Lexus RX450h 09-15 model - any owners here?

tc20

Hi folks,

I'm toying with the idea of the above for our next car.

Currently driving an 05 CRV which we've had for 5 faultless years, and which i'd be happy to keep running as it ticks all our boxes.

Budget would be low 5 figures, which would realistically only get us an early (09-11) type of the RX but i'm ok with that.

Annual mileage is less than 10k km.

I'd welcome any comments from current or previous owners on their experiences; good/bad points, running costs, reliability etc.

Any I have seen on DoneDeal etc, including the previous generation RX400h seem to handle the miles well, so I wouldn't rule out a well kept high mileage example.

thanks

hoodie6029

A poster bought one in this thread recently

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058282980/automatic-car-under-5k/p1

Rows Grower

I bought a 07 Rx400H a few years ago, she was a one owner, full main dealer service history with just over 100k miles. If you can find one similar for sale take it for a test drive. It's got all the bells and whistles and was way ahead of it's time. I'm getting an average of 33-34 miles to the gallon on mostly rural roads in executive luxury.

I service it when it is due and the used oil is golden like when it comes out of the bottle, routine service parts are surprisingly cheap. The only thing that I did outside usual service, tyres etc was sand down and respray the alloys as they seem to be flaky on most models. I wouldn't bother me arse usually with cosmetic issues like that but the rest of the car is so faultless after a few months appreciating it I had to.

I'd quite happily drive my one for the rest of my life, loads of space, luxurious comfort, quite as a breeze and huge power if you ever need it.

User1998

I posted on the previous thread that Hoodie linked:

I owned a Lexus RX400h recently for a few months. Amazing car, 400,000km. Very reliable. Running costs are quite high. 2008 model still has €1,200 road tax. And my long term average was 11l/100km. Not great really. Parts and tyres are expensive too.

goochy

Why only for a few months?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478317#Comment_120478317

I sell cars so usually own multiple cars and sell them on after a few months

The fact I didn’t put the Lexus up for sale straight after buying it showed me that I really liked that car😂

goochy

OK I would worry about something expensive failing at 400 kms . Must have had battery , charger and other expensive things replaced at some stage

tc20

Thanks for the comments.

@Rows Grower - good to hear from a long term perspective.

I wouldn't rule out the RX400 but would prefer to come up the years a bit more from what we have currently, and that would put the 450h in to sight.

An added bonus is that the tax drops significantly to €400 p/a rather than €1200. We do small mileage so I'm not too bothered paying higher tax but it's better in my pocket..

I haven't checked too much into mechanical differences between the two models and tbh that doesn't overly interest me, it's more the living with it daily.

Cheers

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478750#Comment_120478750

They are probably still one of the most reliable cars on the road, back in the day my one would have been over 70 grand new. Replacement 12v battery is about 70 euro, because it's a hybrid it only uses a 38AH battery.

There is no charger involved with the car, it's a self charging hybrid.

I very recently bought an oil filter, a fuel filter, an air filter and a set of front brake pads for a total of under 50 euro including delivery.

goochy

Oh right I heard battery for prius was expensive

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480058#Comment_120480058

Definitely one of the most reliable cars on the road, similar setup to a Prius really. And the hybrid battery can be replaced cheaply enough too.

Yeah oil and filters are cheap, but the likes of shocks, springs, discs and tyres are expensive. But the same can be said with any big SUV

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480197#Comment_120480197

It would have a lot more in common with the Porsche Cayenne than any other car.

When Porsche saw the light and wanted to produce a hybrid Suv they decided the Lexus technology couldn't be improved on and purchased the right to use it.

Everything else about the RX400 was done to a similar top standard, you've got a 3.3lt petrol engine that will burn zero fuel in slow moving traffic and take you to 120km an hour before you are aware of it and It'll go a lot faster if you wanted to all in total silence.

The Mark Levinson Sound System is awesome and all the small touches like the settings on the front seats and ways you can adjust them and save your preferences, I know you'd find that in a similar age Honda Civic but comparing the quality of the seats is like comparing chalk and cheese. The interior storage spaces and the room and comfort in the rear is way above Porsche standard.

They have the reverse camera and parking sensors that Porsche only offered as a very expensive option years later. (I know this because I was in a Cayenne when the driver reversed into my wife's car and all we heard was the bang).

Anyone half interested in buying one should take one for a test drive, they are hard to beat.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480741#Comment_120480741

Yeah, I just mean from a reliability standpoint it would share a lot with the Prius. I believe the hybrid system is the same as the one found in a Prius. I’d agree with all the above, the sound system and reverse camera is better quality than a Range Rover that is almost 10 years newer. I do think the 09+ model isn’t as nice as the older model tho. It lacks any new features and the touchscreen got a lot smaller and pushed back away from the driver (probably isn’t even a touch screen in the newer model?) and the seats don’t have individual armrests like the older model does. I’d imagine it has Bluetooth music streaming tho, whereas the older model only had Bluetooth calls. Still impressive for a car of its time.

In the mean time all of its main rivals from VW, Audi, Merc and BMW had improved their SUV’s slightly so I just don’t think it provides as much bang for your buck as the older model does

MSVforever

Hi. It was me who bought a 2008 RX400h back in February after crashing my 04 Prius. While I loved the Prius in terms of mpg, reliability etc the Lexus is on another level. Yes, it's way more thirsty but this is offset by comfort and power. I bought mine with 300k km on the clock but I am confident that it will easily last another 150k km as long as it is properly maintained (there are lots of RX400h in the US with 300k-500k miles).

Currently I am averaging about 11.5l per 100km but it's mainly very short journeys. I d' say with very careful driving I probably can get it down to 9l per 100km which is great given the size of the engine.

kermitpwee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120492784#Comment_120492784

Class vehicle but it sounds like its twice as thirsty as a Prius, thats hard to stomach if your doing higher miles