Lexus RX330, RX350, and RX450h

Lexus unveiled the new RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2009; both have improved powertrains.

2010 Lexus RX 350

In its second generation, the RX 450h will have an enhanced Hybrid Drive with a 3.5-liter V6 gas engine that runs on a highly efficient Atkinson cycle. Combined with a more efficient inverter, the total system output will be 295 horsepower, 27 more horsepower than the current RX hybrid.

Two new systems improve its efficiency. The first is an exhaust-heat recovery system that reduces engine warm-up time for better fuel economy and emissions. The second is a cooled exhaust-gas recirculation system that reduces engine pumping losses.

The RX 450h has a choice of a front-wheel hybrid drive or an electronically driven, part-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) hybrid drive system, which supplies the rear wheels with the optimal amount of torque. Unlike mechanical AWD systems, the RX 450h’s rear-mounted electric motor-generator allows all four wheels to perform regenerative braking, charging the hybrid battery more effectively.

2010 Lexus dashboard - RX

The third generation RX 350 will be powered by an improved 275-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to an electrically controlled, sequential-shift six-speed transaxle. The all-wheel-drive version will feature an Active Torque Control AWD system that optimizes torque depending on driving conditions, resulting in improved efficiency and performance.

Both RX models feature a new, uniquely designed double-wishbone rear suspension that increases agility and control. Its design also allows for five percent more cargo volume and easier loading.

The RX models possess a number of Lexus-first technologies. An available Hard Disk Drive (HDD) navigation system has a “Remote Touch” controller on the center console, which acts like a computer mouse. It can be customized to the desired level of haptic feedback. While RX will have standard voice recognition, the new navigation system will also include a new casual language voice-recognition system that acknowledges conversational commands. Standard XM® satellite-radio capability (requires subscription) is joined by XM NavTraffic and new NavWeather features.

The five-passenger interior includes a new “dual-zone cockpit” design with a “display zone” and an “operation zone.”

The “display zone” uses an eight-inch navigation display set back in the dash. A white organic LED informational display ensures readability from a wide angle. An optional Heads-up Display reduces the need for excessive eye movement, and the use of high-intensity LEDs make the display bright enough to be read in direct sunlight.

The “operation zone” provides access and control to a large range of information through the available “Remote Touch” navigation controller and the steering-wheel-mounted multi-information switch.

2010 Lexus RX350

Standard 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels complement the exterior with a strong, sporty look, with optional 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. While it has increased in nearly every dimension, overall aerodynamic advancement was aided by a specially designed undertray, resulting in a segment-topping 0.32 coefficient of drag (Cd).

The RX 450h hybrid will have its own unique styling features, including an exclusive grille, hybrid badging, front bumper, a different 19-inch optional wheel design, blue-tinted headlamps and taillamps, and optional LED headlamps.

The RX is available with a selection of luxury and sport option packages, which include features like Lexus’ exclusive Mark Levinson® Surround Sound system, a dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system, dynamic radar cruise control, and a Sports Package featuring a sport-tuned suspension.

The RX will offer a wide-angle side view monitor. With a camera located under the passenger side-view mirror, the driver can check hard-to-view areas on the passenger side of the vehicle by selecting a button on the navigation screen or the steering wheel and viewing the camera image on the navigation screen.

Lexus’ available Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) seamlessly integrates individual systems like Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Hill Assist Control (HAC) and Traction Control (TRAC). It operates in a smooth proactive way via throttle, steering and braking to help prevent skids while cornering before the vehicle reaches its operating limits on slippery roads or other challenging conditions.

The available Pre-Collision System (PCS) relies on millimeter-wave radar technology to recognize a possible frontal collision and primes the brake assist and retracts the driver’s and front passenger’s seat-belt in anticipation of the crash. An intelligent Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) is available with HID low- and high-beam headlamps on both models, while the RX 450h also offers the AFS with LED low-beam and Halogen high-beam headlamps. Both anticipate the vehicle’s location based on vehicle speed and steering angle, swiveling the front headlamps into the turn. An optional new automatic high-beam system detects light from oncoming vehicles, preceding vehicles or ambient sources and automatically switches from high to low beams.

Passive safety features include 10 standard airbags, including dual-stage driver and front-passenger airbags (including the Lexus exclusive twin-chamber front-passenger airbag), driver and front-passenger knee airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side airbags, and side-curtain airbags. It is also equipped with Lexus’ front-seat active headrests, designed to help reduce a possible whiplash injury when in certain lower speed collisions from the rear.

The 2010 RX 350 will go on sale next February, while the 2010 RX 450h will reach dealerships in the spring.

2010 RX 350 and RX 450h PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS

  2010 RX 350 2009 RX 350 2010 RX 450h 2008 RX 400h
Total Horsepower 275 hp 270 hp 295 hp 268 hp
Engine 3.5-liter V6 3.5-liter V6 3.5-liter V6 3.3-liter V6
Transmission 6-speed automatic
with sequential shift
5-speed automatic CVT CVT
Towing Capacity* 3,500 lbs.
Width (inches) 74.2 72.6 74.2 72.6
Height

(inches)
66.5 66.1 66.5 66.1
Overall Length

(inches)
187.8 186.2 187.8 187.2
Wheelbase

(inches)
107.9 106.9 107.9 106.9
Drive Wheels FWD or AWD
Emissions ULEV II ULEV II SULEV SULEV

* With optional Towing Package

 

Review — 2005 Lexus RX330

The Lexus RX330 combines a serious SUV exterior with a luxury-car interior to provide a comfortable package which will appeal to those who find cars too low to the ground or not sufficiently macho. At the same time, it has better economy and handling than full-size SUVs, and lots of standard gadgetry.

2009 RX 350

The imposing exterior includes the popular clear tail-light lenses, covering red and amber bulbs, and seems styled to make the RX330 look larger than it is. Inside, there is comfortable room for four, sufficient seating for five, and a moderately sized cargo area, all with very good headroom.

The 3.3 liter engine from which the RX330 presumably takes its name is fast in sprints, but since it makes most of its power only in at higher speeds, there can be a fairly long lag before acceleration, since the transmission has to downshift. Given the transmission's preference for staying in higher gears as often as possible, and the delay between hitting the gas and downshifting, this means that the RX330 often does not feel responsive on the highway, despite 0-60 times of 7.3-7.4 seconds. It does well in sprints, despite delays at each shift as the engine falls back to lower speeds. Staying in high gears is good for gas mileage, which is a Navigator-killing 20 mpg or so, but which is fairly poor compared to cars of similar size and speed.

2009 Lexus RX-350

Shifts can be very smooth if acceleration is light, but they can also make themselves clearly known under harder acceleration. Both the engine and transmission are very quiet, but the drivetrain in our test vehicle tended to make a sort of rattly noise when we let off the gas in city driving. This might have merely been a loose exhaust mounting, though. The gearshift is gated in a pattern which unfortunately makes inadvertant slips from drive to fourth gear too easy, and has a button for snow mode (starting in second and such). There is no manumatic, so you use the gears the car chooses for you.

Handling feels sure and confident, but the tires tend to squeal at the slightest provocation, a noise heard more outside than inside thanks to excellent sound insulation. Some of the handling acumen may come from the standard active suspension, a feature being seen more and more on high-end SUVs, partly to avoid the rollovers which plagued Ford vans and SUVs. The active suspension should be especially helpful in bad weather, though drivers should never rely on technology to save them. All wheel drive also helps to avoid prolonged squeals and loss of control when accelerating hard around a turn.

Visibility is generally good, though the usual SUV rear pillar blind spot exists (smaller than in many competitors). The front passenger-side wiper has an interesting cam system which allows it greater reach than usual, and there is also a rear wiper-washer.

The Lexus abounds with safety features, including antilock brakes, traction control, driver's knee airbag, side curtain airbags, and a first aid kit. Luxury features include an excellent stereo with digital imaging (it lets you choose which seats get the best sound, with a setting for all passengers) and steering wheel controls, integrated garage door opener, dual zone automatic climate control with rear vents, moving center console, power front seats, and heated outside mirrors. The RX330 takes a normal "standard option" and goes one better - not only do all four power windows have an express down mode, requiring a single touch to move each window down all the way (something normally reserved for the driver's window), but they also all have an express up feature, requiring a single touch to go all the way up. There is also an anti-pinch feature for safety, but it requires a lot of pressure to stop the window. The back door takes a nod from the Dodge Caravan by opening and closing at the touch of a button, on the key fob, the door itself, or the dashboard. This door seems very safe, stopping and reversing itself at a very slight blockage.

While most of the controls are sensible and well placed, particularly the cruise (which has its own stalk), others are not quite as well thought out. The mirror controls and rear door button are hidden by a sliding cover most of the time, and by the steering wheel the rest of the time. The power rear door lockout switch is hidden in the glove compartment, very hard to find even after seeing the picture in the owner's manual. The stereo's audio controls are all accessed by repeatedly pushing the same button, going through the speaker optimization (which seats, then on/off), bass, midrange, treble, balance, and fade, which means that the driver can't really adjust any of them without losing sight of the road, and some of the other stereo controls only show up on the LCD display. Generally, the audio system requires more attention than it really should. The climate control system also tends to require too much attention, particularly the keep-pressing mode button (which controls which vents the air goes through). In both cases, knobs would be simpler, easier to use, and less distracting. Some other controls are busy (for example, both front and rear wipers and washers are on the same stalk), while others are in odd places (the seat warmer are next to the headlight washers by the transmission, while the trip odometer button and panel brightness are hidden by the steering wheel underneath the lights stalk, and the gas cap release is practically out of sight underneath the mirror and power door controls). We do like the instrument panel-mounted ignition switch, which is easier to locate and reduces key jangling than column-mounted switches.

The interior is very nicely designed, with a modern yet luxurious look. Some of the wood trim on our model is part of a $3,440 option package, which includes leather trim, power tilt-telescoping steering (tied into the memory system), moonroof, power rear door, high-intensity headlamps, roof rails, wood and leather steering wheel and shift knob, and illuminated entry. We were actually surprised to see that the illuminated entry system is optional, since it's standard on many lesser cars. This goes along with the mystery of the power locks, which lock when you get into gear, but do not automatically unlock; and to shut them off, you need to visit a Lexus dealer, even though Jeep, General Motors, and others let the driver set locking preferences. We do suggest getting the luxury package, which greatly adds to the "Lexus feel" of the RX330. The power steering wheel is an easy design to use, and helps to quickly and effortlessly put the wheel exactly where it's needed. The moonroof is unusually easy to use, with express opening (press the button once and it opens all the way), express closing, and a separate tilt up/close control. The high-intensity headlights are well focused, so they provide an excellent view of the road, without blinding all the other drivers, and they are augmented by standard halogens when the high beams are on.

The rain-sensing windshield wipers are surprisingly well designed and convenient, working exactly as they should without any intervention, with a frequency control to meet driver preferences. This is probably one of the most handy automatic features we've seen, and it works better than, say, the automatic headlights, which tend to come on repeatedly as you pass under clouds, trees, and bridges. There is also an automatic climate control with a driver and front passenger zone (there are also rear vents, but no separate rear controls), which also has its quirks, notably guessing that it should start with the air in recirculating mode each time, or sometimes guessing incorrectly that the defroster is needed. Like the stereo, the system has some buttons in the black part of the center stack, and some in the chrome part.

Gauges are well labelled and sharp-looking, though the speedometer goes up to a rather excessive 140 mph, which compresses the rest of the scale. The tachometer is the same size as the speedometer, and the temperature and fuel gauge are half-sized and in their own pod, with the gear indicator.. The display is easy to read in any light. A central LCD display provides information on outside temperature and other details, and also provides a trip computer (average gas mileage, average speed, etc.); the backlighting brightness has several settings to keep visibility high in all types of light, but, oddly, the stereo display's brightness appears to be unchangeable, though it's also a backlit LCD screen. A compass is included in the rear view mirror as well.

The interior is also filled with many interior storage spaces, some of which are particularly clever or well implemented. The ample door pockets are hinged to make looking inside easier; the center console has pushbuttons for opening and closing, but will stay open for larger objects; the center front cupholders have a woodgrain cover and flip-up rubber stays to accommodate differently sized cups, and another cupholder is integrated in the dashboard; and rear passengers have a fold-down compartment (along with their own map pockets) which contains a covered center bin as well as their own cupholders. Underneath the cargo bay floor are a variety of compartments for smaller items, all well designed and seemingly of high quality materials. Oddly, there seems to be no coin holder, though sunglasses can be placed in an overhead bin.

Overall, the Lexus RX330 has a lot going for it, beyond the excellent reputation of the manufacturer. The interior is quiet, comfortable, and well designed, the active suspension and other safety features inspire confidence, gas mileage is better than most large SUVs, all wheel drive is standard, acceleration is good on sprints, the floor is just at the right height (perhaps a little on the high side) to make it easy to enter and exit, and the general feel is of quality and luxury. Lexus' reliability makes a mockery of Mercedes', Lincoln's, and BMW's claims to quality, and resale values reflect this. However, a car will make sense for most buyers, since the RX330 is no larger than many cars; $37,000 (or in our case, $41,478, thanks to $21 for alloy wheels, $665 for heated front seats with rainsensing wipers and headlamp washers, $3,440 for the premium plus package, $66 for wheel locks, and $92 for a cargo mat) will buy a lot of car.

While the Lexus RX330 has good amounts of luxury, the Lexus ES has more, in a more practical package. Those seeking an SUV because they want the space may do better with the Chrysler Pacifica, which has a classy looking interior, far more space, similar gas mileage, greater responsiveness, five star safety ratings all around, airbags for all three rows of seats, and a considerably lower price. The Kia Sorrento actually manages to capture most of the luxury cues and feel, with an engine that feels more punchy, at a price $10,000 lower. Those in the mood for greater performance may prefer the BMW X5 or Volvo sportwagons. The Subaru Outback, which started the "car-SUV hybrid" trend, is also worth a good, long look, with its bevy of bad-weather features and comfortable, attractive interior. To be fair, none of these are a Lexus, and that's a distinction worth noting.

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