2016 Lexus RX 350 AWD Review - Tradition in Disguise

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems
Fast Facts

2016 Lexus RX 350 AWD

3.5-liter DOHC V6 w/ VVT-iW (295 hp @ 6,300 rpm, 267 lbs-ft torque @ 4,700 rpm)
Eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive (front-wheel drive available in U.S.)
19 city / 26 highway / 22 combined (EPA Rating, MPG)
20 (Observed, MPG)
Base Price (AWD)
$44,250 (U.S.) / $56,495 (Canada)
As Tested (AWD w/ options)
$57,819 (U.S.) / $70,145 (Canada)
All prices include $950 destination fee (U.S.) or $2,145 destination fee and A/C tax (Canada). U.S. pricing not exact due to regional packaging differences.

“I hope someone’s watching.”

That thought ran through my head on my first night in the 2016 Lexus RX 350. No, I wasn’t doing something the cops should know about. This is TTAC, not Vice.

See, night had just fallen, and Lexus’s stalwart midsize luxury crossover was taking me home. I pulled up to the last stop sign and signaled for a right turn. Well, didn’t the RX 350’s yet-unnoticed LED cornering lamps light up that street corner like a baseball diamond. Nice — this is what people pay for, I thought. I hope someone’s watching.

It’s fickle, but it’s the little things that make you feel special. For my mother, it was the fender-mounted turn signal lamps that got her into her first new car — a ’76 Plymouth Volare (a decision she rightfully laments to this day.)

Cobble together enough feel-good features — ideally paired with a reliable powertrain (side-eye to the former Chrysler Corp.) — and you’ve got a pretty compelling package to dangle in front of buyers.

That’s assuming they like the face.

When optioned to the gills like this tester, the RX 350 ticks every box on the luxury checklist. Every passenger had that one particular feature that tickled their own personal fancy. For one, the overhead view of the vehicle displayed on the 12.3-inch media screen when the transmission was in reverse did the trick. The wireless charging system thrilled another whose phone was on the verge of going dark. Panoramic sunroof? Hey, aren’t we important people …

Funny, there were no compliments reserved for seat comfort, ride quality or the power of Toyota’s venerable-but-trustworthy 3.5-liter V6. There weren’t any complaints, either, because there was nothing for them to complain about. To my traveling companions, the RX 350 felt and drove like a luxury vehicle should. When asked what it cost, I told them, down to the dollar.

“Yikes,” was the inevitable reply. And guess what? Every last feature they fawned over was an option. Feeling extra comes with a premium, and their reactions should leave the base RX 350 feeling insecure and vulnerable.

The folks at Lexus will be pleased no one frowned at the exterior styling. For its 2016 redesign, Lexus tossed the RX 350’s conservative duds and raided its younger sister’s closet. The result? A healthy dose of aggressive, brawny design attitude and a body that no longer causes narcolepsy. Some might complain that the flanks are too busy, that the angular slashes and creases are akin to a zebra-pattern-and-neon ’80s album cover. I say hallelujah. Yes, the gaping corporate Predator spindle grille isn’t for all tastes, but fortune favors the bold.

Step inside, and any worries a buyer might have had about being too stodgy to be seen in the vehicle melt away. The RX 350’s cabin delivers what traditional buyers want. Soft leather under both hands, both elbows, and backside. Tasteful amounts of dark wood trim and chrome accents. Volume and tuning knobs to ease technology fears. An analog clock mounted in the center of the dash that screams this is serious luxury — don’t you dare forget it!

The technology was strong with this one. Lexus kept the Remote Touch joystick controller for the RX 350’s infotainment system, sending the touchpad to other models in the lineup. The concept is fine, but the sensitive controller requires a surgeon’s touch. By the end of the of the week, I’d stopped overshooting targets in the menu, but passengers were all over the map.

Oh, speaking of maps — what a navigation system. Accurate, detailed, and functions well with the joystick. This system would find the missing Malaysian jetliner.

It’s not hard to imagine buyers of an older persuasion being flummoxed by the level of technology, even though this hasn’t crept up overnight, but it’s not a tall fence to jump. I’ll admit — maybe it was the sauna-like heat that day — to a few moments where I wanted to put my fist through the screen. Still, once those presets are punched in, the stereo settings adjusted, your phone synced, there’s little reason to use the interface. Serenity now.

On the road, there’s damn little to get excited about, good or bad. Acceleration is decent for a 4,387-pound crossover packing a naturally aspirated V6 making 295 horsepower and 268 pounds-feet of torque. It sure isn’t breathtaking.

With construction season in full bloom and lakeside cottages beckoning, the independent suspension (stabilizer bars front and rear) wasn’t shown any mercy. The heavy crossover showed little body roll during cornering, and the worst rural access routes were soaked up without any dammit, am I in trouble moments. This Lexus handles itself well in the rough — even on gravel-strewn twisties, it was rare to see the traction control light blink.

Around town, the RX 350’s grab bag of driver-assistance aids and proximity warnings that would impress the U.S. Navy kept insurers and law enforcement away. Of all the available options, these liability busters are an easy sell. Knowing your vehicle is looking out for you leads to comfort. And comfort = luxury.

Working against all this so-competent-it’s-boring niceness is a transmission that doesn’t want to stay in the background. The eight-speed unit excels at upshifting, but doesn’t earn any gold stars for doing the opposite. Under light or heavy acceleration at speed, it often hesitates before a downshift, silently calculating where it should go from here. A right foot request for just a touch more power often comes with a jarring multi-gear downshift, when dropping a cog or two would have sufficed. During a vigorous launch from a standstill, the tranny whines like a partisan on Twitter.

This wouldn’t happen with a well-spaced six-speed, but the quest for greater fuel economy comes with annoying trade-offs. The EPA rates the RX 350’s thirst at 19 miles per gallon in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. A 60-mile cottage run returned 27 mpg. But after a week of mixed driving, observed mileage was a less-than-stellar 20 mpg. Thankfully, this carriage drinks regular unleaded well swill, not that fancy, shelf-above-the-bar stuff.

Again, all the niceties pack a premium. A base all-wheel-drive RX 350 carries a U.S. MSRP of $44,250 (including delivery, processing and handling), which rises to $57,819 when outfitted like this tester. North of the border, the model rang in at $70,145 after freight and fees. A single executive option package in Canada, containing all those “I’ve achieved something in life” goodies, was a $14,050 add-on.

Take away the five-figure options, and the wow factor slips away from the experience. Fewer “hey, watch this!” moments aren’t a big concern for returning buyers who can get by with 18-inch wheels and a regular backup camera, but new buyers could be more easily swayed to other brands offering greater content for the money.

Still, Lexus has an ace up its sleeve — its name, and the reputation it brings. And it doesn’t hurt that the RX was a pioneer in the luxury crossover field. Brand recognition, plus a long-awaited redesign, could easily keep sales in the six-figure range and the folks in Cambridge, Ontario happy.

[Images: © 2016 Steph Willems/The Truth About Cars]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • JSF22 JSF22 on Jul 31, 2016

    First, I think this is a really well written, objective, and helpful review. Thank you. Your three-word summary in the headline really nails it. I looked at this car. I loved the interior and the seamless electronics, but it still drives like a Lexus and I just cannot get past the exterior. To me, it looks like it already has been sideswiped, and it is a rare car that looks better with a front plate. Industrial espionage must be alive and well, since I don't see how else Toyota and Nissan could have independently come up with something as funky as the floating roofline at the same time. All that said, tastes differ, and from the number of these things I see, they're having no trouble at all gliding the faithful into new leases. Me, I chose a lightly equipped Macan instead, and didn't pay much more at all. But, I'm sure there are people who think it is ugly too. So, I applaud the companies that take risks to give us all these choices.

  • Cactuar Cactuar on Aug 07, 2016

    Lexus should partner with Seiko and replace the generic analog clock with a piece from the Grand Seiko line.

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