If a great car is a car that works for the greatest number of people, the Lexus RX is America’s best luxury car. The midsize luxury SUV from Lexus has been the best-selling luxury vehicle in America for a decade. The many car shoppers considering one next year will have a new option – a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version.
RX Redesigned Recently
Lexus redesigned the RX entirely for 2023. Our expert test driver found it “sticks to the formula that made it famous, but the lineup expands and gets more stylish inside and out.”
At the time, they offered a choice of three drivetrains. The base model RX 350 got a 275-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder mill. Hybrid shoppers looking for thrift could choose a 246-horsepower hybrid setup in the RX 350h that earns 36 mpg in combined highway and city driving. Those looking for performance could opt for a different hybrid, the RX 500h, making 366 horsepower and returning a still-respectable 27 mpg.
But Lexus promised a fourth powertrain, found in the new Lexus RX 450h+.
35 Miles on Electricity Alone
It will arrive for the 2024 model year. Lexus announced this week that all three existing powertrains will return for 2024, but they’ll be joined by the long-awaited PHEV.
Plug-in hybrid cars can travel some distance on electric power alone before using gasoline to go further. They charge from a standard wall outlet (or faster from the same electric car chargers you may have seen popping up around your neighborhood).
That makes owning one a great compromise between going electric and sticking with gas. You can make short trips in your PHEV on electric power but drive as far as gas will take you when you need it.
Lexus says the 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ is good for 35 miles on electric power. That would enable many owners to complete their daily commute and errands without stopping for gas but still use gas to get to the beach on weekends.
It will start at $70,080 (including delivery fees).
Lexus says the RX 450h+ will charge “in approximately two-and-a-half hours” from a 240-volt Level 2 charger – a type electricians can install in most homes. The company estimates that the new PHEV should get the equivalent of 83 mpg, but the EPA hasn’t certified those numbers.
304 Horsepower, 6.2 Seconds to 60 mph
It makes 304 horsepower – less than the performance-oriented RX 500h. That should be good for “an estimated 6.2 second 0-60 time,” Lexus says. It “utilizes an electronically controlled, full-time AWD system for a confident, sporty driving experience.”
The RX 450h+ will come in just one trim level and will include amenities like perforated semi-aniline leather seating, heated and ventilated in both rows. A panoramic glass roof is standard, and a 21-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system is available.
The Priciest RX
It’s an impressive package, but the price is a bit of a surprise. A $70,000-plus price tag makes it the most expensive form of RX – topping even the $63,350 RX 500h F Sport Performance AWD edition marketed to driving enthusiasts.
It’s still a hair below the entry price of a BMW X5 PHEV but well over the starting price of the plug-in version of Audi’s Q5. We’d say the price is a gamble for Lexus, but sales figures show that Toyota’s luxury arm knows what it’s doing in this class. The RX 450h+ is probably well worth a test drive, provided you can find one.
Dealers already have trouble keeping hybrid RX models in stock. A version of America’s best-selling luxury vehicle that can serve as both an electric car and a gas-powered one is likely to sell quickly.
