I've been looking at this car and I'm very interested - it might be a very good fit for my next car. I like everything about it except for one thing - the price. At lexus.com, it would seem that the two option packages available mostly make this a $50,000 car. In Washington, add another 8.9% to that and I'm looking at just shy of $55,000. That's a lot - sort of puts it into the "must sacrifice a lot" in order to get a new one.

So my question is this: at $55K there are a LOT of choices out there. So for those of you that own one, was it worth it? Were you considering other vehicles in that price range and this one was simply better? I'd be curious as to what drew you to this car as opposed to others in the class. Thanks!

 

Tim,

I know you are looking for input from Lexus owners, but I went through the same process you are right now. I really like the RX400 and it was originally my first car of choice. However, after test driving one several times and then going to test drive a Limited Highlander I found that the interior of the two was about 90% the same. I gave up the body styling of the Lexus, which I prefered, but options wise I really don't feel like I gave up much and save about $13K in the process.

I don't know if you have had a chance to sit and test drive both the Lexus and the Highlander, but I think you might be surprised just how nice the Highlander Limited is and the difference in ride and handling was was pretty much unnoticeable for us.

 

Tim,
Like Chilly has pointed out, look at the Highlander Limited. I too loved the looks of the Lexus R400H and thought that was what I'd end up with, but the price difference made me look at the Toyota. Depreciation is so fast anymore is another reason I thought about it. Yes the Lexus looks better, has some more goodies which I would have liked to have have, but I wasn't willing to pay that much more for them. The HH met my needs and also offered me more cargo area than the Lexus. I'm VERY happy with my Highlander Hybrid and am glid I chose it. Bob

 

In the next month, we'll have pics and specs of the 2008 highlander. The changes, including the styling, may make it an even more attractive alternative to the 400h.

 

Well first off, you won't pay sticker price right now. You'll pay a few hundred to a few thousand below, plus you get $1,100 tax credit which is cash in your pocket too.

That aside, what competition does the RX400h have? It's as fast or faster than the Porsche Cayenne, as luxurious as the Acura, and far more reliable than the Touareg, Volvo or BMW. I think the only competition is the Highlander Hybrid, and that's not a fair comparison either.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far - very interesting to hear what you all thought about. I spend about 2 hrs a day in my car - 50 mile round trip to work. I've really enjoyed my Civic - 4 years and counting now - but as the years go by it's limitations are becoming more pronounced. The ride, noise, lack of power, marginally comfortable seats...not to mention safety (I know it's a safe car, but a larger one would give me a better feeling, not to mention AWD).

I turned my attention to the Lexus for two reasons - a co-worker owns one (not the 400h though - one of the sedans), and so does most of his family. He had all kinds of good things to say about the quiet, smooth ride. I saw a 400h, and the interior looked fantastic - and comfortable. I'm thinking it would be a great car to spend 2 hrs a day in. Also, I am a hybrid advocate so I'd like to go that way if at all possible. I'll certainly take a closer look at the Highlander next time I pass by a Toyota dealership. I suppose my other choices would be an Accord or Camary hybrid - but they's so "mainstream". I was hoping for something that stood out a bit more.

As for what competes - I guess I'm not 100% in the market for an SUV. We already own a Pilot. I just liked the 400h. If the IS 250 came in a hybrid I'd be all over it. So when I saw the $50K price tag, that's a clean $10K more than a nicely loaded BMW 3-series, maybe even a 5-series, Porsche Cayman...I mean, all kinds of "dream cars" open up at that price.

I am curious about the Highlander - I'm going to check that out. Thanks again -

 

We're having the exact same debate in this household. We own a Prius and find it difficult to buy something without decent mileage, but would really like to have some luxury. Currently we also have an Odyssey minivan so we're looking to replace that. Interesting what someone said about the 2008 Highlander being newly styled. That's been our problem with the current Highlander - it's so darn vanilla - that's why we were looking at the RX400h. Will be interested to hear what you decide, Tim.

 

I may not be deciding anything for a while. I was just curious what drew some people to the 400h, given at the price there are a LOT of choices. I did work up a Highlander Limited on toyota.com - had a lot of what I was looking for an came in at an even $10K less. I just don't need something that big. So the search will continue. Maybe I'll buy a used 07 400h in 09. :-)

 

Oddly enough I may be one of the BEST people to give an opinion on this subject. We owned a 2000 RX300 and then moved to the larger GX470 in late 2004. About 6 months ago we traded in a 2004 Lexus GX470 with NAVI, Rear Seat Entertainment, 3rd row seating, etc. for a loaded 2006 Toyota Hybrid Limited. We did this PRIMARILY due to the fuel economy differences (we got between 19MPG and 23MPG City/Highway) with the Lexus and LOVED it but decided that slightly smaller SUV with MUCH better fuel economy (31 city according to EPA) would more than make up for the difference.

Primary Point - Unfortunately, the fuel economy has NOT been anywhere NEAR EPA estimates. We were getting around 25 and now have it up to 27MPG (due to a TSB fix) so it's better but the first thing is to realize that you will NOT be getting the 31MPG that others here claim. In fact, if you look at the mileage database (rather than individuals trying to impress others of their driving prowness) you will see that most 4 wheel drive HiHy users average around 26MPG. So, #1. If 26MPG is acceptable, then the RX400 or HiHy may be a good choice.

Point #2 - the Highlander does NOT have auto door locks. If you have young kids. This could be an issue.

Point #3 - The Highlander's interior noise is SIGNIFICANTLY higher (louder) than the GX was (even though the GX was a larger truck with knobby tires) vs. the Highlander which has "low rolling resistance" tires (i.e. smoother, less prone to flex, etc). It appears that this is primarily due to the poorer window seals on the Highlander (lightweight rubber compared to the materials used on the Lexus).

Point #4 - The Highlander does NOT have ANY memory seats (even the Limited we have has no memory seats). Not certain why this is but when my wife is 5'0" tall and I am 5'10" tall, it is a HUGE inconvience to sit there holding thre freaking electronic buttongs on the seat down BEFORE I can even get into the truck. Even then I can't always stop the seat in the same place each time. (I am considering looking in junk yards for the electronics off an old RX350 to perform my own "customizations" to remedy this major flaw IMHO).

Point #5 - The highlander does OK in moderate snow (2 to 6 inches) but there are reports of HiHy owners getting stuck in snow and the HiHy VDIM (traction control) system not allowing them the abilty to escape. This has something to due with protecting the electronic motors but to a traditional 4x4 enthuiast (that I used to be), it can be frustrating not to have the OPTION of turning traction control off and spinning (at least one) of the wheels in an attempt to extricate yourself from a jam. Even having said this, the HiHy did perform OK for me in a recent ski trip so this one is fairly far down my "priorities" list as I no longer "romp through the mud" like I was able to with old Jeeps (or even the GX for that matter).

I agree with the others that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a value compared to the Lexus 400h. At the time we bought ours, the 400's were not being discounted but the HiHy's were being discounted around $2,500 to $3,500 on average (some claim they got more). Price difference in our case was around $11K (We had a pristine, low mileage GX that the Lexus dealer deaerly wanted so were gettgin a higher trade in from them than we were the Highlander but in the end the Highlander dealer did come up about $2,500 in value from what he started at but was still a couple thousand lower than the Lexus dealership).

The NAVI in both cars is nearly the same but you also get voice activation and bluetooth on the Lexus that you do not get on the Toyota.

If you do not need a SUV you may want to consider one of the newer hybrid sedan's like the GS450h. They are also around the $55K level new but many of those drivers are trading up to the newer, larger LS460 that starts around $65K so there are some used GS450h's in the market for the mid-to-high 40's. However, you would not get the federal tax credit buying a used vehicle though (The tax credit when we bought our's was $2,600 and now it's down to something like $1,100 or so). Try clublexus.com for more details on all the lexus vehicles. My moniker is the same on all these forums...

Hope this helps.

 

Ndabunka,

Thanks for the great reply! That's a very interesting comparison - I appreciate the insight. It's interesting that Toyota's HSD seems to fall short of the EPA estimates across the board (Prius included). I know there are people who get EPA, but the average seems less. 26 MPG is very good for an SUV of that size however. Your point #3 really caught my attention because that's the very issue I have with my Civic that I can't stand - road noise. That would be the one strike against any future car that would cause me to not select it. Maybe a 2 year old GS 450h is the way to go. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Thanks again!

Tim