Lexus Japan Art Works: RX in Sunlight

An RX Art Work special edition was also released today by Lexus Japan, who have teamed up with Stone Designs on some wild interior color schemes: Here’s some detail shots of the interior: Both this RX and the previously mentioned IS are really quite playful — quirky even — and while it’s tough to imagine …
Kevin · August 25th, 2010

Lexus Magazine Takes a Malaysia Road Trip

Lexus Magazine writer Rod Mackenzie took an RX 450h on an adventure through Malaysia in a quest to find a remote resort called Fraser’s Hill: For years, I’ve fantasized about penetrating Malaysia’s dense jungle interior on a modern-day Heart of Darkness journey, complete with creeping tigers. This exotic road trip, however, comes with a major …
Kevin · August 17th, 2010

Lexus RX 240? Lexus LS 450h?

The Bangkok Post has some engine variation rumors regarding the RX & LS: Later this year, Japan’s top nameplate is set to offer a third engine variant of its RX sport-utility vehicle in the guise of RX270 with 2WD. For the first time, the new entry-level RX would be getting a four-cylinder petrol engine currently …
Kevin · July 26th, 2010

Tesla Building Electric Lexus RX Prototype?

Toyota & Tesla are now two weeks into their partnership (in which Toyota purchased a $50M stake in Tesla), and it’s rumored that their first joint-project will be converting a Lexus RX to a full electric prototype: Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the …
Kevin · July 12th, 2010

2010 Lexus RX Awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick Award

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 2010 Lexus RX its TOP SAFETY PICK award. This designation recognizes the RX for earning the highest possible rating for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, along with being equipped with electronic stability control, which is standard. Read the IIHS Annoucement
Kevin · May 25th, 2010

Lexus RX 450h Review

My three month winter road test of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h wrapped up last month, and it’s safe to say that the experience has changed my opinion of Lexus’ most popular vehicle. It’s not that I didn’t understand the success of the RXh — from a purely practical point, it’s easy to see how …
Kevin · April 11th, 2010

Lexus RX 270 to Launch in China

It appears that another smaller-displacement Lexus model will be joining the ES 240 in the Chinese market after spyshots were captured during a domestic road test: According to Chinese website Sohu, the RX 270 will become the entry-level model in Lexus China‘s RX lineup, and will feature a 2.7L 1AR-FE inline-four gasoline engine, producing 187 …
Kevin · February 27th, 2010

Lexus RX Superbowl Commercial

I’m late to the party on this Lexus RX commercial that debuted at this year’s Superbowl: I’ve been driving an RX 450h for the better part of three months, and I have to admit, this commercial captures much of what my final review will focus on. The RX’s best feature is how well it fits …
Kevin · February 18th, 2010

Lexus Japan RX 350 & RX 450h Special Options

Lexus Japan is offering a two unique customization options for the Lexus RX 350 & RX 450h, starting with this aggressive under-spoiler: Hard to judge with only the front-end visible, but it’s similar to the LX 570 Sport Luxury package we saw last week in that it doesn’t seem to fit all that well. The …
Kevin · February 8th, 2010

Lexus RX 450h Long Term Review: Week 5

I’m now halfway through my time with the 2010 Lexus RX 450h— after six weeks, the interior controls and options has become second nature, and that familiarity has increased my appreciation of the design decisions throughout the cabin, particularly with the steering wheel layout.
Kevin · January 26th, 2010

2010 Lexus RX 450h Long Term Report: Week 1

Last week, I took the delivery of my first long-term road test vehicle from Lexus Canada—a 2010 Smoky Granite Mica RX 450h: This is the full deal—an RX 450h with the Ultra Luxury package that includes Heads-Up Display, rear entertainment system, LED headlights, and fifteen-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. As far as I can tell, …
Kevin · December 21st, 2009

Lexus USA General Manager talks with Ward’s Auto

Lexus USA General Manager Mark Templin recently spoke with Ward’s Auto on a number of different subjects, including the LFA’s “value pricing” and a possible X3 competitor. I recommend reading the whole article, but here are some choice quotes: On Lexus LFA Pricing “If you think of the other carbon-fiber supercars, Enzo Ferraris and Porsche …
Kevin · December 8th, 2009

Lexus RX 450h Enters MPG Marathon

Every year, UK magazine Fleet World holds the MPG Marathon, a fuel economy “race” where the best MPG result wins. As part of the event this year, Lexus UK entered a RX 450h, and turned in a very good result: … the full hybrid Lexus returned an average 54.75mpg over more than 350 miles of …
Kevin · October 5th, 2009

Car & Driver Reviews the 2010 Lexus RX 450h

Car & Driver has a short review of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h, and it’s a mostly positive affair—which is rather surprising considering the source: Despite a fourth-place finish in a recent comparison of luxury crossovers, the RX does impress. As with the RX350 we tested earlier this year, it was a struggle to find …
Kevin · September 11th, 2009

New Lexus RX 450h Commercials

With the 2010 Lexus RX 450h now available in US dealerships, it’s time for new commercials: This testimonial style commercial may be overdone, but it’s a safe and dependable choice—not unlike the RX hybrid. (Lexus looks to be staying the course with this model, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the hybrid RX outsold the …
Kevin · July 7th, 2009

Popular Mechanics Compares the Lexus RX 350 vs. Cadillac SRX

After Motor Trend’s misguided comparison of the Lexus RX 350 and the new Cadillac SRX, I was looking forward to a more honest take on the battling crossovers—and that’s what Popular Mechanics has delivered: As much as Cadillac may have had its crosshairs set on Lexus, it built a much different car. The design character …
Kevin · July 6th, 2009

Motor Trend Compares the Lexus RX 350 vs Cadillac SRX

It’s always been obvious that Motor Trend has an anti-Lexus bias, but their latest RX 350 vs. Cadillac SRX comparison is a disservice to anyone looking to the magazine for realistic advice: No doubt we could option these two out with similar equipment for similar pricing. Point is, adding all the equipment to the Cadillac …
Kevin · June 29th, 2009

Driving the Lexus RX 450h & Lexus IS 350C

This past Friday, I attended a Lexus Canada press event in Kingston, Ontario, where I had the opportunity to test out the 2010 RX 450h and the IS 350C convertible. After an a quick briefing, we all loaded up into our first vehicle of the day and set out on a route through the surrounding …
Kevin · June 23rd, 2009

Lexus RX Discovery Special Now on Lexus.com

Last night, the Discovery Channel show Factory Made had a short behind-the-scenes feature on the 2010 Lexus RX 350 manufacturing process, and today that video has been posted on the Lexus USA website. As the video shows, the RX 350 is built in Cambridge, Ontario, and is an incredibly detailed process—even painting the RX takes …
Kevin · June 20th, 2009

Lexus RX 350 Manufacturing Special on The Discovery Channel Tomorrow

Tomorrow night, Discovery Channel show Factory Made will be airing a behind-the-scenes look at the building of a Lexus RX 350—from the show description: Starting as 50-tons of steel and emerging as a precision driving machine, take the front seat to an amazing manufacturing process. Welcome to the Lexus plant where the new RX350 is …
Kevin · June 18th, 2009

2010 Lexus RX Named IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2010 Lexus RX has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), along with the 2009 Audi Q5, 2009 Toyota Venza, and 2009 Volkswagen CC. To be given this top safety mark, vehicles must rank as Good in front, side and rear impacts, as well as being equipped …
Kevin · June 17th, 2009

Lexus Wins J.D. Power UK Satisfaction Survey

For the ninth consecutive year, Lexus has topped the J.D. Power & What Car? UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study: In the manufacturer rankings, Lexus ranks highest for a ninth consecutive year, receiving a customer satisfaction score of 833. Lexus performs particularly well in two of four key measures: service satisfaction and vehicle appeal. Rounding out …
Kevin · June 8th, 2009

Lexus RX 350 & 450h Body Kit by LX Mode

LX Mode has updated their website to include the brand new Lexus 3G RX body kit: All in all, it’s a nice looking kit—but what I’m really impressed by is the front grille replacement. Looking to be lifted directly of the LS 460, it changes the front-end significantly. Here’s a breakdown of the different options, …
Kevin · May 8th, 2009

Lexus Canada April 2009 Sales Report

While auto sales are enduring a major slump in the US, Lexus Canada has just reported their best April ever, moving a total of 1,621 vehicles last month. This is a 4% increase over last year. Some specific points: The new Lexus RX 350 enjoyed an all-time record month, selling 748 units, up 48.4% over …
Kevin · May 4th, 2009

Lexus Australia’s Unique RX Accessories

Just like the last generation, Lexus Australia is offering some unique accessories for the 2010 RX, including a bunch of roof racks, a nudge bar, side steps, mud flaps and some wild 19” wheels. Here are some closeups: Really, it’s almost comical to see an RX done up in this fashion, but some of these …
Kevin · April 22nd, 2009

New Lexus RX Commerical: We’ve Never Been Closer

This new RX 350 commercial from Lexus Australia is an absolutely literal interpretation of the slogan “The Pursuit of Perfection”: Just what is that Lexus RX going to do when it catches perfection?
Kevin · April 20th, 2009

Lexus RX 350 Commercial from the Middle East

Next up, here’s a Lexus RX 350 commercial that borders on the just-plain weird: From what I can gather, the central point seems to be that using the Remote Touch controller won’t distract away from driving, but why a coyote? (What’s funny is that this has actually happened to me, driving home late at night …
Kevin · April 7th, 2009

Lexus RX 450h Video Promo

Three Lexus RX videos to post today, let’s start with the longest: This really is an almost pitch-perfect marketing promo, and goes a long way to infusing the RXh with some real personality. Also, I’m assuming that Welcome to Forward Living will be RXh’s tagline, and this video certainly captures the sentiment. [Via: iMotor] Update: …
Kevin · April 7th, 2009

Edmunds Lexus RX 450h Video Review

Here’s the companion video to Edmunds’ review of the Lexus RX 450h: As with the written review, Edmunds wasn’t all that impressed with the hybrid RX, though most of the complaints seem to be against hybrids in general. I’m interested to compare the new hybrid technology against the system in the RX400h, surely there has …
Kevin · April 6th, 2009

China’s BYD Auto Releases Lexus RX Clone

While it’s true that all car companies have been guilty of design plagiarism at some point, Chinese automaker BYD has taken it too far with their shamelessly brazen copy of the second generation RX, the S6: These Chinese copycat designs are a rampant problem in automotive design, and what makes the situation worse is that …
Kevin · March 27th, 2009

Wald Body Kit for the 2010 Lexus RX 350

Wald International has released a Black Bison body kit for the new Lexus RX—first off, here’s the photo gallery: All the things that made the Black Bison design look so awkward on the IS-F end up adding some real character to the RX. There are minor complaints: the IS-F style grille looks great but clashes …
Kevin · March 26th, 2009

Lexus Wallpaper of the Week: RX 450h in Motion

Right from its first reveal, I’ve been quite taken with the new Lexus RX, finding it a vast improvement over the outgoing model and a vehicle I fully expect to see parked in my driveway some time in the future. To that end, I’ve been searching for a great photo that would work as a …
Kevin · March 17th, 2009

Gearlog Reviews the 2010 Lexus RX

Considering its consumer gadget focus, it’s not all that surprising that Gearlog’s review of the Lexus RX centers on the technology in the newly redesigned SUV, with barely a mention of its driving performance. It’s an even-handed review, and includes some of the first criticisms of the new Remote Touch controller system: Remote Touch has …
Kevin · March 16th, 2009

Australia gets a Lexus RX 350 Special Edition

In preparation of winter, Australia is getting a special edition of the Lexus RX 350 perfectly suited for the colder months. Here’s a breakdown of the particulars: Added extras include bespoke 18-inch shadow chrome alloy wheels, three unique exterior colours – including Arctic Blue, Burgundy and Onyx carbon – and an accessories pack featuring roof …
Kevin · June 26th, 2008

Lexus ES & RX Pebble Beach Commercial, plus Pricing

Two pieces of Lexus Pebble Beach news today, first off, the much searched-for Pebble Beach commercial has surfaced on Youtube: Not much to the commercial, it’s strictly an announcement-style advertisement, but the Pebble Beach edition color really catches my attention. It’s nice to see it on more than just the SC 430. The other news …
Kevin · March 14th, 2008

Lexus UK updates RX Entertainment Package

Lexus UK has debuted an upgraded backseat entertainment package for the RX called ICE, which is short for In-Car Entertainment. It consists of two eight-inch LCD screens with an integrated DVD player, USB and SD card readers, plus more: Two pairs of infrared headphones are provided, which are about 20 per cent smaller than before, …
Kevin · February 28th, 2008

2009 Lexus RX now on Lexus USA Website

The 2009 Lexus RX is now on the Lexus USA website, which should put all the rumors of an impending redesign to rest. The only difference from 2008, it seems, is the addition of the Pebble Beach edition, which brings with it the Truffle Mica exterior color, a limited edition 18″ wheel design, chrome grille …
Kevin · February 14th, 2008

Pebble Beach Editions for the Lexus ES, RX and LS Models

Once solely reserved for the SC 430, Lexus announced today at the Chicago Auto Show that three more models will be available in the Pebble Beach Edition. It starts with the release of a PBE RX 350 in mid-February, followed by an ES 350 in March and a LS 600hL sometime in the fall. Here’s …
Kevin · February 6th, 2008