Test drive the updated Lexus RX
Optics with "mirrors-blades", modified suspension, multimedia with a touchscreen and Apple CarPlay - the most popular premium crossover has gone through not only formal restyling
In 1998, Lexus had not even celebrated its first XNUMXth anniversary yet, but it had already managed to overtake all the premium brands in the United States in sales, including local ones. To finally finish off the hopelessly outdated Lincolns and Cadillacs, the Japanese introduced a fundamentally new car to the market.
The first RX, in fact, became the ancestor of the genre of premium crossovers, combining the comfort of a sedan, the functionality of a station wagon and off-road capability. Even the Germans found themselves in the role of catch-up, as the first BMW X5 entered the market only a year later.
Lexus continued to build on the success of the model over the next two decades. The appearance of a hybrid modification, the introduction of the crossover to the home market, where it replaced the Toyota Harrier, a seven-seater version ... All this contributed to the growth of sales, which at the moment have already exceeded one million units.
The fourth-generation model continues to hold the leadership in its segment in many countries, and, say, in Russia, it has long been the most demanded crossover in the price range of 3-5 million rubles. However, there are still a lot of questions for the RX, the main ones of which relate to not too impressive handling and not very modern media system. Yes, and the exterior of the car at one time found many critics.
During the modernization, the exterior of the crossover really underwent a "make-up", although the set of changes is very modest. The designers have slightly tweaked a number of key details, including the false radiator grille, optics, front and rear bumpers.
The headlights have become slightly narrower and have lost the thorny corners at the top. The fog lights moved down and got a horizontal shape, which made the car visually wider. The RX was deliberately made less provocative, as many customers complained about the over-aggressiveness of the fourth generation model. However, it will not be easy to immediately distinguish the updated crossover from the dorestyle: the front part still cuts the eye with intricacies of elements that are sharp, like the wings of an origami crane.
But the main "peppercorn" is now in the womb of the head optics. The updated RX features headlights with unique BladeScan technology. The light beam of the diodes falls on two mirror plates rotating at a speed of up to 6000 rpm, after which it hits the lens and illuminates the road in front of the car. The electronics synchronizes the rotation of the plates, and also turns on and off the high beam diodes, which makes it possible to highlight areas with poor visibility with greater accuracy and smoothness, but at the same time not blind drivers in the oncoming lane.
Changes have also taken place in the cabin, where a new 12,3-inch touchscreen display has appeared, which, moreover, has been moved a little closer to the driver for ease of use. An inconvenient "mouse-joystick", which was not scolded only by the most polite, has now given way to a more familiar touchpad, which understands a set of standard movements for controlling a smartphone. Finally, the infotainment complex began to understand the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces, and also learned to perceive voice commands.
Among other little things - a special rubberized pocket-holder for mobile gadgets, an additional USB connector, as well as new front seats with reinforced lateral support, which, however, are only available in versions with the F-Sport package.
Engineers have significantly conjured up the car to improve its handling. The rigidity of the body was increased by adding 25 new welding spots and applying several meters of additional adhesive joints. Additional dampers have appeared between the front and rear side members, replacing the strut, which should dampen small vibrations and high-frequency vibrations.
In addition, the developers have played with the chassis, using two new anti-roll bars, which are thicker and stiffer, but at the same time lighter due to their hollow shape. Serious changes have also been made to the adaptive suspension, in which the number of programmed operating modes has increased from 30 to 650, which makes it possible to quickly and more accurately adapt its settings to a specific road surface.
In addition, in the shock absorbers themselves, a special rubber elastic element appeared directly inside the cylinder, aimed at suppressing vibrations. Finally, the engineers reconfigured the stability control system, where the Active Cornering Assist program was added. The system is designed to combat understeer, which most often occurs on vehicles with front wheel drive and overweight at the front, by braking the correct wheels.
As a result, a pleasant heaviness appeared in the steering wheel, the rolls became not so obvious, and vibrations when cornering are practically not felt. From the driver's point of view, the ride has become easier and more interesting so that even on the ornate Spanish serpentine he starts to press on the gas with much more confidence.
The range of power units remains the same as before. The base engine is a 238-horsepower two-liter "turbo four", which, even by its sound, seems to be outraged by the fact that it was shoved under the hood of a far from being the lightest four-wheel drive car, almost five meters long. The good old 3,5-liter naturally aspirated V6 with a capacity of 300 forces speaks much more confidently, accelerating the crossover to "hundreds" by almost one and a half seconds faster than a supercharged little one.
The top version is equipped with a hybrid power plant based on the same "six" with a volume of 3,5 liters and an electric motor, which in total give out 313 liters. with. and 335 Nm of torque. It is these crossovers that account for the lion's share of Lexus RX sales in Europe, where gasoline-electric versions are preferred by up to 90% of model buyers. But our hybrids have not yet earned due attention, and their high cost does not contribute to an increase in popularity.
The baseline pre-styling crossover was priced at $ 39, while now the most affordable front-wheel-drive RX will cost $ 442. At the same time, such a significant difference is due to the rejection of the unclaimed initial configuration of the Standart with a rag interior, which was replaced by a more equipped Executive version.
On average, all comparable versions of the model have risen in price by about $ 654 - $ 1. For a car with a two-liter engine and four drive wheels, you will have to pay $ 964, and a crossover with a V45 engine costs from $ 638. The hybrid modification, traditionally available only with the maximum equipment, was estimated at $ 6.
| A type | Crossover | Crossover | Crossover |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4890/1895/1710 | 4890/1895/1710 | 4890/1895/1710 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2790 | 2790 | 2790 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Cargo space, l | 506 | 506 | 506 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2035 | 2040 | 2175 |
| engine's type | I4 benz. | V6 benz. | V6 benz., Hybrid |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1998 | 3456 | 3456 |
| Max. power, l. with. (at rpm) | 238 / 4800-5600 | 299/6300 | 313 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 350 / 1650-4000 | 370/4600 | 335/4600 |
| Drive type, transmission | Full, 6АКП | Full, 8АКП | Full, variator |
| Max. speed km / h | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 9,5 | 8,2 | 7,7 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 9,9 | 12,7 | 5,3 |
| Price from, $. | 45 638 | 54 742 | 73 016 |
