Luxury With An Edge: The 2016 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT

The 2016 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT.

The Lexus RX was the world's first luxury crossover, and for most of its life, it has been a vehicle that, without apologies, targeted middle-aged women of means, with, as Michael once wrote, shock absorbers filled with whipped cream and styling like a well-used bar of soap.

So why does the new RX 350 look like a fighter jet?

To Its Own Self It Is True: The 2015 Lexus RX 350

The 2015 Lexus RX 350.

Tell me, if you can, the name of one other car that is still fulfilling the same mission as it did in 1999, with instantly recongizable styling between this year's model and the one from 16 years ago, and is still a top seller.

I thought not.

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus RX 350 F Sport

Among enthusiasts, Lexus has something of a bad reputation. Despite stunners like the LFA supercar and the recently-reviewed-here IS-F sedan, the image is stil that of isolation chambers on wheels.

And out of the Lexus lineup, the vehicle that gets singled out for perhaps the greatest amount of abuse and derision among the smugly superior driver's set is the RX crossover.  It is, intentionally, the least sporting Lexus, designed to be a supremely comfortable conveyance appealing primarily to middle-aged and well-off females.  And it's been selling like hotcakes for well over 15 years.

But Lexus is on a mission to be taken seriously, and so this year, there's an F Sport edition of the RX 350.  Unlike the IS-F, there's no engine swap, just a much-appreciated upgrade of the transmission, suspension and some nice trim bits.

Lexus RX350 Review

And the Volkswagen Beetle award for subtle refinement goes to....

Okay, that's a bit of a stretch. But let me toss you in the Wayback Machine here. At the top of this article is the 2010 Lexus RX 350. Now here's what that vehicle (then called the RX 300) looked like 11 model years ago, in 1999:



Of all the vehicles on the road today, I'm betting only the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis are still that instantly identifiable as the same car over that 11 year span.

It's a case of not messing with success, yet (as VW did with the Beetle) making constant changes and refinements.

We're talking about a ton more power (275 horses today compared to 210 then), slightly better fuel mileage (18 city/25 highway now versus 17 city/22 highway in '99) and a much nicer environment from which to drive.



Best of all, the refinements come at only a slightly higher price. In 1999, base price was $32,950. In 2010, $36,800. Less than $4,000 in 11 years.

Our tester added 19 inch alloy wheels, a heads-up display, bi-xenon headlamps with automatic high beams, heated and ventilated front seats, a Mark Levinson audio system with DVD changer and 15 speakers, a nav system with XM NavTraffic and NavWeather (I find being able to see real-time radar more beneficial than real-time traffic...especially in monsoon season in the Desert Southwest)...the Premium Package with leather, moonroof, auto-dimming miror, power rear door, and the ominously named Pre-Collision System with Dyanmic Radar Cruise Control.

Yeah, it all adds up. Bottom line: $49,300 including $875 delivery. Still, that's a lot of luxury and a lot of features coming in this side of $50K.

As I noted in last year's review of the last-gen RX, I wondered a decade ago whether anyone would buy a vehicle so funny-looking (I called it the "Lunar Rover"). Not only have they, but in sufficient numbers that the styling endures.

Lexus RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition Review

10 years ago, I looked at the first Lexus RX (then the RX 300) and wondered if anyone would buy it. I mean, it was nice...but it looked pretty strange. I think my photographer (I was reviewing cars on television at the time) and I dubbed it the "lunar rover".

Obviously, a lot of people disagreed. The RX (now the 350) is celebrating 10 years on the road, and though there have been refinements, the basic shape is still pretty much the same. And it gets credit for jump-starting the entire crossover SUV segment.

The price has even stayed in the same general ballpark...if I recall, the '99 was about $33,000...the '09 base price is $38,900 and Lexus has made virtually everything that matters standard.

So how to jack up that price point to keep the dealers and stockholders happy? By packaging the non-essentials. And a special edition is always a good way to do that.

The Pebble Beach Edition was introduced to coincide with August's huge annual classic car week (rapidly approaching 10 days) in Monterey, California (nearby Pebble Beach hosts the premiere event, the Concours d'Elegance). For $3,880, you get special 18 inch wheels, a special front grille, a roof rack, HID headlamps, a body-color rear spoiler, a leather-trimmed interior, power tilt and telescoping steering column, memory seating, a moonroof, carpeted floormats and exterior badges that say "Pebble Beach Edition".

That, a navigation system that includes a Bluetooth phone interface and rear backup camera, heated seats, rain-sensing wipers and headlamp washers and a transmission cooler propelled the bottom line to $47,020. Not a bad deal for what you get...but the real story is the value in a "base" RX 350.

EPA estimate: 17 city/22 highway.