{"id":31091,"date":"2022-09-09T06:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T10:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=31091"},"modified":"2022-09-09T06:04:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T10:04:00","slug":"1137102_2023-lexus-rx-450h-plug-in-hybrid-test-drive-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=31091","title":{"rendered":"Review: 2023 Lexus RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid falls short of prime mover"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lexus RX mid-size crossover is the mainstay of Toyota\u2019s luxury brand in the U.S. and the brand\u2019s longtime bestseller. It was the first Lexus to get a hybrid powertrain\u2014way back in 2005\u2014and each generation has evolved to preserve its virtues and keep it acceptable to upscale buyers and their families.<\/p>\n

The new 2023 Lexus RX<\/a> is the fifth generation of the luxury SUV, with deliveries to start late this year. It will launch with conventional and hybrid powertrains\u2014including a performance-oriented RX 500h model with a new Direct4 hybrid system<\/a>. But even beyond that, a further model will join the lineup sometime next year: the plug-in hybrid RX.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming at \u2018a later date\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lexus RX 450h+, as the plug-in version is known, will be offered \u201cat a later date,\u201d the company said. It will be offered first in other markets with more aggressive emission limits, for which read Europe. While Lexus\u2019 U.S. site still calls it a 2023, no model year for the U.S. version was provided at a media preview of the new RX lineup held outside Santa Barbara, California. So in this supply-chain-constrained reality, it might be a 2024 if it launches later next year.<\/p>\n

It will be the second plug-in hybrid for Lexus, following the smaller Lexus NX 450h+<\/a> that launched for 2022. The two models share not only a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine but the same 18.1-kwh lithium-ion battery pack. That makes the plug-in RX the only one to forgo Toyota\u2019s tried-and-true nickel-metal hydride cells, used in all RX hybrid versions without a plug.<\/p>\n

\"2023<\/p>\n

2023 Lexus RX 450+ plug-in hybrid (Euro-spec)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to the engine and the two-motor hybrid system powering the front wheels, the RX 450+ uses the 40-kw \u201cE-Four\u201d motor found in its AWD hybrids to provide full-time all-wheel drive. Lexus declined to share power outputs or performance specifications, saying that information too would come at later. The NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, its fastest model, is rated at a combined 302 horsepower.<\/p>\n

I drove a pre-production European-market version of the plug-in RX 450h+. Lexus stressed the car wasn\u2019t to U.S. specs, saying its components and some of its software did not reflect U.S. production versions. (Indeed, the display screen temporarily froze on one display until we power-cycled the car; European-style door mirrors and displays in kilometers underscored the point.)<\/p>\n

The company asked reporters to limit themselves to short drive loops, so everyone could have a chance in the single plug-in hybrid. We suspect that could have been because its European charge receptacle meant the car could not be charged at U.S. charging stations. Accordingly, the only way to charge the battery to demonstrate electric mode was to run the car in its recharging mode, using the gasoline engine as a generator\u2014workable, but hardly efficient.<\/p>\n

Pricey, peppy, smooth, quiet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over roughly 15 miles in the car, I came away with some early impressions of what the first plug-in RX should be like when it arrives in the U.S. It\u2019s likely to come in at the high end of the range\u2014as does the $55,000 plug-in hybrid. Our European RX test car included wood steering-wheel trim and a video rear-view mirror, features absent from the U.S. models we drove.<\/p>\n

\"2023<\/p>\n

2023 Lexus RX 450+ plug-in hybrid (Euro-spec)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On the road, not surprisingly, the RX 450h+ drives very much like a larger, less agile version of the plug-in hybrid NX. It starts out as an electric-only vehicle, and switches into hybrid mode only when the battery is depleted or, under certain circumstances, if the driver floors the accelerator to provide maximum power. Drive modes include \u201cEV\u201d (to the limits of the battery), \u201cHV,\u201d which blends hybrid and electric, and \u201cHold Charge,\u201d which retains the battery charge.<\/p>\n

Acceleration in electric mode was good, and only when I switched to hybrid mode did I realize how very quiet the cabin was when running only on battery power. The regenerative braking wasn\u2019t all that strong in its default setting, though the steering-wheel paddles could increase (left) or decrease (right) the level of regen. Annoyingly, however, it reset to the default level after every stop.<\/p>\n

\n
\"2023<\/p>\n

2023 Lexus RX 450h+<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"2023<\/p>\n

2023 Lexus RX 450+ plug-in hybrid (Euro-spec)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"2023<\/p>\n

2023 Lexus RX 450h+<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The smaller NX 450h+ is EPA-rated at 37 miles of electric range (versus 42 miles for the Toyota RAV4 on which it\u2019s based). With the battery showing three-quarters full, our Euro RX plug-in showed 31 km (19 mi) of electric range remaining. So we\u2019d guesstimate the EPA range rating of the bigger RX plug-in with the same pack will end up between 25 and 30 miles.<\/p>\n

Is it worth it? The likely lower range makes a plug-in hybrid RX less useful than the smaller NX\u2014or the sought-after Toyota RAV4 Prime<\/a>\u2014but it\u2019s a far more popular vehicle in the Lexus lineup. It will be the first mid-size plug-in hybrid from Lexus, competing against similar models from Audi, Hyundai, Kia, and Volvo. We\u2019d expect a sticker price of $60,000 or more. You be the judge of whether that price for that range makes sense\u2014or whether a 300-mile battery-electric mid-size crossover may be the better bet.<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/em>
Lexus provided airfare, lodging, and meals to enable Green Car Reports to bring you this first-person drive report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lexus RX mid-size crossover is the mainstay of Toyota\u2019s luxury brand in the U.S. and the brand\u2019s longtime bestseller. It was the first Lexus to get a hybrid powertrain\u2014way back in 2005\u2014and each generation has evolved to preserve its virtues and keep it acceptable to upscale buyers and their families. The new 2023 Lexus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}