Chilly - What made you go for the HiHy after trying them both?

We have a two year old daughter and saw a very real need in the future for the 3rd row seating option.

While it is not extremely comfortable for adults, it is a nice feature to have when you are hauling around a bunch of 5-10 year old kids. Since we keep our vehicle for app 10 years we saw this vehicle fitting that need long term.

If we had not seen a need for the 3rd row seat, we probably would have gone with the Lexus. Even though the HiHy limited is close, we prefered the styling and comfort of the R400h.

Makes sense! Thanks, Chilly.

Some of the benefits you have listed for the Lexus are just that, luxury items. However; when trying to get a vehicle without leather with children, I think, is a bad move. At first, I never wanted leather as well. Then my daughter came along and we ended up getting our first SUV. We bought a used Durango. But the one that had the options (not including leather) was the one that had the leather interior. I found our be comparing that SUV with my wife car (cloth interior) the SUV was much easier to clean. Ever try to clean spit-up milk on a cloth seat? Not pretty. With Leather, it just wipes up/off. This alone may be one factor why you might want to get your next vehicle with a leather interior. I know I will never (as long as I can help it) buy another vehicle without leather. Also, from what I've seen and what friends have told me from their experiences, the HiHy's cloth interior is hard to keep clean. My wife's mother has a Prius and 2 HiHys. Another coworker has a gas Highlander. All have the same problems with trying to keep the interior clean.

Thanks,
Rich

I totally agree on the leather issue. My 18 month old son dumped a nearly full 20 oz coffee onto the passenger side seat cushion of the Escape. While I ended up having to remove the seat and lift the carpet to clean it all out underneath (trust me, you'll want to do this if it happens to you), the cleanup job on the seat was very quick and easy with the leather. Our year old F150 with tan leather which has had countless goods spilled and smeared on the seats still looks and smells as good as new after a quick cleaning.

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They're so close to identical, I'd think it would be a hard decision just based on safety concerns.

Based on cost, I like the Toyota.

Based on appearance, I like the Lexus.

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There are some subtle differences between the RX400h and the HiHy related to safety, although you might argue that they're all "luxury" items.

The RX400h does have a rear camera that comes standard. The picture displays on the navigation screen. When backing up the SUV this can come handy if there are children around. I've seen some websites (for example, http://www.coastaletech.com/hybrid_highlander.htm) that offer installing a rear camera on a HiHy, but it won't be from Toyota.

The RX400h also has a power rear door while the HiHy does not. If you've got a hand full of groceries with kids scurrying around, the power rear door could be helpful. Also, if it's late at night and you feel pulling up/down a rear door may be compromising your safety, a power rear door may again be useful from that perspective.

The RX400h also has a newer version of the nav system. I've seen it in the IS350; nicer graphics. The RX400h nav system is also voice-activated. The HiHy does not have a voice-activated option for its navigation system.

The RX400h's interior (comparing the leather option with the HiHy's leather option) feels a bit more refined an luxurious. But, the overall the amount of space, especially the cargo area, is smaller than the HiHy. Even the driver and passenger areas felt a tad bit more cramped from my memory of test driving the RX400. The 2006 model of the RX400h has more of an tapered eggshell backend (which I personally don't like), but that effectively cuts into the amount of cargo space available compared to the 2005 model. And of course, the RX400h does not have a 3rd row seat available. I'm actually surprised how many times I've had to use the 3rd row seat.

The RX400h also has a superior sound system... 11-speaker Mark Levinson, which kicks butt over the HiHy's JBL system. The RX400h also has a bluetooth option. So, I guess if you're concerned about hands-free, that's also another subtle safety advantage. The HiHy does not have a bluetooh option.

So, after touting all the nice amenities of the RX400h, why the heck didn't I get one? Well, there's of course a price to pay for these "luxury" items. From a sticker price, I believe it's about at least $10K more. With all those options described above... bump that up to at least $15K or more. You also pay a wonderful "luxury" tax that gets tacked on as you write out that check. Maintenance is also higher if you want your vehicle serviced by Lexus. That was the main deciding factor for me.

The other one is remarkably superficial; the body style/shape of the RX400h looks a bit too "feminine" for my taste. Especially the new 2006 rear. In fact, I wonder if they didn't target that shape specifically to appeal to the female audience. Yes, I know, sounds a bit chauvinistic, but, there it is. I feel that the HiHy's body style/shape is more neutral (in fact, overly so)... it has slightly masculine side in the front and a slightly feminine side in the back. Just my opinion, of course.

Good luck in your decision. If you can afford it, and that overall "feminine" body-shape (again, only my opinion) appeals to you, then of course, I would recommend the RX400h. If the luxury items aren't worth the cost and you are more interested in cargo space and utility, then I think the HiHy is a better choice.

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