2023 Lexus RX350h: More luxury, more tech, less drama
Standing next to a 2022 RX, the difference is enormous. The 2023 RX moves onto Lexus' GA-K architecture and represents a complete redesign from the wheels to the roof rails
There are some cars that change generations by gaining a few new headlights, a larger touchscreen. Then there is the 2023 Lexus RX.
Because Lexus apparently looked at the 2022 RX and decided that what it really needed was to be completely demolished and rebuilt.
This particular unit we got to experience for this week of Wheels is a 2023 RX350h Version L, a full spec example dressed in Modellista bodywork, with a panoramic sunroof to boot, an interior laden with wood to give the average yacht a run for their money and the sort of heated and ventilated seats that make you wonder why anyone ever invented public transport.
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And standing next to a 2022 RX, the difference is enormous. Rather, it is enormous in the way that happens when a manufacturer decides its previous car has become slightly too comfortable with itself.
The old RX was essentially the automotive equivalent of a very expensive sofa. It was quiet, dependable, comfortable and exceptionally good at getting you from one end of Dhaka to the other without making you feel as though you had spent the journey fighting a war. The new one still does that. But now it looks like it might have opinions.
The 2023 RX sits lower, looks wider and carries itself with considerably more intent. The spindle grille has evolved into something more integrated with the bodywork, while the rear gets a full width Lexus light bar, which is arguably my favorite design cue about modern Lexus, and the new Lexus lettering across the tailgate instead of the L logo.
And then there is the Modellista kit. This is where things get slightly silly. In standard form, the new RX is elegant. With the Modellista treatment, it develops the visual aggression of a luxury SUV that has discovered Instagram and decided it wants followers. The additional front and rear styling pieces, side skirts and sharper detailing give the RX a much more substantial presence.
It looks like someone bought the sensible family SUV and then immediately spent several more thousand dollars making sure everyone knows about it.
The really important difference, however, isn't the body kit. It is the platform. The 2023 RX moves onto Lexus' GA-K architecture and represents a complete redesign from the wheels to the roof rails. Lexus also managed to reduce weight by up to 198 pounds depending on configuration, while concentrating on a lower centre of gravity and improved weight distribution.
The RX350h also receives a completely new hybrid setup. Instead of the outgoing RX450h's 3.5 litre V6 hybrid system, the new RX350h uses a 2.5 litre four cylinder engine paired with Lexus' fourth generation hybrid system. Combined output is 246 horsepower, and Lexus claimed improved fuel consumption over the previous generation.
The new RX350h isn't trying to win drag races. It is trying to make the daily commute disappear. And that, frankly, is exactly what an RX should do.
Inside is where Lexus has finally had a serious conversation with the 21st century. Open the door and the difference between the two generations becomes even more obvious.
The 2023 cabin is on another planet in comparison. The dashboard is cleaner, the controls are better integrated and the enormous central display finally makes the RX feel like a modern luxury car rather than a time capsule from 2014.
And then there is this particular car's light beige leather interior. It is glorious. The light coloured upholstery gives the cabin an airy, almost lounge like atmosphere, particularly when combined with the panoramic sunroof.
On a hot Bangladeshi afternoon, ventilated seats are not a luxury. They are a human-rights achievement. Then there is the panoramic glass roof. It changes the entire atmosphere of the cabin. Lexus describes the available panorama glass roof as creating a more open, relaxing environment, and in this specification it works beautifully with the beige interior. It makes the RX feel considerably larger inside.
The roofline is sleeker, the body is more athletic and the proportions are considerably more purposeful.
The 2023 RX isn't simply faster, more luxurious or more technologically advanced. It is conceptually different. The RX350h is about the strange, almost magical sensation of moving through traffic with barely any mechanical drama. The electric motors fill in the gaps, the petrol engine does its thing when required and the whole vehicle simply gets on with life. It is particularly well suited to the sort of stop start urban traffic where a conventional petrol SUV spends half its life moving three metres before braking again.
The RX350h doesn't feel like it is fighting the traffic. It glides through it. And this is where the RX remains quintessentially Lexus. It is Lexus finally admitting that the luxury SUV market has changed.
It is still a Lexus, so naturally it doesn't shout. It doesn't need to. It simply rolls past you looking expensive, wafts through traffic in near silence, cools your backside, opens the panoramic roof and quietly reminds you of the days when luxury meant putting leather everywhere.
It is the moment Lexus stopped merely updating the RX and decided to reinvent it.
Special thank you New Auto Galaxy for providing this review unit.
