The 2010 RX350 - 3rd generation luxury crossover.
It’s a rare occurrence, but every so often, an automaker introduces something unique and exciting, a product that creates a niche of its own in an otherwise crowded market. Ford’s Model T was one, of course, as was that automaker’s Mustang, which followed decades later. Chrysler hit a home run with its minivans.
In 1998, Lexus weighed in with the all-new RX300, which boasted the functionality of a minivan, the go-anywhere cache of an SUV and the comfortable ride and fuel economy of a sedan-like crossover. Adding the quietness, luxury features and reliability that Lexus was already known for, the RX was an instant success, quickly becoming the Japanese marque’s top-selling product line.
The second-generation RX330, which followed in 2005, delivered more of what customers craved, including an optional gasoline-electric powertrain – making it the world’s first luxury hybrid. Together, the two versions nudged RX sales to an all-time record of more than 100,000 in 2007.
Can Lexus three-peat with the third-generation RX350, and its companion hybrid, the RX450h? The new offerings certainly looked good, when we got our first look at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2010 crossover is the most sophisticated and attractive version we’ve yet seen, and as we’ve come to expect from Lexus, it was loaded with an array of upscale and high-tech features, from the all-new, leather and wood-clad interior to the Remote Touch controller, a mouse-like device that easily operates systems such as the Navigation computer and audio.
Lexus RX450h - updating world's first luxury hybrid
Of course, we’ve seen plenty of products that look great on the show stand, but leave a lot to be desired once you’re behind the wheel, so we jumped at the opportunity to fly down to sunny Sea Island, Georgia, for a first drive of the 2010 Lexus RX. (Full disclosure: it didn’t hurt to know that the weather would be 45 degrees warmer than back home, in gray and gloomy, mid-winter Detroit.)
With friend and TheDetroitBureau.com colleague Marty Bernstein riding shotgun, I grabbed the keys for an RX350 and took a quick walk-around. The original RX featured a pretty basic – some would say banal – shape. Even without the sliding doors, it was, in many ways, little more than a thinly-disguised minivan. Gen-2 delivered some visual improvements, but nothing like you’ll discover with the latest remake, which continues the evolution of what Toyota’s luxury brand describes as its L-finesse design theme.
The 2010 Lexus RX is decidedly more sporty, though that doesn’t mean sport-utish. If anything, there’s more of the sports coupe in the styling, starting with the coke bottle-like sweep to the body – something you’ll find on the new Audi A4. The headlights bear the clear influence of the Lexus flagship, the LS460. The sweeping rear window is more stylish – and provides a bit more visibility, a specific target of Lexus designers.
That was also their intent in adding small quarter-windows just ahead of the sideview mirrors, by the way. Unfortunately, not everything you read in a press kit pans out; they prove absolutely useless when you’re behind the wheel, event though, we estimate, they add a hefty premium to production costs.
An integrated spoiler is now standard on the RX, further enhancing the sporty character of the crossover. A nice engineering touch was the decision to hide the rear wiper under the spoiler, when not in use. We’re still not sure how easy, in practice, it is to change wiper blades, however.
Significantly, the 2010 RX is “bigger in every dimension that matters,” says Lexus training director Paul Santulli. An inch is added to the wheelbase, for example, and a bit more to the overall, 187.8-inch total vehicle length. The crossover also gets an extra 1.6 inch width. And as this might suggest, that all adds up to more passenger space – in both first and second rows – and cargo space.
Further adding to the cargo compartment, Lexus has abandoned the rear McPherson strut suspension, which eliminates intruding shock towers. The 2010 RX goes with a double-wishbone rear, though the front suspension remains McPherson strut. New releases, for the rear seats, are now offered in the cargo compartment, so you don’t have to run around as much.
The ’10 model is not just roomier, but it does a much better job of living up to Lexus’ luxury intentions. The design is both clean, and elegant, with richly appointed leather seats and the sort of chrome, leather and wood touches on the instrument panel you’d expect to find in Architectural Digest.
The IP is more ergonomic, as well. The twin gauge cluster is especially easy to read and integrates an advanced Organic Light Emitting Diode screen between tach and speedometer. The optional navigation system, with its 8-inch screen has been moved to the upper reaches of the center stack, meaning you’ll spend less time taking your eyes off the road.
That display has been moved out of reach, but while it’s no longer a touch-screen system, you won’t lament once your right hand gets used to the Remote Touch controller. As it pivots, the cursor slides across the display. “Mouse” over a command button and you’ll get some subtle feedback, as if you’d run over a small detent. Unlike the much-criticized BMW iDrive, there are several different, easy-to-reach buttons, including one for the menu, and another to zoom in and out on the digital map.
A well-placed Start button, just behind the right side of the steering wheel, brings the RX to life. As with the original hybrid model, you’ll have to check the gauges to see if the hybrid powertrain actually has started up. We’d still like to have some sort of aural cue that the system, which starts out in electric vehicle mode, is running.
Shifting the new six-speed transmission into gear gave us the first sense of what the upgraded, 3.5-liter V-6 delivers. In this case, that’s 275 horsepower, five more than the old RX330, and 257 pound-feet of torque, which comes on quick, providing a solid launch feel. In case you’re wondering, the gas-only drivetrain yields 18 mpg City, 24 Highway, and 19 Combined, in front-wheel-drive configuration, slightly less with the All-Wheel-Drive package.
We were impressed with the general road feel of the RX350, which is just a bit more fun to drive than the old 330. The revised rear suspension helps, as does the new electric power steering system (which was only offered on the earlier hybrid model). The 2010 model has a decidedly solid on-center feel, but beyond that, steering is a bit numb for our taste.
One of the things Lexus officials emphasized, prior to our drive, was the great effort they’d gone to trying to reduce noise levels, a brand trademark. To be honest, while the new crossover is indeed among the quietest entries in the segment, we could still hear a fair amount of road noise on Georgia’s rough pavement, and when some gusts started blowing, there was a moderate amount of wind noise.
Before heading back to Michigan’s cold climes, we swapped out for an RX450h, and the hybrid provided perhaps the biggest, and most pleasant surprise of the day. The original RX400h, in real-world driving, didn’t seem to deliver on its fuel economy promises. The new model definitely does, with a 30 City/27 Highway/28 Combined rating. The more attention you pay to the left gauge, which shows you how efficient you’re driving, the better you’ll do. If you occasionally find your right foot getting heavy on the accelerator, the RX450h provides a satisfying level of performance, the combination of a revised Atkinson-cycle V-6 and the electric-drive system putting out a total of 295 horsepower.
We did find it a challenge to stay in electric-only mode, though you can increase that likelihood with the flip of a switch. Still, this is primarily a gasoline-powered vehicle, not an EV. The Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries are intended to store energy regenerated during braking and coasting and, most commonly, that power will be reused during acceleration to reduce demand on the V-6.
Anyone familiar with Lexus knows that technology is another of the company’s cornerstones. The navi system, for example, can be programmed using a voice recognition system that doesn’t require you to memorize a table of commands. It’s a bit slow, but it works quite well.
For audiophiles, there’s the optional Mark Levinson system, arguably one of the best in-car sound systems on the road. The RX models we drove all featured AM, FM, CD, and a variety of inputs for external audio devices, such as an iPod, which can be operated using the radio controls. There’s also XM Satellite Radio, which adds traffic and weather to the navi.
A new Hill Holder system lets you start up, even on a steep incline, without rolling backwards. Add an assortment of other safety features, including a rearview camera – now available even if you don’t opt for navi – a wideview side mirror display, bi-xenon active headlamps – standard with the hybrid, they swivel, up to 15 degrees, to light your way into a corner – and 10 airbags. That includes seat-mounted side bags for second-row passengers, a first in the segment.
All in all, the 2010 RX is an impressive package, whichever powertrain you opt for. Even more compelling, Lexus has added a couple thousand dollars of content, but dropped the price tag to $36,800 for the front-drive V-6 RX350 and $38,200 for the AWD edition. Figure on spending another $4,000 to $5,000 for a fully-loaded crossover. As for the RX450h, we won’t see numbers until early Spring, about the time the hybrid goes on sale. The V-6 version should be in your local showroom before the month is out.
Reviewing the 2010 Lexus RX350 poses a dilemma for us. We admittedly lean a bit more towards sporty coupes, sedans and crossovers. Though Lexus may take umbrage, there’s a bit of the Mom-mobile in the RX line, reflected in the way it skews towards female buyers. That said, this is an impressive entry and one that you’d be well advised to consider, whether you’re looking for a stylish minivan alternative, or a reasonably affordable luxury crossover. The RX has dominated its segment for the last decade, and it’s hard to imagine that changing, now that the 2010 edition is on the market.
Will the new Lexus RX350 and Lexus RX450h regain momentum? Click here.