Lexus RX review - parsimonious SUV is still no driving machine - Prices, specs and rivals
Luxury SUV is now available with a 2-litre turbocharged engine, but hybrid is still the car to go for
The RX range starts at £39,995, which is around £5000 less than the previous model thanks to that entry-level model now sporting four cylinders rather than a hybrid-assisted six. The cheapest you can spend on the hybrid is a little more than it was before, at £46,995. It'll take a while before you make up the purchase price difference in fuel and tax savings, but once again we'd say that the RX 450h's driving experience is much more pleasant than that of the 200t, so it's probably worth the extra.
Equipment levels are good whatever you spend. Standard kit in S trim includes an 8-inch display in the centre console, a 9-speaker stereo system with DAB, LED headlights, heated fabric seats, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
To this, Luxury models (£45,995 for the 200t, £49,995 for the 450h) add a 12.3-inch display, electrically heated, adjustable, anti-dazzle door mirrors, heated and ventilated leather seats and 20-inch wheels. The other grade available on RX models is F Sport trim (£48,995 200t, £52,995 450h) – this sporty line adds Adaptive Variable Suspension and interior and exterior styling tweaks.
On the RX 450h, there's also a Premier trim line available. For five grand more than the F Sport (a not inconsiderable £57,995) your heated and ventilated seats get semi-aniline leather, with four-way lumbar support and ten-way adjustment, a 360-degree parking camera and a card key.
The RX has always been a difficult car to categorise. It’s not a traditional SUV, as there’s no pretence that it’ll ever be used off-road. Likewise its size does pitch it somewhere between rival manufacturers’ cars like BMW’s X3 and X5. Indeed, in concept it’s not dissimilar to BMW’s X4, while Land Rover’s Discovery Sport looks like a more natural rival than the Range Rover Sport. For a choice as left-field as the Lexus itself, Infiniti's QX70 is worth a look - it's among the sportier models in this class to drive.
