RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Overall Impressions: I purchased this vehicle in Jan 07 and currently have 6,500 miles on it. So far I absolutely love everything about this car. I have the 2007 AWD/Premium Plus package with Navigation and I have been very impressed with how quiet the vehicle is, how well it handles, and most of all how quickly this car accelerates! Acceleration from a dead stop is great, although the 3.3 liter engine is a little noisy. The hybrid battery is designed to kick in and assist the engine to really give the car a boost, moving this vehicle up to speed quickly. What is really impressive is the acceleration from about 30-40 mph up (e.g., when accelerating to get onto the interstate or when accelerating to pass someone). In this case the car is instantly responsive to the driver's touch on the pedal and the car really accelerates quickly and quietly. Overall, the car is very quiet with lots of nice appointments and attention to detail. Energy Efficiency and Driving Green: I have always been philosophically opposed to SUVs due to the high fuel consumption and excessive pollution of these vehicles. But I have always thought the RX series by Lexus was the most attractive and reliable SUV on the market. So I was delighted when the hybrid RX400h was released. I now get outstanding fuel economy for an SUV and have the added benefit of driving a Super Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV). Please note that you should not buy this car if your only incentive is to save money on gas (actually, you should not buy any hybrid if that is your only incentive). The 400h is designed with performance in mind, not optimal fuel economy. This is why the car is so responsive and fast. However, it also gets very good gas mileage and I have been averaging about 28.5 mpg overall. I can get about 30.5 mpg on a tank when driving without the air conditioner on. I did test drive the Toyota Highlander (400h and Highlander share the same beefed up Toyota Camry platform), and although these cars are sister vehicles, there was a noticeable refinement in the quality and performance of the Lexus (there is no question that the Highlander is an excellent vehicle though!!). For me it was simply a personal decision to go with the Lexus (also the service & treatment I received at Lexus was far superior to what I got at Toyota - and customer service does make a difference to me). Anyway, I have been very impressed with all of the features. The navigation system is terrific. I originally thought that I might not use this too much, but now I find myself using it all the time. I no longer carry maps in my car! The Mark Levinson sound system is terrific and the interior fit and finish are superb. My only very minor complaint is that the car does not come with the "smart key" system that is found on some other Toyota cars (like Prius and Camry). Other than that, the car is loaded with creature comforts. In summary, this is an outstanding, reliable and well appointed vehicle that is very fun to drive. If you are conscientious about the environment and still want to drive an awesome, high performance vehicle that gets better gas mileage than most sedans (even some 4 cyl sedans), then this a tremendous, fun and very green vehicle!