Lexus RX 270 2012 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $69,400
Options fitted (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: TBA
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.7
CO2 emissions (g/km): 226
Also consider: Audi Q5 (from $62,200); BMW X3 (from $59,200); Land Rover Freelander 2 (from $44,990); Volvo XC60 (from $55,490)

The amorphous SUV market has taken a turn no one saw coming. And it's the Lexus RX 270 that has led us in this new direction.

Two-wheel drive SUVs have long been a staple of the market, but no one before now has offered such a car in the prestige segments of the SUV class. So the RX 270 marks a new beginning, of sorts. It provides roomy packaging for five (but not seven) and it's a comfortable, well built machine with a high driving position and some ability to tow. Every other SUV around the same price point will go offroad however, and that's where the RX 270 has us bewildered.

But Lexus wouldn't have introduced the RX 270 to the Australian market if it stood no chance of selling, and the RX range in general is the prestige brand's most popular model sold here. At a significant saving and lower running costs the RX 270 tips the financial balance just enough to draw in buyers who have aspired to own a Lexus RX, but couldn't quite make the jump.

As a vehicle that will take the family away for a weekend in the country, cart the dogs to the vet or square off against the other SUVs parked outside private schools each morning, the Lexus meets the required standard. In fact it proved unexpectedly capable in some distinct areas of design and engineering.

The engine was something of a high point. It wasn't ultimately as refined as the V6 in the RX 350, but was pretty gosh-darned good for a four-cylinder and sounded rich at any point in the rev range. Despite its undersquare (long-stroke) design it was eager to rev and delivered plenty of mid-range grunt as well, but it wasn't short of torque at low engine speeds.

Driving through just the front wheels the RX 270 was more prone to spin a wheel from a standing start, when the driver dropped the hammer. The traction control set-up was well calibrated for this application however, and the Lexus wouldn't bog down in sharp, uphill hairpins.

Like the RX 350, the RX 270 comes with a six-speed epicyclic automatic, although it's a different box for the four-cylinder. It was very smooth and just would not be coerced into anything naughty with heavy throttle application.

Over the week in our possession the RX 270 notched up an average fuel consumption figure, according to the trip computer, of 11.8L/100km.

On-road grip was surprisingly good, not least of all given the car's very compliant ride. There was even some degree of feedback through the wheel, although the four-cylinder RX provided few tell-tales otherwise that it was up for a good punt. On first impressions, the RX felt conservative, safe, heavy... yet the reality was better than the perception.

Weight through the steering wheel was about right, although the brake pedal felt slightly over-assisted and wishy-washy. The gated transmission selector sat in the dash and was easy enough to use, but was orientated more to the left side of the centre fascia. The RX 270 came with a foot-operated parking brake, which may not be welcomed by drivers who prefer either a lever or an electronic switch. For its price the Lexus could probably justify an automatic parking brake.

The switchgear on the steering wheel was busy and not especially intuitive, but the view of the instruments was outstanding. Also easy to read at a glance, the infotainment display immediately conveyed almost every last nuance of meaning. Switchgear elsewhere was well damped and the haptic single-point controller that Lexus has devised for the RX was better than similar devices from other prestige car companies, in our experience.

The RX, even in its most basic form, would stream audio from a phone via Bluetooth, but there was also a USB port in the storage bin below the centre armrest in the front -- just in case the user needed to recharge their smart phone.

Easing into the driver's seat of the RX was helped by the car's high hip point. For some passengers it may be a little too high, if anything. Seating was quite comfortable, but possibly to a fault, with the driver's seat feeling a bit soggy in the lower back, even with the powered lumbar support adjusted to the max.

The field of vision to the rear was let down by the large D pillars and while the reversing camera was handy, it would be better still with acoustic parking sensors. But those two points aside, the RX was surprisingly compact to park and would occupy a standard shopping centre parking spot with enough room to open all doors fairly wide (and the tailgate too).

Adults won't mind sitting in the rear, since there's abundant headroom there. But while there's plenty of kneeroom in the rear, there's not as much room to stretch the legs and there's little toeroom under the front seats.

Starting out in life with drivetrain components under the load area, the RX has a pretty high floor and a relatively stingy load capacity, even with the spacesaver spare under the floor. And the powered tailgate was a useful feature also.

The RX 270 is clearly loaded with such useful features, but do they offset the $6000 or $7000 price premium over the two German competitors listed at the head of this review? Not, in the view of this writer, when you're getting high-efficiency engines AND all-wheel drive with the Q5 and the X3.