2023 Lexus RX350h Review: Sharp Around Town

One of the best-selling luxury SUVs in Singapore is reborn in an all-new body

2023 Lexus RX350h

Launched: February 2023, Price S$412,800 with COE (February 2023)

Five-door, midsize luxury SUV, five seats

250hp, 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid, VES B, 5.6L/100km

PROS

Comfortable cabin

Great fuel economy

Excellent urban cruising attitude

CONS

Entertainment interface still conservative

SINGAPORE

The Lexus RX series of SUVs has long been a steady seller for the brand in Singapore. The previous-generation car from 2020 has sailed off into the sunset, and soon after the new RX was revealed, we were put into the driver’s seat for an early test drive and review of the RX350h in California. There’s been a slow but steady buildup of hype for the RX range here thanks to its solid reputation, and bets are on the petrol-electric hybrid RX350h to be leading the sales for the series, ahead of the possible launch of the RX500h F Sport later in 2023.

As before, the Lexus RX350h trades on being the plush, comfortable alternative to cars like the comfortable but arguably more aggro BMW X5. We’ll start with the basics and as originally described in our initial launch review, the Lexus RX350h uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor combo to drive the car. The total system power is a punchy 250 horsepower and with a peak torque of 239Nm it’s reasonably a quick car for its size, with the benchmark 0 to 100km/h dash completed in 7.9 seconds.

The silhouette is still recognisably Lexus RX and to a large extent it also carries the lines of its cousin, the Toyota Harrier. The front end, besides carrying the very cool registration number plate that has lived in the Lexus demonstrator fleet in Singapore for ages, is also home of the huge front intake grille. It’s Lexus’ spindle grille design, and since its introduction on the brand’s 2011 cars it has continued to evolve like BMW’s older kidney grille design.  By that we mean: continue to get larger and more in-your-face.

The bodywork features lots of curves and creases that really show off the detail put into the styling. Both the front and rear ends feature the by now expected LED light assemblies, with the rear also highlighted with a full-width lightbar under the Lexus script.

Holding the sheet metal up from inside is Toyota’s GA-K platform, a frame that also serves as the base for the Lexus ES and Toyota Camry. It’s built to accommodate internal combustion engines and hybrid drives of all forms, so you can expect it to be used across more new cars in the near future.

The RX350h in Singaporean-spec is fitted with a lot of standard equipment. There are bits that you expect in this price range like the motorised seat adjusters, three-zone climate control, ventilated seats all round, and rear window pull-up shades. And there are other extras, like the 64-colour ambient light mode, adjustable digital video rearview mirror, a complete, comprehensive suite of safety features with pre-collision warning, blind-spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, plus a very good 360 degree camera system that’s almost level with the class-leading one in the Range Rover.

Lexus seats are known to be the plushest ones you can find this side of a Bentley, and the cushioning in the RX does not disappoint. It’s firmer than the ones in a Lexus LS, but this is also a different kind of car from the big LS sedan. The suspension rides firmer than the old car, with none of the slightly wallowy, ‘American style’ cushiony soft suspension that was evident on some of the brand’s older SUV designs.

It’s undeniably plush and comfortable in the cabin. The user interface is also much improved and a lot more intuitive than before, but its understanding of spoken phrases is still limited by what is stored in the car’s hard drive memory for now, and is not a learning A.I. system.

The car has an all-wheel drive system and a mode button on the centre console to engage the off road setting. The suspension system does not jack itself up, but the traction control will work to ensure individual wheels do not slip about on loose, muddy terrain. With a set of properly grippy off road types this car could go wherever something like a Porsche Cayenne, itself a proven commodity in light off road trails, can.

It’s very intimidating to drive on the road, and the centre rearview mirror goes from a glass mirror to a video screen linked to the rear-pointed camera with the flick of a switch, so even if you have three tall passengers in the back seat you get a clear view of what’s behind the car.

Power transmission duty is handled by a continuously variable transmission so there are no individual forward gears. It’s very smooth, and the engine has a pleasing baritone rumble of a well-balanced big bore four-cylinder at higher revs.

After driving Lexus cars for a couple of generations it’s obvious that the adaptive cruise control system is steadily improving, and with the lane departure assist in action the car adapts to traffic around you on the highway seamlessly.

Luggage space is more than adequate, as it has always been for a Lexus RX. The car’s excellent fuel economy is also to be expected from the proven Lexus/Toyota hybrid design, which in our real-world use stood steady at around 6.1l/100km. The car runs in electric-only mode very confidently until speeds exceed 40km/h or so, which means you can glide along without emissions in car parks easily.

Comfort of the cabin is typically Lexus too, which means it is more plush than a comparable BMW, however the entertainment interface is modern and competent, but not ground-breaking.

With Singapore’s ARF taxes set to climb again, upper tier luxury cars are going to see a big price jump and that would include the Lexus RX350h. The tax increase will kick off in the last week of February 2023 which means that chances are, by the time you go shopping for one of these the price would have taken a big jump upwards. If you must have a Lexus SUV, the smaller Lexus UX250h  is still doing great business too.

2023 Lexus RX350h Luxury

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