The brochure suggests there'll be an F-Sport version of the fourth-generation Lexus RX.
Lexus has had a tough time keeping a secret in recent months. The maker had hoped to give the world its first look at the LF-LC concept at the Detroit Auto Show, last month, only to have images leak out ahead of time.
And it’s happened again. This time it’s the all-new 2013 Lexus RX crossover that is getting a premier public debut – which also reveals that the new model, the best-seller in the Lexus line-up – will borrow heavily from the front-end design cues first introduced on the LF-LC prototype.
The popular crossover, which is also the best-seller in its segment, was expected to get a facelift for 2013, with the updated model showing up in April at the New York International Auto Show, but we deliver this sneak peek thanks to our friends at Autoblog and CarScoop – who tracked down a brochure meant for the Japanese domestic market.
There are clear hints of the Lexus LF-LC concept in the front end of the new Lexus RX crossover.
The new look is decidedly more sporty than the frumpy family machine it replaces, with the distinctive pinched chrome trim that surrounds the new double spindle grille directly borrowed from the LF-LC.
It also appears the 2013 Lexus RX will be offered with the luxury brand’s performance-oriented F-Sport trim kit. But it’s still a people-mover, at heart, even with the bigger wheels and swept-back headlamps.
This images reveals that we’ll still have the RX450h hybrid option for 2013. The brochure also suggests there’ll be a new Lexus RX270, though that version is highly unlikely to make it to the American marketplace.
The 4th-generation Lexus RX is expected to debut at the upcoming NY Auto Show.
Beyond that, there are indications of a new rear-seat entertainment system to keep the family happy en-route.
But while it’s all but certain Lexus will have lots of new technology to talk about when the fourth-generation RX is revealed, we expect company officials to echo the emphasis on “passion” that was the centerpiece of the presentation by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda when he unveiled the Lexus GS sedan last August.
We expect to find out plenty more by the time we reach New York, though it would surprise few if Toyota’s luxury arm releases a few details of its own before that official preview – as it did once the LF-LC images began leaking out.