Lexus RX L 2018 Review

Late to the party

Until now, the only Lexus SUV to offer three rows of seats was the hulking Toyota 200 Series LandCruiser-based LX 570.

That’s right, after 20 years and four generations (the first of which wasn’t sold in Australia), Lexus’ popular RX large SUV has only ever been available with five seats.

Mind you, that didn’t stop it becoming the Japanese luxury brand’s top-selling SUV – at least until the arrival of the mid-size NX, which will this year be joined by the smaller-still UX.

As an aside, such is the growth of SUV sales globally that the latter is likely to replace the slow-selling CT 200h hatchback, increasing the number of Lexus SUVs to four while reducing its car count to six.

At the other end of the SUV spectrum, Lexus has also missed out on the 25 per cent of large SUV buyers who choose a seven-seat model, so it’s no coincidence it predicts a quarter of all RX customers will now opt for the new RX L.

In the absence of the new L model, Lexus Australia still sold 33,500 RX vehicles since the second generation arrived in April 2003, just 11 per cent of which were hybrids.

Since then the RX has accounted for 22 per cent of all Lexus sales Down Under, where SUVs outsold passenger cars for the first time last year.

The RX was Australia’s fifth best selling large (not upper large) luxury ($70,000-plus) SUV in 2017 – behind the BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, but ahead of the Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90, Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.

Of those models the only to offer seven seats are the Q7 (from $97,800), X5 (from $93,900), XC90 ($93,900) and, soon, this year’s new Touareg.

So given the entry-level RX 350L is priced about $10,000 lower than its key rivals yet brings V6 petrol power and more equipment, it’s understandable Lexus is bullish about its first seven-seat crossover.

So what took so long?

Lexus told motoring.com.au it was working on a seven-seat version of the fourth-generation RX at its global launch in 2015, and three years later it has arrived.

It says good things come to those who wait and cites the complexity of engineering a longer, taller vehicle to house a third row of seats that fold flat into the boot floor at the touch of a button, plus a three-zone climate-control system with rear temperature and fan controls, and full-length side curtain airbags that extend to back-seat passengers.

It also points to details like a split/folding middle row that slides 45mm further forward to liberate more third-row knee room, is higher to make more room for back-seat passenger feet and can be flipped forward in one motion via levers at each side.

Granted, there’s a decent amount of room for ingress/egress to the 50/50-split third row via the rear doors, and Lexus has thoughtfully added a pair of cup-holders and flipped the rear child seat anchor and third-row power controls to the kerb side for right-hand drive markets like ours.

But the fact is that rear passengers don’t get side (thorax) airbags, their air-conditioning outlets are at hip height, outward vision is severely restricted and limited space in all directions makes it a claustrophobic place to be for occupants of any size.

Making matters worse, you can’t slide the middle-row seats – which are no longer power-operated but manual -- into any of its eight positions from the rearmost pews, and a regular sunroof replaces the panoramic sunroof in top-spec Sports Luxury models.

All of this makes the RX L’s third row a part-time proposition even for young kids. Adults? If they can squeeze in there, even shorter peeps will have to bow their heads and lift their knees under their armpits – such is the lack of head and leg room.

None of this is surprising when you consider the RX L rides on the same wheelbase as the RX and its stretched body is 10mm higher at the rear and just 11cm longer overall – all of it behind the rear axle, bringing it to exactly five metres long and making it look a bit more bulbous at the back.

So it might be more spacious than the X5 back there, but Lexus admits the rear seat is suitable only for people up to 160cm tall and offers just 47mm of head room, so the bigger Q7 is truly cavernous in comparison.

On the upside, a more vertical tailgate (which continues to be powered and features a clever hand motion sensor) is claimed to deliver a class-leading cargo length of 566mm, equating to 176 litres of luggage space (211 litres measured to the roof), providing “ample space for a large stroller”.

Stowing the flat-folding third row liberates a reasonable 432 litres of cargo space at the touch of a button, while folding the middle row delivers up to 966 litres in total.

The twin rear seats are also covered in a hard-wearing synthetic material that looks and smells just like leather, and a temporary spare wheel continues to reside beneath the rear of the vehicle

More compromises

As you’d expect, RX L specifications are as per five-seat RX models – except the long-body version is not available in sporty F Sport form or with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, five-seat versions of which have now changed their name from RX 200t to RX 300.

For now, the RX L is available in just two equipment grades (base Luxury and flagship Sports Luxury) and with two powertrains: a 3.5-litre petrol V6 for the RX 350L and the electrically assisted RX 450h hybrid.

So the four-grade line-up spans the entry-level RX 350L Luxury ($84,700 plus on-road costs), the RX 450hL Luxury ($93,440), the RX 350L Sports Luxury ($101,500) and the RX 450hL Sport Luxury ($110,240).

The RX 450hL comes with the same Lexus Hybrid Drive system as in the RX 450h, meaning a total output of 230kW from its petrol-electric powertrain, which drives through an all-gear electronic CVT with six-step sequential-type shift.

However, the outputs of the RX 350L V6, which comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission, are reduced by 5kW to 216kW and by 12Nm to 358Nm, due to the packaging requirement of a single rather than dual exhaust system.

Fuel consumption for the RX 350L increases from 9.6 to 10.2L/100km, while the RX 450hL increases from 5.7 to 6.0L/100km.

We sampled both powertrains at the launch and, if we’re honest, they both drove exactly like their equivalent five-seat RX models.

That is, the RX 350L’s V6/auto combination delivers silky-smooth acceleration even if maximum torque arrives at a relatively high 4600rpm, but the RX 450hL’s more powerful (230kW) hybrid/CVT combo sounds more strained at all times and never feels quicker because of its extra weight.

And while the hybrid’s regenerative brakes still don’t feel as consistent as its conventional counterpart, neither model steers as sharply as any of its German rivals.

That said, the RX L wins big points for its superb ride comfort and whisper-quiet, high-quality cabin – not to mention the advantages of Lexus’ generous four-year/100,000km warranty and other aftersales benefits.

A lot to like

Like the RX, the RX L offers plenty of value with a long list of standard equipment, even if premium paint costs an extra $1500 across the range.

Along with the RX L’s arrival, there’s a range of detail changes across the 2018 RX line-up – such as black centre wheel caps, two 5V USB power sockets in the second-row armrest and the addition of pedestrian detection to its pre-collision system.

The latter is part of Lexus Safety System+, which is standard across the range and also includes all-speed radar active cruise control, lane keeping assist and automatic high-beam (adaptive high-beam on Sports Luxury).

The RX’s autonomous emergency braking system operates at speeds between 10 and 180km/h for vehicles and over 10-80km/h for pedestrians..

Other standard safety kit includes 10 airbags, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, reversing camera, hill-start assist control and tyre-pressure warning system.

Range-wide equipment includes LED headlights, daytime running lights and front fog lights, an 8.0-inch audio display screen, satellite navigation, 12 speakers, 20-inch alloy wheels, smart entry/start, roof rails and rear privacy glass.

Front seats are heated and ventilated with 10-way power adjustment and memory for the driver, and leather trim covering the front two rows of seats.

There’s an ‘Enhancement pack’ for base Luxury variants, which for $3500 includes a colour head-up display, sunroof and smart key card.

These three items come as standard in the Sports Luxury grades, which for a price premium of just over $16,000 add adaptive variable suspension, 14-way power adjustment for the front seats, a 15-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, 12.3-inch display screen and panoramic view monitor.

That’s a lot more than you get in most of the RX L’s rivals for less money, so if you’re after a part-time seven-seat luxury crossover and value comfort and equipment over dynamics and badges then Lexus now has the answer.

2018 Lexus RX 350L and RX 450hL pricing and specifications:
Price: From $84,700 and $93,440 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 petrol-electric
Output: 216kW/358Nm and 230kW
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic and six-speed CVT
Fuel: 10.6L/100km and 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 234g/km and 137g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)