Simply Hybrid > Vehicles > Lexus RX
Rates (include 150 miles per day): Daily: $189.00 | Weekly: $1.139.94
The Lexus RX 400h available for rental through SimplyHybrid.com is an automobile assembled by Toyota Motor Corp. under the Lexus brand name using Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. Currently, Lexus is using the fourth generation of Hybrid Synergy Drive from Toyota. Each generation surpasses the previous, offering greater power and less cost. The hybrid powertrain adds a mere 300 pounds to the vehicle’s curb weight, an impressive engineering achievement. The majority of this extra weight is mounted low in the vehicle. To manage the additional weight, Lexus made the chassis of the RX stronger. The Lexus RX, Lexus ES 350, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Highlander are all built on the same platform with slight modifications between the sedans and the SUV's.
After first being introduced in January 2004 at the North American International Auto Show, it would become the world's second mass-produced hybrid SUV, after the Ford Escape Hybrid. In November 2004, Toyota announced the American launch of hybrid Lexus/Toyota SUV will be delayed to the 2006 model year, with European and Asian launches to meet the same fate. The Toyota version of the same car debuted in Japan in March of 2005 as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
The gasoline-powered part of the engine system is a 3.3L 3MZ-FE V6, very similar to the one found in the RX 330. It produces 268 HP when aided by the two additional electric motors. Under normal driving conditions, only the front motor and gasoline engine will be used. The rear motor will only be used under full-throttle acceleration or when the front wheels lose traction (if so equipped). The gasoline engine will switch off automatically when the vehicle is either stationary, decelerating, or being driven at a slow speed and the electric motor will take over. A Ni-MH battery is responsible for powering the motors, and it is charged during deceleration and from the heat energy caused from braking.
The assistance of the electric motor increases the vehicle's performance, the RX 400h Hybrid can reach 60 mph (97km/h) in less than 8 seconds which is quicker than the normally aspirated RX 330. Despite the increased performance, the RX 400h consumes roughly the same amount of fuel as a compact four-cylinder sedan and it qualifies as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) in America.
