There we were, sitting down to dinner, munching on the hot rolls (mine slathered with butter) and perusing the menu when the valet attendant appeared at the table.
“The car, it won’t start,’’ he said through heavily accented English.
I sighed. Just another quirk of driving a 2006 Lexus RX400h.
Through a combination of one-syllable words and gestures, I explained that the vehicle was a gasoline-electric hybrid and that once he turned the key to the on position, all he had to do was touch the gas pedal and it would go.
He shrugged, and went back to the parking lot.
As our before-dinner drinks arrived, so did the hapless parking attendant.
“No va,’’ he said in Spanish. Since I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about an old Chevrolet, I knew our instructions hadn’t worked and that he was telling us the Lexus still wouldn’t go.
There was nothing left to do but go back to the parking lot and park the Lexus myself. The look on the attendant’s face when the Lexus easily moved on battery power before the gas engine kicked in was almost worth the hassle.
Chalk it up to the fact that more than three years after the first gas-electric car hit U.S. shores, few people expect to find that combo powering an expensive luxury SUV like the Lexus.
What those people don’t know is that after driving the RX400h for a few hundred miles you find yourself asking why in the world Toyota – parent of Lexus – ever built this hybrid.
Sure, it’s a technological wonder.
Engineers married three electric motors – one for the front wheels, one for the rear wheels and the third to help start the engine -- with a 3.3-liter V6 to give the RX400h 268 horsepower. That’s 38 more than the RX330, which just has a 3.3-liter V6.
But it’s debatable about whether it’s technology without much of a point.
There is very little extra fuel economy available. Even someone with the lightest of touches on the gas pedal might eek out three or four miles per gallon, even though the federal government rating says that the RX400h can get 31 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.
The RX330 is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway – hybrids typically get better mileage in the city because that’s when the electric power comes into greater play.
In real-world driving, the RX400h is hard-pressed to average much more than 24 mpg. Not bad for a luxury SUV that weighs 4,300 pounds, but then there’s the cost.
The RX400h comes just one way – loaded. Pile on ever option in the book and then add about $4,000 for the hybrid package and you’ll arrive at the sticker price of $49,185.
For that substantial amount of money, buyers get an RX400h that looks slightly different than the RX330. The grille, front end and fog lamps are different. Also added are 18-inch wheels and LED taillights.
RX400h buyers can also get to 60 mph about a half second quicker than buyers of an RX330 – which is one of the selling points that Toyota pushes for the RH400h.
On the instrument panel is a ready light that says the vehicle is set to go (this light is small and can be easily overlooked, which is what helped trip up our parking valet). There’s also a gauge that monitors the mix of gas and electric propulsion. But unlike other hybrids, this gauge isn’t really in view of passengers, so there goes an opportunity to impress.
The RX400h in most conditions starts out from a standstill on electric power. Just put your foot on the brake to signal the system it’s time to go and then depress the go-pedal (it’s hard to call it a gas pedal).
After about 5 to 10 mph, the gasoline engine kicks in seamlessly. At stops or when coasting to a stop the gasoline engine shuts off. Nail the throttle and the gas and electric units combine for maximum oomph.
Otherwise, driving the RX400h is very similar to driving its cheaper gas-only sibling. And despite the few design changes, most people will not on first glance be able to tell you’re driving anything special.
Which brings us back to the mathematics of the RX400h. They just don’t add up.
Even if gas prices hit $5 a gallon, it would take more than 100,000 miles of driving to cover the $4,000 premium for the hybrid. And if you compare the price of an RX330 that’s not quite so loaded with options to the RX400h, the price differential – perhaps as much as $11,000 – would never be covered by savings at the gas pump.
While there’s no argument the RX400h’s added fuel economy puts fewer emissions into the air, it’s a just a small amount that’s unlikely to have a huge impact on the environment even if we all drove hybrid Lexus SUVs.
So why was Lexus able to sell about 26,000 RX400h SUVs since its introduction last summer?
It’s got to be all about the prestige of owning a vehicle that’s on the cutting edge of technology, or of being able to brag to neighbors and fellow country club members about doing something for the environment.
That’s fine. But the rest of us who look for value as well as technology will wait for a hybrid luxury SUV that makes more sense.
