2013 Lexus RX450h
I have died and gone to luxury, specialty component and comfort heaven.
This week’s driving experience was with a 2013 Lexus RX 450 h AWD. This luxurious hybrid has a 3.5 liter, 24 valve V6 aluminum engine pushing 295 horsepower which can thrust the car from 0-60 MPH in 7.4 seconds. Because its a hybrid, the fuel savings come from driving it a
t slower speeds mostly around town. The faster it went, the lower the fuel mileage. The fuel economy averages about 29 MPG (30 city and 28 highway). Cruising on freeways over Utah’s mountain passes with speeds posted as high as 80 MPH, the vehicle’s in dash computer reported an average of 26 MPG during my time with the vehicle. The drive train is an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission with intelligence (ECVT-i) with Sequential Shift, Sport and Snow modes. The CVT makes for a smooth freeway entrance and consistent speeds over mountain passes.
When driving a Lexus, there is a certain expectation of first class luxury and comfort. This RX came with every possible option available from Lexus. I can’t get over the plethora of options that came with this sleek and sporty 5 door SUV. It started with SmartAccess passive entry with a keyless push button power start. There are three driver seat memory positions that can be saved for different driving scenarios and/or multiple drivers. The 10-way power driver’s and front passenger’s seats are heated and cooled. The Saddle Tan Leather Expresso with Bird’s Eye Maple luxury interior package and a heated and telescoping wood grained steering wheel provided first class comfort for the driver and passengers.
While driving from Logan, the top of Utah, to sunny St. George located in the Southwest corner of the state of Utah, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in a futuristic, auto-piloted vehicle complete with a Heads-Up Display (HUD). The HUD projects simple navigation directions, audio information and vehicle speed onto the windshield. The voice-activated navigation features an intuitive interface, an advanced voice-recognition system and real time traffic and weather updates. Climate control, audio functions and navigation system were all controlled by a mouse comfortably mounted on the driver’s side center console. The luxury package came with Blind Spot Monitoring and Pre-Collision System with Radar Adaptive Cruise Control. While driving with the cruise control set, the Radar Adaptive Cruise Control would recognize another vehicle within a close distance in the same lane of travel and automatically slow down to the same speed. As I would safely change lanes, the radar would notice a free lane of travel and speed up to the predetermined cruising speed. I tested this in light and heavy traffic on two and five lanes freeways with it being virtually flawless and always recognizing what lane I was traveling in, even around bends in the road.
An important part of a family vacation driving experience is the entertainment value and potential of fun within the vehicle. The quality of entertainment or the lack of “kid engagement” while traveling can either make a trip pleasurable or down right unbearable. Thanks to the dual screen rear seat entertainment system and the Mark Levinson/Lexus premium surround 15 speaker audio system, I had the kids believing that their 6 hour trip was only a couple enjoyable movies long. The wireless headphones came in handy when the occupants in the front seats wanted to enjoy satellite radio or music through the iPod or iPhone.
I was completely impressed with the options of luxury, comfort and safety this Lexus RX 450h provided for this week’s smooth and entertaining driving experience. The only thing missing was an oversized red bow just in time for Christmas.
Visit a Lexus dealer and ask them about a similar driving experience.
Base MSRP: $47,310
Price as Driven: $64,339
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