2008 Lexus RX 400h

The first impression of any car is, of course, the outside; the shape, size and color. With that in mind, the 2008 Lexus RX 400h (base price $41,945 with freight) waiting in our driveway made a very good first impression with its icy blue color called Breakwater Blue, its low curves and just-right size.

Billed as a five-door SUV, this actually is a crossover, built on the same chassis as the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES 350 sedans. It’s a good size for easy parking and town driving, yet roomy enough for the people and things we need to haul.

Gasoline-only versions of this vehicle are called the RX 350 (the 350 refers to the size of the engine, a 3.5-liter V-6). The RX 400h, though, is the gasoline-electric hybrid. A 3.3-liter V-6 gasoline engine combined with an electric drive motor in front for front-wheel-drive models, or dual front and rear electric motors for all-wheel-drive versions powers it.

While not a great gas-saver like the pioneering Toyota Prius hybrid sedan, our front-drive model was EPA rated at 27 mpg city/24 highway. That gives the RX 400h the power of a standard gasoline V-6 powered SUV, but the fuel economy you would expect from a four-cylinder engine in a vehicle of this size.

The interior on our test vehicle was quite impressive, with soft leather that came with the $2,060 Premium Plus package, and bird’s eye maple wood trim all around, even in the back seat area, the steering wheel and the shifter, a $380 option. (Base models come with cloth seats but do have leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.)

The lower door panels and the dash are imitation leather to resist damage by shoes and other objects. Trim around buttons, displays and steering wheel is brushed aluminum, an elegant touch. However, on the steering wheel, that trim became quite hot to the touch under the Texas sun (ouch!).

Adding to the ambiance is the soft lighting in the foot well, inside the console storage bin, around the inside door handles and on the scuff panel.

Studies have shown that safety is high on the list of what women want in their vehicles, and to that end, this Lexus has some of the newest, most advanced features available, including dual advanced front air bags, driver’s knee air bag (could have used this a few years ago—long story!), front and rear side-curtain air bags and front seat-mounted side-impact air bags. There are three-point safety belts for all seating positions, plus front seat-belt pretensioners with force limiters and manual height-adjustment anchors.

The four-wheel ABS comes with electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, electronically controlled braking and regenerative braking function.

Add in the energy-managing crumple zones and the side door beams and you feel almost as safe as in your own living room.

Comfort is a big plus on this model. The driver’s seat is adjustable 10 ways and includes a two-way power lumbar support, very nice on a long trip or after a hard day at work.

The rear seats, in a 40/20/40 configuration, fold flat (even with the cargo floor), separately or together, to allow for carrying stuff, people or a combination. The two outer seats also adjust fore and aft. The driver and passenger seatbacks recline to a nearly flat position. The rear seatback in the middle drops down to form a platform/storage area with two cupholders. (It is also nicely trimmed in the bird’s eye maple and leather).

Listed under luxury features are the power rear hatch and the one-touch up/down power windows with pinch protection. I personally think they are both safety related, especially the windows with pinch protection. They will stop and reverse slightly if an object is caught between the glass and the frame.

The front side windows have a surface that beads rainwater, for better visibility. Nice touch!

The power hatch is great for shorter, weaker people with bad backs and/or full hands, and also has the pinch/jam protection feature. The cargo cover retracts automatically when the rear door is opened. (This feature can be deactivated if desired.)

I’m not a fan of complicated controls on audio, navigation or climate-control systems. This Lexus doesn’t disappoint with the controls for the audio and climate systems, but the navigation system (part of a $4,130 package that also included a Mark Levinson audio system) was too complicated to use without much study beforehand.

I have experience with lots of nav systems, and usually can figure them out quickly without consulting the owner’s manual. This was not one of those.

Standard on the RX 400h is a premium audio system with six-disc, in-dash CD player with eight speakers. The Mark Levinson upgrade, however, adds studio-quality DVD audio.

All information, including audio, trip computer, outside temperature and clock, is displayed on an LCD panel

The three-spoke steering wheel has audio, display and voice activation controls, and my tester had power tilt-telescopic steering wheel with memory, part of the Premium Plus package. This package also brought a memory driver’s seat and outside mirrors (auto-dimming and heated), one touch open/close moon roof, roof rack with adjustable rails, and high-intensity-discharge headlights with adaptive front lighting system (adjusts the angle of the lights in turns).

The review vehicle also had the towing prep package ($160), which included transmission cooler, heavy-duty radiator and wiring harness (but not the ball mount/bracket). The RX can tow up to 3,500 pounds.

With the navigation/Mark Levinson audio package also came a backup camera that displays on the in-dash nav screen, Bluetooth voice activation, compass, and energy and consumption monitors.

Other extras on the tester included 18-inch graphite-finished aluminum wheels ($495) and two-level heated front seats, rain-sensing wipers and headlight washers ($665). Total sticker was $49,835, including freight.

The hybrid drive system works seamlessly without any kind of driver input. If you’re not used to hybrids, it’s kind of odd at first the way the gasoline engine shuts down at stoplights, and comes back on as you depress the gas pedal to start going again.

If your pedal pressure is very light on start-up, the gasoline engine doesn’t come on right way; instead, you are driving on the electric motor alone, and it’s somewhat like driving a golf cart. It can go up to about 25 mph on the electric motor before the gas engine has to kick in.

There is lots of power with this drive system, which brings the electric motor back on line during hard acceleration to boost power for passing or freeway merges. Lexus says the system has a total of 268 horsepower with the gasoline engine and electric motor combined.

A separate electric motor/generation in the hybrid system keeps the 288-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack (under the rear seat) recharged, but also runs the accessories and serves as the starter for the gasoline engine.

There is no need to plug in the RX 400h to recharge the batteries – this vehicle is completely self-contained.

Another plus of the hybrid system is that the RX 400h is rated as super-ultra-low-emissions vehicle. It produces 70 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new car, Lexus says.

All in all, this is a great car for a woman or family, with a drive system that puts the vehicle in the “green” category, helping to reduce both gasoline consumption and air pollution.

Emma Jayne Williams is a Texas-based freelance writer whose automotive columns appear regularly in the Star-Telegram. Contact her at emmajayne1948@yahoo.com.