LEXUS RX500h
Wheels Australia Magazine|November 2022
FINALLY UNCOVERS THE MEANING OF (SPORTING) LIFE
DANIEL GARDNER
LEXUS RX500h

UNTIL 1998, the only time the word ‘premium’ was used in the same sentence as ‘Japanese’ and ‘SUV’, was to describe a distinct absence of anything fitting that bill. In fact, aside from the venerable Range Rover, there wasn’t really any vehicle in the mid-’90s that could offered a high-riding seating position while treating its occupants to a little luxury. That was until the Mercedes-Benz ML and the Lexus RX 300 arrived in 1997, creating a rift in the high-rider landscape that other brands simply couldn’t ignore.

Today, virtually every crossover that offers a reasonable blend of on and offroad ability wrapped up in a premium shell owes a little of its existence to these two vehicles, with the RX being the unsung hero of the pair. In the ensuing years, however, perhaps a little too much of the Toyota family resemblance started to wear through its gilding, prompting some to label the latter generations a bit pricey.

Now, though, the fifth-generation RX has arrived and it brings some significant changes, including a company-wide strategy to appeal to more driving enthusiasts, creating more breathing space from parent Toyota and a very different looking line-up.

Let’s make something quite clear – the new RX is not a light revision of the previous model; there’s very little beyond a boot badge to connect it to the fourth generation. Under its radically revised styling, the RX has now adopted the Toyota New Global Architecture K platform, except for Lexus’s purposes it has dropped the TN to leave just GA-K.

Denne historien er fra November 2022-utgaven av Wheels Australia Magazine.

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Denne historien er fra November 2022-utgaven av Wheels Australia Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.