2023 Lexus RX First Drive Review: Best-Seller Gets Better

The 2023 Lexus RX has a tough act to follow.

The previous generation wrapped up its seven-year tenure as the undisputed sales champ of the luxury SUV segment, shifting over 100,000 units in America each and every full year it was on sale. Since the nameplate debuted in 1998, Lexus has sold well over 2 million of the things.

The Japanese luxury brand hasn’t sat on its laurels for the fifth generation of its best-seller. Lexus has thoroughly updated the RX for this year, adopting a new platform, stuffing the car full of modern tech, and introducing a brace of new drivetrain options—including the model’s first performance trim.

The design itself borrows much from baby brother NX, which saw its own redesign last year. Surfacing is cleaner, there are wing-shaped headlights up front, and a full-width taillight comes complete with the spelled-out “L E X U S” badge. The “floating” roof design from the previous generation carries over, too. Lexus has retired the Spindle Grille for what it calls the Spindle Body, the character lines in the hood now creating the upper half of the hourglass shape, when viewed from head-on. The front grille is seamless, and on some trims, has the appearance of water ripples. It’s an altogether softer, more organic look, but still recognizably RX. A total of 10 exterior hues are available, including a great-looking new Copper (but not copper) paint.

Tucked behind that canted-forward beak will be a four-cylinder engine of some sort, regardless of trim. The lion’s share of the sales (almost three-quarters, according to Lexus’ own predictions) will go to the RX 350, which uses the company 2.4-liter turbo-four to make 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. It’s available with either front- or all-wheel drive, and both use an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Lexus being Lexus, there’s also a pair of electrified hybrid models for the RX, from launch. The RX 350h drivetrain is a known quantity: a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter engine pairs with a trio of electric motors and a CVT. Combined power is up slightly to 246 hp, along with 233 lb-ft. Meanwhile, an RX 500h F Sport Performance takes it position at the top of the lineup. It bundles the 2.4-liter turbo with an electric motor for a stout 366 hp and 406 lb-ft. Both hybrid options are AWD-only.

The revamp continues inside. The dashboard adopts a more distinct two-tier design, with a wraparound upper edge that seamlessly connects with the door panels. The resulting recess houses the available ambient lighting. The wide center console should look familiar to NX drivers, with the small auto shifter sitting beside the cupholders. A wireless charging pad can be had up ahead, and it actually holds large iPhones steady for a consistent charge.

The front seats are comfortable, with plenty of adjustments ensuring proper positioning. Rear-seat passengers enjoy slightly increased legroom, too. Depending on trim, heated and ventilated seats are available in both rows. Even on these pre-production units, the surrounds in front and back looks and feels great. Simply put, the 2023 RX interior is a swell place to spend time.

Fans of traditional door handles, look away: the RX also adopts the NX’s electric door handles. Lexus says they’re necessary for its Safe Exit Assist, which can stop a door opening if the car senses an approaching vehicle or even bicycle.

Higher trims also include an available full-color head-up display (HUD). This is an integral mission command, with the touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons at 3- and 9-o’clock handling most tasks in the HUD. It takes some learning, but it becomes natural to flit through drive info, play with the media, or adjust the adaptive cruise control, and the info is all right in the driver’s line of sight. More than that, owners can also program in some of their favorite functions. Smart.

Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is standard on every single RX. It includes an updated pre-collision system, which now senses motorcycles and offers intersection support. There’s also adaptive cruise control (with curve speed reduction), lane departure warning, road sign assist, auto high beams, and the Proactive Driving Assist. The driver attention alert on the pre-prod units was very aggressive, something the Lexus folks told us they were hoping to tone down slightly before production ramped up.

Lexus did something that all automakers should on a new launch: it brought the current model out for back-to-back comparisons. For starters, it’s always useful for journos to get a baseline of what the old model represents. More than that, Lexus expects a lot of buyers of the new RX to have already owned a previous one. So there need to be appreciable improvements.

It’s clear right away. Where the old car feels wooden and stodgy over the sometimes-rough roads of our test route, the 2023 RX is quiet and composed. The new five-link rear suspension makes short work of bumps, and there’s far less road noise making its way into the cabin.

Lexus expects the gas-only RX 350 to account for almost three-quarters of the fifth-gen model’s sales. With less horsepower but more torque than the outgoing V6, the turbo-four offers smooth, no-fuss progress. The eight-speed auto shifts almost imperceptibly, and combined, the pair account for better fuel economy. Front-drive models now do 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, for a combined 25 mpg rating. Opting for AWD drops 1 mpg off all measures.

Want even better fuel bills? The RX 350h is the obvious choice. In real-world driving, the 246-horsepower 350h feels barely slower than not only the gas model (7.4 versus 7.2 seconds to 60 mph), but even the previous RX 450h and its hybrid V6 setup. Estimated fuel economy for the hybrid is 37/34/36 mpg, respectively. The only drawback with the 350h is a criticism we’ve levelled at other vehicles with the same drivetrain. When pushed into passing action, the 2.5-liter engine drones away, detracting from an otherwise premium feel inside the RX.

Despite being the de facto flagship for Lexus, the brand has never treated the RX to a performance model. That changes with the 2023 RX 500 F Sport Performance. There isn’t much to give it away from the outside: requisite badging on the hatch, sure, but the 21-inch alloy wheels and body-colored lower extremities are the the only real tells.

The 366 horsepower comes on strong. The RX 500h isn’t as immediately quick as something like the MDX Type S, mostly due to the wider spread of its unique six-speed automatic. The acceleration is sustained though, a neat soundtrack of turbo-four and futuristic whir accompanying the charge.

Point the 500h into a corner and it exhibits something wholly new to the RX lineup: driving excitement. The Direct4 AWD system isn’t reactive like the AWD setup in the RX 350. It instead takes an active role in altering its torque from front to rear to improve handling. On turn-in it’s mostly front-biased, while the second stage of a corner favors the rear. This helps the RX rotate. So does the new rear-wheel steering, exclusive to the F Sport Performance. At low speeds it adds up to four degrees of opposite angle to the rear axle, chopping over a foot from the turning circle. At higher speeds the rear axle turns in phase with the front, to increase stability. The 500h also includes an adaptive suspension and larger 15.7-inch front brakes, both of which are optional on the gas 350 with the F Sport Handling package.

The end result is a 4,750-pound luxury SUV that feels agile, quick (60 mph comes up in 5.9 seconds) and even a little fun. Not knocking-on-zee-German-doors fun, but a more eco-conscious alternative to the afore-mentioned Acura. We’re talking 27 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined—not bad.

Lexus also brought to Santa Barbara a single RX 450h+ pre-production unit to test. The entire PR team made sure we all knew this foreign-market example wasn’t US-spec. We don’t know the final specs, nor do we know exactly when the plug-in model will arrive on North Amerian shores. More to come on those fronts, says Lexus.

We did get to take the 450h+ on a short drive loop, back-to-back with the 350h. The difference between the two, unsurprisingly, is largely similar to the gap between the smaller NX 350h and NX 450h+. The plug-in is more eager off the line, the larger electric motor providing more instant-access oomph. It might carry a few extra hundred pounds with it, but unless you’re wringing it out on a backroad you’re unlikely to notice. And if you are … well, why?

From our short time with it, the RX 450h+ feels like a niche item, not much quicker than the NX 350 nor as immediately fun as the 500h. But if your daily drives fit within its all-electric range, it could be just the ticket. More details to come with this one.

The Lexus RX is entering the back half of its 20s confident and self-assured. And you know what? Good for it. The new model addresses some long-time RX bugbears like a wooden chassis feel and dated infotainment. It’s bang-up-to-date modern, and feels more premium than ever before. Best of all, it now offers a wider range of drivetrains to satisfy buyers’ needs.

The one remaining piece of the puzzle is pricing, which wasn’t available at the time of publishing. That applies to either side of the border; Canada’s trim walk is also quite a lot different from the US, names and all. So long as Lexus can keep those stickers under control, though, we don’t just expect the RX to maintain its sales-champ crown—we foresee it extending its lead.

FAQs

How much does the 2023 Lexus RX cost?

Er, we don’t know yet. Lexus has yet to release pricing, but promises it will be available before the RX’s on-sale date in late 2022.

Is the hybrid model available with front-wheel drive?

No: all hybrid models come with AWD.

Does the 2023 Lexus RX have a third row?

No it does not; we expect a dedicated three-row, complete with a different name, to launch in the near future.