2016 Lexus RX
Lexus redesigns the RX for 2016 with potentially the riskiest redesign of the year.
2016 Lexus RX
EPA rating: RX350: 19/26mpg; 22mpg combined
0-60mph: RX350: 7.5 sec (est)
Price range: TBA
The boldest—and potentially riskiest—redesign of the year is the all-new, 2016 Lexus RX. Given the model is the company’s bestseller and the leader in the leader in the luxury crossover class it helped create, getting the new look right was imperative.
The look appears at first radically overdone, but with familiarity it strikes me more and more as the correct choice. Both gasoline RX350 and hybrid RX450h are available with the even sportier looking—and hot selling—F Sport trim. Inside, quality is even better, and the newer infotainment interface is bigger and clearer, if still saddled with a touchpad that’s hard to use on the move.
To drive, neither strays far from the RX formula. Bigger antiroll bars and softer springs don’t compromise the Lexus’ smooth ride, and both handle better and have more direct steering. The F Sport’s are even better, with adjustable dampers that handle rough roads with panache. Hooked to a standard eight-speed automatic, the RX350 is faster, as its 3.5-liter V6 now has direct injection and produces 25 more horsepower (for a total of 295). The hybrid has more total system power too, though the difference in performance from the outgoing model is less obvious.
As radical as the 2016 RX looks, it still has all the Lexus attributes that have made it a pillar of the company’s success: comfort, quality materials and the right technologies. Combined with its new, much more assertive look and its greater emphasis on driver involvement, it should keep the loyalists happy and attract new customers.
Read more of Contributor Isaac Bouchard’s automotive writing on Colorado AvidGolfer's Nice Drives section with more car reviews and comparisons.
RELATED ARTICLES:
