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2020 Lexus RX and RXL get refined front face, new tech

Lexus is updating its RX and RXL lineup of luxury crossovers for 2020 with tweaks to its steering and driving dynamics, interior and exterior, new Android Auto integration and standard Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 technology. The changes also boost the RX 350 starting price to $45,175, including a $1,025 destination charge. On the outside, Lexus changed the look of the front by updating the spindle grille, which had previously featured horizontal slats, and adding more prominent surrounds to the fog lights that echo the grille. Also echoed are the hand-drawn angles of the grille surround at each corner of the bumper to harmonize the visual flow. Lexus says the RX line is its first to get Android Auto integration, joining the existing Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility. The touchscreen — both the standard 8-inch display and available 12.3-inch split-screen version — has moved almost 5.5 inches closer to the driver and now offers control over both audio and climate systems, plus display for the rearview camera when backing up. There are also two new USB ports, bringing the total to six, plus a new designated mobile phone storage area near the front of the center console. If you opt for the 12.3-inch display, you get dynamic voice command, which Lexus says is capable of recognizing millions more phrases, is more accurate and offers expanded points of interest searches than its conventional voice-recognition systems. And finally, you get a three-year trial with Lexus Enform Remote to remotely start the car from your smartphone. Lexus is also adding its Safety System+ 2.0 as standard across the lineup, which adds daytime bicyclist detection and low-light pedestrian detection, plus road-sign assist and lane-tracing assist, which works in conjunction with dynamic radar cruise control. On the driving side, Lexus added hollow front and rear stabilizer bars to reduce weight, but theyÂ’re thicker in diameter and feature reinforced bushings to help reduce body roll and improve response on steering. The shock absorbers were re-turned to work with the stiffer roll bars, and there are upgraded dampers with a new friction control device to better control high-frequency vibrations and smooth out the ride. Further refining the ride is a stiffer suspension design, to reduce noise and vibration from the road, and added active corner braking to help prevent understeering by braking the inner wheel and providing more stability to the vehicleÂ’s handling.

Toyota has two all-new 8-passenger SUVs in the works, and one's a Lexus

Toyota announced yesterday that its Princeton, Indiana, manufacturing plant is getting a big $803 million infusion of cash. The reason? Toyota casually dropped that it will soon build “two all-new, three-row SUVs” there. TheyÂ’ll be “designed with the active Gen Y American Family in mind,” which is another way of saying that Toyota is targeting Millennials. In case you missed it, Millennials are in their late 20s and 30s now! That means they have growing families and need more space to put them. Both new SUVs will seat up to eight passengers. The other big reveal is that both will be electrified. WeÂ’re going to assume that means theyÂ’ll be regular hybrids in ToyotaÂ’s case, though thereÂ’s every possibility for a PHEV “Prime” version, too. Both will have semi-automated driving systems, advanced enough that they will “allow for hands-free driving in certain conditions.” Plus, there will be a remote parking system that allows “the driver to park and unpark outside the vehicle using a smartphone.” The last nugget of tech Toyota is sharing with us is that both will use a new “digital key” that turns your smartphone into a quasi key and allows you to share it digitally with others. Another bit of information concerning these two is that one will be a Toyota, and the other will be a Lexus. What these two models will be named is not yet clear. Seeing “three-row SUV,” our minds instantly go to Sequoia. That model is as old as it gets these days, and is deeply in need of a redesign — the current generation launched all the way back in 2008. However, Toyota does not explicitly say that this news pertains to the next-gen Sequoia. In fact, previous reports of the Sequoia shifting its production location to San Antonio lead us to believe that this news has absolutely nothing to do with a potential next generation of the SUV. Coincidentally, the Sequoia is currently built at the Princeton, Indiana, plant thatÂ’s getting this investment — that official switchover to Texas is reported to happen sometime in 2022.  ToyotaÂ’s language in this press release, plus the knowledge that Sequoia is leaving Indiana, all indicates that these two three-row SUVs might not be rough-and-tumble body-on-frame off-roaders. TheyÂ’re likely going to be plenty capable (hitting that “active lifestyle” market), but the focus toward families suggests that comfort could be paramount.

2018 Lexus RX 350L Quick Spin Review | Minding the gap in the Lexus lineup

PORTLAND, Ore. — Why on Earth does Lexus still make the Jurassic GX 460? It's old, inefficient, body-on-frame and completely atypical of the rest of the three-row luxury segment. Well, the answer lies in that segment descriptor: three rows. People want them, yet Lexus didn't offer anything else between the two-row RX and the $85,000, Land Cruiser-based LX 570. Despite this lineup gap lasting for two decades, Lexus decided to finally attempt filling it with a seemingly quick-and-dirty solution: Lengthen the RX 350, shoehorn in a third row, add an L to the name, wipe hands together, call it a day. The resulting 2018 Lexus RX 350L does indeed have a third row of seats and is generally a far superior vehicle to the GX. It's better to drive, massively more efficient, and its beautiful interior is up to the current Lexus norm. The cargo door doesn't swing into the curb. Plus, unlike some other slapped-together lengthened jobs over the years like the Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT or even the long-wheelbase Range Rover, the RX 350L doesn't suffer visually for its extra inches. In fact, it can be difficult to tell the L apart from a non-L unless the two are parked together in profile. If everything, the extra 4.4 inches of length might actually improve the RX's proportions from certain angles. Of course, quite a few people find the current RX to be hideous, so finding comments below that include the words "lipstick" and "pig" would not be surprising. Adding the L also doesn't seem to take away from the RX's driving experience, which continues to impress. The current model is buttoned down and involving in a way its couch-like predecessors never attempted to be. From the lowered driving position to the more responsive steering, this is a far more driver-oriented vehicle. You don't even need to engage Sport mode, but doing so dials in an appropriate level of steering weight and sharpens throttle/transmission response. This general sportification also hasn't taken anything away from comfort, as a three-hour road trip from Portland to Seattle proved it to be a superb highway cruiser. Both seat and ride comfort are excellent. That was with two people aboard, however. Later in the week, we managed to easily fit an extra pair in the second row along with a rear-facing baby seat. That's all well and good, but the regular RX can do that.