Japanese luxury car maker Lexus has revealed its new version of its popular SUV, the RX. The new RX is set to be available as three variants and they pose a direct challenge to the tweaked X5 from BMW. The new SUV will be available with three powertrain options, including a plug-in hybrid and it has been carefully designed with a lot of focus on driver dynamics. Now, let’s have a look into the SUV and find its eye-catching features.
Lexus RX Variants – 350h, 450h+, 500h – Engine & Powertrain
The three variants of the SUV are namely, RX 350h, RX 450h+, & RX 500h and each of them have their own unique powertrain. The RX350h is the opening model housing a 2.5litre strong hybrid powertrain that produces 245hp and 324Nm torque. The RX350h, Lexus says, can reach from 0 to 100kph in 8.0 seconds.
The next variant, RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5litre four-cylinder engine and it is paired with a rear-mounted electric motor for a full-time four-wheel drive. Both the engine and the motor produce a combined total of 306hp and 570Nm torque and they can take the car from 0-100kph in 7.0 seconds.
The final one, RX 500h, is the most dynamically focused model in the line-up. It houses a turbocharged hybrid power and it is the first time Lexus does so in their cars. The 500h is powered by a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and a pair of electric motors giving it full-time four-wheel drive. This system can take the vehicle from 0 to100kph in 5.9 seconds and it produces a combined power of 371hp and 644Nm torque.
With three variants to choose from, the Japanese car maker provides something for everyone. Whether you like the fast paced 500h or balanced 450h+ or the RX350h, you will not be disappointed. All three are equally luxurious on the inside. Apart from the engine variations all three have similar features too.
Exterior Design of Lexus RX
The New RX gets a bold new look with a signature spindle grille flanked by a pair of exquisitely shaped jewel-like headlamps on the front. Compared to the older version, the new RX has a 6mm longer wheelbase, while its roofline is reduced by 10mm. The wheels come with a choice of either a set of 19-inch ones or 21-inches. With a smaller wheelbase and shorter roof the design, Lexus says will give the SUV a Coupe like feel too. The floating roof makes the SUV more aerodynamically shaped than the previous ES versions.
Interior Features of Lexus RX
The RX is more driver-focused and hence minimalistic. It comes with an improved voice control function which responds to “Hey Lexus”, a proactive driver assistance system, and touch controls that can be viewed and also adjusted with minimal eye and head movement.
The dashboard features a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen as standard, which includes satnav and cloud services enabling ‘always on’ connectivity. There is also wireless smartphone charging, wireless Apple Car Play & Android Auto Tethering.
There is also heated and ventilated seats with vegan synthetic leather adorns the upholstery, steering wheel and gear shifter along with multi-coloured illumination accents & a panorama glass roof. The vegan synthetic leather is seen as a unique offering of the company while other models use real leather. So, if you are an animal lover, there is one more reason to buy the all new Lexus RX.
All of these make the new RX a unique luxury sensation you can’t miss. Lexus had already sold the RX 450hL in India as a CBU model. Although we can’t expect to have manufacturing of Lexus in India, the Indian market is surely ripe to embrace the new Lexus RX 450h+ or the RX500h. We can sure hope this version of Lexus RX hits the Indian roads sooner.
If and when the Lexus RX is launched in India, it will be priced around 1 Crore to 2.5 Crores in the Indian market. It is to be noted that the Lexus ES 300h is already sold in India with a price range of 60 Lakhs to 2.5 Crores. Interestingly, the Indian actor Kamala Hassan has recently gifted a Lexus ES 300h to the Vikram movie director Lokesh Kanagaraj for the box office success of the film.
Lexus RX directly competes with BMW X5 & Jaguar I Pace. Although Jaguar I Pace is pure electric SUV, the similar profile and the PHEV engine of Lexus RX variants makes it to compete with the Jaguar. It is to be noted that Lexus had already sold more than 2.2 Lakh units of RX in the past one year.
So, what do you think? Will the Japanese luxury car arm of Toyota bring in the new RX to India? And even if it brings will this compete with the other entrenched brands like BMW, Audi, and Jaguar? Let us know what you think in the comments.
