E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Evolution just fine for Lexus RX 350
By Ken Walston
Of the Journal
Lexus RX 350 buyers must be a contented lot.
Sales of the midsize luxury sport-utility wagon continue to grow, even in the face of expanding competition such as BMW's X3, Audi's Q5, Infiniti's FX35, Cadillac's SRX and Lincoln's MKS.
RX buyers also must be a conservative bunch. Over two redesigns in a decade, it's still instantly recognizable — its profile has merely evolved into a sleeker shape while retaining much of the original look.
And that's just fine with RX owners.
Lexus isn't the kind of company to mess with a good thing. It prefers to steadily improve what has already proven to be a benchmark for its market niche.
Now in the second model year of the RX's third generation, the slick SUV delivers a luxury experience in every aspect: Quality materials in its handsome, comfortable cabin; a silky-smooth and relaxing ride; confident (if a bit uninvolving) handling; a turbinelike drivetrain with generous power; and a boatload of conveniences and high-tech accoutrements.
The icing on the cake is Lexus' superb fit and finish. From the near-silent action of the electric windows to the exquisite assembly inside and out, this is a manufacturing masterpiece.
Power is provided by a state-of-the-art V-6 delivering 275 horsepower, plenty of punch for everyday travel as well as decent fuel economy. If it's pavement-ripping performance you seek, look elsewhere.
Same for handling: The RX does what's asked of it, but it's happiest driven at 6/10ths rather than 9/10ths. The payoff here, though, is its creamy, near-silent progress down the highway.
Special mention is merited by the console-mounted Remote Touch Controller that handles many of the ventilation, audio and systems selections and adjustments. Compared to some other offerings, this one is intuitive and easy to use, without undue eyes-off-the-road time.
As with most vehicles in this rarified atmosphere, options can quickly inflate the bottom line. Our test car escalated from $40,000 to over $51K.
2011 Lexus RX 350
VEHICLE TYPE: Four-door, five-passenger luxury sport-utility wagon
BASE PRICE: $39,375
PRICE AS TESTED: $51,234 (incl. delivery fees)
POWERTRAIN: 3.5-liter, DOHC, V-6; 275 horsepower; 257 lb.-ft. torque; six-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
WHEELBASE/LENGTH: 107.9"/187.8"
CURB WEIGHT: 4,178 pounds
EPA FUEL RATING: 18 mpg city/24 highway (regular grade)
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
