Auto, and wireless charging aren’t available. There are a few RX features that deserve a thumbs down. The infotainment system and mouse are a nightmare; the grab bar placement is ridiculous; and console storage is inadequate. Also, be forewarned that the Bridgestone Ecopia tires that came with the car were bald at 12,000 miles (despite meticulous maintenance). Otherwise, I love the RX hybrid. I’m probably a Lexus owner for life, but I will NEVER again buy a vehicle from Lexus of Carlsbad!
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Nice and luxurious
When Lexus redesigned the RX last year, I was a little disappointed that they deviated from the traditional rounded shape to a more aggressive styling. But, the style grew on me and now I think that it's actually a better look. The redesigned interior dash design is definitely much better than before. There is quite a bit of learning curve to get familiar with the technology. The manuals are poorly designed and printed and online information is far from helpful. The navigation system is quite limited and the voice command system is unpredictable. I do enjoy driving this car very much because of the nice and quite ride. I bought the hybrid which gets around 28 mpg which is very nice even though premium gasoline is required. Couple of annoying things while driving are the fairly loud hum when braking (due to regenerative brake system) and the slight hesitation when starting from a traffic stop (due to switching from hybrid to gas).
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Making Lemonade With This Lexus Lemon
Hopefully, the problems I've had are unique. At 1438 miles, had to replace the fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel gauge and brake pump booster; in shop 21 days. At 10,019 miles, scheduled lift gate recall repair and oil change; took 45 days to get part and second trip to dealer for installation of part. At 12067 miles, replaced leaking transaxle oil seal. At 20,140 miles, replaced same leaking transaxle oil seal for second time and replaced transaxle itself. According to my service adviser, the transaxle was scored and was a factory defect; took 6 days to receive part. At 20,153 miles, the air conditioner on the driver's side quit (I live in Texas and the temp was still near 100); took 16 days to get damper servo so it could be repaired. On one occasion, the radio was on, but no sound would emit regardless of what I tried; restarting the engine caused it to work again. On one occasion, several warning lights flashed, but I couldn't tell which ones they were since I was driving. I've been driving a Lexus hybrid for almost 4 years, and know how to start it. About 20% of the time, I have to try a second time to start the car. None of the electrical problems created an error code and the service department can't replicate them. Fortunately, I leased the car, and it will be returned at the end of the lease. My wife and I really wanted to keep this car (I even flew at my expense from Dallas to San Antonio to get it as it was exactly what we wanted and was the only one of its kind in North America), but it's been far too unreliable for us to do so. I'm grateful all these problems have been handled under warranty, and I'm grateful that the dealer always provides a quality loaner for us to use when our car is in the shop.
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Okay - get real, this is a soccer Mom's car.
This is not a Porsche, BMW, Audi, nor is it Mercedes. It's a Lexus, a fancy Toyota. I bought it because Toyota has a long history of reliable hybrid cars. I had a Porsche 928, two Corvettes, and a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. I miss the GT VR4. I'm over 60 and wanted the biggest Japanese hybrid money can buy. But after I bought it I heard that Acura will have a hybrid MDX in mid year 2017. The MDX has a superior all wheel drive system that can isolate 100% of the power to any one wheel at a time - SH-AWD. Acura claims 26 mpg combined on its hybrid. Lexus claims 30 mpg combined. But on the econ setting I am getting 31.8 to 32 mpg. I currently have 665 miles on the car. I traded in an 2012 MDX Advanced. An all gas version that delivered 16 mpg combined. Anyway, it was time to go conservative and green. I like the aggressive front grill and the f sport badge even if it does nothing for performance. 0-60 is a sad 7.9 seconds. Hardly quick but adequate to merge into highway traffic. But I am driving in a way that you would expect a senior citizen to drive, like a turtle who had instant oatmeal for breakfast. I just hope the curtain airbags will protect my frail aging frame from any potential collision and that I continue to drive this fancy car into my 80's. Update: This is a soccer Mom's car. Would rather have a Range Rover - Sport HSE or a 4 Runner TRD Trail Pro.
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Model is too new. Wait a while.
I had the car for 10 days and loved it. Brought it to the dealer because the seatbelt light stayed on. 12 days later I do not have the car and have no idea when it will be returned. A part called a "Cluster" that does not exist in the United States. I give the dealer a lot of credit for trying but Lexus will not commit to a delivery date. If you are going to sell the car YOU GOTTA STOCK THE PARTS.
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MY 4th Lexus SUV and the best ever.
I bought my first Lexus RX in 2000 and traded it in on a 2006 Lexus RX 400h in May 2005. I drove it till November 2015 when I traded it in on a 2016 gray Lexus RX 350 which was a great vehicle. But it was gray and driving a gray vehicle in gray Indiana was too much. So I traded it in on a red 2016 Lexus RX 450h in early January 2016. The h is definitely more refined and, although I am not an expert, I feel that the CVT transmission is much superior to the 8 speed in the 350. I really do not have any complaints about the 2016 Rx 450h. It is extremely quiet, responsive and safe. The driver's assist technology is superb. And the color is uplifting. Now that I have driven more than 10000 combined highway and city miles the vehicle has delivered on all off its promise. No complains. I am now used to the mouse and can navigate easily. The voice recognition needs a little help, however. The odometer hit 22500 miles and I am still thrilled with my purchase. No problems what so ever. The mileage is averaging 28.2 over the distance travelled. It is still a pleasure to drive this vehicle. Here we are more than 5 years later and 43000 miles on the odometer and my garaged 2016 Lexus 450h feels and drive like a new vehicle. When will I tire from this vehicle I really don’t know. Except for the voice recognition function which was hard to deal with from the beginning every other function on this extremely reliable vehicle is still like new. I will be waiting for the 2023 model remake before I think about trading in my 2016 and that is a big if. Well just moved to another city that Evansville IN and the facilities of the Lexus dealer there is less welcoming. The service specialist is just as nice, however. The vehicle has 52000 miles on it now and still no complaints what so ever. I expect to keep my 2016 Lexus 450h till there is a complete model remake which may occur in 2023. All the safety features that Lexus or other makes of vehicles have added since then I have on my 2016 Lexus except Apple play, not a single complaint. It has been more than 6 years since I bought my 2016 Lexus 450h and it still feels and drives like a new car. It has been driven 55750 miles. I have NO problem with it what so ever. Of course the voice recognition is often frustrating. Also annoying is the lack of Apple play which Is standard on almost all vehicles nowadays. Aside from that and since I bought it with all the xtra safety features new cars have nothing to brag about when compared to my 2016 450h. Hopefully the new 2023 model expected to be introduced this fall will have a better voice recognition and of course standard Apple play. A firmer suspension will also be appreciated. Can’t wait. I am looking forward to soon trying the 2023 RX 350h which is designed to replace my 2016 RX450h which has served well since I bought it in January of 2016. I have now 63500 miles on the odometer and not a single technical issue till now. In June while driving west to New Mexico my cruise control / radar suddenly stopped working and got the warning on my dashboard that it is NOT available. Since then it happened twice and every time it came back as suddenly as it became inoperative. I have the vehicle to three dealerships to investigate this frustrating issue but to vail. The dealerships service departments were as usual very friendly and did their best to find out what is happening but no luck. So this intermittent issue is now on my mind although the cruise control/ radar is back functioning properly on my last furiously of 600 miles. I am told this is NOT a safety issue and hopefully next time the cruise control/ radar will be NOT functioning when I arrive at the service department and may they can figure it out. Otherwise this vehicle is getting five stars rating from me as it is the most comfortable vehicle I have owned and I have owned more than 15 in the last 55 years. What can I say about my RX450h SUV NOW THAT I HAVE HAD IT FOR MORE THAN 7 years and driven it 69500 miles. I say it is the most reliable car I have had and in my life I owned more than 15. It is comfortable especially on long road trips. I wanted to buy a 2023 RX hybrid but I love my car that I purchased in January of 2016 WITH ALL THE SAFETY AND DRIVER ASSISTANCE FEATURES that are now available on 2023 cars that I hesitate to part with it. So I am waiting to enjoy my Lexus 450h vehicle for a little while before I purchase the 4 cylinders model. No issues with the vehicle what so ever after 7 years and to me it is still a 5 star review except for the voice recognition. Here we are more than 8 years later from the day I purchased my 2016 RX 450h SUV and the vehicle looks and drive as if I bought it this year. I know it was always garaged, no accidents and it has only 86000 miles on the odometer but this, in my view is exceptional . I was planning to purchase a.2024 model but this has to wait since I have zero complaints about this 2016 model and especially that my vehicle has ALL the safety features offered on all the 2024 vehicle models. For full disclosure the water pump and some of the gaskets were replaced but they were covered by my extended warranty. I know some complain that the drive for this model is mushy but that suits just fine as I am and have never been much of a fast driver and this 6 cylinders with two electric motors satisfies all my driving needs. Love the vehicle. Ok, few days ago I stopped by my across the street neighbor to see his new car and he told me he loves it. Then he turned around and told me he also likes my new car. I said what new car I am driving my 9 years old Lexus 450h. He couldn’t believe it. My vehicle now has 94000 miles on it and it obviously looks and I must add drives like brand new. Suffice to say Toyota builds its Lexus cars to last for a very long time. I hate to say it BUT I haven’t had any new issues since my last year review. Old issues such as a terrible voice recognition and a not very sporty driving characteristics still exist. Regardless I love my 9 years old Lexus 450h and I am keeping it. Let’s us see how I feel when Lexus comes out with it’s 6 generation Lexus RX vehicle in the coming two years.
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RX450h F is an A
There are a lot of options that are not advertised or available on standard media. Best thing to do is to visit the d alert and hope to get a knowledgeable sales person. So many features like HUD, interior lighting, paddle shifters, winter package, tow package, Art Levinson stereo system, LED head and tail lights.
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