00:00hi today i'm driving the lexus rx 450h plus which is japanese for a plug-in hybrid two years ago
00:07when i reviewed the rx i said the ph ev is the one to go for since then i've tested
00:13several of rx's
00:14direct competitors and chinese models started coming into europe has lexus made any improvements
00:19to the rx is it still an suv worth considering join me for a second date with the fifth generation
00:24lexus rx i compared the lexus rx 450h plus against the byd seal udmi channel members
00:32can watch this review early and without ads
01:21the lexus rx competes with
01:24models like the bmw x5 mercedes-benz gle and volvo xc90 among others each is available as a plug-in
01:32hybrid although they differ in size and range the rx is the smallest of these suvs bmw and mercedes
01:39offer larger batteries and longer range while volvo is the only one offering a third row of seats
01:45in a plug-in hybrid in this generation of the rx lexus doesn't offer a third row at all the
01:52fourth
01:52generation was available with an extended body variant called the rx l so you pay roughly the
01:59same for a smaller car with a shorter electric range less power and performance not much better
02:04than the glee plug-in hybrid with a two liter diesel but lexus must be doing something right
02:10because i see quite a few of rx's on the road true most of them are the base version 350h
02:17hybrids
02:17but there are also some 500h models the ones that are almost fast in my opinion the standard hybrid
02:25isn't powerful enough for this big a vehicle and the top of the line 500h is too expensive
02:32this is where the rx 450h plus comes in i'm not loving the choice of color on the press car
02:38but in
02:39the sun it looks money also as it's black i drove it to a friend's funeral if he was looking
02:46at the
02:46cemetery parking lot from up above i'm sure he approved he was also a car journalist
02:54i drove the rx for a week back to back with a byd seal udmi i realize lexus is much
03:01more expensive so
03:02it's a tough comparison but when i'm driving it i know where the money went spoiler it wasn't the
03:09infotainment system
03:25the lexus rx is comfortable the seats are great all the sound deadening missing from toyota has
03:32clearly gone to lexus the car is effortless to drive i get the impression that the driver
03:38attention monitoring system has been recalibrated since the last time i drove this car and i can now
03:44look around before entering a junction and i'm not being beeped at because i dared to look
03:52left or right instead of looking just straight all the time
04:01there's even a shortcut to disable isa the semi-intelligent speed limit assistant there is now a
04:08small icon in the upper right corner of the screen the only problem is that when android auto loads you
04:14don't see it so you have to exit android auto still that's faster than finding the right setting in the
04:20menu
04:26speaking of vehicle settings i had to reduce the charging power the rx 450h plus is equipped with a
04:34single phase 6.6 kilowatt on board charger which may be too much for the standard home connection i have
04:40about 15 kilowatts but it's a three-phase connection so i could realistically charge at about four five
04:47kilowatts on a single phase the lexus rx 450h plus has a battery capacity of around 18 kilowatt hours which
05:00allows
05:00for a zero emissions range of 69 kilometers yes bmw and mercedes offer more but when driving the rx in
05:08and around the city i consider this range sufficient provided i charge the battery daily of course during
05:15the winter range will decrease to maybe 50 kilometers is this enough for you only you can answer this
05:21question at what point does carrying extra weight of the batteries on top of the internal combustion engine
05:26ceases to make sense to you and perhaps it's worth considering a fully electric vehicle especially
05:32since without incentives a ph ev is unlikely to pay for itself anyway it's a feel-good solution for
05:39people who want to drive a large suv around town and a way for car makers to improve their emissions
05:44results in excel how does it drive i think the lexus rx is most comparable to the volvo xc90 it's
05:54engaging enough
05:55to keep you interested but it's not a land yacht like a mercedes-benz gle and it's also not a
06:02bmw
06:03x5 which you'll find out as soon as you go quickly through a corner but most of the time you
06:10won't notice
06:12the driver assistance systems are decent yes bmw and mercedes have better implementation but
06:18compared to earlier lexus products these are now okay the active lane keeping assist detects lane markings
06:25where other brands can't see them and it sears you through the bands confidently but not abruptly as
06:31it used to the adaptive cruise control is in my opinion a bit too abrupt and it slows down a
06:39bit too
06:39early if it's going to slow down early at least it shouldn't be harsh because i don't want to annoy
06:44other
06:48drivers the rear collision mitigation system which works with cross traffic alert is the worst the
06:54system performs its basic function ie it stops you if there is an obstacle in your way stationary or
07:00moving but once you've stopped you'd probably like to get going again and lexus doesn't allow it let me explain
07:13drive-by wire is nothing new the accelerator the brake pedal the gear selector and in some cars with
07:18manual transmissions even the clutch are no longer physically connected to the component they control
07:24everything is done via electric impulses this means that when i approach an obstacle and don't react
07:31the car can break on its own and it's great it helps me to avoid scraping my car when reversing
07:37into
07:37my driveway or avoid a collision with another vehicle when i'm trying to back out of a parking
07:42space with limited visibility i don't know about you but after such sudden braking initiated by the
07:48emergency braking system or by myself i usually want to quickly correct the situation especially
07:52when the back end of my car is sticking out on the road where other vehicles are moving the problem
07:58is that the system cuts off the accelerator and waits until i press the brake pedal hard only then
08:04i regain control of the vehicle in an emergency situation when i want to quickly change direction
08:10and escape from a place where i might be partially blocking traffic those split seconds only add to the
08:16stress and that's when i understand what's happening and know what to do now imagine for example
08:23someone is experiencing this for the first time and despite red messages popping up on the dash
08:29they don't quite understand what to do
08:36similarly in my opinion the way you control the multimedia and adaptive cruise control with steering
08:41wheel buttons is less than perfect or rather touch pads because you just touch them and a message
08:47appears on the head of display and then immediately disappears i know someone wanted it to be in my
08:53field of vision and therefore be safer but when something flashes and i don't know what it is
08:58i feel a sense of frustration and that doesn't make me feel safer as a driver
09:03sure you can get used to anything but why make life harder for yourself
09:08the lexus rx 450h plus accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in six and a half seconds in
09:14hybrid mode and 10.4 seconds in electric mode if the battery charge allows it and if you select electric
09:21mode the car won't switch to hybrid mode even with the accelerator pedal to the floor this is a plus
09:27when
09:28you don't want to be a slouch driving around town but you don't want to unnecessarily turn on the combustion
09:33engine
09:37after depleting the battery the rx 450h plus consumes about six seven liters per 100 kilometers
09:43on the motorway of course it depends on the distance and the speed you're doing the ph ev version
09:48has a smaller fuel tank than the standard hybrid it's 55 instead of 65 liters
10:00and now my diagonal approach test i stop halfway up this incline with two wheels on the diagonal
10:05having limited traction and then i try to get going again in normal mode the rx starts without a problem
10:17the same thing happens in off-road mode although traction control allows for a bit more slip which
10:22could be useful when you need to gain some momentum to get out of a snowbank
10:29disabling traction control however causes the power to escape through the wheels that don't have
10:34traction and the car begins to roll back if you ever get in a sticky situation in your lexus rx
10:41which is highly unlikely use off-road mode and remember you probably have road tires which
10:48won't be much use in sand or mud ground clearance is according to unofficial information about 20 and a
10:55half centimeters this is the top omotenashi or omotenahi trim the only one to feature a mark levinson audio
11:16system it also has better upholstery more seat adjustment options yes please to everything yes very
11:22nice i appreciate the physical buttons to save the memory settings and knobs for adjusting cabin
11:29temperature the wireless charger is not powerful enough most of the time it'll maintain charge at
11:35best there are good cup holders a deep storage compartment here under the armrest and a medium-sized glove box
11:51auto alarm or what is it oh right it's those markings on the windows and all around the car so
11:59if they steal your car it's marked and it's made in britain
12:09there's good leg room and headroom in the rear there's third zone climate control there are two usb-c ports
12:17an armrest with cup holders and a ski hatch windows feature blinds although they are manual
12:25there are door pockets the doors cover the sills
12:30the boot capacity according to my measurements is around 500 liters i explained the intricacies of
12:37these measurements in my review two years ago there are two shopping bag hooks a 12 volt outlet
12:44and buttons to control the second row backrests there is no room for the cargo cover under the floor
12:50but there is enough space for a charging cable
12:55prices of the lexus rx start at 74 100 euro for the basic 350h hybrid this test car is the
13:04rx 450h plus
13:05plug-in hybrid in top trim with options it costs 93 210 euro now i know they are keenly discounted
13:15in
13:15poland how about where you live let me know in the comment section below
13:21yes i still like the lexus rx 450h plus not to a point where i would like to daily one
13:27but i get
13:28why people choose a lexus instead of other premium brands and how about you are you a lexus person or
13:34maybe you prefer audi bmw mercedes or volvo why let me know in the comment section below
13:44if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday
13:50at 3 pm central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me
13:56with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one
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