2011 Lexus RX 450h Review

The 2011 Lexus RX Hybrid blends a luxurious interior and a refined powertrain with excellent fuel economy.  Though it’s expensive compared to the gas-only RX, reviewers say it’s an excellent hybrid SUV.

The Lexus RX 450h is like that old Reese’s commercial. With the RX hybrid, Lexus got a hybrid in their luxury and luxury in their hybrid.  Go for the RX Hybrid and you’ll get a high-end and high-tech interior, smooth performance, and the satisfaction of saving some gas.

Other luxury brands are introducing hybrid SUVs.  If you don’t want a hybrid but do want a Lexus, go for the Lexus RX 350.

The 2011 Lexus RX 450h is a five-passenger midsize luxury SUV available in front- or all-wheel-drive versions. The Premium package adds leather seating, a sunroof, a power tailgate, driver seat memory, a rear-seat armrest and an iPod interface.

Additional option bundles require the Premium package. The Luxury package includes 19-inch wheels, LED headlights, power-retractable outside mirrors, upgraded leather seating, side-view cameras, a wood and leather steering wheel and extendable front seat cushions. The Navigation package features a hard-drive-based navigation system (with real-time traffic and voice control), the Lexus Remote Touch interface, a back-up camera, increased Bluetooth functionality and Lexus Enform telematics.

Powering the 2011 Lexus RX 450h is a combination of a 3.5-liter gasoline V6 engine and electric motors. The all-wheel-drive version adds a third electric motor to drive the rear wheels

Standard safety equipment for the 2011 Lexus RX 450h includes antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front and rear seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and dual front knee bags. Optional is the pre-collision system that comes packaged with adaptive cruise control. In Edmunds brake testing, a front-wheel-drive  Lexus RX 450h came to a stop from 60 mph in an acceptable 127 feet. In government crash testing, the  Lexus RX 450h earned perfect five-star marks for front and rear passenger protection in frontal and side impacts.

The 2011 Lexus RX 450h doesn't disappoint when it comes to a smooth ride.

By most standards, Lexus’s luxury SUV hybrid has been a smash success since its introduction in 2005. A significant number of Lexus SUV buyers opted for the “hybrid upgrade,” making the Lexus RX 400h, as it was previously known, almost as popular as the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
After leaving the original RX hybrid series dormant in 2009, Toyota came back in the 2010 model year with the 450h, which offers more power and significantly improved fuel economy. The Lexus RX 450h was the most popular hybrid SUV for most of 2009, and all of 2010.

Lexus nudges those numbers up on the hybrids, because  Lexus RX 450h’s combination of a 3.5-liter V6 engine and rear-mounted electric motor-generator gives it the performance of a 4.5-liter engine.

The  Lexus RX 450h is available in a two-wheel drive model starting at $43,935, and an all-wheel drive version priced at $45,525. The 2011 RX 450h boasts the latest incarnation of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, which works in tandem with a new and improved gas engine. Two new fuel-saving strategies have been implemented in the hybrid system. This feature boosts fuel economy by reducing engine pumping losses.

The  Lexus RX 450h hybrid has a few styling features that are distinct from the RX 350, including a stylized grille and front bumper, hybrid badging with blue-trimmed Lexus logos, a 19-inch optional wheel design, and blue-tinted headlamps and tail lamps.

The Lexus RX 450’s mileage over the course of our 127-mile route was 31.6 mpg, easily beating EPA numbers.

The Lexus 450h claims government fuel economy of 28 city/27 highway—a healthy jump over the previous model, the RX 400h, which carried a rating of 27 city/24 highway. The 15 percent improvement in the new model is due to a number of modifications in the Lexus Hybrid Drive system