Lexus RX400h (2007) CAR review

It’s the one SUV Red Ken can’t object to…

Not quite. Full credit to Lexus for making the RX400h the first car in both the luxury and SUV sectors to have a hybrid powertrain; its impressive CO2 claim of just 192g/km gives it a low company-car tax band and the fact that it’s a hybrid makes it congestion-charge exempt. Others will buy it just for its claimed 34.9mpg economy; far better than any of its conventional petrol rivals, and together these factors have made it so popular that Lexus has even considered dropping the standard RX350. But London Assembly members are muttering darkly about the inequity of exemption for an expensive SUV that still pollutes more than many others.

Is it the same engine as the GS450h?

No. The GS also has a V6 petrol-electric hybrid, but it’s a newer and significantly more advanced powertrain with a total of 341bhp, and the V8 hybrid coming in the LS600h will eclipse them both. The RX’s 3.3-litre V6 makes 209bhp on its own and 269bhp with both electric motors contributing. There’s one on each axle; the RX is only four-wheel drive with the rear electric motor working. As with other Toyota hybrids, the electric motors can power the RX silently and without having to start the petrol engine at low speeds, and there’s a big colour screen with funky graphics to show you and your passengers how the system is working.