[greenmachine]

I spoke with the GM at my local Lexus dealership here and informed him of my Silver BC order which will arrive Jan 15th. He explained that Lexus will follow Toyota by approximately one year and the RX 330 Hybrid will be the first of several Lexus Hybrids. He explained that the performance enhancements for the SUV's will be superior to the Prius in that a V6 platform will be used as opposed to the weak 4 cylinder. He strongly recommended that I wait and pre-order the first RX 330 next year. He didn't know exactly when the pre-orders will be accepted but gave me a small brochure on the car and a website address. He's a good friend and I'm thinking of cancelling my prius order. Any other SUV lovers out there given this some consideration. I know for a fact that the SUV model will probably outsell the Prius and will be even more practical to use in areas where tough wheather and off road uses are important. Plus the GM said the RX 330 will have even better safety ratings than the Prius and heavy tech gadgets, XM radio, reverse camera, and a rear entertainment system.


http://en.lexus-hybrid.com/home.html

 

[greenmachine]

Good point on the cost of the Lexus but as for style and luxury I for one would pay extra for those items. Not to mention the ability to pull a boat or trailer and the all wheel drive in bad wheather. I'm still going to buy the Prius and I'm sure we'll love it but when the SUV hybrids are available I will more than likely invest in one with all the bells and whistles.

 

[greenmachine]

Try taking a head on collision at 30 mph in a SUV vs a car and you'll understand safety ratings. For me it made a difference, I'm alive and my passengers walked away. The smaller Toyota Matrix, details available at the emergency room. Tragic but true, more expensive vehicles provide more protection in severe crashes. How much is your life worth?