Power for the 500h is rated at 366 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, while the 350h comes in at 246 hp and gets a variable torque figure depending on which aspects of the hybrid system are active. The gas-only RX 350, meanwhile, gets 275 hp and 317 lb-ft from its turbocharged 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. The 350h gets a naturally aspirated 2.5L four, the 500h the same 2.4L turbo seen in the RX 350. So yes: only one of the two hybrids gets the turbo motor.
What the 500h has that the 350h doesn’t, is a rear motor generator. The result is that the RX 500h is able to shuffle power around not just side-to-side, but front-to-back as well in order to keep itself better balanced under braking and during acceleration. It’s called Direct4 AWD, and it’s how Lexus is combating the war on inertia.
Indeed, it does so with aplomb. Thanks to that Direct4 set-up as well as a traditional 6-speed auto (the other models get an eCVT), power delivery from stop is brisk; it’s not punch-to-the-chest ferocious, but there’s more here than what was offered by the previous 450h, that’s for sure. It never left me wanting when it came to high-speed manoeuvres. Switching to manual mode and using the wheel-mounted paddles, meanwhile, was a surprising joy to do.
Unfortunately, the steering doesn’t have quite the same effect. Even in Sport mode – which does, allegedly, firm up the steering – I never quite got a great idea of what was going on beneath the front wheels, and the resistance was still too light for my liking.
Once I learned to trust it, though, that left my mind because with that longer wheelbase and lower front overhang, turn-in is actually quite good and since you no longer have that massive swathe of a dash ahead of you, it feels more direct in general.
Still, as mentioned, the 500h is still not a performance model and much of the chassis tweaking – the four-wheel steering, adaptive dampers, Direct 4 tech -- has to do with improving occupant comfort. Even as speeds get more unwieldly, the RX 500h remains an incredibly comfortable affair that’s low on body movement and noise and high on solidity, thanks in no small part to the body being both lighter and stiffer than previous thanks to the use of more high tensile steel, laser screw welding, more spot welding and better adhesive. The result is an SUV that is tight as a drum, and feels incredibly high quality as a result.
The 500h is the top spec model, though, so what of the rest?
Well, the RX 350h – the likely top seller of the group – may not feel quite as brisk upon throttle tip-in and not quite as agile through the turns, but that comfort, that quietness and that quality is absolutely still there. Further, you can get pretty much all of the fun luxury stuff (the special audio, driver aids, etc.) you can in the 500h by spec-ing one of the F Sport or Luxury packages, although the audio can only be had at the F Sport level. You can still get special 21-inch wheel, digital rear-view mirror and real leather seating (NuLuxe synthetic leather comes as standard) without having to move to the F Sport level. You can see why that RX 350h really is where the lineup’s bread is buttered.
The biggest surprise for me, though, was actually the gas-only 350 base model. You knew the 500h was going to have the power and dynamics, and you knew the 350h was going to be a bit of a jack of all trades, but the RX350 was a bit of a wild card.
Turns out, it’s a little more “wild” than “card”, with a punchy turbo-four that is somewhat harsh in tone as you really get on it, but at least has you making quick progress while you’re at it. It’s lighter, too, allowing it to get the most out of the lower power figures it generates and returning an experience that suggests it’s letting its hair down more than the other two – yes, even the 500h.
Indeed, much as I love the 500h, I am a little concerned about how they’re going to price it. If you go by the current top-spec ’22 RX 450h with an F Sport package, we’re talking over 71 grand – and that’s for the basic F Sport package that the 500h already kind of has.
The new vehicle with its fancy-pants power station rear axle and adaptive dampers is going to have to cost more and if the package pricing is the same – or similar – then we’re getting into the 80s and 90s here, and I’m not talking decades. That’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for buyers of a compact/mid-size luxury crossover (Lexus lists everything from the most-definitely compact Audi Q5 to the almost full-size BMW X5 as competition for the RX), and it’s too bad that there’s no other way to get that all-new powertrain.
Still, though, the RX 350 and 350h are mighty competent vehicles, with the 350 here to offer one last kick at the can for those who aren’t ready to make – or pay for – a jump into the world of luxury hybrids.
We like
Clever new hybrid powertrain
Advanced looks
Incredibly comfortable
We like less
500h will likely be very pricey
Somewhat lax steering feel
The competition
Acura RDX
Audi Q5 / Q7
BMW X5
Cadillac XT5
Genesis GV80
Infiniti Q50
Jaguar F-Pace
Lincoln Nautilus
Volvo XC90
