Lexus RX350 3.5 Moonroof (A) Review
29 May 2009|19,348 views
Gee, the timing worked out just right, don't you think? But to their credit, Lexus knows how not to mess with a good thing without having it reek of your old man's closet.
The RX350 in its third Reich leads you on with all of its pleasantries and inoffensiveness, completely different body colour choices and more equipment than before.
Design and accommodation
But passionate car pundits were largely undecided with respect to its appearances. In staying with what has worked well in the past, the long snout that houses a sizeable 3.5-litre engine. Accompanied by a youthful façade, the rest is a little contradicting.
The rounded-off posterior further integrates Lexus' sharp angular lines as part of its L-finesse DNA. However, it might have resulted in something that resembles the hunchback of Notre Dame in silhouette form. Perhaps I exaggerate, but the otherwise accommodating and longer wheelbase does look rather uncomfortable in our eyes.
What you need to know is that it's 4 cm longer and broader, 0.5 cm taller and has about 2.5 cm more in width between the front and rear axles.
When you're scrutinising the back half of the Lexus from the inside, it's clear that emphasis was given to passenger space. They claim that an unequal-length control-arm rear suspension provides 5 percent more boot space, but to be honest, it's barely perceptible.
Yes, it only has two rows of seats, much to the chagrin of those seeking an alternative to the Volvo XC90 and BMW X5. But with 40/20/40 split rear-seats that slide and recline, the new RX is something of a luxurious choice rather than a cram-'n'-jam family transport device.
The aluminium, greyish themes were conservative, but understated enough without being overly boring. Backs and backsides alike will thrive when mated to soft leather, complemented by an excellent driving position, adjusted via buttons of course.
Your prying, neighbourly eyes are probably going to notice the distinct new styling of the RX 350, and they're going to approach you with tonnes of questions. No worries though, because you'll definitely have lots to talk about, what with the equipment list spanning a full page in "Arial" font size eight.
We were handed the keys to the luxury version with a sunroof. There were at least eight airbags, a full set of vehicle stability computers including a hill-start assist, a limited-slip differential promising lock-up capabilities in conjunction with four-wheel drive, self-levelling, self-cleaning high-intensity discharge headlamps, eight-way adjustable electric seats; just an eighth of the whole shebang. We're not even close to the options list!
Like most L-badgers, entry and exit is rather easy as the steering wheel automatically stows away. Two electroluminescent dials dominate your attention upon handling the start button. Then the steering-mounted multi-function controller comes into question.
It operates many major functions such as traction control, and a trip computer that displays your fuel mileage, average speed and so on, depending on how you manipulate it. The point and tap function does require a little getting used to, seeing as how we got it to "tap" by accident, rather than "point" on more than one occasion!
A major disappointment here would be the lack of Mr Mark Levinson and his twelve-speaker entourage - an in-car audio system that we found to be unbeatable amongst the premium brands by a mile.
Driving impressions
And this is important because the SUV revealed a noticeable amount of wind noise originating from the A-pillar area at fast highway speeds - something normally not expected from the brand.
A little troubleshooting with the door mirrors, sunroof and antenna didn't really help either. But we only criticise because this is a Lexus we're talking about. Riding in it still yields a muted, isolated feeling that even the German three cannot yet master. It is quieter than the outgoing RX, and we don't doubt that the heads at Lexus had some insane noise vibration and harshness levels to meet.
Cranking up the audio to low-medium levels covers everything nicely, with the only caveat being road noise over very rough surfaces that one would encounter in Malaysia.
Minimal momentum was lost while coasting at high speed - perhaps a credit to an incredibly low drag coefficient of just 0.33. For a sense of proportion, consider its size, and the fact that normal, smaller sedans today come with a drag ratio of 0.29 to 0.35. That's pretty impressive.
Our four-wheel driven RX 350 wasn't lacking in the performance department either. We were really impressed with the directness and response of the car - a marked improvement over the older model and something we did not expect. Lexus has got it spot-on in this department.
The throttle is now sensitive enough to enable the Lexus to physically "lunge" forward should you stab it by accident, and then take your foot off immediately after. The well-weighted steering has Citroen levels of preciseness and turn-in, while the driver is able to feel enough to know what sort of ground he or she is driving over.
And finally, the 3.5-litre V6 left a positive impression of improvement as well. It produces 275 bhp at 6,200 rpm, 346 Nm at 4,200 rpm and a hearty grunt to match. It's mated to a new six-speed multi-mode transmission that has three shift programs - "Snow" for slippery surfaces, a normal mode for everyday use and "power" that delays up-shifts.
Enthusiastic owners will like to know that leaving it in the latter program means getting the absolute best out of its shifting capabilities, leaving the self-shifter for nought, except during steep hill descents.
The suspension is much firmer without being crashy. Predictably, there's understeer and body-roll at the limit, and traction control can be as draconian as the ISD when cutting the power, so there's no sliding in it for you unless you want a whole lot of comical-looking squirming and beeping coming from the car.
Is it enough?
At S$5,000 less than our car's S$179,000 price tag, the Lexus' chief competitor would have to be the Volvo XC60. Its 3.2-litre turbocharged inline-six handles better, has more torque and accelerates a little better, but it loses out to the Lexus in terms of space, creature comforts and overall refinement at speed.
But for those who don't swing that way, the RX has come a long way since it first established itself as the forerunner of SUVs alike. Despite increased competition since the original car's inception, there's enough competency and character for customers to distinguish it from the rest.
Gee, the timing worked out just right, don't you think? But to their credit, Lexus knows how not to mess with a good thing without having it reek of your old man's closet.
The RX350 in its third Reich leads you on with all of its pleasantries and inoffensiveness, completely different body colour choices and more equipment than before.
Design and accommodation
But passionate car pundits were largely undecided with respect to its appearances. In staying with what has worked well in the past, the long snout that houses a sizeable 3.5-litre engine. Accompanied by a youthful façade, the rest is a little contradicting.
The rounded-off posterior further integrates Lexus' sharp angular lines as part of its L-finesse DNA. However, it might have resulted in something that resembles the hunchback of Notre Dame in silhouette form. Perhaps I exaggerate, but the otherwise accommodating and longer wheelbase does look rather uncomfortable in our eyes.
What you need to know is that it's 4 cm longer and broader, 0.5 cm taller and has about 2.5 cm more in width between the front and rear axles.
When you're scrutinising the back half of the Lexus from the inside, it's clear that emphasis was given to passenger space. They claim that an unequal-length control-arm rear suspension provides 5 percent more boot space, but to be honest, it's barely perceptible.
Yes, it only has two rows of seats, much to the chagrin of those seeking an alternative to the Volvo XC90 and BMW X5. But with 40/20/40 split rear-seats that slide and recline, the new RX is something of a luxurious choice rather than a cram-'n'-jam family transport device.
The aluminium, greyish themes were conservative, but understated enough without being overly boring. Backs and backsides alike will thrive when mated to soft leather, complemented by an excellent driving position, adjusted via buttons of course.
Your prying, neighbourly eyes are probably going to notice the distinct new styling of the RX 350, and they're going to approach you with tonnes of questions. No worries though, because you'll definitely have lots to talk about, what with the equipment list spanning a full page in "Arial" font size eight.
We were handed the keys to the luxury version with a sunroof. There were at least eight airbags, a full set of vehicle stability computers including a hill-start assist, a limited-slip differential promising lock-up capabilities in conjunction with four-wheel drive, self-levelling, self-cleaning high-intensity discharge headlamps, eight-way adjustable electric seats; just an eighth of the whole shebang. We're not even close to the options list!
Like most L-badgers, entry and exit is rather easy as the steering wheel automatically stows away. Two electroluminescent dials dominate your attention upon handling the start button. Then the steering-mounted multi-function controller comes into question.
It operates many major functions such as traction control, and a trip computer that displays your fuel mileage, average speed and so on, depending on how you manipulate it. The point and tap function does require a little getting used to, seeing as how we got it to "tap" by accident, rather than "point" on more than one occasion!
A major disappointment here would be the lack of Mr Mark Levinson and his twelve-speaker entourage - an in-car audio system that we found to be unbeatable amongst the premium brands by a mile.
Driving impressions
And this is important because the SUV revealed a noticeable amount of wind noise originating from the A-pillar area at fast highway speeds - something normally not expected from the brand.
A little troubleshooting with the door mirrors, sunroof and antenna didn't really help either. But we only criticise because this is a Lexus we're talking about. Riding in it still yields a muted, isolated feeling that even the German three cannot yet master. It is quieter than the outgoing RX, and we don't doubt that the heads at Lexus had some insane noise vibration and harshness levels to meet.
Cranking up the audio to low-medium levels covers everything nicely, with the only caveat being road noise over very rough surfaces that one would encounter in Malaysia.
Minimal momentum was lost while coasting at high speed - perhaps a credit to an incredibly low drag coefficient of just 0.33. For a sense of proportion, consider its size, and the fact that normal, smaller sedans today come with a drag ratio of 0.29 to 0.35. That's pretty impressive.
Our four-wheel driven RX 350 wasn't lacking in the performance department either. We were really impressed with the directness and response of the car - a marked improvement over the older model and something we did not expect. Lexus has got it spot-on in this department.
The throttle is now sensitive enough to enable the Lexus to physically "lunge" forward should you stab it by accident, and then take your foot off immediately after. The well-weighted steering has Citroen levels of preciseness and turn-in, while the driver is able to feel enough to know what sort of ground he or she is driving over.
And finally, the 3.5-litre V6 left a positive impression of improvement as well. It produces 275 bhp at 6,200 rpm, 346 Nm at 4,200 rpm and a hearty grunt to match. It's mated to a new six-speed multi-mode transmission that has three shift programs - "Snow" for slippery surfaces, a normal mode for everyday use and "power" that delays up-shifts.
Enthusiastic owners will like to know that leaving it in the latter program means getting the absolute best out of its shifting capabilities, leaving the self-shifter for nought, except during steep hill descents.
The suspension is much firmer without being crashy. Predictably, there's understeer and body-roll at the limit, and traction control can be as draconian as the ISD when cutting the power, so there's no sliding in it for you unless you want a whole lot of comical-looking squirming and beeping coming from the car.
Is it enough?
At S$5,000 less than our car's S$179,000 price tag, the Lexus' chief competitor would have to be the Volvo XC60. Its 3.2-litre turbocharged inline-six handles better, has more torque and accelerates a little better, but it loses out to the Lexus in terms of space, creature comforts and overall refinement at speed.
But for those who don't swing that way, the RX has come a long way since it first established itself as the forerunner of SUVs alike. Despite increased competition since the original car's inception, there's enough competency and character for customers to distinguish it from the rest.
Car Information
Lexus RX350 3.5 Luxury (A)
CAT B|Petrol|9.2km/L
Horsepower
204kW (274 bhp)
Torque
346 Nm
Acceleration
8sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
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