Mystery Lexus RX Spotted in Europe

[Tragic Bronson]

Nice base 18" (or is it 19?) wheels ...I guess they didn't have any 20" F-Sport wheels to destroy.

 

[james_m300]

It has to be the 3.5 biturbo engine from the recently showed LS500. Finally a lexus SUV with enough power! And probably a midlife facelift, which does not change much of the exteriors (IS facelift changed visually only the bumpers and head/rear lights). If it is RX500 and it will be available in Europe, I will buy it immediately!

Pretty sure it is not RX with 2.0 turbo, because RX200t is already sold in Europe, so that is nothing new. And I mean come on - Toyota/Lexus did not develop the 3.5 biturbo in order to sell it only with the new LS. It costed multiple millions to develop such an engine and there is clearly a demand for more powerful powertrain in luxury SUVs. The competition offers way more powerful SUVs already.

that's actually a really good point, if it's going to make its way into all the 350 lexus models, maybe it's testing for the next gen RX350 or for the facelifted model, which is good because it can make adequate power for its segment which will probably steal even more german buyers to the RX, especially the f sport model

 

[ssun30]

You guys can keep dreaming about the 3.5 twin in a RX but it's not going to happen unless RX can get a F. The V35A is a performance engine not a workhorse as I've repeated again and again that 3.5L is a very awkward displacement in China (a major market). A 3.0TT will still be more likely for all mainstream six cylinder applications. I even think TMC will just go lazy and turbocharge the 2.5 I4 and call it a day, maybe hybrid-only as well.

that's actually a really good point, if it's going to make its way into all the 350 lexus models, maybe it's testing for the next gen RX350 or for the facelifted model, which is good because it can make adequate power for its segment which will probably steal even more german buyers to the RX, especially the f sport model

A more powerful RX will not steal more german buyers to the RX, nor will it do anywhere else since that's just not what people buy in this segment. What the RX needs is a 300h/350h, because the 450h is very expensive. The 450h still attracts people to the showrooms and they will end up buying the 200t, but an affordable hybrid/PHEV option will definitely help, especially in Europe. With stricter CAFE regulations being introduced in all major markets, powerful gas-only trims are the last thing Lexus want in their mainstream vehicles.

 

[mikeavelli]

You guys can keep dreaming about the 3.5 twin in a RX but it's not going to happen unless RX can get a F. The V35A is a performance engine not a workhorse as I've repeated again and again that 3.5L is a very awkward displacement in China (a major market). A 3.0TT will still be more likely for all mainstream six cylinder applications. I even think TMC will just go lazy and turbocharge the 2.5 I4 and call it a day, maybe hybrid-only as well.



A more powerful RX will not steal more german buyers to the RX, nor will it do anywhere else since that's just not what people buy in this segment. What the RX needs is a 300h/350h, because the 450h is very expensive. The 450h still attracts people to the showrooms and they will end up buying the 200t, but an affordable hybrid/PHEV option will definitely help, especially in Europe. With stricter CAFE regulations being introduced in all major markets, powerful gas-only trims are the last thing Lexus want in their mainstream vehicles.

If the 3.0TT was offered in the RX I would insist my wife trades her F-Sport in a heartbeat. The engine is competent today and that is all. An additional 100hp would be amazing in the RX.

One can only wish!

 

[krew]

You guys can keep dreaming about the 3.5 twin in a RX but it's not going to happen unless RX can get a F. The V35A is a performance engine not a workhorse as I've repeated again and again that 3.5L is a very awkward displacement in China (a major market). A 3.0TT will still be more likely for all mainstream six cylinder applications. I even think TMC will just go lazy and turbocharge the 2.5 I4 and call it a day, maybe hybrid-only as well.

I'm more interested in the RX getting the multi-stage hybrid, but that's still a 3.5L and has limited appeal in some very major markets. Cost has to be a consideration as well.

You know what really needs that 500h? The GS.

 

[ssun30]

I'm more interested in the RX getting the multi-stage hybrid, but that's still a 3.5L and has limited appeal in some very major markets. Cost has to be a consideration as well.

You know what really needs that 500h? The GS.

The multi-stage hybrid drivetrain is very, very long so it might be for longitudinal platform only. Their transverse platform doesn't need that amount of power nor the finer gear ratios. The FWD hybrid only needs a switchable reduction gear to reduce cruise rpm for better efficiency/EV range.

It seems that their next workhorse hybrid will be the A25A Dynamic Force in hybrid flavour. The 2018 Camry hybrid uses the efficiency-tuned version that loses 30hp, but with the full power A25A this hybrid drivetrain should be good for 230-240hp. That's enough to give the European competitors a lot of headaches since it will be directly compared to their turbo-4 offerings, but with much better fuel economy (not to mention the fact that hybrid cars usually accelerate faster than gas-only cars with similar power).

What lies between this new "300h" transverse hybrid drivetrain and the "500h" multi-stage longitudinal hybrid drivetrain is what's interesting. You would think Lexus needs a "400h" to bridge the gap, one which will be used by transverse and longitudinal cars (IS400h/ES400h/RX400h/GS400h). But without information on TMC's workhorse Dynamic Force V6 it's really hard to make a guess.