BREEZY RIDER

Lexus’s RX is sleek and sparkling with gizmos, down to ventilated seats. It’s love at first commute for Katarina Kroslakova

- Katarina Kroslakova

I spend a lot of time in cars. Not just for reviewing purposes, but for the drudgery-filled commute, too. There is a 270-kilometre stretch of interstate highway to Sydney that I know like the back of my hand. So any car that can alleviate the boredom and discomfort of a long drive is an exciting prospect. If it happens to envelop you in its protective, plush cocoon and make any trip feel like a silky magic-carpet ride, then I’m onboard.

But if a car can even tell when I’m about to perspire and starts blowing cool air on my bum and thighs, well, who am I to say no to that kind of service and attention? (I mean, sticky sweat on your vegan leather seat is, like, so 2012.) We all know seat warmers are a wonderful thing, but seat ventilation will change your long, hot summer drives forever. And that’s precisely what Lexus did to launch the refreshed range of its large luxury SUV. On a hot, blue-sky day, the Japanese marque took the full range of both five- and seven-seat variants to Spicers Sangoma Retreat in the Blue Mountains to show how versatile, and also how personal, the RX can be.