The Lap of Luxury
There's no need to ponder physics when you drive the new RX 400h, Lexus's first gas-electric hybrid. But ponder physics you do.
In most ways, the RX 400 is a clone of the RX 330 SUV that debuted two years ago. Its zero-to-60 time is a rowdy 7.3 seconds--a tick faster than the 330. The only noticeable driving difference is that the gas engine shuts off at stops and low speeds, to conserve fuel. Big 18-inch tires and the same sporty suspension system as in the RX 330 provide grippy handling.
It's the instrumentation that gets your attention. A power-distribution diagram on the central display screen shows a fleet of little blinking arrows, like a tacky electric billboard. It becomes oddly mesmerizing once you start to connect your driving patterns to the way the car consumes energy. At slow speeds, the arrows show the power coming from the two electric motors. Go faster, and the arrows change course as the V-6 engine kicks in. Separate displays show your instantaneous and average fuel economy and even graph your mileage over time.
You find yourself toying with the hybrid system, seeing how long you can coast along on the electric motors, getting 99 mpg. Before long, by virtue of those arcane arrows and guilt-mongering graphs, you've saved a few gallons of gas, feeling pretty good about it.
You don't need to sacrifice comfort to be a do-gooder: The $49,185 RX 400h is outfitted with nearly every amenity in Lexus's lavish inventory. And you're free to simply flip off the display with the blinking arrows and the mileage data. But that would take away the fun of driving a hybrid.
This story appears in the May 9, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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