The second in what’s bound to be an absolute torrent, Edmunds has posted their 2010 Lexus RX preview. Like Popular Mechanics, Edmunds liked the new driving feel, but they were more impressed with the new Remote Touch:
Our experience with iDrive, COMAND and MMI tells us that Remote Touch will be more cumbersome than using a touchscreen. But between the ergonomic controller, a responsive QWERTY onscreen keyboard and our two decades of mousing experience, it’s actually quicker — a lot quicker.
And, as the first example of a truly user-friendly remote-control interface, Remote Touch might be the most important innovation on the redesigned 2010 Lexus RX 350.
I’m sure every one of Lexus’ competitors is giving the evil eye to their R&D departments — this new controller seems so obvious. People use computer mice every day, surely it would also work well in the car, right?
Edmunds also brings up some interesting points about the RX’s weight gain:
We’re also not exactly sure how the 2010 Lexus RX 350 put on so much weight in this redesign. The front-wheel-drive RX 350 now weighs in at 4,340 pounds, a gain of 470 pounds. The all-wheel-drive RX 350 weighs 4,510 pounds, a gain of 420 pounds.
Somehow the 2010 Lexus RX 350 carries all its extra pounds with grace. It’s also just as quick as the 2009 RX 350 when you lay into the gas pedal. And fuel economy is actually a little better. Although the redesigned RX has a lower 0.33 coefficient of drag (compared to 0.35 in 2009), we’re still amazed that the Lexus engineers pulled this off.
Now that’s some serious engineering. Adding 400lbs. and improving fuel economy is exceptional, especially considering that the engine is the same (albeit tweaked).
This will certainly be one of the better previews of the RX, it’s in-depth and certainly worth a read. Highly recommended.
(Thanks Jarrett!)