Mpg Of Lexus Rx 350
The Lexus RX was the first 1 in and the last one out. It was the start hybrid luxury SUV in 2005 and 17 years later it's the final vehicle in its course to offer a hybrid selection. Competitors have come and gone over the years, with many evolving into plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles. During that time, the RX has remained true to its mission of delivering efficient luxury and largely avoided other manufacturers' functioning wars.
For 2023, the Lexus RX lineup gets a full redesign and this new 5th-generation model sees big changes while maintaining its core personality.
There'due south something admirable about being self-aware plenty to know where your strengths prevarication and capitalizing on them, just at the aforementioned time, information technology tends to narrow overall entreatment. Nowadays, practiced plenty isn't skillful enough. Nosotros've been conditioned to wait that luxury vehicles can't merely be comfortable, they have to wow you with Nürburgring-tuned handling and hit 60 mph faster than DotCom-era supercars.
That'south not the 2023 Lexus RX. Lexus recognizes that not all drivers desire or need gobs of ability and dispatch that pins you to the seat. Some people but want to cruise in repose contentment. While that kind of honest assessment is appreciated, I contend that perhaps functioning has been pushed too far back on the priorities list.
A Bronze Medal is Notwithstanding Expert, Right?
The new 2023 RX lineup is made upward of the base RX 350, the RX 350h hybrid and the more powerful RX 500h hybrid. Lexus as well plans to sell the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid in the U.S., but exactly when that will happen isn't clear yet.
The RX 350 is now powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine instead of last yr'south V6. It makes 275 horsepower, 20 hp less than its predecessor, but its 317 pound-feet of torque is a l lb-ft proceeds. That'due south not plenty to noticeably improve acceleration, though, as Lexus estimates it will take 7.ii seconds to reach 60 mph with the all-wheel drive model (the front-bulldoze version needs vii.5 seconds). These times are adequate, but far from impressive.
The RX 350h hybrid loses the turbocharger and adds a hybrid powertrain and a supplemental electric motor to ability the rear axle for all-bike drive. Combined, they produce 246 hp and 233 lb-ft of torque and Lexus claims it'll advance to threescore mph in 7.iv seconds.
You'd recollect that would also be as adequate equally the non-hybrid RX 350, but it'due south not. On most highway onramps, you'll take to pin the pedal to the floor to confidently merge into the flow of traffic. Meanwhile, the engine moos like a recalcitrant cow as the continuously variable manual (CVT) keeps the revs annoyingly high.
New to the lineup is the RX 500h, a more powerful variant that puts the turbo dorsum on to increase output to 366 hp and 406 lb-ft, enough to propel it to lx mph in 5.9 seconds. That's much more closer to the residuum of the form and marginally faster than the Genesis GV80 2.5T or Mercedes-Benz GLE350, but those are the base of operations models of those vehicles. Each offers options with much more power, as does the Acura MDX Type Due south.
The RX 500h's rear electric motor is also different to the i in the RX 350h and allows up to lxxx percent of power to be biased dorsum there where the 350h can only administer up to a 50/50 divide betwixt front end and rear axles.
Once again, the RX isn't almost performance and not every vehicle has to be "fast," just when everyone else is, you feel slow.
Smooth Operator
When it comes to handling, I typically refer to an imaginary sliding scale with comfort on ane end and performance on the other. The RX's soft intermission tuning has it solidly on the comfort side of the spectrum. Potholes and bumps in the road are mostly shrugged off with barely any recognition. You'll hear a muted thud only generally won't feel much of an impact, and that's one of the RX's greatest strengths.
That softness does little for cornering conviction, though. Trunk roll is noticeable but not alarming. Information technology certainly doesn't encourage sporty driving in the fashion a BMW X5 does, and feels heavy and ponderous by comparing. On showtime undulations, you'll also experience some rest bouncing, but not plenty to feel queasy. Softness as well carries over to the brakes, which have a spongy pedal with lots of travel.
As the only traditional hybrid in the class, fuel economy is an important factor.
The front end-wheel-drive RX 350 is estimated to render 25 mpg in combined city and highway driving and 24 mpg with all-cycle drive. That's an comeback of ane mpg over final year'south V6. The RX 350h hybrid sees more significant gains and is estimated at 36 mpg combined, an improvement of six mpg from its predecessor and probable the most fuel-efficient midsize SUV on the market place for 2023. (Not all the data is in yet). The RX 500h is rated at a very respectable 27 mpg combined.
By comparison, the entry-level BMW X5 40i is estimated at 23 mpg. Stepping up to the X5 M50i reduces fuel economy to 18 mpg. BMW does offer a plug-in hybrid, however, and it should deliver 31 miles of EV range and xx mpg under hybrid propulsion. The Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 and 450 are estimated at 22 mpg combined. The Acura MDX comes close at 22 mpg and 21 mpg for front end- and all-wheel drive, respectively.
Information technology's Meliorate Within
The new RX'south interior also gets a full makeover with some notable improvements. The dash now features a large 9.8-inch standard touchscreen or a 14-inch upgrade. Thankfully, Lexus finally abased the previous generation's trackpad controller which I consider the worst infotainment interface in the industry.
Nearly of the display is within reach of the driver and the large on-screen buttons are easy to tap when driving. Lexus also points out that vocalization controls are improved, but these early pre-production vehicles had a tough time understanding my vox commands and responses were very slow.
Materials and build quality come across luxury SUV expectations, with a few exceptions. The dashboard is attractive and feels sturdy, but the center console can be a source of disappointment. The light-colored fake woodgrain isn't very disarming and reminds me of the plastic "forest" used on early on-80s era TVs and VCRs. The darker trim choices are much more believable. Further back is a double-hinged armrest lid which can be accessed by the driver or front passenger with equal ease. The problem is that the hinge machinery isn't made to tight tolerances and wobbles around.
On the plus side, the RX's front end seats are well-shaped for comfort. That'southward good because there don't seem to be any available massage functions. The rear seats are notable for the amount of thigh support they provide. The seat cushions are taller to more evenly distribute passenger weight and there is as well plenty of foot and legroom. That elevated cushion limits headroom a chip, but occupants under six-feet alpine should take plenty of space.
Backside those 60/40 divide-folding seats is 29.6 cubic-feet of cargo space, a huge improvement over final generation'southward 16 cubes and only a little less than the BMW X5 or Mercedes GLE, but off the footstep compared to most others.
The Acura MDX only has 18.1 cubic-feet with all the seats in identify, but it has three rows. With third row down it offers 39.1 cubic-feet and opens up to 95 overall, more than double the RX's 46.2 cubic-foot maximum. The RX'south liftover height is rather tall too, requiring more than try to load heavier and bulkier objects.
Y'all Could Do Better
I expected more from the redesigned 2023 Lexus RX and and so should you. It earns points for fuel economy figures and overall comfort, but it falls well short of the mark ready past other luxury SUVs in terms of performance and interior quality. The RX 350h is dreadfully underpowered while the RX 350 and RX 500h are merely average.
I too experienced frequent false alarms from the driver attending warning system and had to hunt through the touchscreen menus to disable that office, which is possibly the worst indictment for condom-related features. The lane-keep aid was also poor at keeping the RX centered. With any luck, these problems could exist addressed before the RX goes on sale at the finish of 2022.
Pricing hasn't been announced still, but if it'due south similar to the previous generation, the RX would be a relative bargain compared to the pricey BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Grade. Equally an alternative, consider upgrading to plug-in hybrids such as the Volvo XC60 and XC90 or step up to the growing listing of luxury and non-luxury electrical SUVs.
Lexus provided lodging, meals and travel to enable us to bring you this first-person study. Although Forbes Wheels sometimes participates in manufacturer-hosted events, our coverage is independent, unbiased and aimed at offering consumers an objective view of every vehicle we exam.
Mpg Of Lexus Rx 350,
Source: https://www.forbes.com/wheels/news/2023-lexus-rx-first-drive/
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