- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
3.5i/123kW Hybrid, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
NA
- Fuel
Hybrid (95) 6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2015)
2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury review
Does the large luxury Lexus strike the right balance of refinement and practicality with a hybrid petrol powertrain? Sam Purcell finds out.
- Good efficiency around town from the hybrid powertrain
- Plenty of space and comfort in the first and second rows
- Loads of power outlets
- Ride quality could be better
- Third row is very compromised
- Powertrain lacks engagement
Introduction
Take Toyota's popular and proven fuel-sipping hybrid technology, and fit it into a large luxury SUV. This is the 2021 Lexus RX450hL in a nutshell, and seems like a pretty good idea. After all, we seem to really love our SUVs presently.
And there is no doubt that the hybrid powertrain technology used by Toyota – and it's luxury arm Lexus – has hit a sweet spot for many Australian buyers. While pure-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle take-up in Australia is still a small (but growing) percentage of overall sales, hybrid variants are the most popular that Toyota and Lexus offer for sale.
We've got the biggest Lexus RX in this test, in the least expensive Luxury specification. This sits below the RX450hL Sports Luxury, which asks for $112,460 before on-road costs.
On the other hand, the RX450h five-seater starts from $91,760. Throw in the longer 'L' body and three rows of seating, and you're looking at $95,260. Once again, before on-road costs are factored in.
While Luxury is the cheapest trim level, it lives up to the name with plenty of standard specification. The interior is well stacked with the likes of leather and other soft-touch materials, as well as a relatively new 12.3-inch infotainment display atop the dashboard.
Although there is no shortage of large luxury SUVs to consider these days, the Lexus does offer a unique take on something big and lavish. One of Toyota's larger and well-regarded closed-loop petrol hybrid powertrains is employed pairing a 3.5-litre petrol V6 and a trio of electric motors (two front, one rear) to power all four wheels.
A similar powertrain to this is used in Toyota models like the Crown and Alphard in Japan, as well as the Highlander (Kluger) in America. In Australia, Lexus is the only brand to use this larger hybrid combination of a 3.5-litre V6 and electric motors.
This is purported to be the most efficient of the RX range - 6.0L/100km on the combined cycle – competing with a slew of turbo-diesel powertrains in other large luxury SUVs.
Key details | 2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury |
Price (MSRP) | $95,260 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Graphite Black |
Options | Enhancement Pack (head-up display, sunroof, smart card entry) $3500, metallic paint ($1750) |
Price as tested | $100,510 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Genesis GV80 | Audi Q7 | Land Rover Discovery |
Inside
With bones that date back to 2015, the Lexus RX is one of the older examples of a large luxury SUV on sale in Australia. And that age is noticeable on the inside.
The multifunction display in front of the driver is probably the biggest giveaway, especially as so many cars are flocking towards fully digital instrument clusters. The binnacle in the RX looks like the same sort of thing you’d get in a Corolla Hybird, not a large luxury vehicle.
Another indicator of age is the slew of buttons on the dashboard for controls. While this does lend an old-world feel to the Lexus, it also makes it easy to access functions and modes. It's especially the case when you're on the move, with the simple and tactile functions of twisting a dial or mashing a button easier than going through a screen or menu.
The new infotainment display is big and touchscreen-capable. It can be a reach from the driver's seat, however, so you might prefer to use the console-mounted touchpad, which is closer. But this can also be frustrating to use accurately.
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Next to the two regulation cupholders you've got a nifty slot for a phone, wireless charging pad, two USB outlets, and a 12V socket. There's another 12V port in the big centre console, along with a 3.5mm auxiliary input and two more USBs. And for those that still want it, the RX retains a good old-fashioned CD/DVD player.
The front seats in the RX in this specification are comfortable and have plenty of electric adjustment, but don’t look or feel as impressive as some others, with higher grades of quilted and stitched leather, you'll get in this segment. You'll need to go up the ladder in order to get the higher-grade semi-aniline leather in an RX.
Leg room and head room are very good in the second row. Your head sits in line with a forward-raking C-pillar, and an adjustable backrest allows you to go full Rancho Relaxo.
The seats have a normal 60:40 split and a fold-down armrest that's a little more complex than your average. There is some additional storage in here and two USB charging points. There are also air vents and no transmission tunnel to contend with. Power is transferred to the electrically-driven rear wheels via cabling instead of a mechanical propshaft, after all.
You can fit a bottle in the second-row doors – along with space for extra stuff – and outward visibility is surprisingly good with angled pillars everywhere.
What about the third row, which is the main calling card of this biggest RX? Overall there's an extra 110mm of length to help accommodate the extra seats. Buttons in the boot deploy the third row electrically and confirm with a beep. Pull a lever on the top or bottom of the second-row seat to get in and access is fairly tight.
There is no getting around it, the third row in this RX450hL is really compact. There is very little leg room and head room on offer. With the second row cinched in as much as I reasonably could, the third row is still quite compromised. The D-pillar is huge and looms alongside your ear. There are air vents and controls in here at least, but adults really need to squeeze in.
It feels more like a 5+2 with an occasional-for-kids third row, instead of a full-blooded seven-seater.
On the plus side, boot space is decent as a seven-seater with 176L comparing to something like a small SUV. Drop the third row away and you’ve got 591L, or with both rear rows stowed, up to 1656L.
2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury | |
Seats | Seven |
Boot volume (7 seat / 5 seat / 2 seat) | 176L / 591L / 1656L |
Length | 5000mm |
Width | 1895mm |
Height | 1700mm |
Wheelbase | 2790mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
The updated 12.3-inch infotainment system impresses with the brightness and clarity of the display, and the operating system is one that Lexus users will be familiar with. It feels fast to load and react, and has lots of functions and menus to dig through.
Like I mentioned earlier, the main bugbear of this display is reaching for it while driving, especially if you're one to sit further back from the dashboard. Failing that, you'll need to use the touchpad and associated buttons down by the cupholders, but this can be a hit-and-miss affair.
The infotainment system has native navigation, digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so no complaints there. Audiophiles will prefer to opt for the upgraded Mark Levinson sound system in higher specifications. The standard set-up seems good to my untrained ears, but there's a big gap in performance with the better system.
Safety & Technology
Although the Lexus RX range comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, it dates back to 2015. However, improvements made to the range in 2019 help keep the aging SUV current.
There's autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, as well as traffic sign recognition and intelligent adaptive cruise control. The airbag count for the RX is 10, and curtain airbags are extended to cover the third row.
There's rear cross-traffic alert (with braking), and low-speed automatic braking for low-speed forward manoeuvres as well. Throw in blind-spot monitoring and automatic high beams, and you've got a good litany of safety technology.
The head-up display – part of the $3500 Enhancement Pack – helps keep your eyes on the road and has adjustable brightness.
Lane-departure warning and lane tracing (or lane-centring assist, a type of semi-autonomous driver assist) work well, and need to be commended for not being too heavy-handed.
2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2015) |
Safety report | Link |
Value for Money
Value feels like a two-edged sword in many respects for the RX450hL. In comparison to the starting prices of other seven-seat luxury SUVs, it looks like good value.
For example, the Audi Q7 45TDI is $103,672, Mercedes-Benz GLE300d starts from $111872, plus $3900 for the optional seven-seat package, and BMW X5 starts from $104,400 with another $3350 to add third row seating. Only Volvo's XC90 manages to undercut the Lexus at $86,990 for the entry-level Momentum, with a more useful third row, to boot.
From this perspective, RX buyers have the scope to climb the specification ladder and get things like improved interior trimming, premium audio, advanced adaptive LED headlights and adaptive suspension in the RX450hL Sports Luxury, among a handful of other upgrades.
Perhaps the sharpest competition for the Lexus RX comes from top-spec SUVs from the so-called mainstream set, which offer similar levels of sophistication and refinement. Buyers would be well informed to cross-shop the likes of Mazda's CX-9 (up to $73,875), Kia's Sorento (up to $64,070) and Hyundai's Palisade (up to $74,876, all before on-road costs).
Some of these competitors – the Palisade in particular – offer a much better third-row experience for those who plan on regularly carrying more than five.
At a glance | 2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury |
Warranty | Four years/100,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months/15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1785 (3yrs) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.0L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.8L/100km |
Fuel type | 95RON petrol |
Fuel tank size | 65L |
Driving
This is the only large luxury SUV that has this kind of closed-loop petrol hybrid powertrain; a specialty of Toyota, ergo Lexus. Others are plug-in hybrids, many are diesel-powered, and mild-hybrids are also increasingly common. But this kind of Toyota hybrid in this format of car is unique in the segment.
And typical for Toyota and Lexus, the hybrid powertrain feels quite seamless as it mixes and chooses its power sources.
Engine performance is good when you need it, with the two power sources blending well through the elastic-feeling CVT transmission. It’s fine and does the job well. If you want a sporty edge, perhaps look elsewhere. But for punting around town, it's an easy experience.
Compared to a claimed 6.0L/100km on the combined cycle, we saw 8.8L/100km. That’s a decent figure for a petrol and comparable to something diesel-powered.
The efficiency gains come from the electric motor doing a lot of the work on take-off, but it’s less noticeable because the opportunity for engine-off driving is minimal. Perhaps it’s the weight?
Going very slowly, you can get up to around 30km/h without burning any impetus from the petrol engine. But for normal, everyday real-world acceleration, petrol power kicks in before you crack 20km/h.
The engine quickly shuts off at the earliest opportunity, and the RX is quick to harvest power while coasting and braking. But importantly, it does it in an unintrusive way. It also makes for quite a silent, serene experience at times.
The ride quality of the RX isn’t particularly amazing, especially when you consider how good more mainstream large SUVs are these days. It’s good, but the problem is most other things ride quite well these days too.
The ride exhibits a few sharper edges around town at times, which results in a little bit of head tossing for occupants. It’s minor but it’s there. Other large luxury SUVs, albeit more expensive models with more advanced chassis controls, ride better.
It's also worth pointing out that many mainstream SUVs ride quite well these days, which puts a big onus on something like this Lexus to really nail it.
There is a considerable amount of weight to contend with here: a 3.5-litre petrol V6 teamed up with a battery back and electric motors. The larger hybrid Lexus weighs between 2220-2275kg depending on specification. That compares to 2090-2150kg for a non-hybrid RX350, which means the hybrid powertrain adds approximately 130kg of overall weight.
Although it has the same 2790mm wheelbase, the L specification grows by 110mm in length to squeeze in that extra row of seats. This also increases weight.
Key details | 2021 Lexus RX450hL Luxury |
Petrol engine | 3.5-litre V6 petrol |
Power | 193kW @ 6000rpm (230kW combined) |
Torque | 335Nm @ 4600rpm |
Electric power | 123kW front / 50kW rear |
Electric torque | 335Nm front / 139Nm rear |
Battery | 1.9kWh Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | e-CVT automatic transmission |
Weight (kerb) | 2220kg |
Tow rating | Not rated |
Turning circle | 11.8m |
Conclusion
Although the years have raced by in many respects, and the Lexus RX is forced to compete against newer competitors, there is still a lot to like about the Lexus RX450hL.
The powertrain is smooth and efficient, and offers plenty enough performance for the application. And importantly for many buyers, it manages to reduce fuel consumption without any of the extra steps that come with plug-in electrification.
It's a completely different take on the seven-seat format in comparison to the bigger and more rugged Lexus LX, whose LandCruiser underpinnings offer up more off-road and towing capability. The RX L hybrid, on the other hand, has no towing ability (though other RX models do claim moderate towing ability) and only meagre off-road credentials from its hybrid all-wheel-drive system.
The adaptation of seven seats isn't perfect for the RX, and lends itself more as an occasional seven-seater than anything else. As a five-seater, it makes a lot more sense, and is able to compete with newer and more refined competitors thanks to its value advantage.
But if one follows that logic further, then the broader range of large SUVs needs to be considered also. And while mainstream brands might not be considered premium or luxury – the definition will be different to individuals – the increasing levels of technology, safety and refinement cannot be looked past.