After 25 years on the U.S. market, the Lexus RX plugs in. Although we got to briefly drive the Lexus RX 450h+ last year along with the rest of the new RX lineup, full details were not available as it wouldn’t be going on sale until the 2024 model year. Noted by the plus sign at the end of the name, its plug-in hybrid powertrain is the same basic unit found in the Lexus NX 450h+, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine helped by two electric motors. They combine for about 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive. As to the battery, Lexus didn’t give a kilowatt-hour figure. We were told last year it was an 18.1-kWh pack, that figure’s been turned into the vague “high-capacity” in the press release, so there might have been some revision. The performance specs point to an unchanged unit. Carrying a tad more weight than the NX, the RX 450h+ gets to 60 miles per hour in an estimated 6.2 seconds and goes an estimated 35 miles on a charge, those numbers 0.2 second above and two miles below the NX 450h+.
Refilling the battery takes “approximately two-and-a-half hours” through the 6.6-kW onboard charger when plugged into a 240V wall outlet, the maximum current allowed. Lexus will sell the RX 450h+ with a Level 1 cable meant for a 120V outlet.
Even though the non-plug-in RX 500h F Sport Performance is more powerful, the RX 450h+ goes to the top of the MSRP table. It starts at $70,080 after destination, $6,230 more than the RX 500h. The PHEV only comes in top-grade Luxury trim, so buyers can expect plenty of goodies to come standard: Perforated semi-aniline leather-trimmed interior, heated wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel, heated and ventilated power driver/front/rear passenger seats, Lexus Memory System, panoramic roof, themed ambient lighting, roof rails, and 21-inch, 20-spoke wheels with a dark premium metal finish.
Eight exterior colors are available: Caviar, Cloudburst Gray, Copper Crest, Eminent White Pearl, Iridium, Matador Red Mica, Nightfall Mica, and Nori Green Pearl. The interior can be done up in either Macadamia, Black, or Peppercorn, with trim in either Ash Bamboo or black open pore. Lexus Safety System 3.0+ means tech like Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Road Sign Assist, and Lane Departure Warning with Steering Assist.
Lexus says the 2024 RX 450h+ will be in dealerships by the end of the year.
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