Fifth Generation Luxury SUV

Lexus hands could have merely updated the RX midsize SUV, seeing as RX owners protract returning to this model year without year. But increasingly of the same was not the tideway taken by Lexus, as it tries to alimony the loyalists happy while reaching out to a new and much younger buyer. The all-new 2023 RX has new engine options (no increasingly V6) and plane a completely new model, all of which is to broaden the RX request to new and current owners. This introduction touches on the upper points of each model, with detailed Road Test reviews in the coming months.

RX Model Line-up

There are four distinctly variegated 2023 RX models that offer the option of front-wheel momentum (FWD) or all-wheel momentum (AWD) and five powertrains, three of which are electrified.

• RX 350
• RX 350h
• RX 500h
• RX 500h

Clean Fleet Report recently had the opportunity to momentum three of the four when Lexus brought the international media to Santa Barbara for a few days of driving through mountains and vineyards. The marrow line is the all-new RX, regardless of which model you chose, will satisfy current owners to stay with the RX, and entice those new to the trademark to requite Lexus a try.

Clean Fleet Report crush the RX 350 F Sport Handling AWD, RX 350h Premium AWD, and the RX 500h F Sport Performance AWD. Here are our thoughts.

RX 350 AWD

The RX 350 is the only model to not get electrification. Powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 275 horsepower (hp) and 317 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque, it is misogynist with either FWD or AWD. Fuel economy is rated at 22 mpg city/29 highway/25 combined with the FWD model. The AWD is one mpg less for each category.

The short-ratio 8-speed uncontrived shift will-less transmission has been designed for smoother velocity and deceleration. A uncontrived shift will-less performs largest and faster than a manual, which is the Holy Grail for driving enthusiasts. When in transmission mode and using the paddle shifters, the fast up and downshifts are thanks to the gearbox speed stuff quick unbearable to use on a racetrack. This uncontrived shift transmission technology is moreover found on the RX 500h, which is covered below.

The RX 350 comes in six trims of RX FWD, RX AWD, RX F Sport Handling AWD, Luxury AWD, Premium FWD, and Premium AWD.

Clean Fleet Report crush the RX 350 F Sport Handling AWD from Santa Barbara to the Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, a 63-mile jaunt over the Santa Ynez Mountains where we encountered a good mix of low and mid-speed corners to test the handling, velocity and braking ability.

The steering was precise and handling unappetizing with the adaptive variable suspension and the 235/60 all-season tires on 19-inch five spoke transfuse wheels. Slowing and stopping, over the curvy and challenging San Marcos Pass on CA 154, was plane and solid, with ABS, front and rear ventilated disc brakes, and on the F Sport, 6-piston front calipers.

RX 350h AWD

The all-wheel momentum 2023 Lexus RX 350h is powered by a 3.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine that, when combined with the electric motors, produces 246 hp and 233 lb.-ft. of torque. A unvarying velocity transmission (CVT) smoothly puts power evenly to all four wheels, with the fuel economy rated at 37 mpg city/34 highway and 36 combined. Comparing the fuel efficiency to the whilom RX 350, it is well-spoken why so many people opt for the hybrid model.

The Lexus Hybrid System is among the weightier we have tested. Consistently, it provides zaftig power while delivering fuel economy that exceeds the rated numbers. When Clean Fleet Report has the 2023 RX 350h for a full week of driving, not just an hour or so, we are confident of reporting real-world fuel economy in the low to mid-40 mpg range.

The hybrid RX 350h Premium AWD we crush handles similar to its gasoline-powered sibling RX 350. However, due to the spare weight from the hybrid batteries, we liked the road finger largest as it was a bit heavier and planted to the ground.

RX 500h AWD

Of the three RX models we crush in Santa Barbara our favorite was the 500h F Sport Performance AWD. With the largest and most powerful hybrid engine of all the RX models, the 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder puts out 366 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque, driving all four wheels through a 6-speed uncontrived shift will-less transmission. The fuel economy is rated at 27 city/28 highway and 27 combined. Clean Fleet Report will report on the very mileage, which we know will be into the 30 mpg range without we have had increasingly time in the 500h F Sport Performance AWD.

What we liked well-nigh the 500h was its balance, and spanking-new velocity and deceleration as we crush twisty vineyard roads in Santa Barbara County. We found one, Palmer Road, that starts at Highway 101 and ends in the small farming polity of Sisquoc. If in the area, regardless of what you are driving, we recommend checking it out.

We were impressed with the 500h F Sport’s handling, helped by the all-new five-arm multi-link rear suspension, the larger 235/50 Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires mounted on 21-inch 10-spoke transfuse wheels, solid braking with the 6-piston front calipers, and dynamic rear steering. Summer tires are a stickier performance rubber, which we were glad Lexus widow to the 500h as the grip was excellent, and the soul roll was non-existent plane when taking corners at the whilom posted speed.

Dynamic Rear Steering can turn the rear wheels the same or opposite direction as the front wheels, a maximum of four degrees, based on the speed stuff driven. Most people don’t consider a SUV to have performance cred, but Lexus has built a sleeper with the RX 500h F Sport Performance AWD.

Exterior Refinement

The 2023 RX has gone through some subtle but important changes from the outgoing model. The first is it weighs 198 pounds less than the 2022 model, and this is plane with the use of stronger steel on the side rockers and roof. They kept the overall length but extended the wheelbase which results in increasingly rear leg room, cargo space and shorter rear overhangs that positively helps handling.

The Lexus spindle grille, that either rubs you right or wrong, has evolved to be increasingly stylish, blending scrutinizingly seamlessly into the nose and hood. Lexus says the vents on the lower front fascia, which on many cars are decorative and non-functional, “are designed to indulge the pressure inside the bumper to release from the front molding to regulate the airflow virtually the tires, providing spanking-new straight line stability.”

The L-shaped jewel-like LED throne and daytime running lights squint great, sleekly sweeping into the front fenders. The stylish LED tail lights stretch the width of the tailgate.

Redesigned Interior

The soupcon is simple in what Lexus says is a “minimalist layout.” We stipulate that all controls were within easy reach of the suburbanite and liked how the standard 9.9-inch or optional 14-inch verisimilitude multimedia screens no longer jut from the dash, but are neatly integrated. The straight-forward gauges, with woebegone faces and white numbers, were easy on the eyes.

Clean Fleet Report is a big fan of volume and waterworks knobs for the radio, which in this specimen was the spanking-new sounding Mark Levinson PurePlay surround sound audio system with 1,800 watts and 21 speakers. Since there is only a volume knob, the channels are reverted by touching the screen, using the steering wheel-mounted buttons or unmistakably saying “Hey Lexus” to request a specific channel. The Lexus voice writ technology has improved profoundly over the past year, and we find it to be one of the weightier we have used. Oh, and a big shout-out to retiring the trackpad, which was not well-placed and didn’t work all that well.

In wing to the voice command, other technology and convenience features include a head-up display, wireless phone charging, two USB-C outlets up front and a total of six USB ports in the cabin, an AC power outlet, power folding rear seats that spilt 40/20/20, front and rear heated and cooling seats and ambient lightning. This last one offers a palette of 64 colors and 14 themes to sooth the motel passengers.

There are six interior verisimilitude options of Macadamia, Black, Birch, Peppercorn and Rioja Red, plus four vocalizing elects of Woebegone Cascade, Ash Bamboo, Woebegone Open Pore and Dark Green Aluminum. The combination of wood, brushed aluminum, soft materials, vocalizing top stitching and the Lexus monogrammed carpets gave the RX motel a very upscale squint and feel.

The heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel has audio, voice command, telephone, and the dynamic trip controls. The high-resolution split screen verisimilitude exhibit that handled navigation and the panoramic-view replacement camera moreover was home to SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and AM/FM/HD, with connectivity through Bluetooth streaming audio and hands-free telephone and messaging.

Safety

The RX is equipped with a full suite of wide suburbanite assistance systems (ADAS) with the centerpiece stuff the Lexus Safety System 3.0 that includes a pre-collision system, lane throw-away alert, dynamic trip tenancy with lane tracing assist, and several other warning features. Spare zippy and passive safety features are air bags, a tire pressure monitoring system, collapsible steering column, anti-theft watchtower and engine immobilizer.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing will be spoken closer to the late-2022 on-sale date.

Observations: 2023 Lexus RX

Lexus knows a good thing when they see one, expressly with the RX as it is 55% of all the brand’s SUV sales and has sold ~72,000 units through the first eight months of 2022. With increasingly than 50% of their owners returning to buy flipside Lexus, there is no way they were going to take too big a swing with the all-new 2023 RX. But the incubation of the RX does include some of what for Lexus would be considered revolutionary changes.

These include the V6 going away, no RX 450 planned for 2023 and saying goodbye to the trackpad. The RX stuff built on a completely new platform has increased the wheelbase, but kept the overall length the same, and the introduction of two new models: the 500h and the 500h PHEV.

The latter of these is the plug-in version of the 500h and should unhook spanking-new velocity and up-to an all-electric 40-mile driving range. The RX 500h and 500h are a step-up from most SUVs as they will offer luxury, performance and fuel efficiency.

Lexus folks didn’t want to talk well-nigh it, but the visitor has moreover spoken its first all-electric model—tentatively tabbed the RZ. It shares a platform with the Toyota BZ4X and the Subaru Solterra. Teething problems with the platform may be putting the intro off.

This First Momentum review is an overview of the four all-new 2023 Lexus RX models. Make sure to opt-in to the Clean Fleet Report newsletter (top right of page) to be notified of our Road Test reviews of each RX model, plus other stories and vehicle reviews.

Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Lexus.

[See image gallery at cleanfleetreport.com]

Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned self-ruling test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week momentum of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t write issues such as long-term reliability or total forfeit of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered self-ruling transportation, lodging or meals. We do our weightier to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the weightier fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We moreover full-length those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on wide technology and the volitional fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are defended to providing a forum for volitional viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.

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