I have had a new Lexus RX450h for a few weeks now and done about 1000 miles. I switched from my previous RRS SDV6 HSE which I had driven for about 33 months.

My RRS did not suffer any serious issues over this time and I felt it was a very good vehicle overall. It had the fuel tank slap but I was never too bothered by it. Over 25K miles I averaged just under 30mpg (car meter was at 33.9mpg – about 13% high to real value).

On enquiring about a “like-for-like” replacement from the LR dealer, my cost to change was initially quoted at about £18K but this went up to about £23K with the specification changes brought in for MY2017 cars. I thought that this was just too high and looked at the RX as my partner has an IS300h (which is excellent).

I have the RX450h Premier model which is the nearest equivalent to the RRS Autobiography in terms of equipment (fully loaded!) but, of course, does not have the low range gearbox and the off-road capability. Like a lot of people, I hardly went on the rough with the RRS so I haven’t really given up anything. The RX is almost exactly the same size as the RRS.

The build quality of the Lexus is outstanding (way better than LR) and the on-board technology makes the RRS seem a bit “last century”. It is very quiet and relaxing to drive normally but turns out to be quite fast, particularly so in acceleration from 50 – 70mph for overtaking. It has adjustable suspension (like dynamic mode on the RRS) and feels very stable. The ICE system is Mark Levinson which I would equate to the mid-level Meridian system in the RRS. This is certainly better than the standard system in my old car.

I am getting about 33mpg so far (and the car meter is accurate against brim-to-brim refuels). My cost to change was £11K including a service package. Insurance and VED are both much less than the RRS. One other point, the dealer service from Lexus is night and day better than with LR.

In summary, excellent thus far but we will see how it goes in the longer term Regards

Malcolm

A friend has a Lexus IS and a Mitsubishi Phev - he told me Lexus service is absolutely fantastic so I think you made a good choice

I considered the RXh until he told me Mitsubishi give 5 year warranty and Lexus is only 3 (strangely Toyota give 5 and same company) also EV range is about a mile on RXh compared to 32 on Phev - the Lexus is definitely more premium brand though

Keep updating us on how it goes  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

I was very close to signing for a RX450h F Sport a few weeks ago but in the end went for a Discovery Sport.

As you say the build quality is top notch but I decided against it at the last minute for 3 reasons.
1. I couldn't convince myself that the real life mpg was any better than the RRS since I do very little driving in towns, albeit the attraction to get back to a petrol engine was a big pull
2. I was a little put off by the CVT gearbox
3. The replacement for the RRS was predominately going to be used more by the wife & she felt more at home in the DS

I have to admit that there are times in the past few weeks when I wish that I'd taken the plunge with the RX. I may well live to regret my final decision. Please keep us posted with your progress

A bit on real MPG for the Lexus.

Local driving on shorter journeys on mixed roads I seem to be getting 33mpg.

However, I recently did a 100 mile round trip on A and B roads (no motorways but including a bit of dual carriageway) and the on-board - and accurate to 0.1 mpg - computer recorded 39.3 mpg.

I will post more views on the RX450h when I have had it a bit longer. Regards

Malcolm

My RRS HSE had HID headlamps that were poorly adjusted when I first had it and I had to adjust them downwards myself to stop other drivers flashing me all the time. It was not fitted with the Auto High beam system. I have previously owned a Mercedes CL500 which did have the Auto High Beam function on HIDs which automatically switched between dip and main beam. I ended up turning this off as it just did not react fast enough to oncoming cars.

However, the Adaptive High beam System in the new RX works completely differently and I have just had full experience of it now that the mornings and evenings are darker.

The system does not just automatically switch from dip to main and back, but provides various degrees of lighting in between, varying the intensity and range of each of 3 pairs of LEDs headlights depending on traffic conditions. If you follow another vehicle on a dark country road, you can see the range of your dipped lights change as you approach the car in front. As you get closer, the beam shortens accordingly.

It also provides the dipped beam only where the other car is positioned in front of you with the longer beams still on at each side of the other car in front thus illuminating the roadsides. If another car comes towards you, the beam on the right-hand side dips itself so as to not blind the oncoming driver.

While the RX is not fitted with swivelling headlights, it has small, but very bright LED cornering lights in the front bumper, next to the fog lamps. You barely notice them when looking at the car, however whenever you drive around a corner or switch the indicators on, they illuminate the side of the road.

I have never seen a system like this before and it is very impressive. Regards

Malcolm

That sounds brilliant

I had AHBA on DS and was flashed a few times as it was slow to dip but quick to flick high beam back on which caught people in dips or on bends

I've got white led on phev after years of xenon and find them excellent on low beam but they've got yellow halogen high beam which is irritating so looking to upgrade high beam soon as possible  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

I have had the RX450h for a few months now so I thought I would post my opinion on its overall qualities.

It is very quiet, the build quality is just excellent and everything works “as advertised”. As mentioned above, star features are the headlamps and mid-range acceleration. The CVT is a bit strange until you get used to how it works – I would liken it to a speedboat where you open the throttle, the prop speeds up to optimum revs and then the boat catches up later.

Oddly, it seems to keep cleaner than the RRS (especially the rear window) and I suppose that this is the aerodynamics taking effect.

Economy is slightly worse now that the weather is cooler and I got 31.3mpg on my last tankful. The engine seems to run slightly more often in the cold.

Minor dislikes are the part wood-rim steering wheel (black lacquer) and the front seats really need slightly more lateral support. On balance, I am very pleased with the RX thus far but I think that I should have gone for the F-Sport model with a few added features rather than the Premier with all the bells and whistles as standard. The F-Sport is very similar technically but has more supportive seats and the all leather wheel.

I will post some more thoughts in due course. Regards

Malcolm

I find that OEM LED headlights on Audis seem to be hopeless at reacting to oncoming traffic and are dazzlingly bright also the slightest dirt on them diverts the beams badly which doesn't help. I have LED headlights on my Defender and while they transform night driving and are bright enough on dipped beam to reflect off road signs in day light I very very rarely get other vehicle drivers flashing their lights at me either at night or in daytime. Still have good old fashioned manual dipping and no headlamp washers on the Defender. Mercedes, Porsches BMW's and most other VAG products don't seem to be as bad as the latest Audis. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW