The Lexus RX350L – When you have Range Rover money and Japanese sensibility.

By Chad Lückhoff

You know you're in your thirties when you have a favourite spatula, a trip to Woolworths is the highlight of your day and sleeping just ever so slightly weird gives you a stiff neck that forces you to turn your whole body just to check a blind spot. Oh, and a large Lexus makes sense.

While there will be many that will argue the point, and I see their reasons, I quite like the new RX350L.

Let's start with the arguments against:

Five seats, plus two for lap dogs

The RX350L EX is a long-wheelbase version of the regular RX350 and is even fitted with the same 3.5-litre V6 engine. In order to cram an additional row of seating into the frame of the RX, things had to change. The overall length is increased by 110mm and the roofline is bumped up by 10mm to give an overall height of 1700mm as opposed to 1690mm. Despite this, the wheelbase remains the same at 2790mm. All of this in order to get a rear bench in, that sadly will only accommodate small children, and passengers who work for Ringling Bros.

These “passengers” are catered for though, as the airbags were redesigned to ensure that there is sufficient coverage for them there at the back. They have access to their own climate control as well. It's a nice touch and one that frankly makes sense in a vehicle this size. It gets a little stuffy in the back row.

This space is better utilized by folding these seats down, something that is done electronically from the load area. With these seat out of the way, the nearly-flat boot floor provides up to 966-litres.

Ageing tech

Here I have to agree with them, as much as it saddens me. The infotainment system in the RX is positively dated in comparison to the competition.

The RX350L utilizes the joystick control for the infotainments system, rather than the trackpad (which is only a minor improvement) that can be found in the cheaper, smaller NX model. This input method is frustrating at best and if it wasn't for the steering mounted controls, you'd never be able to switch from the radio to Bluetooth or skip a track. The system sounds good, at least.

While the RX350L has some niceties, such as a wireless charging bay, 12v / 2.1A USB ports in the second row, auto lights and auto wipers, digital climate control, and heated and air-conditioned seats with auto function, the driving tech is sadly lacking in a car of this price. You get blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, but there's no heads-up display, no lane keep assist and the cruise control is of the garden-variety – no adaptive / guided cruise control.

These omissions are what is separating the other 7-seater SUVs from the rest, and here I'm talking Volvo XC90, Land Rover Discovery and such.

Less-than-stellar body control

Some of my colleagues argued that the increase in length and weight has done nothing for the ride and handling (2085kg vs 2150kg). Here I have to disagree.

While I don't say that it's improved over the shorter-wheelbase version, I see nothing particularly wrong with the way that the 350L handles. It's a 2-tonne SUV and you would expect it to drive as such. I actually believe this to be its best attribute, comfort.

The RX350L is one of those vehicles that envelops you as you board and washes away any thoughts that you may have had of being in a rush. The sumptuous leather seats and eerily quiet cabin (even the electric windows are near silent – that, or I'm going deaf) welcome you in and completely transform your mindset. Where you may have been comfortable blasting down the highway on the wrong side of legal, the RX encourages you to waft along at a more pedestrian pace, savouring the moment.

The suspension does a grand job of absorbing the undulations of the road, despite the fact that the grand Lexus rolls on sizeable 20-inch wheels. The steering has a nice, weighted feel to it and the chassis doesn't seem to track, even when you do happen to do highway speeds and more. The turning circle is respectable as well, allowing for easy enough navigation of parking lots and basements. The RX does have Park Distance Control (PDC) and a reverse camera, with parking assist, so slotting the behemoth into a bay isn't all that hard. A front camera would have been beneficial, as the rather stout proportions of the front end leave you guessing a bit.

Then there's the good stuff:

While others have levied the aforementioned criticisms, there are a few areas that I believe the Lexus redeems itself in. The drive is one of them and is probably the most prominent.

The creamy V6

There's also the engine; the 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 doing duty under the hood. It's a little on the thirsty side, with figures in the region of 14l/100km as opposed to the claimed 10.2l/100km, but this matters not because it's a real pleasure in the RX.

It's down on power over its 5-seater implementation, and that's due to the redesign of the floor pan that only alloys for a single exhaust, as opposed to the dual-exhaust in the short-wheelbase RX350. Power comes in at 216kW with 358Nm on tap, whereas it is 221 and 370 in the 5-seater respectively, but all of that power sounds positively divine underfoot with a wonderful engine tone that is at just the right level for a vehicle of this nature. A throaty growl without being intrusive nor muted.

It's mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox that shifts subtly enough to make cruising enjoyable but it has a tendency to hunt a little at certain speeds and certain throttle input. The difference between the three drive modes is hardly noticeable and you're better off just leaving it in the Normal mode.

Handsome looks

It's a looker too. I quite like the aggressive hourglass grille, it seems to work better here than it does on the IS and the headlights integrate into the design better than on the LS. The trademark RX tapered rear design is expertly executed and does well to carry the lineage into this redesigned model.

Cabin quality

The interior is markedly better than in the smaller offerings (and on par with the NX) with the ergonomics a direct bull’s eye in my books. The fit and finish is one area where the rivals have serious competition and may even be falling short, with a fantastic use of material, design elements and attention to detail. It feels bespoke.

All those ‘extras’ that come as standard

The price is a rather stiff one, considering that the RX is not blazing trails in the segment as it goes, but you also won't have to worry about an extensive options list with this one. It sells for R949 300 and comes with that Toyota reliability and a robust warranty of 4 years / 100 000km and a service plan of the same 4 years / 100 000km as standard.

As a result, I like it.

Perhaps it's just me and this 30-something frame that's getting on in years, the one that suggests Netflix and Chill and genuinely does watch Netflix and chills, but the RX350L slotted into my lifestyle without missing a beat.

I may not have a need for the extra third row and those that are on their way to creating their own rugby team may find other 7-seaters more practical. The active-lifestylers may appreciate the additional room in the rear and those with less expensive taste may also find the Fortuner to do all of this effortlessly, but the RX was hugely enjoyable for me.