Lexus RX 400h: Hybrid isn't only for green-minded hippies - that was the message, loud and clear, when Toyota launched the latest generation Prius.
Now, under its premium Lexus brand, the Japanese powerhouse is challenging perceptions in the format most reviled by environmentalists, the urban Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
While others work towards hydrogen technology and fuel cells, Toyota is eager to see hybrid power as an interim solution, albeit one that can work just as well with fuel cells as petrol engines.
Besides, as the RX 400h chief engineer Osamu Sadakata explains, "there's no infrastructure in place for the mass production of hydrogen - and it's impossible to put a time scale on the shift to other power sources."
The petrol-electric format throws up some impressive fuel figures with the Prius, though it depends on how you drive it. However, the second phase of winning the mainstream over to hybrid power was always going to be about something other than fuel consumption.
After all, if people were that concerned about the environment, SUVs wouldn't be one of the biggest selling market segments and we'd all be cycling to work. Yet, decent fuel consumption may ease consciences on the school run and rescue the SUV from ignominy.
Official consumption for the RX 400h in the combined cycle is quoted as 8.1 litres for 100km with CO2 emissions of 192g/km.
Lexus says its consumption equals that of an average family car, while emissions are the lowest for a premium segment SUV.
But, for this particular audience, the green conscience is only a minor irritant. Toyota needs to show that it can produce a hybrid that lacks nothing in terms of pace. Enter the RX 400h.
This is the vehicle, Lexus hopes, to break the mould and bring hybrid into the heart of wealthy suburbia. It's a pre-emptive strike before introducing hybrid to models such as the GS. Eventually, all things going well, a hybrid option will be on offer for every model.
Power comes from a 3-litre petrol engine, but also two electric motors: one at the front offering 123Kw or output, the other a 50Kw motor at the rear. The result is an SUV that offers 272bhp via a continuously variable automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive, sharp acceleration for its size and ample low rev power - electric motors reach peak output a lot quicker than mechanical ones.
Apart from the power source and fuel efficiency, this latest Lexus is not significantly different from the rest of the RX crop, though our test car came straight off the boat and suffered slightly from poor alignment, not a feature you're likely to find in other models.
We had tested the RX 400h previously and found it to bear the same characteristics of the rest of the model range: ultra smooth if slightly dull in steering feel and handling. This is more noticeable to Europeans who traverse twisting roads with corners rather than to our American friends who are used to heading from A to B in a straight line.
The lack of feel in the steering is compounded by a degree of bodyroll, a fact of life in high-seated SUVs, at least up until the arrival of the Range Rover Sport.
Acceleration is as gradual as with other SUVs, though it manages 0-100km/h in just 7.6 seconds. That's particularly impressive in SUV circles.
Of course, there's added weight from the electric motors and the battery under the rear seats. But, even with 85kg over the traditional RX, it comes in considerably lighter than its rivals.
The changeover between electric and petrol power has been refined once more to make it relatively seamless. However, we would still like the opportunity to adjust the stage at which the engine kicks in, allowing the driver to decide how environmentally conscious he or she is at any particular time rather than having it set by the factory.
As always the Japanese firm has perfected an ultra-smooth automatic gearbox, although there's no low-ratio option for off-roading . . . not surprising given that it's targetted at the school-run mum rather than the farm hand.
Lexus has long prided itself on ironing out the rough edges of modern motoring, commonly measured by noise, vibration and harshness. Being a luxury brand, it likes to swathe you in leather and wood, cocoon you from the outside world and glide you along to your destination. Hybrid technology only adds to this effect - there's an eerie silence when the electric motors are running on their own (strange when you're creeping up on pedestrians in a big SUV.
Some have argued that there's a certain lack of passion to Lexus cars and this evergreen RX doesn't change that.
Yet it's a very welcome arrival at a time when SUVs are under pressure to clean up their act. Most of the criticism is wrong-footed - banning the SUV would simply shift owners into big-engined family saloons. But any move to improve fuel consumption is worthwhile.
Rivals such as GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have decided to enter the hybrid market, proving once more that Toyota is increasingly taking leadership of the car industry.
The RX 400h shows that going for a green alternative doesn't have to mean sacrificing luxury or performance. You can now run from the school to the shopping centre and the golf club with a clearer conscience.
Besides, the Government gives you a €11,662 rebate off the actual list price of €84,510. In reality, that's probably the sort of figure that's far more relevant to Lexus owners than fuel consumption.
