Buying guide: Lexus RX – problems, offers and prices

The Lexus RX is a Japanese SUV with the most advanced Japanese technology. Autovisie explores the issues, offers and prices in this buying guide.

Even more than its predecessors, Lexus RX 2015 exudes confidence and individuality. The brand takes a new approach when it comes to design and driving pleasure and combines this as usual with solid technology and a perfect finish. You can read here how good the RX is as a used car.

Body Lexus RX

The new Lexus RX, model code AL20, is longer (4.89 meters) and wider (1.89 meters) than the outgoing RX. The design language is also completely new. With a convex and convex shape, a ‘floating’ roof and a grille worthy of Edvard Munch, it’s a busy, yet attractive sight. A typical Lexus is the exquisite details such as the intricately shaped body parts. Bi-LED lighting is standard and the luggage compartment measures 539-1,612 litres. The options list mentions features such as a sunroof or a panoramic sunroof, a touchless electric tailgate and three adjustable LED headlights.

The RX F Sport has a standard sports package, the RX L is seven seats extended by 11 cm. The facelift will follow in 2019 with new front and rear lights, a new bumper and BladeScan adaptive lighting technology.

Interior Lexus RX

The interior is calmer to the eye than the exterior. The dashboard combines analog/digital instruments with an 8.0- or 12.3-inch infotainment screen and Remote Touch controls. Rear passengers benefit from more legroom, but due to the location of the battery pack under the rear seat, the angle between the seat and the backrest is not to everyone’s liking. The Lexus+ Safety System includes adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Also available is a 360-degree camera system, head-up display, climate control with infrared sensors, leather or semi-aniline leather, seat heating and ventilation, electric folding rear seat, sound from Pioneer or Mark Levinson, WiFi and glass. organ function.

The F Sport has sports seats, a sports steering wheel, a black headliner and aluminum details. The RX L adds a third row of seats and its own cup holders and climate controls. The 2019 facelift brings refreshed infotainment with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and the Lexus+ 2.0 Safety System.

Engine

In the Netherlands, only the RX 450h hybrid is on the price list. At the automotive level, ‘making what’s good better’ is the motto. The hybrid powertrain combines a naturally aspirated ‘Atkinson Cycle’ 3.5 V6 petrol engine with two electric motors and a 1.8 kWh battery pack. System power is 313 hp and 335 Nm. Behind the wheel is improved throttle response and refinement ability to drive Autovisie noted during the introduction.

The practical consumption of 1:11 to 12 is much less economical than the promised theoretical consumption, but it is suitable for a 2.1 ton SUV. The maintenance interval is 15,000 km or 1 year. This is usually the only time to contact the workshop, because serious defects do not occur with hybrid RX.

Lexus RX transmission

The RX 450h has four-wheel drive and an E-CVT continuously variable transmission. The ‘lending tendencies’ of the previous model are clearly under control in the new RX. Engine speed and acceleration are more consistent and the drive is more subtle and powerful than before. The AWD system, called ‘E-Four’, uses a second electric motor on the rear axle. Although the RX is not a true off-road vehicle, it is a very versatile vehicle. The maximum braked towing weight is 2,000 kg.

Wielophaning

The first SUV requires advanced chassis technology. The AL20 range has an independent McPherson front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension. Compared to the previous RX, the pleasure of driving and operation increases, without reducing (almost) the comfort worthy of a limousine. The F Sport, with its adaptive variable suspension (AVS), active stabilizer, 20-inch wheels and electric power steering, is also not a skateboard, as sports SUVs from other brands sometimes are.

AVS is also standard on the President’s Line. The RX is fitted with 18- or 20-inch alloy wheels from the factory. The 2019 facelift brings a revised chassis with new shock absorbers that increase comfort on rough road surfaces.

Which one should I get?

In the Netherlands, the Lexus RX always has hybrid power. That’s not a penalty, because the 3.5 V6 with hybrid technology fits well with a powerful SUV. The base model has 18-inch wheels, bi-LED headlights, climate control and electric seat adjustment.

Other versions include the Business Line (20-inch wheels, parking assist, leather, heated seats), the Luxury Line (12.3-inch navigation, DAB, hands-free tailgate, Pioneer audio, wireless phone charger wire), F Sport (20). -inch, AVS, sports package, head-up display, Mark Levinson audio, parking camera) and President Line (20-inch, adaptive triple-LED, AVS, semi-aniline skin, head-up, Mark Levinson) . Other versions include the F Sport Premium, Executive Line and Sport Edition and Obsidian Edition, sold in regular quantities.

Should it be a Lexus RX?

The fourth generation of the Lexus RX model is more unique than ever. The unique design, with sharp cuts and an unmistakable ‘spinning grill’, gives the SUV a truly unique look.

In terms of technology, the Japanese luxury brand chooses a conservative approach, and that is one of the reasons why Lexus scores high in international reliability and customer satisfaction surveys. Competing premium SUVs from European brands are technically superior, but therefore also more complex and more sensitive to repairs.

Part prices

Front brake discs, for a set of € 138.14
Front brake pads, for a set of € 47.12
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, 235/55 R20 102V, each from € 234.70
Lambda probe (before catalyst), €138.96
New air conditioning pump, €1,665
Water pump, from €66.43

Prices apply to a 2016 Lexus RX 450h and include VAT and do not include installation.

Maintenance costs

Minor repairs from €350
Major repairs from €550

Maintenance interval (RX 450h) is 15,000 km/1 year.

Lexus RX positive

+ to a great extent
+ comfort
+ hybrid technology
+ reliable

Negative points Lexus RX

– susceptible to theft

– high insurance premiums