THE Lexus RX450h is in a class of its own. It has so many features that one hardly knows where to start listing them. A colleague and I went to test drive this luxury SUV on Friday and was totally amazed by the driving experience and overall performance and look of the car.
When the saleslady, Bianca Weakley, started showing us the different features of the RX450h, it was easy to see why Lexus says on the outside of the cars brochure “When systems are so in tune with each other, a moment of engineering brilliance is born”.
The first thing that amazed me was the total silence of the engine when you start the car. The Lexus have keyless entry and driving, so you don’t even hear the key turning. The total soundless running can however confuse the driver. For me it was difficult to know if the engine was turned on and as the car has keyless driving, you are able to get out of the car without turning off the engine as it is an automatic as well.
Taking further into account that the RX450h has a 3.5 liter V6 engine with two hightorque electric motors, the soundlessness makes you wonder about the performance. Until you start moving. As soon as you put your foot on the accelerator, the power is obvious.
The two motors and the V6 engine deliver the performance of a V8. The two electric motors are connected to a small, more powerful hybrid battery. The front axle electric motor delivers 223 kW while the rear axle motor delivers 50 kW of power.
The RX450h has a maximum speed of 200 km/h and reaches 100 km/h in just 7.8 seconds. When accelerating this fast, the car switches over from the electric motors to the petrol engine. If you reach a speed of over 45 km/h, the engine switches from electric to petrol which makes it ideal for driving in town where your average speed is less than 50 km/h.
The RX450h emits 70% less carbon dioxide than normal petrol cars and gives you about 10.6 liters per 100 km. It is a SUV with permanent All Wheel Drive. Its engine capacity is 3 456 cc and delivers 183 kW at 6 000 r/min. This culminates into a torque of 317 Nm at 4 800 r/min. It has a multipoint electronic fuel injection with an electronic throttle control system and a three stage variable induction system.
It has ABS brakes, brake assists that maximizes brake performance for safe emergency braking and electronic brake force distribution. Furthermore it is equipped with electronic power steering for responsive handling on any terrain, traction control, a vehicle dynamics integrated management system designed to anticipate and help correct potential vehicle instability and a vehicle stability control that senses and corrects over- and understeering situations to improve cornering stability.
To increase the passenger safety 10 strategically positioned airbags were included in the design. The Lexus RX450h has so many features that make it an impressive car to drive, that all cannot be included in this article. The best way to see the luxury and amazing design features of this car, is to go and have a look at the car and to book a test drive.
However, the features that impressed me, was the built in Garmin GPS, the basic computer that is operated with a mouse in the centre console, reverse camera and back guide monitor, automatic voice controlled climate control that creates a uniquely comfortable ride for all the passengers.
The front seats have perforated leather surfaces that allow warm and cool air to flow for optimum comfort. The audio system is a best in its class 15 speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system equipped with a USB port for iPod and bluetooth.
The RX450h comes standard with a moonroof and the windows have rain sensing windscreen wipers. Even the headlights turn on and off automatically and can be cleaned with the headlamp wash system that can be operated from the inside of the car.
The steering column and the seats are electronically adjustable and can memorize the settings for three different drivers. Even the rear door is electric and allows you to open and close it from a distance.
The outside mirrors are auto-retractable electro-chromatic mirrors with heating and a memory function. The luxury models comes standard with roof rails and the rear side windows and back windows have privacy glass.
