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19/06/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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The latest Lexus RX350 for 2009 is very smooth and supremely quiet, especially on roads that are in good condition. On smooth roads tyre and suspension noise is all-but inaudible, the engine is but a distant hum, and air rush over the body is minimal. Rougher sealed roads do increase the incidence of tyre noise, though it's still more than acceptable. You really do feel cocooned from the outside world when you travel in a car like this.
 There, we've got that out of the way in the opening paragraph of our latest road test of a Lexus, the new RX350 SUV for 2009. Lexus cars are about comfort and refinement, so pars like this opening one usually figure somewhere in the story – we figured we should get ours right out in the open, because this is the major reason why people opt for one of these upmarket Japanese machines.
Lexus has introduced the third-generation of its big-selling RX350 series to Australia. It's virtually all-new, being longer and wider in the body and sits on a longer wheelbase and wider track, though the overall height remains the same. The aim was to give the Lexus light-duty SUV more interior space and (surprise, surprise!) even higher levels of interior comfort.
Exterior styling is a solid evolution of that on the second-generation RX350, with a more curvaceous look that works rather nicely. There are stronger shoulders, the distinctive way the top corners of the radiator grille are stretched out to almost touch the headlights is neat and slimmer headlights give the new Lexus RX350 an ultra-modern appearance.
At the rear, the lights have also been slimmed down, and the hidden rear windscreen wiper is a neat touch that ties in beautifully with the clean theme of the vehicle.
 Inside, there's an all-new design in the dash area, which is now very driver-oriented. The curvaceous design of the door trim and shaping of the seats is elegant in a manner never before seen in the Lexus RX series. It goes without saying that the choice of materials and the quality of fit and finish of cabin is immaculate. We were disappointed that the touch-screen operation of the satellite navigation system has been discontinued. Lexus says this is to shroud the screen to reduce reflections by moving it further into the dashboard. But we must say we preferred the simplicity of the old sat-nav setup.
The windscreen pillars of the RX350 are styled to minimise hindrance of the front-side view while driving. Lexus is to be congratulated on this in these times where too many designers have compromised outward vision in order to gain strength in a crash. Lexus has achieved the latter with a minimum of compromise to the former. However, the tiny extra windows in the windscreen pillars’ lower corners are all but invisible from the driver’s seat.
The Lexus RX350 has significantly less ground clearance than the typical crossover vehicle. This is to give it good road holding, that's almost on par with that of a low-slung sedan. However, while the Lexus RX350 can travel on dirt roads, forest trails and the like, taking it to the beach could leave it beached as it drags its low belly when the wheels go into deeply rutted sand.
Boot space is reasonable considering the steep slope of the rear window, but most others in this class give you more versatility when it comes to carrying boxy items. The rear seat has a handy 40/20/40 split to give you loading options, so you might have to leave the kids at home when you go to collect that big-screen TV.
The Lexus RX350 as sold in Australia gives you the choice between a full-sized boot and a space-saver spare tyre, or losing 100 mm from the depth of the boot and having a full-sized spare tyre.
 The twin-cam 3.5-litre V6 engine comes with 204 kW of power and 346 Nm of torque. Despite an increase in power and torque over the previous edition of this engine it has lower fuel consumption than before when measured to Australian standards. The engine is now mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, up from the five speeds of the old model, which is a further factor in lowering fuel use.
Expect it to use about 10 to 12 litres per hundred kilometres when working in the suburbs, a number that could drop to less than eight litres per hundred kilometres if you tiptoe on motorways and level country roads.
Comfort, refinement, smoothness and near silence. We opened this story with remarks on the strong features of the latest Lexus RX350 and make no excuses for using them to sum up our road test on the car. If you liked the just superseded model, we reckon this one will impress even more.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
RX350 3.5-litre four-door wagon
SPECIFICATIONS (Lexus RX350 3.5-litre petrol four-door wagon)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 3.456 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 94.0 x 83.0 mm
Maximum Power: 204 kW @ 6200 rpm
Maximum Torque: 346 Nm @ 4700 rpm
DRIVETRAIN:
Driven Wheels: 4WD
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.398:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4770 mm
Wheelbase: 2740 mm
Width: 1885 mm
Height: 1720 mm
Turning Circle: 11.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1975 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 72 litres
Towing Ability: Not supplied
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, L-arms, coil springs, gas dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.0 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 10.8 L/100 km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Four years/100,000 km
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