New Addition: 2006 RX400h

[Mark86]

Today we picked up a 2006 Lexus RX400h in Savannah Metallic with Ivory leather. This was a replaced for a 2005 BMW X5. The reason the BMW was traded was because of reliability issues and the dealer was VERY nasty. This will be my moms daily driver. The RX400h is a really cool car. The engine turns on and off as you drive but stays on at higher speeds. It gets better mileage in the city than on the highway. To start it, all you have to do is turn the key to start and wait for a ready light to come on. There is no cranking an engine which is really weird. The best part of this car is it has a lot of power and torque. It uses an ECVT transmission, which doesn't use gears like a regular transmission. This engine really sounds like a powerful V8. As for the interior, it is very luxurious. There is an aluminum trim instead of wood (environmentally friendly car) and leather seats. It has the Mark Levinson stereo which makes you feel like you are sitting in a concert hall. You hear absolutely no outside noise. This is a totally different car than the 4Runner!

Here are a few pictures of the new car:

 

[tkr128]

That's a beautiful and awesome ride! Were you on a waiting list for a long time? It's nearly impossible to purchase one outright anywhere near here.

 

[Mark86]

That's a beautiful and awesome ride! Were you on a waiting list for a long time? It's nearly impossible to purchase one outright anywhere near here.

Thanks a lot! What waiting list? We went to two dealers and they had their lots filled with these. This car was sitting on the lot. There were around 25 RX400's in total that this dealer had in stock.

 

[the_josh]

hey how much do those cost?

 

[sharp4runr]

Thats a very nice looking one! Your neighbors must think you guys own a Toyota/Lexus dealership or something :

 

[slyangel9]

Congrats!!! My uncle just picked that up as well. The weirdest thing is that is makes absolutely no noise. BTW - my uncle paid MSRP 1 month ago. I only have two gripes with that car...
1. Can't install a front grill (mounting issues since the bottom of the car is covered in plastic)
2. the mud guards seem to be very small and ineffective

 

[toybox]

Thanks a lot! What waiting list? We went to two dealers and they had their lots filled with these. This car was sitting on the lot. There were around 25 RX400's in total that this dealer had in stock.

I'm surprised you were able to pick one off the lot also. They had 25 on the lot, were they all hybrids? I was under the impression that there was a waiting list.

Don't forget to look into whether you can get any tax credits or other government giveaways for purchasing one of these.

 

[Mark86]

hey how much do those cost?

They go for $49,000 with no additional options. This one has Mark Levinson, rain sensing wipers, and heated front seats which brought the price to around $50,650.

Originally posted by sharp4runr
Thats a very nice looking one! Your neighbors must think you guys own a Toyota/Lexus dealership or something

Actually, they think we do. Everybody in my family has either a Toyota or Lexus. That is our car of choice!

Originally posted by slyangel9
Congrats!!! My uncle just picked that up as well. The weirdest thing is that is makes absolutely no noise. BTW - my uncle paid MSRP 1 month ago. I only have two gripes with that car...
1. Can't install a front grill (mounting issues since the bottom of the car is covered in plastic)
2. the mud guards seem to be very small and ineffective

I agree with you there! I can't get used to turning the key and not hearing anything running. I didn't realize how small the mudguards were until you mentioned it.

 

[Mark86]

I'm surprised you were able to pick one off the lot also. They had 25 on the lot, were they all hybrids? I was under the impression that there was a waiting list.

Don't forget to look into whether you can get any tax credits or other government giveaways for purchasing one of these.

The 25 were all hybrids. They had around 35 RX330's on the lot as well. This is one huge dealership so they hold a lot of cars on the lot. There is tax credit of up to $2,000 a year for a hybrid.

 

[ZOSO Runner]

I think you also get to ride solo in the diamond lane. That is a real nice ride, how did you say the power was on that beauty? A buddy of mine said the RX's had no guts, but maybe that was an older model.

 

[Mark86]

I think you also get to ride solo in the diamond lane. That is a real nice ride, how did you say the power was on that beauty? A buddy of mine said the RX's had no guts, but maybe that was an older model.

The regular RX330 doesn't have that much power. On the test drive, I felt it strain a lot. The hybrid is very powerful. If I didn't know better, I would think the car had a V8. This thing is just as powerful as my V8 4Runner.

 

[Thai]

Very nice, Mark. I just noticed...it has LED taillights. Very cool. That thing produces a lot of torque! I am envious of the fuel economy.

Needless to say, if you're going to keep this baby a long time, then i would get Toyota extended warranty. The technology on these things is not cheap to repair or replace.

 

[Mark86]

Very nice, Mark. I just noticed...it has LED taillights. Very cool. That thing produces a lot of torque! I am envious of the fuel economy.

Needless to say, if you're going to keep this baby a long time, then i would get Toyota extended warranty. The technology on these things is not cheap to repair or replace.

Thanks!! The LED taillights look really cool. It even has two little lights in the reflectors on the bottom of the bumper that is hard to see in the picture. When we first going to test drive this car, I thought it would have no power. I was very surpirsed when I pushed down the pedal and the thing threw me back in my seat. As for the warranty, the hybrid technology is on a 8 year, 100,000 miles warranty to begin with so you can't really extend it.

 

[CGY_LTD_V8]

Hey, congrats! We have had our RX400h for a few months now and absolutely love it! We have the Millenium Silver w/Ivory interior, sounds like an odd combination but actually looks pretty sharp!

 

[Mark86]

Hey, congrats! We have had our RX400h for a few months now and absolutely love it! We have the Millenium Silver w/Ivory interior, sounds like an odd combination but actually looks pretty sharp!

I saw two RX400h's with that combo on the lot. Acutally, I thought it looked very nice too. Millenium silver was the second choice color. I have to say that the RX400h is one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. Between the quiteness and those seats I am afraid I will doze off behind the wheel! Oh, and then the stereo makes you feel like you are sitting in a concert hall!

 

[CGY_LTD_V8]

I saw two RX400h's with that combo on the lot. Acutally, I thought it looked very nice too. Millenium silver was the second choice color. I have to say that the RX400h is one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. Between the quiteness and those seats I am afraid I will doze off behind the wheel! Oh, and then the stereo makes you feel like you are sitting in a concert hall!

The RX400h is my mothers vehicle. She wanted black or white but they were already taken by my father and I She went with the silver because on the RX she thought it was almost a pewter and her 03 RX300 Coach Edition was gold. She thought it was time for a change. But you are right, the RX's ride amazing! And the stereo is wonderful!

~Lauren

 

[PBT]

First post


I love your RX400h! I got a chance to see only one RX400h in person but never got a chance to get inside.

My dad likes/wanted the RX330/RX400h but we didn't need another SUV so the chance past us to get one.

I'm surprised Ray Catena had that many RX400hs in stock. When my parents were shopping for a ES330, they just went to only three dealers, Warnock Lexus of Livingston and Difeo Lexus of Bound Brook and Prestige Lexus of Ramsey all the way up there near Mahwah. I completely forgot to mention to them that there was a Ray Catena Lexus. Oh well, I hope we'll purchase another Lexus in the future.

The RX330 is not underpowered, IMO but it's not a sprinter either. I've sat in a couple and it's pretty torquey. The RX400h is said to be much faster because of the electric boost. I've yet to sit in one that's moving so I can't comment.

Again, very nice.

 

[Mark86]

First post


I love your RX400h! I got a chance to see only one RX400h in person but never got a chance to get inside.

 

[PBT]

You can upload those videos on Putfile.com and link us to it so everybody can see that the RX400h means business

Too bad, Ray Catena is near Monmouth. Not too close to us.

How is the gas mileage on the RX400h compared to the 4Runner V8?

 

[Mark86]

You can upload those videos on Putfile.com and link us to it so everybody can see that the RX400h means business

Too bad, Ray Catena is near Monmouth. Not too close to us.

How is the gas mileage on the RX400h compared to the 4Runner V8?

I will upload the videos on putfile later tonight. The gas mileage on the RX400h is about 27 mpg on highway and 30 mpg in the city. When I commuted in the RX400h to New Brunswick (lots of heavy traffic), I was getting 30 mpg because the car runs on all electric at speeds up to 20 mph. In addition, the engine shuts off when you idle in traffic so this car is great in traffic! In my V8 4Runner, I am getting 18 mpg highway and 16 in the city. Just so you know, both of these vehicles don't even have 5,000 miles on them yet so the mileage should get better.