2023 Lexus RX SUV drops V6, adds power and new hybrid models
Lexus’ best-selling vehicle, the RX midsize SUV, gets a complete redo for 2023, with a new platform, three levels of hybrid, including a plug-in and a 367-horsepower performance model.
The fifth-generation RX adds features for safety, connectivity and comfort, all housed in a familiar-looking body that should make the SUV’s legion of previous owners comfortable.
Lexus engineers emphasized ride quality and a comfortable, quiet cabin developing the new RX. The SUV’s wheelbase grew 2.36 inches, but overall length is unchanged at 192.5 inches, a combination likely to increase passenger space.
The RX SUV’s 115,320 sales in 2021 accounted for a whopping 40% of Lexus’ U.S. total, nearly 40,000 more than the luxury brand’s entire line of passenger cars racked up.
Available safety and driver assistance features
Driver monitoring system
Pre-collision braking and alert
Intersection assist
Pedestrian and motorcycle detection
Adaptive cruise control with curve speed management
Lane departure alert and assist
Automated parking
Lighter and more powerful
The new GA-K platform will underpin future models, likely including a longer RX with three rows of seats. It’s as much as 198 pounds lighter than comparable versions of the current RX. A lower center of gravity and more even weight distribution should contribute to improved handling.
The platform also increases rear legroom and cargo space, with a lower hatchback opening for a more convenient loading height.
The most powerful model, the new F Sport Performance, combines a turbocharged engine and electric rear axle for a total of 376 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque. The top version of the current RX is the 306-hp 450h hybrid that combines a 2.4L turbocharged engine and an electric rear axle.
The base RX will be a gasoline-only model with a 275-hp 2.4L engine. The entry hybrid — called the 350h — will combine a 2.5L engine and hybrid drivetrain for 246 hp.
There will also be a plug-in hybrid, the RX 450h+. No information on it is available at this time.
RXs sold in the United States will be assembled in Cambridge, Ontario.
2023 Lexus RX trim levels
Standard
Premium
Premium+
Luxury
F Sport Handling
F Sport Performance
Similar profile, but lots of visual changes
The most obvious styling change to the RX is a new interpretation of Lexus’ controversial “spindle grille.” Photos of the F Sport and Premium show it evolving from an outsized hourglass into a trapezoid, wider at the base than the top and with a diamond mesh pattern.
The body’s new proportions create the appearance of a long hood, while the shorter rear overhang pays off with a trim rear end and aggressively sloped hatchback and rear window.
A 14-inch touch screen will be available.
2023 Lexus RX SUV at a glance
Front- or all-wheel drive luxury five-passenger SUV
On sale late 2022
Prices: TBA
Platform: GA-K
RX350 gasoline drivetrain: Front- or all-wheel drive 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 275 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque; continuously variable automatic transmission; 24 mpg projected combined city/highway EPA rating; 7.5 seconds 0-60 mph FWD, 7.2 seconds with AWD
RX 350h hybrid: AWD only; 2.5L four-cylinder engine and electric motor; 246 hp, 233 lb-ft of torque; continuously variable automatic transmission; 33 mpg projected combined city/highway EPA rating; 7.4 seconds 0-60 mph
RX 500h F Sport Performance: AWD only; 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine; electrified rear axle; 367 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque; six-speed automatic transmission; 26 mpg projected combined city/highway EPA rating; 5.9 seconds 0-60 mph
RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid: No information available
Wheelbase: 112.2 inches
Length: 192.5
Width: 75.6
Height: 67.3
19-inch wheels standard; 21-inch available
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2023 Lexus RX drops V6, adds power and new hybrid models
