Quote:
Originally Posted by IceBoy
Hi Odysseus,
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Funnily enough, the cars I'm currently looking at for daily duties include:
V70 T5 or R
XC 90
S-Class 221
RX450h
So how does the 450h compare to the XC90, driving, speed, comfort, enconomy etc?
IceBoy
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All those would be lovely cars in my view.
My Lexus is the GS not the RX, so the E Class/5 Series sized saloon rather than the SUV. That said both the GS and RX have the same drive train - a CVT gearbox and a hybrid system that makes the car essentially silent in traffic, as it can progress under battery power alone up to about 30 mph. There's nothing to plug in as it charges from the petrol engine and regenerates power under braking and slowing down. My GS is rear wheel drive, but the RX is basically front wheel drive with electric motors that will engage on the rear wheels when additional performance/traction is requested. From this point of view it's not dissimilar to a XC90.
The Lexus/Toyota hybrid drive train is a very clever, very well proven solution and very, very smooth (all those Prius taxis can't be wrong). Downsides are it's not especially involving and you can't hold the car in gear (you sort of can but they're pretend gears) for spirited driving, though this is small price to pay for such smoothness and quietness during driving.
MPG for a RX450H would be between mid 20s to mid 30s, and this would be petrol not diesel of course.
It would be a pretty brisk car to drive. They are circa 300 bhp and you'd be looking at 0-60 in 7 seconds ish.
I think road tax is about £250 per annum.
Since it's a Lexus it will have heaps of standard kit. Even so, I'd be looking at a SE-L model rather than SE. You'll get even more equipment and the additional cost over a SE model isn't huge.
Truth be told, if Lexus made a 7 seater RX450H in the same price bracket as the XC90 I ended up buying, I probably would have bought that instead.
Not to take anything away from the XC90 which is also a great car, but Lexus (Toyota) reliability and dependability is exactly the sort of thing I want for my family car.
Like I said though, everyone has different requirements. You can have lots of fun test driving all these cars and letting us know how you get on.
