Are Hybrid living up to the hype?What about maintainance on these cars?Are repairs costlyand are mechanical technicians knowledgeable of servicing these cars?
Ryan Your answer is great!!! thank you
l was trying to give you the thumbs up but l guess l clicked the wrong thumb
l am sorry .. YOUR answer deserves a big thumbs up rating :-)
l would really like to purchase an SUV style car for the winters here in St Louis but also need the fuel economy as l drive a good distance from my home to where l work.l also do a lot of travel related to my work.
l have researched on edmondso2007 Lexus RX 400h
o2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
o2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
o2007 Saturn VUE
o2007 Ford Escape Hybrid
but l must admit ( and it has nothing to do with being female) l am not as intelligent about cars as l would like to be.

In short, it depends on what ur priorities are.

Hybrid live up to the hype, in terms of the reduction in emissions gasses, yes, however most of them rarely deliver the promised fuel mileage, though they do better than their non-hybrid counterparts.

The Lexus RX400h is essentially a hybrid which is biased towards performance. It is good choice if u r looking for something with a bit of a ''Gee whiz'' factor as it is very cutting-edge technology thats fun to discuss around the water cooler at work. It is a good choice if u want a luxury vehicle but want to do a little something for the environment and/or get to drive in the carpool/HOV lane by yourself (depending on where u live)

It is NOT a good choice if u want a hybrid because u imagine the fuel savings will pay for the difference or if u think u r going to get amazing gas mileage & save the planet. It wo not save u money over the regular RX model.

Hybrid technology has been around for nearly 10 years now & Toyota/Lexus is at the head of the pack. It is been proven reliable for the most part so there r no worries there. Maintainance for the first 5-6 years should be virtually no different than a regular car & Lexus technicians r trained to work on these vehicles.

Now, if u r still driving it in 10 years & u need the hybrid batteries replaced or ur ECU reflashed & u have some mechanic named Bubba at a garage in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert r u screwed? Yes. But ask yourself how likely that scenario is.

Odd are, if u r in the market for a vehicle in this price range, u wo not be driving it by the time it needs the batteries replaced or needs any expensive maintainance for the hybrid system. By then it will be someone elses problem & u will be driving a newer hybrid Lexus burning 100% ethanol or something.

Well to start off these cars r expensive. The base price for an '07 is $41,180 not including taxes, fees or etc. One thing is certain though, that ur Lexus will give u V8 like performance with 4 cylinder fuel economy. The hybrid system is very sophisticated in these cars but since it is developed & made by Toyota it should be reliable. Either way l am certain that Lexus has certified technicians to repair any problems that might arise. So far, however, l have not heard any complaints from Lexus owners about their RXs so u should be good to go.
P.S. Keep in mind that the technology is new so it is somewhat of a shot in the dark for the most part.

The main advantage in the RX400h vs the RX350 is reduced emmissions. The RX400h will get about 4-7 mpg better than its petrol powered counterpart. If ur buying this car soley based on fuel efficiency l suggest u look at something else like a Prius. In the end it will take u years to even out the cost difference between the RX400h & RX350.

Toyota hybrids r very reliable in general. It is very rare that they r recalled & so far have proven to be just as reliable as any other Toyota. Maintinence is a bit more than an average car. However at about 100,000 miles u will have to replace the hybrid battery. l friend of ours just replaced her hybrid battery on her 01 Prius. The total cost with labor was about 6k.

If ur looking for a schzazzy high tech SUV, the RX400h remains the best choice available today. If u want something that is very fuel efficient the Prius or new Camry hybrid will suit u better.