Lexus RX450h+ mysterious patent filing hints at plug-in hybrid

By the time our 2017 RX is ready to be traded in (her family tends to hang onto vehicles for a VERY long time) a plug in SUV will be the next step, if not full BEV.

We had her 4Runner for 17 years and her mother has only had 3 cars in her ownership for almost 50 years of driving.

By 2032 (which is when the RX will probably be replaced), I hope Lexus has a BEV, which will be in our garage next to either a Prime BEV or Rivian R1T.

 

According to this article the RX will come in 3 hybrid versions and the plug-in version of the RX will be called the RX500h: 2023 Lexus RX Lineup To Get Three Hybrid Powertrains: Report

In any case the naturally aspirated 3.5L will be replaced by a 2.4L turbocharged engine for the RX500h.

According to the article, the RX450h+ will have the Sienna power plant as well as the RX350h.

I have my doubts because why would Lexus change their naming convention to make a non plug-in hybrid the same as plug-in? No I’m thinking the RX500h will have the upgraded 2.4L Turbo paired with an upgraded 2022 NX350h hybrid system (symmetrical motors front and rear maybe?) while the RX350h will have the 2022 NX350h power plant. The RX450h+ will have the NX450h+ power plant, 2.5L and be a plug-in.


iPad ? Pro

 

https://topelectricsuv.com/news/lexus/lexus-rx-next-gen-details/

https://creative311.com/?p=128694

As noted previously these articles confirmed my suspicions, the RX450h+ will be the plug-in, essentially the same as the NX450h+.

The RX500h will (supposedly) have a 2.4L Turbo but one article says it will use DIRECT4 so it should have symmetrical motors on the front and rear even though another article says 1 motor so they kind of contradict each other. Could be a translation issue where it might actually be 1 type of motor.

The RX350h will be the base RXh and have the 2022 NX350h powertrain.


iPad ? Pro

 

New Product Announcement - May 31st

Lexus New Product Showcase - Lexus USA Newsroom

Possible reveal of the newly redesigned RX or the new TX?

Last rumors I read was the RX, like the UX, will be all hybrid.

 

Yes the RX will be unveiled then with this teaser:
Lexus to Unveil All-New RX - Lexus USA Newsroom

They did indicate announcements (with an s) so I'll assume they'll announce the TX. Probably no RXL which seemed like a rather quick solution to a problem.

 

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2022/05/19/2023-lexus-rx-500h-confirmed/

RX 500h Confirmed. Now just wait and get details on May 31st.

 

The New RX

REDEFINING THE LUXURY CROSSOVER THAT LAUNCHED A SEGMENT: THE ALL-NEW 2023 LEXUS RX - Lexus USA Newsroom

Summary - 4 available engines
RX 350 - 2.4L turbocharged inline-4 engine - 275 HP, 317 lb-ft torque, 0 - 60 = 7.2s AWD/7.5s FWD, 24 mpg combine (9.8 L/100 km - mfg estimated)
RX 350h - 2.5L and hybrid drive train similar to NX 350h - 246 HP, 233 lb-ft torque, 0 - 60 = 7.2s AWD only, 33 mpg (7.13 L/100 km- mfg estimated)
RX 450h+ - Vehicle details TBA
RX 500h F Sport Performance - 2.4L turbocharged inline-4 engine with 6 speed tranny and motor and DIRECT4 AWD with eAxle in the rear - 376 HP, 406 lb-ft torque - 0 - 60 = 5.9s, 26 MPG (9.05 L/100km- mfg estimated)

Except for the RX 500h the HP is less than the current max RX 450h which is 308. The new RX 350 has 20 less horsepower but is .7 seconds faster than the current 2022 RX 350. The new RX 350h has 62 less hp but is .5 seconds faster than the RX 450h. Head scratchers for sure. The new RX 350h gets about 3 MPG more than the current RX 450h so they are tuning them for performance.

Length is the same 192.5 inches (4890 mm) but wheelbase has been extended to 112.2 (2850 mm - same as the Highlander, RZ 450e, bZ4X). An inch wider at 75.6 (1920 mm). Height stays the same. Now includes Lexus Safety System+ 3.0.

Edited to compare current RX 450h

 

From the Lexus European site a bit more details.

WORLD PREMIERE OF THE ALL-NEW LEXUS RX

RX 500h has an 80 kW (107 HP) rear eAxle motor which is the same as the AWD bZ4X and RZ 450e rear eAxle. The RX 450h+ has an 18.1 kWh battery and has 225 kW output (302 HP) - unsurprisingly the same as the NX 450h+. The European site readily admits they are using the electric motors to provide more low end power and they cut the platform weight by 90 kg (~198 lbs) which probably accounts for the better performance.

Interestingly they document the RX 350h and RX 500h still have the NiMH battery. I thought they might have included the new bipolar NiMH that is rumored to appear on the new Crown hybrid.

 

The lines making the old NiMH haven't fallen into disrepair yet.

 

The RX450h F-sport is around 500 pounds heavier than the Rav4 Prime. More mass needs more energy to move it.

 

When starting from a stop, that low end torque is important, but that motor output needs to continue for the car to stay fast through the entire sprint. Not a problem for the plug ins with their large battery packs.

For a hybrid, the traction motor's energy needs can't be met from the battery alone. You need the engine also, which needs time to spool up its output. Take the Prius. It is fast in that zero to twenty or thirty band, but then acceleration takes a dive as power supply shifts to the engine. This RX has a more powerful engine to prevent that dive, but it is now an ICE car racing EVs that are far from golf carts.

This is why the power hybrids from European brands for the past several years have all been PHEVs.

 

According to the European site the RX 450h+ is: 0-100 km/h: ~ 7.0 s
So maybe 6.8s for 0 - 60 mph. Even with the weight savings it's still a heavier and larger vehicle than the NX 450h+ which is where the power train came from.

It's neck and neck with the NX 450h+ which is: 0 - 60 mph: 6.0 s
The RX 500h and NX 450h+ might weigh about the same. The current RX 450h weighs about 265 lbs (120 kg) more than NX 450h+. I'd guess the RX 500h might come in around 100 lb (45 kg) more than the NX 450h+ with the platform weight savings and a little weight savings of a 4 cylinder engine over the 6 cylinder. The turbo might add a little to make it essentially a push with swapping out the V6.

 

Another PreBrochure, this time for the RX. No additional info on the RX 450h+, just the RX 350, RX 350h, and RX 500h. Trim levels, Packages, Options and colors.

https://www.lexus.com/content/dam/lexus/documents/brochures/models/2023/MY23-Lexus-RX-PreBrochure.pdf

Odd the 350h with lower horsepower is faster than the FWD 350 although the European site did say they use the electric motors more aggressively than the older model. If the 350h has the same 80 kW (107 hp) rear motor as the RX 500h this may explain a little since the 350 would have turbo lag. I figured the AWD 350 would be slower. Things not talked about in the Press Release are some options like Traffic Jam Assist (a slow self driving system that takes over below 25 mph although the text emphatically states "is not an automated driving system") and the Hybrid only has a 120V AC inverter (no indication of power).

 

Turbo

Nickel bipolar bioxigen bihydrogen

 

No indication if Lexus has accepted the bipolar nickel-hydrogen (as Toyota calls it) battery for their models. But things are looking up since Toyota is finally willing to combine turbos with hybrid tech (although Lexus has been doing it for a while).

 

Well you came close. The Europeans spilled their guts first (THE ALL-NEW LEXUS RX) so we have all the official info including the RX 450h+.

Summary - 4 available engines
RX 350 - 2.4L turbocharged inline-4 engine - 205kW, 430Nm (275 HP, 317 lb-ft torque, 0 - 100kmh = 7.6s FWD, 25 mpg combine (9.6 L/100 km - WLTP)
RX 350h - 2.5L and hybrid drive train similar to NX 350h - 184kW (247 hp), 0 - 100km/h = 7.9s , 36 mpg (6.6 L/100 km - WLTP)
RX 450h+ - 2.5L and hybrid drive train similar to NX 450h+ - 227kW (304 hp), 0 - 100km/h = 6.5s, 196 mpg (1.2 L/100 km - WLTP)
RX 500h F Sport Performance - 2.4L turbocharged inline-4 engine with 6 speed tranny and motor and DIRECT4 AWD with eAxle in the rear - 273kW, 550.8Nm (366 HP, 406 lb-ft torque), 0 - 100km/h = 6.2s, 28 MPG (8.3 L/100km- WLTP)

Other now known facts are the RX 500h and RX 350h uses the bipolar NiMH and 5.0 Ah cells but the batteries differ in the number of cells, 240 to 216. The engine power output for the RX 350h is a little more than the RX 450h+ at 140kW to 136kW, but the RX 450h+ battery power puts out some 121hp. The RX 500h has a MG front of 64kW (86hp) and MG rear of 76kW (102hp). The front motors on the RX 350h and RX 450h+ are identical at 134kW (180hp) and rear motors are 40kW (54hp). The 2022 RX 450h front and rear motors are 123kW (165hp) and 50kW (67hp), respectively for comparison purposes.