Lexus RX450H | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 27 September, 2017

Lexus RX450H Review: Vader car is a force to be reckoned with

Overview

Overview

The Lexus RX450H is a Luxury Hybrid SUV, making it quite a niche car. Not only does it have a very striking look (which might look familiar to some Star Wars fans), it offers all the quality and prestige of a Lexus, and the planet-saving (and pocket-friendly) technology of a Hybrid. While those attributes might make it stand out from the crowd, the space, comfort and refinement on offer is just as impressive in its own right.

The boot measures in at 453 litres, which is smaller than rivals, but the extra space has been sacrificed to accommodate the Hybrid technology.
For most people that’s going to be a more important function and 453 litres is not exactly small. It makes up for it somewhat with a nice flat surface for loading and the seats fold down if you need to carry anything bigger.

Space in the rear when you put them back up is incredibly generous and the backseats in this Lexus are some of the most comfortable and luxurious we’ve ever sat into. There’s acres of space in every direction, and you can fit three full size adults in because there’s a flat floor and no big transmission tunnel. You can also recline, and rest your weary arms on some of the softest leather you’ll ever feel in the back of a vehicle, all while enjoying your own separate temperature zone.

Back in the driver seat things are just as plush, and the RX cabin was a really pleasant surprise. While some other Lexus cabins can be slightly underwhelming, the RX set-up is really something special. It has an interesting design, is made from the highest quality materials, and a massive multimedia screen adds a modern touch to the old school luxury of the rest.

It's well specced, and among the standard features on the entry level Executive model are heated leather seats, parking sensors and adaptive cruise control.
The Luxury model will get you larger wheels, a larger screen, SatNav and electronic climate control.
Then the top of the range Premium model gets sportier styling, adaptive suspension, heated seats in the rear, and a 15 speaker Mark Levinson sound system.

Pre-Crash Safety comes as standard and the Lexus RX scored the full five stars on the Euro NCAP safety test.

Our test car was the 450H hybrid model. There is a petrol model available, but the Hybrid model is the interesting one because it claims to offer similar fuel economy to a diesel, and that’s despite being partly powered by a 3.5l V6 petrol engine. The reason that's possible is because it’s also powered by a pair of electric motors, one at the front, and one at the back. It’s not a plug-in Hybrid like many of its rivals, so there’s no charging involved at all, instead it will claw back energy when you're in regenerative brake mode. So it's a good old-fashioned Hybrid. If there is such a thing.

It kicks off on that silent electric power on start up, and up to a certain speed, granted you can’t really go too far or too fast before the petrol kicks in. But for a person who does a lot of stop-start city driving, that will still save a lot of fuel. It also helps to reduce carbon emissions to just 127g a kilometre giving it an annual motortax bill of €270. Not bad as large petrol SUVs go.

It’s a very pleasant car to drive; big and powerful, but also quiet and relaxing. The sound insulation is excellent. You could hear a pin drop in cabin on that electric power, and it’s not too bad when the petrol kicks in either. It feels very refined on the road, perhaps not all that thrilling but then again it's rare to find an SUV of this size that is.

There's a lot to love about the Lexus RX450H. It's not just good 'for a luxury-hybrid-SUV', it's a good SUV full stop. It also happens to be a great alternative to diesel and a premium quality product throughout. Lexus are renowned for their build quality and all models in the range come with a three-year/100,000km warranty as standard.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives