Are Lexus RX fans ready? They’ve been a conservative lot over the years, Toyota’s luxury division appearing to be messing with

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success with the latest 2016 makeover, but their radical new L Finesse 2.0 design language has certainly worked with other models across the line.

They definitely would have a lot to lose. The RX sits clearly at the top of the mid-size luxury crossover SUV heap in Canada and the U.S., last year’s sales of 7,063 units only beaten by both Mercedes mid-size entries, the M-Class (including some new GLE sales in the U.S.) and the larger seven-passenger GL (Lexus needs a Highlander-sized seven-occupant crossover to compete more effectively), the former selling 6,008 and latter 2,473 for a combined total of 8,481. In the U.S., however, even adding up the old ML, new GLE and larger GL, Mercedes fell short by almost 20,000 units at just 80,920 compared to 100,610 for the lone RX, and that’s

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after the Mercedes models’ combined sales grew and the RX dropped 6.4 percent from 107,490 the year prior. None of the other challengers are close enough to bother noting, Cadillac’s SRX next in line in the U.S. with 68,850 deliveries (4,886 in Canada) and Acura’s MDX the next most popular here in Canada with 5,814 delivers last year (58,208 in the U.S.).

If we look at last year’s RX numbers the indicators show sales falling in the U.S. as well as here in Canada, but that attrition likely had more to do with interest in the old model ebbing along with less availability so dealers didn’t end up holding too much old stock while this new redesigned model was trickling into dealerships, as

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well as cannibalization from the incredibly successful new compact NX that slots in just below the RX, the new model no doubt resolving pent up demand from empty nesters who no longer need as much interior room. Better indicators are the first two months of 2016, however, that see sales of the latest model rising, a good sign for the RX retaining its lead.

The new fourth-generation RX cannot be called a wallflower any longer, its edgy styling now making it stand out more than any Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi, despite the Germans’ ever increasing grille size to better lure Chinese-market buyers. Consider all you want about why most manufacturers are making such dramatic

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styling changes, but this middle aged Canadian-market journalist likes what’s going on for the most part, with Lexus’ new designs much more intriguing than ever before.

This is the largest interpretation of the brand’s spindle grille yet, built on an RX that’s now longer, wider and based on a stretched wheelbase. From the outside, key differentiators from the previous generation RX and most other vehicles on the road are its eye-arresting frontal styling and black-painted D-pillars, the latter making the roof appear as if it’s floating. It would’ve been 100-percent unique if it weren’t for the Nissan Murano that introduced the theme a year prior, the two SUVs looking uncomfortably similar from behind when quickly seen driving by. Of course,

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study them side-by-side and there are plenty of differentiating elements, the RX taking a slightly more conservative approach to the pillar itself, as well as taillight design below. Either way, the new RX offers up stimulating design from front to rear, something I’ve never said about its long line of predecessors, while the 450h F Sport I’m reviewing here is even more of a shock and awe experience.

The RX cabin is equally chopped and chiseled, Lexus’ angular interior design a fresh new direction from the organic shapes of years past. At least as importantly the RX office is now one of the most upscale in its premium CUV class, with nearly every surface that isn’t finished in leather, genuine metal or pseudo metallic trim now covered in soft touch synthetic. Lexus even finished the glove box lid in pliable

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plastic, something only done with some in this class, although the lower surfaces of the instrument panel aren’t detailed out as nicely. Ditto for the lower door panels, which is a bit of a shame being that everything else is finished so nicely, and that most others in the mid-size class continue the soft touch treatment across the entire door panel. The metal inlays that span the doors certainly feel real while the door inserts and deeply padded armrests are wonderful, the one between the two front seats at centre extending forward to a point where it becomes the comfortable palm pad for the infotainment system’s Remote Touch Interface, this featuring attractive contrast stitching that mirrors the same style of sporty needle and thread work throughout the rest of the cabin.

This brings up the RX’ new electronic interfaces, which are some of the nicest in the

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industry. Except for a right side dial that houses temperature and fuel gauges on either side, the primary gauges are purely digital. The leftmost portion is Lexus’ usual high-resolution colour LCD TFT with myriad functions, whereas the centre dial face is filled with a driver configurable display showing a regular tachometer in Sport/Sport+ modes and hybrid/economy related settings in regular and Eco modes. The Eco setting includes Charge, Eco, and Power modes, helping you optimize battery usage and overall economy.

A F Sport steering wheel features an ergonomically formed, nicely padded solid and perforated leather rim held in place via three metallic spokes filled with loads of quick access redundant buttons for the audio system, voice activation, phone, cruise control, active safety, and the multi-information display. A set of metallic paddles

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is placed behind at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions, while the control stocks are within easy reach, even for smaller hands.

The centre stack should be close enough for all shapes and sizes of drivers to reach as well, while its intelligent layout is easy on the eyes and doesn’t require too much brainpower to figure out. A 12.3-inch floating tablet style display is most dominant visually, but you won’t need to reach for that as it’s controllable via the Remote Touch Interface, or RTI that I mentioned a moment ago, this version of Lexus’ controversial infotainment controller my second favourite.

I always can guess how hard it must be to program radio stations when none of them are set up after two thousand kilometers on the odometer. I attempted the process,

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and the RTI toggle is a delicate thing to master. I’m guessing there are sensitivity settings available as per a mouse with a computer, because the cursor on the screen moved quickly, “locking” into place via haptic sensors you can feel when passing over a given link, but sometimes passing too fast to click in. At first I tried to position the joystick-style controller right overtop the preset I wanted to set, and then attempted to push it straight down like I’ve done with this RTI design for years, but the downward pressure caused the cursor to jump to the next preset and changed the station instead. Frustrating? To say the least. This was probably the most challenging of its type I’ve ever tried, that is until I noticed new “ENTER” buttons on both the sides of the controller base. Position the toggle where you want it and press the enter button with your thumb and voila, mission accomplished. OK, this is much less annoying, but on that note I don’t understand why

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Lexus didn’t update this thoroughly new model with their much more user-friendly touchpad RTI. I’m sure there were focus groups with the result being that RX owners didn’t like the new controller as much as the old one, but such marketing processes don’t often lead to the best results as most people don’t like change at first, yet after living with something better over time they grow to like it more. Whatever Lexus’ reasoning, I believe it was a mistake to stick with the older RTI design.

The updated infotainment system worked well overall while offering gorgeous depth of colour, crystal clear definition and beautiful graphics, plus loads of features and apps. A 360-degree surround camera aided every type of parking situation, combining ideally with approach and backup sensors. Fortunately it all happens

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automatically when reversing, requiring no input from the driver unless you want to see all-round when in Park or Drive.

The audio and HVAC controls that make up the centre stack are much more conventional than the RTI, being regular buttons, knobs and switches that even those who’ve lived long enough to have owned an original ’97 RX 300 will understand and appreciate. Lexus doesn’t even attempt to dazzle with touch-sensitive switchgear like others in the segment, but rather delivers a well-proven design with extremely high quality materials, even including real metal dials for the audio system that were cold to the touch and featured ultra-fine side grips that

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really felt nice and upscale. The luxury brand’s stylish analog clock pulls eyeballs just above, whereas a small cluster of three-way heatable and ventilated front seat buttons, plus an electromechanical parking brake toggle switch were positioned just below, complete with an auto feature that automatically sets the parking brake when putting it in park and releases it when setting off. All of this is top-drawer kit with some of the nicest finishing in the class, which is why I was so put off by the cheap plastic cover used for the 12-volt charger just to the right, this looking as if it was pulled directly out of a low-end Toyota. Please Lexus, be consistent in your quality offering.

I didn’t try the ventilated seats, it was much too cold during my weeklong test for that, but I thoroughly appreciated the seat heaters that were much warmer in their

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hottest position than most Lexus models. They heated up quickly too, but the heatable steering wheel took a lot longer to warm up and wasn’t as toasty when at maximum, although it connected with the auto system just noted.

The F Sport’s perforated leather seats are not only good looking, but also deeply bolstered for great support laterally and everywhere else. They’re powered, of course, and included reasonably good adjustability with fore and aft, up and down, recline, plus powered lumbar support for both front occupants, yet the latter is only two-way adjustable and didn’t meet up with where I needed it to for my lower back (the marketing material says it’s four-way, but it only moved in and out, not up and down). Therefore it was uncomfortable when extended, which meant I didn’t use it at all. A vehicle in this class should have the ability to move the

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powered lumbar support up and down as well as fore and aft so that all body types can benefit from more pressure where it’s needed.

Despite the RX’ rakish new shape it has actually improved with respect to outward visibility, and I’m not just talking about the fabulous mega-sized panoramic glass sunroof overhead. I had a clear view rearward, good side visibility via the large exterior mirrors and side glass, plus of course an expansive windshield for viewing the road ahead, these good sight lines aiding road safety and confidence, which makes driving any vehicle more enjoyable.

To

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that end the RX 450h F Sport is an absolutely wonderful SUV to drive, combining regal ride quality with interior quietness levels that are likely class leading or close to it. Lexus combines its now legendary pampering ability with deft handling when required, enhanced via the Sport/Sport+ modes mentioned earlier. I was actually surprised at how much better the new RX is compared to his predecessors, taking to corners with true agility, much needed considering the performance available.

This is the first RX hybrid with F Sport upgrades, mind you, which is reason enough for its improved performance. These enhancements include Drive Mode Select with oft repeated Sport and Sport+ modes, controllable via a really handy rotating

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knob on the lower console that lets you switch between modes as often and easily as required, plus those steering wheel-mounted paddles and the ergonomic sport steering wheel noted before, a stylish F Sport shift knob, aluminum sport pedals with rubber inserts, and a sport-tuned adaptive variable suspension (AVS), made up of adaptive dampers and active anti-roll bars, guided by big meaty 20-inch F Sport alloys on 235/55R20s, mine seasonally upgraded to a set of Bridgestone Blizzak winters.

It gets up and goes at a rapid rate when set to either Sport mode, something I did mostly for testing purposes, its 308 net-horsepower and estimated 247 lb-ft of torque responding well to right foot prods at the throttle and its eight-second sprint

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to 100km/h certainly amply fast for this class of SUV, or if you’re trying to maximize fuel economy like I was during the majority of my weeklong drive, leave it in regular or Eco mode and it comfortably whooshes away from standstill in electrified silence before the 3.5-litre V6 kicks in. The gasoline portion of the engine is based on the RX 350’s 3.5, but its Atkinson-cycle is more efficient and tuning less energetic on its own, the RX 450h relying on electrical stimulation to the front and rear wheels (and thus all-wheel drive) plus an efficient continuously variable transmission to bring about similar performance to its conventionally powered sibling.

Therefore its advantage isn’t in straight-line power over the RX 350, despite its slight bump in horsepower, but rather fuel economy. The RX 350 AWD actually makes

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up 0.2 seconds from 0 to 100km/h over this hybrid model, an imperceptible difference, but the hybrid’s pump savings should be all too real for those who pay heed as it’s rated at 7.7 L/100km in the city, 8.2 on the highway and 8.0 combined compared to 12.2 city, 8.9 highway and 10.7 combined for the RX 350 AWD. These are numbers I can live with.

By the way, the performance upgrades mentioned a moment ago aren’t the only F Sport assets, the most obvious being the more pronounced spindle grille and more aggressive front fascia, plus all the F Sport badges, while the package also adds unique F Sport scuff plates noticeable upon entry, the primary gauges explained earlier, a useful head-up display system above that, auto high beams, all-speed dynamic radar cruise control, the sportier metal and metallic interior trim, a black headliner, the panoramic sunroof, F Sport natural leather seats, wireless device charging,

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sensational 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound audio, wide-view front and side monitoring, power reclining rear seats that are also power foldable, a touch-free powered rear liftgate that you only need to place your hand in front of to open (with key fob in pocket or purse), lane departure alert that includes a vibrating steering wheel warning if you’ve moved too far over in your lane, plus a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection.

This all gets added to an SUV that comes stock with 20-inch alloys, auto on-off full-LED headlamps with auto leveling, LED DRLs, LED fog lamps, LED taillights, proximity-sensing access with pushbutton start, a powered steering column with memory and the aforementioned heatable rim, heatable and ventilated front seats, heatable rear outboard seats, dual-zone climate control with smog-sensing automatic air recirculation, satellite radio, an in-dash DVD player, 10-way powered

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front seats, the 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display and 12.3-inch infotainment display with navigation and backup camera noted earlier, front and rear parking sonar, rain-sensing wipers, overhead sunglasses storage, auto-dimming rearview and side mirrors, the latter also power-folding and heatable, a powered liftgate, a cargo net, mat and retractable cover, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, all the usual airbags including one for the driver’s knees and rear seat side-thorax airbags. All of this retails for $68,950 plus freight and dealer fees in base RX 450h guise or $76,200 with the F Sport package. My tester came in Matador Red Mica (an oddly bloody choice for a name), which was a no-cost option, while only a limited assortment of accessories is available after that.

That rear seating area is expansive, the RX not available with seven seats thus allowing

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greater roominess for those in back. The outboard seats are extremely comfortable too, with good lower back support, while as noted earlier you can power the seatback rake, ideal for younger and older passengers that might be physically challenged to operate a conventional lever mechanism. The seatbacks’ aforementioned power folding process works effortlessly, the buttons found on the sidewall of the cargo area and below each seat cushion. They drop down quickly and easily while remaining fairly flat for loading in sizable cargo, the rear seatbacks gradually rising for a narrower floor to ceiling measurement than at the back (important if you’re loading in something long and tall like a shelf). Overall there’s a lot of space for both passengers and cargo, and while the seatbacks fold down 60/40 when utilizing the powered mechanism there’s a manual-folding centre pass-through that allows for a 40/20/40 seatback configuration. This makes

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best use of the outboard seats during family activities such as skiing, especially appreciated in a vehicle like this that includes heatable rear seats. As it is both rear passengers can benefit from a warm seat on the way home from the slopes, a situation that could otherwise result in one of those irritating “that’s not fair” moments which could resultantly cause an irritating parental response along the lines of “how lucky you are to be skiing when there are kids selling food and trinkets on street corners in the Philippines and Thailand just so they can eat, yadda, yadda, yadda…” Isn’t it nice Lexus is helping us resolve family quarrels before they even arise? On that note a rear-seat entertainment system with dual 11.6-inch screens is also available.

It should come as no surprise that the new RX is one of the best midsize SUVs money

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can buy, its North American sales leadership so one-sided that it wouldn’t make sense if it weren’t so. This latest 2016 RX is easily the best yet, made a whole lot better now that the sportier styling and performance of the F Sport upgrade can be had in the hybrid form. That the 450h powertrain provides near identical performance while significantly reducing fuel consumption is just another bonus. It’s a vehicle I would be happy to live with every day, as ideal for commuting as it is on the open road for weekend getaways. You really can’t go wrong with a Lexus RX.

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