2009 Lexus RX450H Reviews

Lexus RX has been a huge success for the upmarket Japanese marque since its launch in Australia in April 2003. More a high riding station wagon than a 4WD it has mild to medium off-road ability in its AWD versions, though very few owners ever take advantage of it. The introduction of the fourth generation RX series in

...and what to watch for when you are buying it.Lexus cars are about comfort and refinement and the Lexus RX SUV leans very much in that direction and well away from the rugged off-road nature of its big brother the LandCruiser-based Lexus LX Series.The Lexus RX350 has significantly less ground clearance than the typical crossover. Which gives it road holding almost on par with that of a sedan or station wagon. While the Lexus RX350 does have all-wheel drive and can travel on dirt roads, forest trails and the like, taking it to the beach could leave it beached on its belly.Interior room is good for two adults and three junior travellers, but three adults in the back seats starts to stretch their friendship. It goes without saying that the choice of materials and the quality of fit and finish of cabin is immaculate in all models, and has been taken to even higher levels over the years. Boot space is reasonable considering the steep slope of the rear window, but most SUVs of this size give you more versatility when it comes to carrying boxy items. The rear seat has a handy 40/20/40 split to give you loading options.Australian buyers weren’t offered the chance to buy the first-generation Lexus RX300 as it was only sold in the USA. The second generation went on sale in this country in April 2003 as the RX330 (the numbers refer to the engine size in decilitres in most models, more about that later) and was a hit pretty well from the start.The third generation Lexus was introduced in February 2009 and, with a moderate facelift and the introduction of several new variants remains on sale today. The gen-three was virtually all-new, being longer and wider in the body than its predecessors and sitting on a longer wheelbase and wider track. The new model was designed to provide more interior space and even higher levels of interior comfort than before. It truly is a luxury wagon and the great majority of buyers use it that way.The twin-cam petrol engine V6 has a capacity of 3.0 litres in the 330 and 3.5 litres in the RX350. The third generation cars have noticeably lower fuel consumption without any loss of performance. The petrol engine was mated to a five-speed automatic transmission until the arrival of the all-new 2009 model saw it lifted to six-speed unit, which partly explains its lower fuel use.An interesting model is the petrol-electric hybrid RX. Sold since October 2006, it uses a 3.3-litre engine and an electric motor in combination. The hybrid’s model name breaks with convention by being tagged RX400h, that’s because Lexus reckons it has the performance that would be offered by a 4.0-litre petrol engine.A mid-life upgrade in July 2012 saw the introduction of an RX 2WD, four-cylinder model badged RX 270. Until then all RXs used 4WD and a V6 engine. The lighter weight of the 2WD model (which drives through the front wheels) means there is less loss in performance than you might expect. Naturally, it’s still a rarity on the used market but if you never plan any unsealed road driving its lower price may make it worth a wait.Lexus dealers are mainly in metropolitan areas of capital cities and major regional and country locations. Should you need work done in other areas some top Toyota mechanics have been trained in Lexus work. Service and repair costs are about average for an SUV in this upmarket class and we have heard of no real complaints about cost or availability of routine spare parts. Insurance charges don’t seem to vary significantly between major companies, but it may be worth shopping around.WHAT TO LOOK FORVery high build quality means that troubles are rare, but these are relatively complex machines and we highly recommend a professional inspection after you've completed yours to the best of your ability. If you find body damage indicating off-road use, a rarity, it’s most likely to be on the bumper corners, under the sill panels and in the form of scratches on the doors. Unless the price is right we suggest going for another RX instead.Look for a smoking exhaust on a high-mileage engine. It will be at its worst when the engine is worked hard. Check the automatic transmission is all but unnoticed in its actions unless you’re accelerating hard. Look over the interior and boot carefully because the RX is popular in the Mums’ taxi cohort.CAR BUYING TIPFaded paint on any vehicle, particularly those with strong colours, is likely to indicate it hasn’t been garaged very often. This can be hard on the interior as well as the body. 

The third-generation RX (and second-generation hybrid SUV) will be launched in Australia in June.The RX 450h features a 10 per cent increase in engine power, a 28 per cent reduction in combined cycle fuel consumption, a 30 per cent improvement in cold weather fuel efficiency and a 23 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.RX 450h's new 2GR-FXE petrol engine employs the Atkinson, or high-expansion, cycle for improved efficiency. It has a higher compression ratio than a conventional Otto Cycle engine and keeps the exhaust valves closed until the end of the expansion stroke for maximum combustion effect.The expansion stroke is extended, converting more of the combustion energy into torque on the crankshaft.Lexus has combined the Atkinson Cycle with direct ignition, Quad-Cam Multi-valves and dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) to optimise efficiency.Fuel economy and emissions are further improved by cooled exhaust gas recirculation, exhaust heat recovery, reduced hybrid transmission friction losses and a new power control unit.The V6 is combined with two electric motors to produce a total power output of 220kW and push the vehicle to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds.Fuel consumption is 6.3 litres per 100km, while CO2 emissions are down from 192g/km to 148g/km, which is less than a Toyota Corolla (175g/km).Lexus Australia chief executive John Roca said demand for Lexus hybrids had risen steadily since the introduction of the RX 400h SUV in 2006."The proportion of total Lexus sales captured by hybrid is now 12 per cent," he said."Lexus expects hybrid sales, as a proportion of total sales, to continue to grow steadily as we launch new product, the first of which is the new RX 450h in July."Total RX sales are down 14 per cent to 880 so far this year, which is better than most in the luxury SUV category which is down 24.3 per cent.The new RX 450h is bigger all round at 15mm longer, 40mm wider, 10mm higher and 25mm longer in the wheelbase while retaining its 5.7m turning circle.It rides on new double wishbone rear suspension replacing the struts used in the RX 400h.Allied to the increase in wheelbase length and track width, this is claimed to reduce body roll and pitch by up to 40 per cent.The front suspension has also been extensively re-engineered, with new shock absorbers, optimised springs, anti-roll bar and component geometry. Electronically Controlled Air Suspension gives the driver a choice of four vehicle height settings over a 60mm range and automatically lowers when travelling at speed to optimise aerodynamic performance, stability and fuel economy.Inside, there is a new remote touch control navigation system which operates like a computer mouse. It operates the vehicle's audio, navigation, ventilation, phone and set-up systems. The new RX also features head-up display which screens key driving data in the driver's line of sight at the base of the windscreen.The information presented includes vehicle speed, turn-by-turn navigation instructions, audio information and Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-Crash Safety system status. The navigation system has a 40Gb HDD capacity.