Lexus RX450h F Sport - At War With Itself - Test Drive | Everyday Driver

One of the longest running hybrid SUVs in the Lexus lineup now has the F Sport magic applied! Does it really need the F Sport designation, though? Toyota has other hybrid SUVs in its portfolio, so how does this one do?
#lexusrx450h #lexusrx450hfsport #lexus #lexusrx #rx450h #rx450hfsport #hybridsuv #suv #lexushybrid #hybridlexus
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[@chaseduncan2569]

It’s sad to see how Lexus dropped the ball on this one. It definitely seems like they added the F Sport badge just to charge more money. Great video and opinions as always guys!

[@farmerlister3863]

F SPORT costs exactly same money as LUXURY. And it does have exactly same features as luxury plu different gauges and different stabilizers/seats. F SPORT is a optical trim - sportier suspension and seats.

[@xpane]

I don't think these two yahoos are very credible because I just bought the same exact RX450H and have never driven a more comfortable car. I am 78 and am finally able to afford a luxury car that is well built and a dream to drive. We plan on driving it coast to coast to visit my kids and grandkids and it sure beats flying with all the logistics of buying tickets, getting delayed or flights cancelled at the last minute. Been waiting a long time to drive in comfort at last!

[@johnthompsonnunu2556]

I’m buying one, I don’t care if it doesn’t handle like a Porsche, I’m buying it because it’s good looking, good gas mileage for a SUV, quiet comfortable and reliable, the FSport gets cool wheels.

[@xpane]

Right on. I bought the same exact model they are slamming here. I'm very glad I bought one as I know it will last me years and years without trouble. Lexus makes the most reliable cars in the world as far as I'm concerned.

[@JuanLopez-kw9of]

Lexus knows it doesn't need to do much since it sells so well. This model has been long in the tooth for a while. If it ain't broke don't fix it is Lexus' philosophy.

[@gianniclaud]

That CLANK is a dealbreaker! Wow...

[@Mark-de4hj]

I have bought and driven many luxury cars and SUVs and currently own the RX450h (no F), and I will say, there is just something intangible about getting into a Lexus vehicle that maybe only Lexus buyers can fully appreciate. It's really not exclusively about the numbers but the complete package. Yes, there is proven reliability and hence higher resale but there is a certain satisfaction you get on entering Lexus vehicles that is missing from most other luxury brands. I also own their LS sedans (regular and hybrids) and there is a far different feeling I get from getting into that even after years of ownership than getting into its competitor, the S class from Mercades. When I get into other luxury cars all I can see are potential breakage problems and issues. I have experienced this on numerous occasions. If something breaks on a Lexus product its more of an exception to the general rule than a given. Lexus's focus is not to mass produce the fastest most dynamic cars, but they CONSISTENTLY manage to hit just the right note. In other brands you tend to sacrifice something, comfort, reliability, performance and efficiency. Thats why Lexus remains at the top of best-seller lists and are sought after as used vehicles and explains why customers will continue to spend their hard-earned money here. All the rest is just fluff. Most so-called car enthusiasts gravitate to speed and high performance, which is fine, they don't live with these vehicles every day, but real people want real and proven products. You guys do a great job as usual and looking forward to more from you!

[@cayman9873]

Just want to say thanks for all the great content. Your current video quality is really excellent. You must be working your butts off with all the podcasts and car reviews and trips and get togethers. Hope your getting some time for yourselves. I need to send you a car debate soon. My cars are down to the 09 to 2012 cayman manual or the first year or two 997 manual. The 4 cyl cayman with non hydraulic steering I tried. Dont like the engine sound..or turbo.. or steering. Thanks much Scott

[@TestDriveVideos]

Thanks for being with us and supporting what we do!

[@wrzl1675]

All crossovers are just minivans/station wagons guys. It’s just a jacked up sedan/minivan.

[@slyguyaction]

Totally agree with you on SO many points. I've ridden in a few of these cars, this model specifically. Very soft ride, lots of body roll and I get out and see the "F Sport" badging and it's confusing. What the hell is sporty about it? Oh, and the door slam. That's a manufacturers first attempt at convincing you (or not) of the quality put into the design. If any door slams and clanks like an early 2000s era Toyota Corolla door does, it's an immediate let down. The "quality" just dropped out of it. Very well done video. Thanks!

[@wicked_smaaht]

Ironically, RX started as the Toyota Harrier, the latest generation of which is the current Venza.

[@rdiamond655]

Using a GR86 as a camera car? Awesome!

[@ballofcrust7706]

Watch the outer door skin wobble or flex for lack of better description that's where your noise is coming from I have a 2010 rx and I watch the door skin wobble everytime I close the door lol

[@DG-hq6rc]

the f sport, just like the audi s trim, and bmw m package trim, are cosmestic upgrades. They are never truly intended to be performance enhancing upgrades. That is what the true F vehicles are for ISF, RCF, ect. Same with BMW M line and Audi's S/RS line....

[@arealgoodman]

F Sport is NOT sport in Lexus, F Sport is badging. You want sport, buy an F.

[@mervinprone]

The problem is this is a Camry based SUV. So the 3.5 litre V6 performs exceptionally well in a Camry but the RX is much heavier. There’s a problem with power to weight. If you extrapolate, the RX is about 65 hp short. This problem has been corrected in 2023 with the 500h. With 367 hp, it can’t be accused of being slow anymore with a 0-60 of 5.8 seconds, which is about what a V6 Camry will do. This should be the standard engine across the RX line.

[@Jelmerize]

I can’t understand why people keep on hammering on performance for a luxury SUV… By the way, this isn’t a slow car. I have a remapped Golf GTI, from 70 MP/H+, the RX450h is faster. I’m not shitting you. The power delivery is just very, very sterile. It’s a car with exceptional qualities. It just isn’t as shouting and flashy as it’s European counterparts. You do buy in to crazy good quality tho.

[@rchaser4]

You just talked me out of this car….annnnnd I’m glad.

[@ryanr482]

Spouse wants an rx, confirms that I should avoid the f sport and save money

[@Cajun1978]

Why buy this when you can buy the New Lexus NX. The RX has gotten larger and larger. The NX is what an RX was a few years ago. Plus the NX can be purchased with the Rav4 Primes plug in drivetrain which makes it both fast and better on fuel than this (and the Venza). Plus you can get the F Sport appearance package. Unless you really need those few extra inches here and there that the RX gives you, why would you pay more for the heavier, lower, less efficient Lexus CUV. I think Lexus is doing their typical end-of-generation, lipstick on a pig option and feature shuffle where they tart up a model with a couple new things to lightly freshen it and extend it a few more years till they do a refresh. The problem this time is that there are SO many CUVs in their lineup (and Toyotas) that the cons of this model are really brought to light. Not that it really matters, the 50+ y/o RX buyer who has always had an RX and only wants an RX will go down to their dealer and pick this up without a second thought or test driving anything else and that's what Lexus is banking on.

[@freedomvan2970]

Blue G Shock for a blue car review 😁

[@brianfloster2609]

I'm with Paul on the door thunk. This seems atrocious...

[@samcuddy1711]

The F sport is for aesthetics only. If you look at any of the specs for the regular 450 versus the F sport 450 there is zero difference. So you should have zero expectation for it to drive differently also.

[@xpane]

I have the F Sport and it is more for mountain roads. It does take the corners better and without the usual sway so I don't know what these guys are talking about.

[@farmerlister3863]

I will tell you a secret. The new generation of VW Passat will do better than the older generation Audi A4. That is what you have done comparing RX '22 to Venza XU80. That said, F SPORT overall is not a great idea. That said, again, you can also order Audi A4 with S opti packet, not to mention having AMG opti packet. It is reflecting what those non gear-heads ask for so the car manufacturers provide that. If you have been ranting about about RXF not being a V8, I would not say a word. But F SPORT is and never has been a true F line (IS F e.g.). So guys no, your rant is very off. In fact, RX F sport does miles more in terms of sportiness when compared to AMG packet, S packet, M packet (BMW). Please compare the comparable. Or don't.

[@joespittle1]

Surely that door must have been apart at some point and not put back together properly, there's no way it sounds that terrible. My ten year old A4 sounds worlds better

[@LafemmebearMusic]

So, sadly no. I have a gs350 I dropped off for service and my partner followed in our X5 hybrid and they offered me the rx so I told her to go home. When the tech saw the X5 hybrid he literally said, qoute “this won’t sound or drive like that X5 just take it easy” lol then I get the key close th door and subsequently do that 4 more times to make sure I heard right , it does sound like that on all of them. Oddly enough it does not affect the silence and isolation this vehicle has like wow it’s sooooo quiet and bumps barely exist. But the door sound does make you wonder...

[@joespittle1]

​@@LafemmebearMusic The huge issue is that Lexus uses parts/production techniques from Toyota rather than Toyota borrowing from Lexus. Volkswagen and Audi have mastered the flow of technology perfectly. I don't want to get in a 60k car and see the same things as in a Prius or a basic Corolla

[@bladerunna2022]

Venza tow only 1000 pounds, the lexus can two up to 4000 pounds

[@gianniclaud]

When the RX stopped being based on the Toyota Harrier (which ironically is the Venza), it lost its way. This is overpriced garbage - war with itself is an appropriate summation.

[@johnguanci2316]

Is Lexus a bit of a lost brand without a clear identity or reason for being? With so many luxury and performance features filtering down to non-luxury marques and with other brands heading up market (i.e., Mazda and Volkswagen) it appears there needs to be something special about luxury cars to make them worth the premium and Lexus doesn't fully have a grasp on that, right?

[@JamesR1986]

It's not lost, as much as it (and Toyota TRD) is trying to be something it's not. Toyota is really good at being Toyota, when it tries to be BMW, not so much.

[@eugenedev8164]

It sounds like you're closing the door on a tin storage shed I hate it Lexus fix your junk

[@Jelmerize]

Sure your Cayenne door sounds very fancy smashing it. I will speak to you after a few regular service cheque’s.

[@Aikynbreusov]

What high-end hybrid are you two bald head crown talking about???

[@xpane]

Ha Ha Ha! I agree with you on that. These clowns need to review the POS BMW's and Mercs that drop in value by 20 percent when driven off the lot. What's worse is the fact that these so-called sport cars and luxury cars fall apart in ten years and are too expensive to fix. LOL

[@misterlob3604]

I really love that you review everything new from sports cars and hot hatches all the way to the mundane Lexi and big trucks. Then you review cars all the way from the 90's to brand new! Thank you for appealing to any kind of buyer out there and doing a thorough review and talking about the competition

[@TestDriveVideos]

Thank you for understanding and appreciating the breadth of what we do. Glad to have you watching!

[@iloveanime1313]

Im confused about all the comments here... the RX is a bad car because it isn't extremely fast and sporty? I mean... that doesn't make this a bad car at all. The car is well built, will last a long time and is extremely comfortable. Lexus has never once said that F Sport has performance gains and never advertised as such.. It is literally a trim to make the car look more sporty. It just seems like this review is 2 middle aged men arguing like babies because they themselves are at war trying to determine what an SUV should be. Really sad.

[@xpane]

yes, they must have dropped their bottle while moaning about the features of the car. Waaahh!

[@drkrashtest]

My question is who is this car for? Is it for the die hard Lexus fans who will buy nothing else? Because it seems like almost every other luxury car company has a better option.

[@jinpark8911]

It's for Lexus fans....most if not all their line ups are for fans. Interesting and powerful branding is. Under the notion of reliability, they pull back for lot of things they can do. But reality is, they are reliable because they don't do more. They are no doubt a capable company but they choose not to

[@k.j.hulander2204]

You’re doing too much with this review. Most who got the F sport for this model did so because the grille looks a whole lot better than on the standard and luxury trims. No one besides you two expected it to handle sporty; it’s simply the less ugly version of a very sensibly packaged product and that’s apparently enough.

[@cayman9873]

Was the grill taken from a bmw ?? The bmw grills look like a hospital hvac air panel. The back end slopped down creates a cave like interior. The 1990 volvo wagons got the flat roof with better room and better sight lines. Any gen 1 or gen 2 sequoia has better interior and better cargo and less annoying features. When the mileage is better not on the hybrid you know someone was sleeping at the design desk.

[@andyburnett8012]

Two guys who hate the rx. I get it. However, that door is an anomaly, my rx doors shut with a completely different sound. They shut perfectly, no clank whatsoever. Lexus sell quality vehicles, trouble free and comfortable. That's what lexus buyers want.

[@peterwolf2832]

Sport enhances throttle response and sports + tightness up the air suspension for better cornering! The f sport has the exact same power train that a non f sport 450h has! I’d like to know what tires you are driving on? The factory Bridgestone tires suck so if you were driving on those tires that would make sense for not handling well? The other tires that also came with the F were Michelins and they are night and day compared to the Bridgestone’s!

[@Lesfac]

I have a 2022 450h F Sport Takumi. Im trying to love it but the seats squeeze my backside making my thighs ache. (And im not a big guy). The cruise control that i use a lot to comply with speed limits allows overspeeding downhill. The voice control infotainment i find a total frustration. When using cruise and i reduce speed say from 50 to 30mph i can fell the car actively slowing but then it allows itself to run away downhill. I feel annoyed with Lexus for allowing this to prevail.

[@Mark-de4hj]

The doors may not slam shut with much finesse but the roll of the windows are the quietest in the segment.

[@leonbruiners2192]

Thank you for a very helpful review. F sport could be the upgrade of badges and other cosmetic additions or you could add the F sport handling package in addition to the F sport trimmings such as badges and so on. I wonder if the vehicle you reviewed is minus the handling package ?

[@adamthierfelder1366]

Old crappy hybrid sport mode.... " Get off my sport mode"

[@RedlineGaming007]

14:33 Shouldn't have shown the yellow lane crossing part at all.