Lexus’ celebrated premium midsize SUV is redesigned for 2010. Both the RX 350 (left) and RX 450h hybrid get a host of cutting-edge new features and options.
The original RX 300 was an instant hit that defined a new vehicle segment, spawned plenty of competitors, and became a category benchmark. For 2004, the RX was redesigned to become the RX 330 with more power, size, and features. A gasoline/electric hybrid version, the RX 400h, was added as an early 2006 model. Now for 2010, Lexus rolls out a redesigned third-generation RX lineup that aims to maintain the line’s benchmark status.
Lexus isn’t straying far from its winning formula with the 2010 RX. The new model’s dimensions change only slightly: It’s about an inch longer in wheelbase and overall length, and about an inch-and-a-half wider than the 2004-2009 generation. Likewise, styling is a natural evolution of the existing RX design.
Powertrains
As before, the RX line offers gasoline-engine and gas-electric hybrid models, both of which offer front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The RX 350 comes with a 275-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 connected to a 6-speed automatic transmission (the previous RX 350 made 270 horsepower and came with a 5-speed automatic). The RX 450h hybrid (which replaces the previous RX 400h) pairs a 3.5-liter Atkinson-Cycle V6 with an electric motor for 295 horsepower total, an increase of 27 horsepower over the RX 400h. A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is the RX 450h’s lone transmission.
We spent seat time in an AWD RX 350 and a 2WD RX 450h. Both provide confident--but not commanding--acceleration in both city and highway driving. We were particularly impressed with the smooth performance of the powertrain in the RX 450h. Its well-integrated hybrid system exhibited almost none of the surging and bogging typical of previous hybrid vehicles; the only tip-off was the occasional whir and whine of the electric motor. Though we didn’t have an opportunity to test fuel economy, the official EPA numbers are 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway for the RX 350, and an impressive 30 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for the RX 450h.
The RX 450h gets subtle styling changes such as blue-tinted headlight covers and Lexus badges, Hybrid badges, and unique 19-inch wheels.
Both the RX 350 and RX 450h come standard with 18-inch wheels. An optional Sport package brings a sport suspension and 19-inch wheels that sharpen handling a bit, but also make for a slightly stiffer, noisier ride. Still, the RX has always been about serene road manners with competent--but not athletic--handling. The 2010 RX continues this mission; it holds the road well for a vehicle of its size and behaves very predictably when pushed, but it’s intended to be a relaxed, comfortable cruiser, not an invigorating corner carver. Based on our test drives, it fulfills that mission well.
All 2010 RXs come with a lengthy, alphabet-soup list of brake-control safety systems: ABS, TRAC, VSC, EBD, BA, HAC, and VDIM. To translate, that’s Anti-lock Brake System, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Assist, Hill-start Assist Control (new for 2010), and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (standard on the RX 450h and optional on the RX 350). Lexus says that VDIM governs all of the other brake-control systems and can implement them collectively to make handling corrections while allowing greater dynamic capability.
Other safety features include a best-in-class 10 standard airbags, and the optional Lexus Pre-Collision System, which is designed to tighten the seatbelts and ready full braking power when sensors detect an imminent collision.
Interior Accommodations
Like previous RXs, the 2010 models provide seating for five. Based on feedback from current RX owners, Lexus chose not to add a third-row seat. We agree with their decision, since most third-row seats in midsize SUVs are cramped, compromised perches suitable only for small children.
Small-items storage in the 2010 Lexus RX 350 includes a large console bin and an open area underneath the front console.
The rear-seat area is spacious enough to be hospitable for large adults. The rear seats slide fore and aft to favor passenger or cargo space, and the seatbacks recline to help tailor an ideal seating position. Of course, the rear seatbacks also fold nearly flat to create an ample load floor, but the RX’s sloped roofline and limited height may preclude some tall or bulky cargo. Small-items storage is just average for an SUV; highlights include a large console bin and an open area underneath the front console that seems like an excellent place to stash a large purse or a tissue box.
Loads of Luxury
The 2010 RX is available with all the high-tech premium features and options one would expect in a high-end vehicle, such as a Bluetooth wireless cell-phone link, adaptive HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, and a park-assist system. A rearview camera is available with or without the optional navigation system (on RXs without navigation, the screen is located in the rearview mirror). An available wide-view side monitor system uses a TV camera mounted in the passenger-side rearview mirror to show a wide-angle passenger-side view of the vehicle on the navigation screen. It can be programmed to display only the right front corner of the vehicle or the entire right side view. An available heads-up display projects speed and a variety of other information on the windshield in the driver’s line of vision.
The optional rear-seat entertainment system includes dual screens built into the back of the front-seat headrests. This arrangement has two key benefits: First, it means there is no screen that flips down from the headliner to block the rearview-mirror view, and second, it means the rear-seat passengers can be watching two different DVDs. In fact, the setup enables three different “entertainment events” to occur at the same time: Mom and Dad can listen to a CD or satellite radio while Janie watches a movie and Johnny plays a video game. The system can be upgraded with a dazzling Mark Levinson surround-sound stereo system that provides sound quality rivaling the best home-theater systems.
The RX’s optional navigation system is controlled by a console-mounted “Remote Touch” module.
The optional navigation system includes an effective new control system Lexus calls Remote Touch. Instead of a touch-screen interface, the system uses a console-mounted module that’s ergonomically shaped like a computer mouse. The driver uses a joystick-like control pad and side-mounted buttons to control an on-screen cursor and click on icons. The joystick control also provides sensory feedback in relation to the graphic display, so drivers can “feel” the on-screen buttons as the cursor is moved over them. Drivers can even customize the level of sensory feedback. The system also includes subtle “beep” sounds when the cursor rolls over an icon or an icon is selected. Though we didn’t find them annoying, these sounds can be switched off as the driver gets more comfortable with the system.
The Remote Touch system has several benefits. Since the driver doesn’t need to touch the screen, it doesn’t get smudged with fingerprints; and it can be positioned higher, so the driver doesn’t need to divert his or her eyes as far from the road. The screen is also inset deeply into the dash, so it’s very well shrouded from sunlight and glare. In all, we found the Remote Touch system to be very intuitive and much easier to learn and use than similar joystick-control systems in Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Also included with the navigation system are the rearview camera and XM NavTraffic and NavWeather real-time traffic and weather alerts (an XM Radio subscription with both these services costs $23.99 per month after a complimentary three-month trial). In addition to Remote Touch, the navigation system includes voice command that is capable of understanding casual speech patterns to control certain navigation, climate control, audio, and cell-phone communication functions. So instead of specific commands like “Phone>Dial by Name>Bob,” the user can simply say “Call Bob at home.” Other casual-speech commands include “I want a Mexican restaurant,” “It’s too hot in here,” and “Let’s find XM Channel 151.” The voice command functions worked very well during our short trial.
The RX's rear-window wiper is now mounted above the window and inset into the rear spoiler, where it’s better protected from dirt, snow, and ice.
The new RX remains a standout in its class because Lexus was realistic about the limitations of the midsize car-based SUV platform and didn’t try to stretch its capabilities too far in any one direction. The RX’s primary asset is its well-balanced practicality. It doesn’t have the high-performance road-holding capabilities of a BMW X5 or Infiniti FX, but it doesn’t have the stiff, fidgety ride that usually comes along with that kind of handling ability. It doesn’t have the off-road prowess of a Land Rover, but it has better on-road manners. It doesn’t have the expansive cargo volume of a Buick Enclave, but it’s also a more manageable, more maneuverable size. The RX performs nigh flawlessly under the conditions in which most people use their SUVs, and for that, it retains its benchmark status. The 2010 RX 350 is already in dealerships; the RX 450h is set to follow this summer.
03.26.2009
