Lexus on Tuesday revealed launch timing and specs for the first-ever plug-in hybrid version of its RX mid-size crossover.
The 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ will arrive at U.S. dealerships at the end of 2023 with a base price of $70,080 (including destination). That buys a Lexus-estimated, EPA-cycle 35 miles of electric range. Fuel economy, again just a manufacturer estimate, is expected to be 35 mpg combined (36 mpg city, 33 mpg highway).
A variant of the fifth-generation Lexus RX that debuted last year as a 2023 model, the RX 450h+ is Lexus’ second plug-in hybrid, following the smaller NX 450h+ that launched for 2022. The two models share a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine and 18.1-kwh battery pack, but the NX is EPA-rated at 37 miles of electric range.
2024 Lexus RX 450h+
Green Car Reports drove a European-market version of the RX 450h+ in 2022 and also found it behaved like a somewhat larger, less agile version of the NX plug-in hybrid. With 304 hp available, though, Lexus still estimates a respectable 0-60 mph time of 6.2 seconds for the all-wheel drive RX plug-in hybrid.
Lexus also sells the fifth-generation RX with conventional and hybrid powertrains—including a performance-oriented RX 500h F Sport Performance model with a sportier Direct4 hybrid system. But where that version combines a conventional automatic transmission with a high-output rear motor, inverter, and reduction gearbox, the plug-in hybrid system is based on the the long-established Toyota/Lexus planetary hybrid system.
Using the standard 6.6-kw onboard charger, Lexus estimates a full recharge will take approximately two and a half hours. DC fast charging isn’t available.
2024 Lexus RX 450h+
Lexus has at least one more plug-in hybrid on the way. The 2024 Lexus TX 550h+ is a plug-in version of the new TX three-row crossover aiming for 33 electric miles and more than 30 mpg after that. The TX plug-in hybrid will pair Toyota’s planetary hybrid system with a V-6 engine, though, for a total system output of 406 hp. Other versions of the TX will reach dealerships this fall, with the plug-in hybrid arriving at a later date, Lexus said at the crossover’s unveiling in June.
For now, the only all-electric model in the Lexus lineup is the RZ crossover, with deliveries trickling out at a very slow rate.
