Motoring: 2024 Lexus RX450h+ is an expertly built quiet, comfortable luxury green car

Lexus' current-generation RX hybrid enjoys its second year on the road. For those unfamiliar with the vehicle, RX is a five-passenger, four-door wagon in a class of cars popular with EV-curious buyers. The big news for 2024 is the arrival of the RX450h+ model, the first RX plug-in hybrid. Its hybrid powertrain, a 2.5-L four-cylinder engine and a trio of electric motors, originally appeared in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime and a year later in the smaller Lexus NX SUV.

All-wheel drive is standard. Electric power only spins the rear wheels. An 18.1-kWh battery pack flows volts and amps to three e-motors. The EPA estimates an EV range of 37 miles, far enough to cover most drivers' daily driving needs. During my real-world 75-mph highway test, RX traveled 28 miles on electricity before the gas engine came to life. From then on, the average was 30 mpg in hybrid mode for the remainder of the loop.

Thanks to its potent 6.6-kW onboard charger, recharging is speedy. Plugged into a 240-volt source, I saw the 18.1-kWh lithium-ion battery recharge from bone dry to fully topped off after about two and a half hours and 12 hours via a 120-volt outlet. Lexus shrank the fuel tank by three gallons to 14.5 gallons to better squeeze in the larger battery pack.

An eye-opener, the RX450h range, on a full tank of gas and its battery pack fully charged, is a lofty 540 miles. As for fleetness of foot, the RX450h accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and in a quarter-mile speed run, the elapsed time is 14.6 seconds at 95 mph.

Console buttons allow the driver to choose either Hybrid, EV (provided the battery has sufficient charge) or Auto modes. On those occasions when the gas engine revs to wide-open throttle, it roars like a four-banger (71 decibels). Tooling down the highway at 70 mph and braking to a complete dead stop takes 178 feet, which is pretty good, especially for a heavy vehicle.

The RX450h is only available in full-on Luxury trim. Its interior is swathed in semi-aniline leather with microsuede inserts on the seats, door panels, dash, and headliner. Choose either bamboo or open-pore wood trims.

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Lexus' new infotainment system is intuitive and responsive and benefits from a broad 14.0-inch touch screen infotainment system, an upgrade from the 9.8-inch unit in the RX base vehicle. Two temperature dials and climate controls are on the screen, along with a touch-slider controlling fan speed. Premium grade or not, one must pay extra for a hands-free power liftgate, triple-beam LED headlights, smartphone-as-key, and a surround-view camera. The optional 21-speaker Mark Levinson sound system ($1,160) is well worth the money.

Roomy and comfortable, both rows of seats are heated and ventilated. Overhead resides a panoramic sunroof. Suspended over the hood, we see a super-wide, 10-inch heads-up display telling us all about speed over ground, cruise control nuances and what's going on with the lane minder. Note: Heads up disappears into nothingness while wearing polarized sunglasses. The standard item Lexus' Safety System+ 3.0 includes various advanced driver aids.

Finally, as for storage RX offers adequate cargo capacity, even with seats upright, though lift over is a tad high. When properly equipped, an RX can musters a 3,500-pound tow rating.

Automotive journalist, Tim Banse, wrote The Gazette’s Motoring car review column from 1989 to 2013 and has published stories in Popular Mechanics and Yachting magazine. He’s toured carmaker factory floors in the U.S. and Japan and raced cars at Riverside, Watkins Glen, and Michigan International Raceway press events. He’s stood close enough to a crash test to feel the shock wave reverberate off his chest. His first car was a vintage ‘56 Chevy Belair.