Lexus RX 2015 Review

Lexus RX200t, 350, 450h

International Launch
Portland, USA

There’s no more important car for Lexus than this… An LFA supercar replacement might grab the headlines, but this is a car that pays the bills. Indeed, almost since its introduction, the RX crossover has been the brand’s top-seller Down Under and worldwide.

Accounting for upwards of one third of local sales, RX has powered the brand’s growth. Although the entry-level CT200h was meant to provide a step change in Lexus volumes, in reality it’s been the RX that has continued to do the lion’s share of the heavy lifting.

And with Australia’s love affair with SUVs hotter than ever, that status quo has only been challenged because of the arrival of another Lexus crossover, the smaller NX.

There’s a clear familial relationship between the RAV4-based NX and the new-generation RX. In reality, the new RX shares little with the one-size-smaller vehicle – rather, it is a restyled and re-engineered update of the existing RX.

The design changes in the new fourth-gen RX are obvious. Every one of the angular body panels is new and it rides on a 50mm longer wheelbase. The addition of the striking spindle grille brings the RX in line with the brand’s new styling mantra.

Indeed, while Lexus has traditionally played it safe with design (lest it offend), following the NX’s and IS/RC’s leads, the RX breaks this paradigm – to polarising effect. It’s unlikely it will hit Aussie roads unnoticed.

The new look brings modest aerodynamic improvements, says the car-maker. While this offers some fuel economy benefits, the other plus is reduced wind noise. One thing we can attest to right up front is that the RX is at most times a very quiet car.

Under-the-skin changes aim at further improving the RX’s refinement. The new body structure is stiffer and uses a higher proportion of ultra-high strength steels (in areas like the B-pillar) for better crash safety.

The front suspension and front chassis designs are both new. The former remains a modified MacPherson strut design but particular attention has been paid to separating roll control and suspension bump response, by virtue of a new anti-roll bar design.

Meantime, a re-think in the design of the engine mounting system is claimed to better locate the powertrain while allowing the engineers to retain highly-absorbent mounts to reduce vibration and noise channels.

The combination of the above redesigns should yield benefits in steering response and handling as well as ride comfort and refinement, Lexus claims.

The rear suspension has had less tweaking but gets revised damper settings and in F Sport versions the addition of an ‘active’ anti-roll bar system to help the high ride RX corner flatter. Lexus also claims upgraded braking performance with bigger discs all round.

However, it’s inside where the big step forwards have been made. What was once a fairly bland cabin now sports a more driver-focussed cockpit and significant upgrades in materials, if not fit and finish.

The RX will offer six interior colour palettes. The F Sport variants have a unique interior fit-out in terms of sport seats, trim choice and leather. A new ‘laser-etched’ timber trim variety is a Lexus exclusive, developed for the brand by the Yamaha musical instrument company.

Best of all, gone are the swathes of featureless plastic. Ambient lighting has been added to highlight the new effects. Higher quality materials, hand-stitching and metallic details and spears have been blended into the design.

Lexus says production cars should have a higher level of fit and finish than the hand-built prototypes we drove, yet the fit and finish was nonetheless impressive.

Most prominent in mid- and upper-grade RXs is the new dash-top mounted 12.3-inch, 24:9-ratio main infotainment screen — one of the biggest in the business. This is operated via Lexus captive-mouse style HMI. A colour multi-function head-up display is also available on all models.

The RX is 120mm longer, 40mm lower and just a touch wider than the car it replaces and as noted above rides on a 50mm wheelbase stretch. The latter dimension translates to a 25mm increase in legroom in both rows. The overall effect is more marked, however -- there’s an added sense of spaciousness in the new car that helps it feel almost a class larger.

There’s now power seat adjustment to front and rear rows and even an automated climate system that can even take control of the heated and cooled seats to keep you comfy.

The rear seat is a 40:20:40 design so better suited (and shaped) for two, but there’s plenty of room for three.

Lexus says it’s reduced the hip point on both rows but the driving position is still pure SUV. There are decent sight lines and, in fact, the sharper edges to the bonnet helps give a better idea of where the corners are.

The glazing to the side profile, designed to deliver the effect of a floating roof, has at least one practical benefit. The design breaks up the D-pillar and delivers some extra rear three-quarter vision.

Also likely to win friends is the new power tailgate. This can be activated with a hand or even elbow gesture, making loading armfuls of groceries or other goodies easier. The ability to close the hatch and lock the car via a double tap on a tailgate-mounted button is another nice touch.

The luggage area itself has been upsized in the new RX. Lexus quotes its capacity at 514 litres — around 70 litres larger than the previous gen but still a significant 135 litres (approx) shy of the likes of BMW’s X5. Back row tumbled, the X5’s margin is even greater.

RX is one of the first of the brand’s vehicles to feature Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+). The new safety technology suite features both radar and camera based systems, as well as smart LED headlights. These systems are in addition to conventional passive restraint systems including multiple-stage airbags – 10 of them in the new RX.

In the new RX, LSS+ includes pre-collision warning system (PCS), which incorporates a low-speed autonomous braking system. Active cruise control, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist as well as blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive headlights with automatic high beam are also standard on all new RX variants.

Australian RX buyers will get the choice of four-cylinder turbo, petrol V6 and a range-topping V6 petrol electric hybrid powertrains. Three trim grades will be offered again: Luxury, Sport Luxury and F Sport.

The entry-level 200t will, for the time being, be offered in front-drive Luxury grade only. Based on reaction at the international launch, however, Lexus Australia is already reviewing that decision. Expect an F Sport variant of the 200t and perhaps also all-wheel drive to be early additions to the Aussie line-up.

Meantime, the all-wheel drive RX 350 and 450h flagship will carry over the current trim choice of Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury models.

Frankly, the impressive new turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol 200t is the best thing that’s happened to RX for a couple of generations. Its 175kW and 350Nm are a significant improvement on the outgoing atmo four-cylinder 270’s 138kW/252Nm and the engine is a big step forward it terms of technology, refinement and performance.

The new turbo four/six-speed auto combo is also more fuel-efficient. The ADR Combined figure of 8.1L/100km is an improvement of around 16 per cent, thanks in part to standard idle-stop. In addition, Lexus claims an almost three-second improvement in the four’s 0-100km/h standing-start acceleration time (200t 9.2 sec versus 270 11 sec).

Less exciting are the upgrades on the existing 350 and 450h variants’ 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines. In both models, the move to direct-injection sees the V6s powered-up, yet more economical.

The new RX350’s V6 is rated at 218kW and 360Nm — up 14kW and 14Nm compared to the outgoing model. No doubt in part thanks to the eight-speed auto, fuel figures have dropped from 10.8 to 9.6L/100km. No idle-stop is fitted.

The hybrid 450h retains its CVT-style transmission but is also more fuel-efficient. An increase in total power output from 220 to 230kW (max torque is unchanged at 335Nm) has come along with a reduction in fuel usage from 6.3 to 5.7L/100km, says Lexus.

There’s little doubt in my mind the pick of the new RXs is the base-grade 200t turbo four. At lower engine speeds, the turbo punches out more torque than the V6 in the 350 and there’s a solid spread of easily accessed performance right across the rev range.

There’s little or no lag and the soundtrack, while not exactly inspiring, is not without some charm. It’s a hell of a lot better than the CVT's constant rev drone that accompanies any attempt to drive the 450h hybrid with vigour.

The four-cylinder RX also feels the best balanced of the trio. Steering is lighter than most European crossover drivers are used too but weights up if Sport and Sport+ drive modes are selected. At all times it’s accurate but there’s not much feel.

The 350 V6 is probably ultimately faster than the 200t but not by a significant margin. In the F Sport variant there’s a tweak to the engine’s induction system to deliver a little more character but we’d struggle to call the performance of any RX variant to date ‘sporty’…

Corner at even moderate pace and the Dunlop Sportmaxx tyres squeal and the stability control light flashes often and early – even the F Sport variant. That said, a general lack of clarity to the exact specifications of the right- and left-hand cars we drove in Portland means to be fair a proper dynamic appraisal will need to wait until we drive production cars in Australia.

The less I write about the 450h the better. It’s the least convincing of the new RXs. It felt significantly heavier than its stablemates on the road and any extra performance is hard to access.

Contrasted to the crisp changes of the eight-speed automatic now used in the updated V6 350 model, the 450h’s droning CVT and monotone powerplant is far from what I’d suggest is a luxury or premium experience.

There is some evidence of the refinement Lexus has wrought on its flagship model, however. Driving back into Portland after a late video shoot, it was pretty clear this new RX450h is much happier to hold and use EV mode than previous models. Indeed, much of the trip was done with the EV mode light glowing, save for a stretch at higher speed on Interstate 5.

As a brand Lexus has tended to play it safe – at the risk of offending, it’s ploughed the middle of the road. The new RX breaks this mould in terms of styling – to polarising effect. Turbo 200t aside, however, what it does not move forward enough is the car’s powertrain technology, nor its driving experience.

Lexus is very good at building cars for Lexus buyers. The new RX is no exception. Whether the new RX can win a new set of fans remains at this stage a very different question... And one only you lot can answer…

2015 Lexus RX200t pricing and specifications:
Price: $TBC (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 175kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 189g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC