Lexus RX 350L 2018 Review – Long-term test #4

Lexus has been selling its RX series SUV in Australia for 15 years, kicking off with what was then the second-generation model, in 3.3-litre petrol V6 RX330 form, in 2003.

Petrol engines have always been a thing with the large-class Lexus RX SUV. The Toyota luxury offshoot has always bucked the trend towards economy-inducing diesel power at the top end of the SUV market and, right from the beginning, the Lexus RX350 L has been totally petrol-reliant. With a lot of country driving that can turn into a lot of petrol.

Today, for those not satisfied with the fuel consumption of the powerful Lexus RX350, silky-smooth 3.5-litre atmo V6, there are two more-economical petrol drivetrain options: The four-cylinder RX300’s relatively thrifty (8.1L/100km) 175kW/3560Nm 2.0-litre turbo and the V6-based RX450h hybrid which produces a combined 230kW and claims 5.7L/100km.

That’s for the five-seat RX Lexus: Opt for the recently-added RX350 L seven-seat version and the only driveline choice is the 216kW/358Nm 3.5-litre V6, down slightly on power – apparently through the use of a single, rather than a dual exhaust – from the five-seaters’ 221kW/370Nm.

The RX350 L has been stretched (by 11cm) in the body (but not the wheelbase) and, what with the added two seats and the extra metal grafted on from the back wheel arches rearwards, weighs around 110kg more. It’s no surprise that, compared with regular V6 variants, the RX350 L’s power-weight ratios have gone down, while fuel consumption figures have gone up, from 9.6 to 10.6L/100km, and CO2 emissions have risen from 223 to 234g/km.

These figures make it thirstier and dirtier than petrol-engined rivals such as the four-cylinder turbo Volvo XC90 seven-seater (6.2L100km and 199g/km) and the 3.0-litre turbo six, five-seat BMW X5 xDrive 35i (8.5L/100km and 199g/km). Against seven-seat turbo-diesel competitors, such as the 3.0-litre V6 Audi Q7 TDI (5.9L/100km and 153g/km) and 2.0-litre Land Rover Discovery TD4 (6.2L/100km and 163g/km), the heavy 2.1-tonne RX350 L is just not in the race.

There’s small comfort that our long-term Lexus RX350 L, recording 11.6L/100km on test, at least came within reasonable distance of the officially-claimed 10.6L/100km.
Clearly Lexus, particularly with the RX350 L, doesn’t even think about fuel consumption or environmental challenges. The petrol V6 combines with the eight-speed auto to offer just about the smoothest driveline imaginable, plus super-quiet cruising and plenty of eager accelerator response.

That was my experience, after a week of urban-country commuting and a couple of long-distance excursions, with our long-term Lexus RX350 L Sports Luxury.

Like all RX models that have gone before it, the current Lexus large SUV is cushy-riding, spaciously cosy inside and meticulously put together. In stretched, seven-seat form the formula still applies, although you’d never say the power-activated third-row seats are for anything but very small kids.

Though I loved the ease with which they can be deployed, via switches on the left-side boot panels, I was less impressed by the space they gobbled up, with a mere 176 litres left in the boot if the third row was being occupied. And in order to cram-in those infant legs, the centre row must slide forward, reducing legroom there too (which is fortunately generous to start with).

The Lexus RX350 L – although the company says it factored-in plans for a seven-seat version during the fourth-generation model’s design phase – is not your best example of clever packaging. And it’s largely because there’s no wheelbase stretch to help in the creation of extra cabin room.

From a driver’s perspective the RX350 L is pretty much a repeat of the regular five-seat V6 version. Although the torque and power are down, the RX still responds with assurance whether you’re in town or out on the open road and there’s even a nice – though relatively unobtrusive – V6 warble through the single exhaust system. The eight-speed automatic helps here, of course, particularly when you’re overtaking traffic on the open road.

The tending to narrow-gutted RX steers okay, but it’s not as sharp, fast (at 2.7 turns lock to lock), responsive or ultimately as attuned to the driver as, say, Range Rover’s Velar.

Nor is the adaptive variable suspension which, though it’s clearly comfortable and absorbent, doesn’t match the poise and plush ride of the Velar and comes nowhere near the BMW X5 in terms of steering accuracy and body control. The fact it has by far the shortest wheelbase (2790mm compared, for example, to 2990mm for the Audi Q7) in its competitor set doesn’t help either.

And I wasn’t impressed with the cruise control’s refusal to hold a chosen speed unless the adaptive gap-maintaining electronics were operational when travelling behind another vehicle. With an open road and even a small decline ahead, the Lexus left to its own devices would almost defiantly allow the pace to increase well into speeding-fine territory.

Passenger comfort was essentially no issue. The all-way power-adjusted driver and passenger’s seats do a great job of providing fatigue-free comfort and the back seats are supportive too. The only real downer was the light-coloured trim in our long-term RX350 L which, even in the early stages of our extended ownership, was already looking a bit grubby.

I remain bewildered by the insistence of Lexus that it continue with the obviously inadequate mouse-style controller to navigate functions on the (not particularly sharp) LCD screen. Time to stop the failing attempts at cleverness and innovation, time to look more closely at what some others are doing in terms of simplifying the driver-machine interface – BMW for example.

For all that, the RX350 L Lexus is a viable presence in the $70k-plus large SUV segment where it currently holds fifth place in sales behind BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE (wagon) and could improve its position as the seven-seater makes its presence felt.

Lexus expects it to account for around one quarter of RX sales, although we don’t know if those percentages will cannibalise the regular five-seat RX350.

To me, the Lexus RX350 L, for all its qualities, sits somewhere outside the mainstream of large luxury SUVs. The looks, particularly the insect-mandible front end, are polarising to a greater extent than other adventurously-styled vehicles. It has neither the grace of the Range Rover Velar nor the Bavarian insolence of the BMW X5 and tends to look overworked and contrived to draw attention rather than create an alluring attraction.

Polarising designs, at their best, have equal numbers of supporters and detractors, but I suspect there are more of the latter in the latest-generation Lexus RX. Seven seats are better than five, but a controversial aesthetic is always going to be in your face.

Long-Term Tests
motoring.com.au aims to make your choice of vehicle easier. Our Editorial section does this via our mix of news, international and local launch reviews, as well as our seven-day tests.

From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend even longer with a vehicle. These longer-term tests can be as short as a couple of weeks, but more recently we’ve settled on a three-month period as indicative of ‘normal’ ownership.

Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors a chance to get to know a car as an owner would. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel, the servicing, and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.

We believe long-term tests give car buyers a deeper insight into the vehicle on test, but also the qualities behind the brand and nameplate. The extended period also allows us to touch base with the dealer networks in question.

It comes as no surprise that manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests. Three months is plenty long enough to fall out of love with the latest and greatest, and start to nit-pick — just like real owners do.

How much does the 2018 Lexus RX350 L Sport Luxury cost?
Price: $101,129 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 216kW/358Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP