Lexus RX 400h

The RX 400h five-seater cabin is luxurious, sleek, and virtually indistinguishable from the gasoline-powered RX 350's interior. Up front, soft, well-padded seating puts the driver at the helm of a very attractive and intuitive cockpit. It is headlined by refined gauges and controls, handsome wood trim, and a multi-informational touchscreen display.

Rear-seat passengers are treated to generous amounts of legroom and headroom. And the 40/20/40-split rear seat folds, slides and reclines to maximize comfort as well as cargo-carrying versatility. While the cargo area is not cavernous, it still proves to be more than adequate for large loads. With seats folded down, there is a competitive 85 cubic feet of storage space, which is also accessible via the standard rear power liftgate. Surprisingly, the RX 400h does not offer an available third row seat, a popular option among many mid- to large crossovers and utilities—an option that is available with the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Standard equipment includes 10-way power front seats, sliding and reclining second-row seats, dual-zone climate control, steering wheel controls, and an eight-speaker audio system with an in-dash six-CD changer. Top options are available either a la carte, or as part of comprehensive (and expensive) equipment packages. They include such extras as leather upholstery, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, driver seat memory, a sunroof, a super-premium Mark Levinson audio system, navigation, back-up camera, and a rear-seat DVD. The list goes on.

Safety equipment for the RX 400h is spearheaded by seven standard airbags: dual front airbags, front side airbags, a driver knee airbag, and two-row head curtain side airbags with rollover detection. In government crash testing , the 2008 Lexus RX 400h achieved a full five out of five stars in both, frontal- and side-impact collisions.