Lexus revealed the 5th generation RX, a completely reinvented model, opening a major new chapter for this iconic SUV. Together with the recently launched NX and newly revealed RZ, RX will help build the ‘Next Chapter’ of the Lexus brand. These three models represent the strongest offensive yet in the D-E Premium SUV market, the heart of Lexus’ business. The pioneering RX has become a Lexus bestseller over the last two decades. With more than 3.5 million units sold worldwide since its introduction in 1998 – of which 300,000 in Europe – this 5th generation RX is pivotal to the brand’s future ‘Lexus Electrified’ strategy. Lexus has further developed its new ‘Next Chapter’ design language for the new RX. This includes a new ‘spindle body’ that was achieved by integrating the spindle concept into the entire front of the vehicle. The RX team also found inspiration in the rich RX design heritage. The result is a car that is instantly recognisable as RX, but with a more dynamic, elegant and confident character.
To make the cabin more driver-centred, Lexus developed the Tazuna cockpit concept. Introduced first on the new NX and RZ, it is now adopted for the new RX. Taking its name from the Japanese word for ‘reins of a horse’, Tazuna focuses on direct yet intuitive control. In the cockpit, information sources like the multimedia screen, multi-information display, single-dial meter, centralised gauges and head-up display are grouped so their content can be read with minimal eye and head movement. The designers sought to create a minimalist, yet intuitive and thoughtful interior space using the highest quality materials. The front seats have been redesigned to offer top-class accessibility, excellent support and heating/ventilation. To provide proper ergonomic support around the waist, a concave shape was created in the seat sides.
A significant highlight of the new RX is the availability of an animal-free leather interior, created in response to growing demand from vegan and other eco-conscious consumers. This means that on Comfort Grade not only seats, but also the steering wheel and shift-knob, are covered with synthetic leather. Here customers can choose between Black and Ammonite Sand. An expression of the Lexus ‘Omotenashi’ hospitality, the ‘Lexus Mood Selector’ feature allows occupants to tailor the RX’s ambient lighting from a palette of 64 colours and 14 bespoke themes. The new Lexus RX offers both ample luggage space and five luxury seats with excellent legroom. Thanks to the increased couple distance (1010 mm, +10 mm vs. previous model), newly designed seats and more intelligent packaging, Lexus were able to make the RX feel roomier inside. By lowering the loading height by 30 mm it is easier to use. Thanks to intelligent tailgate design, the luggage compartment is now 50 mm longer. This extra length helps accommodate bulkier objects, whilst the 40:20:40 split rear seats can accommodate for items like skis or surfboards.
Inside, the driver-centred ‘Tazuna’ cockpit focuses on giving the driver direct, intuitive control of the vehicle, following the principal of ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’. It also improves the driving experience, with its intuitive and clean layout, enhanced by a new 14″ touchscreen. The new RX comes with a line-up of three different electrified variants in Europe. At the core of the brand’s offering in Western Europe, the RX 450h+ will welcome RX customers to Lexus’ benchmark plug-in technology. With the new RX 350h hybrid, Lexus introduces an efficient alternative to lower displacement diesel and petrol powertrains. And for those drivers looking for more exhilarating performance, Lexus introduces its first ever turbo hybrid, the RX 500h, which comes with DIRECT4 drive force control. For Eastern markets, alongside the RX 500h performance hybrid, Lexus also presents the RX 350 with a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivering higher performance than the current model.
All RX models will deliver the ‘Lexus Driving Signature’ in their own way, thanks to the outstanding credentials of the platform and the powertrains, but with a common thread: superior comfort combined with a new level of responsiveness, linear and direct response, keeping the driver in control at any time and resulting in an immediate feeling of confidence. The new Lexus RX is built on the GA-K platform, similar to that of the NX, but with a different set up. For instance, the rear has been completely redesigned to extend the wheelbase but also implement additional cross members and suspension braces that increase rigidity. This new RX platform has allowed a 90 kg drop in the car’s weight and a reduction in the overall height of 10 mm, resulting in a 15 mm lower centre of gravity. The wheelbase is extended by 60 mm while keeping the overall length and reducing the yaw. At 15 mm in front and 50 mm to the rear, the track is also wider, and, combined with the 21″ wheels, gives the RX a more confident stance and grip.
To save weight, Lexus used advanced materials like 2GPa high-tensile steel material for the centre pillars and aluminium for the wings and bonnet. The new structure also includes 1180 MPa steel for the rocker reinforcement and 1470 MPa steel for roof rigidity. Enabling a substantial hike in performance, the new multi-link rear suspension delivers better lateral stability and anti-squat characteristics. Capable of handling higher levels of torque, it also substantially reduces noise, vibration and harshness. While ensuring Lexus-like quietness inside the cabin with sound-damping and vibration reduction measures, engineers and craftspeople created sounds to add a sense of power and performance. To inspire the senses, they also perfected the luxury car door sound.
The game-changing new Lexus RX 500h performance hybrid is the first-ever Lexus turbo-charged hybrid and was developed for customers thirsty for high-end electrified performance. With power delivered by a completely new hybrid architecture consisting of a 2.4-litre turbo engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, it delivers 371 DIN hp for exhilarating acceleration and superb dynamic handling thanks to DIRECT4. The front electric motor is positioned between the combustion engine and the transmission, with a clutch on both sides, enabling great flexibility in power delivery. The rear is equipped with an 80kW e-Axle: a compact, modular package consisting of a motor, gearing and an ECU located between the rear wheels. Its compact dimensions help secure more space in the cabin and boot. Power delivery is controlled by DIRECT4, an exclusive new Lexus drive force technology launched recently on the RZ 450e.
Lexus used more than 15 years of electrification expertise to produce the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that is viewed as the logical step-up for many of its current generation RX 450h customers. Expected to be the best-selling RX model in Western and Central Europe, the RX 450h+ features a four-cylinder 2.5-litre hybrid engine and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with 18.1 kWh. An additional rear electric motor enables full-time all-wheel drive. The plug-in system produces 306 DIN hp and is expected to deliver 0-100 km/h acceleration in around 7 seconds. Overall, it offers roughly the same output as the outgoing RX 450h, but with more torque and faster acceleration. The lithium battery’s size/capacity and Lexus’ electrification know-how combine to deliver a competitive EV driving range of around 65 km and enable all-electric driving up to 135 km/h. Crucially, the Lexus plug-in hybrid maintains high efficiency when the battery is depleted, as the RX 450h+ switches to its advanced 4th generation self-charging hybrid system.
