Lexus Rx 350
When Lexus had introduced the RX line back in 1998 with the RX 300, my first impression was, “Why? Why would Lexus do this? We already have the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. I don’t think Japan could compete with the Germans.” Now that it is ten to eleven years later, it turned out that I was underestimated by the Japanese company. Mercedes-Benz had introduced its GLK 350, Audi with the Q5, and BMW now with the X3, since the X5 is now considered a premium full-size SUV. Lexus had two full redesigns starting from 2003 with the RX 330, and then from two years ago with a bigger displacement of 0.2 liters in the RX 350 with the 3.5-liter designed to compete with both the Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 and the ML 350 SUVs. The new 2010 SUV has a sleek front-end with redesigned headlights, along with LED taillights in the rear. The ground clearance is a bit higher than the previous models, but once I got to sit inside the newly redesigned RX, I was quite impressed. The 2010 RX 350 comes in two trim levels: Front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive. Lexus had put in a lot of effort into this new model, and I think that knew what they were doing as far as brainstorming comfort, technology, and safety features.
Speaking of comfort features, the seats in the RX felt very comfortable with 100% plush leather, and full wood-grain trim on the instrumentation cluster and the doors. Head room is pretty good for a crossover SUV, and the position of the steering wheel feels perfect with my hands at the 10:00 and 2:00 position. The position of the gear lever was one of the features that kind of set me off on this car, since I am more used to the gear lever being on the floor, rather than anywhere else like what a normal car should be. The 275 horsepower, 3.5 liter V6 seemed a lot peppier than both the GLK 350 and the BMW X3; it also posted a bit better fuel economy results of 18 mpg in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway, while the GLK posted 16 mpg in the city and 22 miles per gallon on the highway. That is not to also say, that Lexus still recommends 91 octane for both descent performance and efficiency just like its [German] competitors, but hey, at least the ride feels smoother than the other three. The rear legroom is very spacious for an SUV that is not really that big when you are not comparing it to something like, say, a Mercedes-Benz M-Class or a Volkswagen Touareg. As far as the rear cargo area is concerned, the 60/40 split seats are very useful if you are carrying a bunch of luggage or some music gear, whereas the Mercedes-Benz GLK felt like it is about half the size, and the rear legroom tends to be a bit squished in for the three rear passengers.
The navigation system is sort of user-friendly, but not as user-friendly like the GLK’s Multimedia Package, and voice-recognition. I felt kind of uncertain about that little “mouse-like” tablet on the center console, and the [enter] buttons were not really placed in the right locations. Like what I have stated in my recent article about factory navigation systems vs. aftermarket GPS, the Japanese manufacturers need to step up to the plate as far as technology. It seemed like Acura with both its RDX and MDX models, that come with voice-recognition for navigation, audio, and climate controls are at the top of their game, whereas Lexus and Infiniti, are, I think, lagging behind.
All in all, the 2010 RX 350 FWD is a lot of car for what you are paying for. It may not be as quick as say, an IS 350, in performance, but hey, it is an SUV, or more of a crossover SUV, and it is a Lexus. So, my question to you is, do you think the RX 350 is really worth the $3,000 sticker price over a base model GLK? You should go see for yourself.
