If you want to travel from London to Sydney, £10,000 is pretty much the difference between booking 1 a Singapore Airlines suite or sitting in economy, where the person in front will probably recline their seat into your knees and the one beside you will steal your armrest.
Now, imagine that you could have a first class ticket for the price of an economy one. Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? If that's the case, this test shouldn't take too long, right? After all, the new Lexus RX 450h+ in rangetopping Takumi trim costs that much less to buy than the rival Range Rover Sport P440e in midspec Dynamic SE guise.
At first glance, it really is quite difficult to figure out why there's such a large gulf between the list prices of these two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs; they both have posh badges, are a similar size and can drive solely on electricity to reduce your fuel and tax bills.
Are you paying thousands extra simply for a Range Rover badge? Or does the British car better its Japanese rival in enough tangible ways to justify its higher price? That's what we aim to find out.
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
It's been said that, from an aerodynamic point of view, bees shouldn't be able to fly, but no one has told them, so they do anyway. In much the same way, it's improbable that anything as big and heavy as our contenders can be so quick. In our tests, the RX and Range Rover blasted from 0-60mph in 6.5sec and 6.1sec respectively, which means they're as rapid as many hot hatches.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av What Car? UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av What Car? UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Lexus RZ 450e+ Takumi Bi-tone
Greater stamina and a lower price would have enhanced our opinion of this upmarket electric SUV
Audi A6 Avant 45 TFSI quattro Sport
Our new posh estate has to deal with a mega-miles commute and an older sibling. How will it get on?
Renault Clio 1.0 TCe 90 Evolution
It's our reigning Small Car of the Year, but will the latest Clio continue to impress in daily use? We're finding out
ALL POSHED UP
Looking to buy an upmarket SUV? For around £35,000, you could have a new Lexus LBX or a used BMW X1. Let's see where your money should go
JOINING UP THE TOTS
Small, cheap cars bring numerous benefits, especially if most of your driving is around town. We take three leading examples on a road trip to see which of them paints the most complete picture
GRIPPING STUFF
Tyre choice can make a huge difference to how your car behaves in changeable weather. We search for the best
Audi A6 e-tron
BMW i5 rival uses the same tech as the Q6 e-tron SUV for serious pace and range On sale Late 2024 Price from £62,000 (est)
Renault Symbioz
Slightly smaller than Renault's existing Austral, this new hybrid family SUV has its sights set firmly on the popular Nissan Qashqai On sale Now Price from £29,295
Volkswagen Golf
Family car celebrates its 50th birthday with an update, including much-improved infotainment On sale Now Price from £27,035
Hyundai Tucson
Update for Hyundai's family SUV includes a redesigned interior and a revised engine line-up On sale Now Price from £32,000