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2023 Lexus RX First Drive Review: Bold colors, three hybrids, irksome tech

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Every car has its color. ItÂ’s usually the one prominently photographed in press or marketing photos; the one its designers thought made the biggest impact. TheyÂ’re often bold hues, though rarely popular. The original Lexus RX will forever be remembered painted Desert Bronze. It was as bold and distinctive as the vehicle itself – remember, the RX was the first real luxury crossover, arriving before the BMW X5 and at the same time Acura was trying to pawn off Isuzu Troopers. The RX would go on to be achingly bland, but in the beginning, it was radically new and different. Desert Bronze drove home that point. As if to make a similar statement, the fifth-generation, 2023 Lexus RX arrives resplendent in Copper Crest. Despite the name, itÂ’s more of a rose gold in person, and nothing else on the road is painted anything quite like it from the factory. ItÂ’s very of-the-moment, and in 25 years, weÂ’ll all remember this RX in this color. Of course, the real question is whether the car itself will be worth remembering. It's at least a better-looking vehicle than the one it replaces, applying updated Lexus styling cues more cohesively to a body that looks like it was meant for them from the beginning. The silhouette is even less SUV-like now. Although the various modelsÂ’ ground clearances are all over 8 inches and the overall height only 0.4 lower than before, the new RX sure looks lower than the old one in person, and just low in general for an SUV. ThereÂ’s a bit of a giant hatchback thing going on, which isnÂ’t necessarily a bad thing. 2023 Lexus RX 350 Premium in Copper Crest View 10 Photos Key interior dimensions are virtually unchanged, if actually slightly below the previous generation. Clearly the sizable number of loyal RX customers didnÂ’t have a beef with available space. For what itÂ’s worth, a pair of rear passengers reported that the back seat was very comfortable with plenty of space despite a tall driver up front. Cargo capacity measures 29.6 cubic-feet with the back seat raised, which would be comparable to a Toyota Venza. Interior quality doesnÂ’t seem to be quite to the level of its predecessor, and the addition of a colossal screen rarely does aesthetic favors to a dashboard design. The RX is no exception, and while the new touchscreens available in 9.8- and 14-inch sizes provide improved functionality over the old Remote Touch touchpad-and-display system, that was a bar that could be cleared with a short hop.

2018 Lexus RX 450hL hybrid will start just over $50,000

Lexus has announced pricing on its 2018 RX 450hL, saying that its new three-row, all-wheel-drive hybrid crossover will carry a starting MSRP just $1,550 higher than the non-hybrid AWD RX 350L when it goes on sale starting in April. The RX 450hL will start at $51,615, positioning it right in-between luxury crossover competitors like the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 and Infiniti QX60. The Luxury package, which adds features like semi-aniline trimmed seats, interior LED ambient lighting, laser-cut wood trim and 20-inch machine-finished alloy wheels, bumps the price up to $55,550. Prices include a $995 delivery, processing and handling fee. Lexus says the 450hL will get new features like second-row captain's chairs, leather-trimmed seats and complimentary Lexus Inform Safety Connect and Service Connect membership for the first 10 years of ownership. Standard safety features include a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assistance, intelligent high beam headlights and all-speed dynamic radar cruise control. The RX 450hL combines a 3.5-liter V6 engine with two high-torque electric drive motor-generators to produce 308 in combined horsepower, with an EV mode allowing it to run on pure electric power at lower speeds for short periods. Lexus hasn't yet released fuel-economy figures for the hybrid, but the conventional RX 450h is rated at a combined 30 mpg by fueleconomy.gov. Lexus has added 4.3 inches to the rear body length of the 450hL and added more room for third-row occupants by incorporating a steeper tailgate. We've previously covered the introduction of the three-row RX 450hL and the 2018 RX 350L, which is powered by a 290-hp 3.5-liter V6 and is available in both front- and all-wheel-drive. The latter starts at $48,665 and goes up to $55,080. The RX line has been Lexus' best-selling model, with sales of 108,307 units in 2017.Related Video:

Lexus RC F is a predatory sport coupe with a 450-horsepower beating heart

Take a look at that face. We can't be the only ones who see an automotive Predator staring back, right? Certainly, the Lexus RC F Coupe boasts a visually striking design that some are going to love and others are going to hate, but we can at least appreciate that it's aggressive, especially compared to the standard RC Coupe that we saw at the Tokyo Motor Show. And with good reason - there's a 5.0-liter V8 engine sitting under that massively domed hood with "more than 450 horsepower," along with a newly calibrated eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Interestingly, Lexus has tuned the RC F's engine to run on an Atkinson cycle under most circumstances, while it switches to the more typical Otto cycle when more power is required, presumably using some sort of advanced variable valve timing technology. Helping put that power to the ground with all those ponies wreaking havoc underhood is a torque vectoring differential, a first from Lexus.
Also involved in keeping the RC F planted is an aero package that includes wings and ducts galore. The headline bit is an active rear wing that deploys at 50 miles per hour and retracts back into the deck when the car drops back to 25 mph. A clear-coated carbon fiber roof can optionally join that carbon rear wing. There are apparently going to be three 19-inch wheel options, including the ones you see in our live image gallery above.