We looked at the Prius, HiHy and RX before making the decision to purchase the RX. We needed a new vehicle because we had a couple of long road trips planned (Denver to Los Angeles, Denver to Taos) and were worried about taking the old 4Runner with 154,000 miles on it. The 4Runner has never left us stranded, but travelling with two old pets was a major concern. The Prius was a 2- to 5-month wait in Denver back in May, so it was out. We found the inventory of available HiHys to be very limited at the 4 local Toyota dealers. The color and options that we wanted were available on a RX in stock at the local Lexus dealer.

We have owned three 4Runners and found the dealer service departments to be a pain. I did most of the oil changes on them, but whenever we took a 4Runner in for other services, there always seemed to be a problem.

We have several friends that have Lexuses (Lexi?), and they have all reported excellent service experiences with reasonable maintenance costs at the local dealer. We have not had to pay for any scheduled maintenance, yet, so I can't confirm the costs.

We have had an issue with the RX's inside rear view mirror vibrating excessively, but the service department has bent over backwards to try and make us happy. The last time my wife took the RX in, the dealer gave her a loaner for the day while they replaced the mirror--though the mirror still vibrates. When I called service to complain about the continuing vibration issue with the replacement mirror, they offered to come out, pick the RX up, drop another loaner, and do some more troubleshooting.

Sooo... another intangible in the decision-making process, who would you rather service your hybrid--a Toyota or Lexus dealer?

We love the Nav system and the rear-view camera has been a major safety feature. The camera has a very wide-angle lens. On occassion we have had to diagonal park against a curb on a busy street. The wide-angle lens provides a view of the cars coming down the street ("around the corner" of the car parked next to us) allowing much safer backing into traffic.

The Lexus salesman also told us that the RX leather is better quality (Coach) than the HiHy. The old 4Runner had leather seats which held up exceptionally well, but I would agree with the salesman that the RX leather is better quality. The salesman also said the RX was made with heavier sheet metal, but I don't have a way of verifying that. Anyone ever heard of the leather and sheet metal thickness differences?

Another difference I have not seen discussed on this thread is that the HiHy has a larger gas tank than the RX (19.2 versus 17.2 gallons). We still get 350+ miles to the tank with the RX.

Good luck with your decision. Both vehicles are great. We love our RX!

Cheers,

Ira