Lexus RX to head downmarket

Lexus is still working on a rival for the likes of Audi’s new Q3 and BMW’s X1 in Australia’s booming small premium SUV segment, but in the meantime it will introduce an all-new, front-wheel drive four-cylinder version of next month’s facelifted RX range to compete with top-shelf versions of the popular Q5 and X3.

Due to spearhead the new-look RX line-up that will be officially launched here on June 26, the all-new RX 270 could cost less than $70,000, undercutting popular mid-sizers like the Q5 3.2 FSI (priced from $73,500), Q5 3.0 TDI ($75,500), X3 xDrive 28i ($$71,900) and X3 30d ($74,900), as well as flagship versions of the Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC60.

The outgoing RX family currently starts at $82,814 for the RX350 Prestige and, while pricing for the facelifted model line will not be revealed until about a week prior to the launch, motoring.com.au understands it will follow the lead of the new GS sedan by being more affordable than before.

While buyers of the 2012 RX range will once again have access to multiple variants of the 3.5-litre petrol V6-powered RX350 and petrol-electric RX450h hybrid, for the first time both RX models will also be available in more exciting F Sport guises.

Powered by a 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 138kW to its front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission and already on sale across Asia, the new RX 270 will ride on 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, with 19-inch alloys available as an option.

Other options will include roof-rails or a sunroof, but the RX 270 will come standard with all the safety features of its more powerful RX stablemates, including twin front, side and curtain airbags, plus electronic stability/traction control and ABS brakes. Automatic climate-control, front foglights, remote central locking and power windows/mirrors will also remain standard.

Lexus’ bid for more sales from its volume-selling luxury SUV by introducing a cut-price four-cylinder variant follows a similar move by Mercedes-Benz, which earlier this month released its third-generation M-class line-up headed by a new 2.1-litre diesel-powered ML250 BlueTec variant with a price of $81,400, making the first four-cylinder M-Class $4380 cheaper than the old six-cylinder ML300 CDI it replaces at the bottom of the M-Class range.

Mercedes will not offer a smaller SUV than the M-Class – which is also expected to be available in seven-seat form here soon – in Australia until the next-generation GLK mid-sizer and all-new A-Class-based GLA compact SUV arrive here.

However, the new RX 270 will equip the smaller five-seat-only RX range with Lexus’ first direct rival for volume-selling mid-size luxury SUVs like the Q5, Evoque and X1, which are currently Australia’s three top-selling premium SUVs.

So far this year RX sales remain steady at about 530 sales, accounting for 11.1 per cent of the $70,000-plus large SUV segment, which is led by the BMW X5 (16.7 per cent), Land Rover Discovery (14.6 per cent), Range Rover Sport (12.1 per cent) and Volkswagen Touareg (11.6 per cent), with the just-replaced M-Class trailing both the RX and Volvo’s XC90 (9.5 per cent) with a 7.1 per cent share.