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Regular hybrid could be the Lexus large SUV of choice for most private buyers

We recently had our first taste of the latest generation of Lexus’s flagship SUV, the RX. We drove the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, because Lexus reckons that’s the version 55% of customers will go for. However, if you’re not a company car driver, or you do long distances without being able to plug in, there’s every chance you’ll be better off with the normal hybrid Lexus RX 350h, because you won’t be carting about 200kg of empty battery.

The mechanicals are the familiar combo of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder and an electric motor driving the front wheels through the firm's e-CVT, while an electric motor on the rear axle provides four-wheel drive.

With a starting price of £59,950, the full hybrid is also £5000 cheaper than the plug-in, but lacking that car’s substantial pure-electric range, it incurs 33% company car tax. Since there are no direct hybrid rivals to compare it with, it’s effectively up against diesel versions of the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.

16 Lexus rx 350h fd 2023 front corner

Immediately, the RX 350h feels more natural to drive than the plug-in hybrid. Lighter weight doesn’t turn the RX into a sports car, or even a sports SUV, but it does mean it changes direction much more willingly, and it feels more settled over bumps and crests. That in turn makes it more comfortable and even moderately enjoyable on a B-road. It turns in well and grips keenly, with limited body roll. Even the steering feels more connected than most.

The Takumi-spec car we drove earlier managed to isolate its occupants even better from low-speed clunks and vibrations thanks to its more sophisticated adaptive dampers, but overall any Lexus RX is still a smooth-riding car that is quiet at a cruise.

The exception is the engine. You can just about hear it working on the motorway, and without the extra help it gets from the bigger electric motor in the PHEV, the four-cylinder has to work harder on hills and to get up to speed. Mind you, if you were to run the PHEV on a flat battery, it would be even worse.

While it’s not harsh, the four-cylinder grumble doesn’t help in conjuring a luxurious, effortless experience. Over a few days with the RX 350h, it returned 37mpg – a decent result for a car of this size, but it’s doubtful that will tempt people out of a BMW X5 with a creamy straight six.

Lexus rx250h 2023 89 dash

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Inside, the RX looks pleasingly different from its peers, and uses mostly premium materials. That said, range-topping Takumi trim brings a significant upgrade inside over Premium Plus (our test car's trim), with wood replacing plastic and smoother leather appearing throughout.

The more time I spent in the RX, the more various things such as the fiddly infotainment, the touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons and the heated seats that default to an ‘auto’ setting started to grate. The chorus of bings, bongs, bleeps and bloops of the safety systems also got tiresome. The speed warning in particular is very hard to turn off and turns itself back on when you restart the car.

Apart from that, the RX is a serene and comfortable cruiser with plenty of standard equipment. The regular hybrid version of the RX handles better than the plug-in, still gets decent economy and has a cheaper list price. However, it will be an issue for many that it’s barely any cheaper on a PCP, and rivals with slicker tech and more conventional powertrains might prove hard to resist.

Lexus rx250h 2023 80 panning side

PRICES & SPECS

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester
As part of Autocar’s road test team, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews, comparison tests, as well as the odd feature and news story. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s eight-page road tests, which are the most rigorous in the business thanks to independent performance, fuel consumption and noise figures.

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xxxx 9 March 2023

For 60k it sounds just awful in so many areas, like the 37mpg figure. And after reading the motorway comment what's it like when the battery is deplicted. Will be a rarity.

56 9 March 2023

Reading this, "Since there are no direct hybrid rivals to compare it with, it’s effectively up against diesel versions of the"

 

why not mention the 2.5, 4 Cyclinder Hybrid combination is offered only as a petrol engine with hybrid battery. With diesel engines being unavailable.

 

No mention of the rear seats, headroom. Or boot area. Upto a 10 year warranty, these things more important than the 33% company car tax. I guess the Creamy Dreamy BMW Diesel 3.0 litre+ is what most people want to know...

 

how about a comparison to the previous RX as most existing owners of that car would read this to see what's different.  

"The chorus of bings, bongs, bleeps and bloops of"

 

I am sure the Ferrari Pur Sang SUV, Aston Martin Valkirye, Mini Aceman will also have the same European safety regulations for these audible safety warning sounds too

 

 

Folsom 9 March 2023
56 wrote:

Reading this, "Since there are no direct hybrid rivals to compare it with, it’s effectively up against diesel versions of the" why not mention the 2.5, 4 Cyclinder Hybrid combination is offered only as a petrol engine with hybrid battery. With diesel engines being unavailable.

 

No mention of the rear seats, headroom. Or boot area. Upto a 10 year warranty, these things more important than the 33% company car tax. I guess the Creamy Dreamy BMW Diesel 3.0 litre+ is what most people want to know...

 

how about a comparison to the previous RX as most existing owners of that car would read this to see what's different. "The chorus of bings, bongs, bleeps and bloops of" I am sure the Ferrari Pur Sang SUV, Aston Martin Valkirye, Mini Aceman will also have the same European safety regulations for these audible safety warning sounds too

Yes, seemed like a shallow biased review to me also.  

An RX, with its good fuel economy, inherent reliability, and good ride may fit many people, and previous gen owners, just right.

Boris9119 9 March 2023

Agreed Folsom, and add to that 'uneducated' review.

SAS32 9 March 2023
Unfortunately the bias is all too common when the review is for anything other than the usual German manufactured models. Lexus seem to fare particularly badly, being both Japanese and at the premium end of the pricing scale.

Sadly I had already guessed the star rating before even opening the review - it's a wonder they even bother to drive the thing. Volvo reviews also seem to suffer from the same bias.