BIG, BOLD...AND A BIT BLAND

It may not be the first luxury SUV that pops into your mind, but the Lexus RX 350h is good enough to be the one you eventually buy

- Pablo Chaterji

I have to admit that when I first saw photographs of the new Lexus RX 350h, I raised an eyebrow. What is it with Lexus and that spindle grille?' I thought. 'Surely it's not necessary to keep extending it till its as long as the car?' When the car showed up at my doorstep, however, I was forced to reconsider my jaundiced opinion (indeed, I have reconsidered many bile-tinted opinions about Lexus over the past year, as you may have gathered through my recent writings). This is a truly impressive-looking car, that's the truth of it and at 4,890mm in length, it's big, which should suit most buyers in this segment very well. The downside of that is that it's not the easiest thing to park on a narrow Bengaluru by-lane, but when did you last catch Lexus owners parking on the street? 

There's a strong resemblance to the previous RX model, but there's also many new design bits, beginning with that all-encompassing grille. It looks great in the flesh, and the updated one has a body-coloured top section, with the section below being a black/grey combination that looks like a more conventional trapezoidal grille. The sleek LED headlights accentuate the grille on both sides, and the vents below them round off a bold, striking face.

From its side, this is the best-looking SUV in its class, hands down. Something this large doesn't often qualify as 'sleek', but the RX pulls off this feat, with a forward-sloping profile, a swooping roofline, integrated spoiler, pinched rear windows and tastefully sculpted doors. The rear windshield slopes slightly outwards and meets the end of the taillights, which is a nice touch too. The 21-inch alloy wheel design is a bit busy for my liking, but I must admit they complement the car's profile.