Chelsea Tractors, tanks, penis extensions... call 'em what you like but SUVs are popular. Most are as eco-friendly as a Prescott Jag, but Lexus' RX400h is a step in the right direction, using a hybrid electric-petrol engine to push the miles-per-gallon up from the usual pathetic SUV 10MPG to a semi-respectable 34. To see if it lived up to the hype, I took it for a two-day spin.
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Let's get this out of the way: the car's fun to drive. For such a behemoth, it's oddly maneouverable, the acceleration is incredibly nippy and the suspension makes for a very smooth ride. There's a huge amount of space inside for luggage and the luxury car interior lives up to the vertiginous £45k price tag.
And the green credentials? Well, it's eerily silent when stuck at slow speeds in traffic - there were several occasions where I thought I'd stalled it - since the petrol engine doesn't kick in until you seriously put your foot down. The claimed 34MPG didn't quite stand up to reality. Despite driving as smoothly as possible in stop-start central London traffic - theoretically the ideal conditions for the RX400h, since the electric engine's recharged by braking - it only clocked up an average of 26.4MPG over the two days I had it.
This Lexus clearly isn't the best a greenguy/gal can get: Toyota's Prius, Honda's IMA and fleets of diesel cars spin circles round it for economy. It is, however, a fun drive, a luxurious experience and a symbolic step in the right direction. Lexus's website is over here.
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