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Hybrid Vehicles Lexus RX 400h Lexus RX 400h vs ?? Comparisons
69 messages, Last post on Apr 21, 2007 at 10:43 PM
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Replying to: dewey (Aug 29, 2005 5:54 am)
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Replying to: katzjamr (Aug 29, 2005 2:55 pm)
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Replying to: falconone (Aug 29, 2005 3:34 pm)
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Replying to: gagrice (Aug 29, 2005 3:47 pm) |
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I just received the latest Consumer Reports (Nov issue) and they have updated the ratings for midsized SUVs. The vehicles tested include the Highlander Hybrid and the RX400h plus the new MB ML350, Subaru B9 Tribeca, Nissan Pathfinder, Land Rover LR3, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Hummer H3. Their top seven (out of 29) recommended vehicles and overall ratings are now: 1. Highlander Hybrid, Excellent (22 mpg) 2. RX 400h, Excellent (23 mpg) 3. RX 330, Very Good (18 mpg) 4. Honda Pilot EX-L, Very Good (19 mpg) 5. BMW X5 3.0i, Very Good (17 mpg) 6. Highlander, Very Good (19 mpg) 7. Nissan Murano SL, Very Good (19 mpg) Out of 29 vehicles in this category, the MB ML350 (16 mpg) came out in 12th position, Tribeca (16 mpg) in 19th, Pathfinder (15 mpg) in 20th, LR3 (13 mpg!) in 21st, Cherokee (14 mpg) in 25th and H3 (14 mpg) in dead last 29th. The article describes a a few minor differences between the Highlanderh and 400h and praises their acceleration, transmission, fuel economy, low emissions, ride, fit and finish, access and quietness. CR also expects some buyers to be disappointed in the mileage if their interest in hybrids is only to save money. Also, the article states "According to our 2005 subscriber survey, the 400h's reliability has been excellent in the short time it's been in owners hands." Overall, a very favorable write-up. My experiences have been very similar to their description except for two areas, mileage and headlights. For some reason, CR really doesn't like the Highlander and RX400h's headlight performance. I believe the headlights work great. I also have experienced better gas mileage than 23 mpg (currently averaging 26.6 mpg with 7,000 miles). My mix of city and highway may be different than CR's 50/50 split. However, the CR ratings are probably good for an apples to apples comparison to the competitive vehicles. |
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Replying to: dewey (Aug 29, 2005 5:54 am) http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article.aspx?id=10759 They also managed to "test" a Toyota Prius and get 32 mpg. No other magazine in Europe ever got anything worse than 40 mpg. Most of the magazines got something like 46-48 mpg, in-line with what most consumers report. Are Auto Bild journalists simply bad drivers, or is it something more fishy?
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Replying to: joebeatt (Jan 19, 2006 3:58 am) I thought that was CR testing the Prius and getting low 30s in town. On the subject. I would like an R class Mercedes with the diesel V6 over the RX400h. This is based on the over charges my wife has endured with Lexus on her 1990 LS400. Lexus builds nice cars. Their customer service people are arrogant gangsters. Actually I probably would not buy either as my wife thinks they are both ugly. I kind of agree.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 19, 2006 6:55 am) |
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Replying to: dewey (Aug 29, 2005 5:54 am) 0-100km/h (62 mi/h): RX400h 8.2 sec - ML320CDI 9.6 sec top speed: RX400h 200 km/h (125 mi/h) - ML320CDI 215 km/h (133 mi/h) fuel efficiency: RX400h 10.1 l/100km (23.2 mpg) - ML320CDI 12.4 l/100km (18.9 mpg) The AMS tests are yet another indication that the Auto Bild "test" is all a fraud. AMS is quite a serious GERMAN car magazine, so they will not be biased in favor of the Lexus. Their measurements show that the RX400h accelerates faster than the Mercedes and that it is almost 25% more fuel efficient. http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/test_technik/fahrberichte/lexus_rx_300_gegen_- - - lexus_rx_400_h_zweites_programm.108823.d_ams_fberichte_techdat_td.htm http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/test_technik/vergleichstests/mercedes_320_cdi- - - _mal_als_ml_e_und_r_klasse.101224.d_ams_vtest_techdat.htm
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Replying to: joebeatt (May 07, 2006 10:51 am) I suppose because the ML320 CDI is high on my list of next vehicles, I should respond. I am curious why you think the cross country mileage test was a fraud. Respected hybrid sites like Green Congress considered the test legitimate. If I could read German I may be able to tell how long of a test and under what conditions AMS tested. If it was once around the block in Berlin I would expect the RX400h to do good. Though 23.2 MPG is nothing to brag about. An English document on the cross country test: Although many may think hybrid technology is the only answer to rising fuel costs, a real alternative is actually the diesel engine, as the German car magazine Auto Bild reported in its latest issue. The magazine conducted a comparative test drive from the east coast to the west coast of the USA with two new Mercedes-Benz ML 320 CDI vehicles and a Lexus RX 400h with a petrol hybrid system. The test result showed that the advanced diesel engine is far more fuel efficient than the hybrid. In Auto Bild’s coast-to-coast marathon, the cars were driven about 3210 miles (around 5200 km), from New York to San Francisco. The results showed that while the ML 320 CDI (165 kW/224 hp) returned an average fuel consumption of 31.04 miles per gallon, the hybrid SUV (155 kW/211 hp) averaged 27.69 mpg. The difference of 3.35 mpg (10.8 per cent) underscores the superiority of state-of-the-art diesel engines compared to hybrid drives diesel better than hybrid in legitimate test
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