Vehicle: 2010 Lexus RX350 with Sport Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$56900

Performance: Until the arrival of the RX450h, Lexus’s tried-and-true 3.5 liter V6 remains RX’s major powerplant. This 3.5 liter already proved to be one of the finest V6 in the the world. With Lexus’s variable valve timing + intelligence, DOHC and 4-valve-per-cylinder; which we already have been in the past. This proven engine has 275 horses and 257 lb/ft of torque to move Lexus’s 5650 lb of leather-lined luxury. Despite of its hefty weight, 257hp has moved this Lexus with authority. Not to mention 257 lb/ft of torque is aplentry to move RX off-the-line without hestiation. Like the rest of the industry, or unlike its lesser Highlander silibings, RX has received a proper 6-speed manumatic gearbox. What an extra gear really makes a whole world of different when it comes to highway cruising, which is what RX does best. An extra top gear would help engineers to space out both 3rd, 4th and 5th for both good mid-range and top-end acceleration. Best of all, its 1st gear is low enough to move RX off with ease. The gearbox is as smooth as the engine itself, without all the harshness when we drove the outgoing RX350 and ES350 when they first launched a couple of years ago.

Handling: As usual, RX shares platform and underpinnings with its ES silibings. Both of these cars have been engineered for full-out comfort, silky smoothness and floaty ride rather than all-out handling prowess. We have been impressed with ES350’s combination of softness and quietness at the expense of handling. The same is the case with this RX. If you are the one who truly appreciate the best when it comes to engineered plenty of softness and smoothness, with somewhat lost of supple ride quality. RX350 is a car for you. Through the corners, RX350 is confident enough when pushed. Both understeer and understeer are obvious when pushed. Lexus’s VSC has stepped in at an alarming rates to help control both under and oversteers. If you drive like what you should with this RX, you shouldn’t witnessed the blinking warning light on the dashboard as we did. The steering feels vague and numb, although the response is decent. When it comes to active safety, Lexus has done more than enough to compensate for the lack of handling abilities in the RX.

Brakes: RX comes standard with 4-wheel discs, standard ABS and EBD. The brake pedal feel and modulation are much better than expected given the softness. Although there are huge nose dive during hard braking, the brake force distribution has done a good enough job in this application.

Interior: As one expects from a Lexus, you got all the nice materials with easy to read gauges and all the luxurious features in this RX350. The leather seats are covered in high-quality cow hides which provide decent support. The automatic climate control is effective when it comes to blowing hot air during chilly days. Although Lexus designers have finally put the center infocenter at the right place to avoid washing away with sunlight, as with previous 2 generations of RXs did. We found its too far away for scanning about informations on stereo and climate control. The stick out gear lever on the top of the dashboard is simply an eyesore.

At the back of the RX350, you got a much needed wash wiper for the window. You can access to RX’s cargo space through a proper door handle. Thanks, Lexus! Once inside, you will find a complete flat-floor after fold down the rear seats. Thanks again. It also got an automatic closing feature for this heavy hatch. What its really disappointed is the rear window doesn’t open independently. Consider RX’s price tag of $56k, it should!

Conclusion: The old RX ain’t broke, the new RX is even better. This is definietly the best RX Lexus has ever made. Some might said its styling isn’t as revolutionary as what Lexus has promised with its concept. Since RX is Lexus’s best-selling product with a loyal customer base, its best to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2010 Lexus RX350
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 3.5/5