LEXUS RX500h

FINALLY UNCOVERS THE MEANING OF (SPORTING) LIFE

- DANIEL GARDNER

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.