Drive Notes: 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ Luxury AWD

by Tim Healey

Published: October 22nd, 2024

drive notes 2024 lexus rx 450h luxury awd

My most recent test ride was a 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ Luxury AWD plug-in hybrid. Whew, I need to take a breath already.

Long name aside, how does the PHEV version of the crossover that started it all work as a daily driver?

The answer, which I will expand upon below, is: Quite smoothly.

This PHEV mates a 2.5-liter four-cylinder to front and rear electric motors for all-wheel drive, and it has a continually-variable automatic transmission.

This is the first PHEV RX and it comes standard in the Luxury trim. Traffic-jam assist is available. The base price for this test ride was $68,730.

Standard features included multi-zone climate control, SafetySense+ 3.0 advanced driver-assist (lane-tracing assist, road-sign recognition, smart cruise control, and more), blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, digital door latch, satellite radio, navigation, infotainment, heated and cooled front/rear outboard seats, panoramic glass roof, heated steering wheel, 21-inch wheels, wireless cell-phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a head-up display.

Options included a Convenience Package (traffic-jam assist, panoramic monitor, LED headlamps, Mark Levinson audio, power tailgate, remote parking, digital key, rearview-mirror camera, puddle lamps, and more. Total price with destination? $76,505.

Here are my pros and cons.

Pros

As has been the case for the past two decades, give or take, the RX is smooth, silent, and nicely upscale though not opulent.
The ride is silky even on Chicago's pock-marked streets.
Outside noise stays outside.
Interior controls are intuitive and easy to use.
The overall package is well put together.

Cons

The RX's steering remains numb and not particularly engaging.
Handling is just "meh" at best.
That sticker price is cringe-inducing.
You'll never feel so anonymous.
It feels a bit too heavy.

The RX is put together well, easy to live with, sips fuel, and has an upscale cabin. All of those are nice attributes. But the driving dynamics are sleepy, the cost is high, and the styling anonymous.

That's been the RX story forever -- this time, it's just electrifed.

[Images: Lexus]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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4 of 13 comments

Gregory on Oct 23, 2024
"Meh" handling? Due to the SUV format raising the center of gravity, and increasing the weight, virtually all SUVs are dynamically inferior to their "sedan" donor platforms. No car ever handled better when it was jacked up a foot higher than needed. Comparing handling of these sightline blinding (for other drivers) eyesores, is like discussing shades of beige, and about as interesting.

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- FreedMike on Oct 23, 2024
  It's entirely possible to build a CUV that handles. Examples: Ford Explorer ST, Audi SQ5, Tesla Model Y.
  
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- Lloyd Bonified on Oct 23, 2024
  Agree @FreedMike. They call such vehicles Wagons.
  
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FreedMike on Oct 23, 2024
@Tim: what was the electric-only range like?

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