MAKING GOOD ON EASTERN PROMISE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Lexus RX 450h+ is Plug-in Hybrid that will broaden the appeal of the brand's large SUV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 52

The Lexus RX finally gets a Plug-in Hybrid powertrain option with this fifth generation design. This 450h+ model offers 43 miles of electric driving range before it reverts to its frugal hybrid engine. As with the self-charging Hybrid variants, it offers a very luxurious take on what al large SUV should be.

Backgroundword count: 205

Not many cars have a really unique selling point within their segments, but we think this one, the Lexus RX 450h+, just might have. If you're looking at a large luxury SUV but you can't quite bring yourself to make the seismic step into a full-electric vehicle, you might well be considering a car of this kind with a Plug-in Hybrid powertrain. A number of large luxury SUVs are available on the market in PHEV form, but almost all have one pretty severe drawback; when their EV mileage is exhausted, they revert to thirsty petrol power. And thirsty petrol power lugging along the weight of a PHEV drivetrain. It's less than ideal. But the RX 450h+ is a Plug-in Hybrid that's different. Its potential EV range - 43 EAER-rated miles - is far from being the best in its segment. But the difference here is that when that battery mileage is finished, what you revert to is the same uber-efficient self-charging full-Hybrid powertrain that's been selling Prius-style Toyota Motor Corporation models for decades. In a reality where surveys show many PHEV owners often don't get around to - or can't be bothered to - plug their cars in, it's a huge advantage for this Lexus.

Driving Experienceword count: 489

This RX 450h+ model puts out 304bhp, makes 62mph in 6.5s and offers up to 43 miles of EAER-rated battery-only range. In this Plug-in RX, the drive system works just as it does in plug-in versions of the Lexus NX and the Toyota RAV4, which also use the same dual-motor 'E-FOUR' AWD system and eCVT auto gearbox set-up. Pressing a button near the gearstick lets you flip between 'EV' full-electric drive and the alternative 'HV' mode, the latter being more realistic for normal driving as it runs the car as a regular full-Hybrid, the software seamlessly blending in either petrol or electric power sources as required. A full press on the same button connects you to a further 'Charge mode', which sees the engine note rise as it (rather inefficiently) charges the battery when you're driving. All that might sound quite complicated, but driving an RX 450h+ really isn't. You don't have to make driving mode choices unless you really want to because an additional 'Auto EV/HV' mode button is also provided, which essentially makes all the decisions for you. Its choices seem effective too because that advertised 43 mile electric driving range figure turns out to be not beyond the bounds of achievability. Unless of course you make full use of the performance: rest to 62mph takes 6.5s on the way to a maximum speed of 124mph. You'd expect a cossetting big Lexus SUV to ride serenely - particularly this one which, as we referenced earlier, has had quite a lot of work done on its damping. All models get new multi-link rear suspension and the re-engineered all-round set-up's supposed to better absorb shock and vibration over uneven surfaces. That might be, but to be frank, we were a bit disappointed with the end result, finding the car too easily troubled by transverse ridges and tarmac tears on secondary roads. Yes even when fitted with the 'AVS' 'Adaptive Variable Suspension' system you can have with the top two trim levels, a set-up also supposed to have been heavily revised and fitted out with an extra 'Comfort' drive mode setting. Around town, the RX rides more in keeping with its plush remit - and of course it manages beautifully at highway speeds. What else? Well the re-engineered electronically controlled braking system now delivers significantly more pedal feel. You get shift paddles behind the steering wheel which deliver engine braking force in six steps. And highway cruising speeds are as refined as you'd hope from a Hybrid, helped in the 450h+ plug-in model by the fact that there's less noise from the Hybrid engine as it can run at lower revs compared to this self-charging 350h variant. Noise and vibration are also suppressed by plenty of insulation in the wing linings and front pillars - and the use of acoustic glass for the windscreen and front side windows. The result is exemplary refinement that's difficult to better in this class.

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