During the first 100 miles in the 2009 Lexus RX 400h, the first thing you have to get used to is starting it.

It's strange to turn the key and nothing seems to happen with this luxury hybrid. When in electric-only mode, the RX 400h makes only the slightest of sounds. However, don't mistake it for a namby-pamby underpowered econo-crossover. It's far from it.

Lexus, Toyota Motor Co.'s luxury brand, mated its hybrid system with a 3.3-liter V-6 (208 horsepower) that allows a quick launch, highway passing power and still delivers 26 mpg in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway for the all-wheel drive model. The front-wheel drive model is one mile better in the city. At the end of 100 miles, I only needed four gallons of gas to fill it up, so the EPA estimates are dead on.

The combination of the electric motors and V-6 create a total horsepower package of 268 horses and enables the RX 400h to hit 60 mph from a standstill in 7.3 seconds. Pretty impressive for a 4,300-pound vehicle. It's also a Lexus, which means it's extremely comfortable.

My first impression of the RX 400h is not one that's overly impressed. The body shape sticks too closely to that of the RX 350. There are some differences such as the front fascia and grille, LED tail lights and hybrid badging on it, but basically, it looks the same as the gas-only model.

The interior is very Lexus like: Clean, luxurious and simple. On a long trip, the RX 400h would allow five adults to sit comfortably. Around town, the higher driving position allowed me to look over cars in front of me without feeling as if I was in a big SUV. It's good for trips to the mall or out of town.

Most noticeably, though, was how quiet the ride was. Because the RX 400h can run on electric motors only under speeds of 25 mph, I often had trouble telling when the engine was on and when it was off. There's no tach to tell you either. Lexus replaced it with a power meter that is a little confusing to use. Its purpose is to tell you how much power is being generated by the hybrid powertrain. But my question to that is: What does that mean?

When the gas engine is on, it's nearly as quiet. Road noise and wind noise was minimal on the highway. If anything, the RX 400h is almost too stealth like. The electric motors make it nearly silent, and any parents loaning it to their kids on Friday night should note they'll never hear the teen coming home.

There were some glitches inside the RX 400h that even Toyota admits it needs to update. For example, I couldn't test the cassette deck at the base of the Mark Levinson Premium sound system that features 11 speakers -- I threw them all away in the early 1990s. CDs sound great though. The electric power rack-and-pinion steering does feel a little loose on the highway but I attributed that more to bad driving than bad steering. It moves so quickly, I often found myself going faster than I should -- on exit ramps, for example, and that's when I noticed some heavy body roll.

The RX 400h drives like a much smaller vehicle. Despite its size, it rides much more like a car than a truck, the ideal for any crossover. And when your driving gets a little too aggressive, Lexus includes electronic stability control and antilock brakes to quickly straighten you out.

For those people worried about hybrid systems, Lexus includes an eight-year / 100,000 mile warranty on all of the hybrid components on top of its usual four-year / 50,000 mile limited warranty. Anyone looking for a good all-around vehicle with posh touches inside and out won't be disappointed with the RX 400h.

The hybrid capabilities are sound and the mileage is good -- considering it beats the gas powered RX 350 by nine miles per gallon in the city. (With a 17.2 gallon tank, that's possibly an additional 155 miles a tank.)

The biggest adjustment to driving the RX 400h is learning to live with your own thoughts. As the engine noise -- no matter what speed you're driving -- will never become a distraction.