Chicago Lexus Dealer

Latest Articles

The 2010 Lexus 450h explores the streets of Chicgago.

If you are looking to be green and drive an amazing vehicle while doing just that. Lexus of Highland Park, just north of Chicago is the place to go. They have an incredible inventory of eco friendly 2010 RX 450h SUV's and I was lucky enoug to drive and will soon own one.

Being a recent transplant to the Chicago area I have been trying to get settled while staying as green as possible. With that said I have been looking for a new mid-sized hybrid SUV to accommodate my lifestyle as well as save on gas. I have to say that I have found what I think is the perfect fit. The 2010 Lexus RX 450h has just about everything you could want and need.

The place to go is Lexus of Highland Park. They have an amazing selection and I don't think that I have ever felt as comfortable within an automotive dealership as I did. They are a true family owned dealership and they make sure that you feel like you are apart of their family. I never felt pressured and was able to get all of my questions answered about what sets the Lexus hybrids apart. Which was apparent as soon as I got behind the wheel.

These days, consumers, myself included, want something more from their SUVs, and great mileage is part of the equation. So here's a new model that's big enough, and even slightly larger after it was redesigned for 2010. It weighs a daunting 4,000 pounds, but when you see the gas mileage you wouldn't know it. It's an SUV, and it's actually...green!

No, I am not on anything, the new Lexus RX 450h does have some real environmental credentials. Despite having 20 more horsepower than its non-hybrid RX 350 cousin, the 450h gets 30 miles per gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. The city MPG is double in comparison to the RX 350. It's also a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, one of the cleanest of the California designations.

Last year, Lexus sold 80,000 RX vehicles in the U.S., 15,000 of them hybrids. I read that Paul Santulli, a training manager for Lexus, said that the company expects to see the hybrid RX share increase with the release of the new 2010 model.

My feelings about the 450h are complex. The car is a technical marvel, using every engineering trick in the book to squeeze excellent fuel economy and low emissions from a good sized SUV. When I drove this incredible machine the smooth, powerful acceleration and quiet ride made the busy bustle of Chicago melt away. It is an SUV, but a truly green one. Even the "hybrid" badges allow prospective owners to claim green credentials while sacrificing nothing.

Still, there's a lot of cool technology to admire onboard the 2010 450h. I liked the innovative exhaust heat recovery system that warms up engine coolant (so your car reaches operating temperatures more quickly). Heat is also diverted to the catalytic converter, which does most of its serious polluting when it's cold. How smart is that!

Knowing that there are lexus dealers closer to where I live, the 30 minute drive to the north side of the city was well worth the time. I have found a fantastic dealership in Lexus of Highland Park and the green SUV that I have been looking for in the 2010 Lexus RX 450h.