It’s not easy, even for people who can afford it, to quit gasoline cold turkey and get an electric vehicle. A hybrid car or truck is a good-faith effort, but hybrids still use gas, even in electric-only mode where they can’t go very far anyway.
Plug-in hybrids are a better-faith effort since they travel farther in electric-only mode, but they still need gas. Hybrids are just not engineered to run on electricity alone. If you want that, you have to take off the training wheels and go all in for an EV.
That’s my gross oversimplification of how these things work, just as this sentence is a gross segue into talking about the 2024 Lexus RX 450h plug-in hybrid. It’s the latest addition to the RX 450 Hybrid lineup. RX 450h+ is the official name of this new model, which sits atop the lineup ladder with a bold $71,430 price tag, including a $1,350 destination charge.
The hybrid plug-in’s powertrain is a four-cylinder engine and three electric motors producing 304 horsepower.
EPA fuel economy ratings for the 450h+ are 83 MPGe for combined city/highway driving, and a 37-mile range on electric power only.
Every 450h+ has all-wheel drive, and comes only in the Luxury grade best described in a condensed way as overflowing with features in every automotive aspect: comfort, convenience, technology, safety, mechanicals and performance. If I’ve left anything out, it overflows with that, too.
Designed for ease and not track thrills, the RX 450h+ handles effortlessly and is a joy to ride around in. The cabin is quintessentially Lexus: handsomely designed, with outstanding build quality, and utmost serenity.
Having said that, Lexus goes a little overboard with technology in some areas. The Digital Latch and Safe Exit Assist system for example, wherein you touch buttons to open the doors, rather than grabbing a handle. Lexus cites safety considerations in developing this technology. It prevents passengers from blithely opening a door if someone or something is approaching from behind the car, such as a cyclist or another
vehicle. I’ve dealt with Digital Latch before and am familiar with its workings, but I hope Lexus replaces it with something better eventually, as they did with the unpopular trackpad control they used to have for their infotainment system.
2024 LEXUS HYBRID RX 450h+
Base price, including destination charge: $71,430
Price as driven: $74,755
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
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