2023 RX already on display

John Walker · January 17, 2023

Went to Westfield London mall (in Shepherd’s Bush) last weekend and got to sit into the new RX500h and RX450h Premium Plus. None of them had panoramic roof which was a bit disappointing (or maybe it didn’t notice). What wasn’t disappointing was the quality of the interior, I was literally blown away, such a big step up compared with my 2016 Luxury but also compared with the 2022 Takumi I got to test drive a couple of weeks ago.

Exterior wise I wasn t so sure when I first saw it on YouTube but seeing it in flesh I thought it was a masterpiece.

After visiting a few dealerships lately and checking different SUV models from Porche, Range Rover and BMW I honestly believe the new RX is a bargain. (Porche has the best interior materials from all though)

Curios if anyone else got to sit in the new RX what was your first impression.

Prices :

RX500h F Sport - £74.950 (£79.950 with Takumi pack)

RX450h+ starts at £64.950 and goes up to £79.450 for the Takumi model)

RX350h starts at £59.950 and up to £74.450 for Takumi

PS : Sorry for the bad photos, it was very busy and I was too excited about the car to bother taking better photos.

jpjsavage · January 21, 2023

I've not had the chance yet, but very pleased to hear this. We have our order in and we are hoping to pick up the 450h plug in takumi spec in late March, fingers crossed.

John Walker · January 21, 2023

I only wished they still made the v6 and ideally a 500h plug-in but we can t have it all I guess. Very intrigued to test drive both the 450h+ and 500h

jpjsavage · January 21, 2023

I think if i wanted a performance SUV I'd go for a Cayenne. I love the refinement and luxury ride of the current RX and from what I've heard this next one is even better. Perhaps it will even be like my old LS600h (but probably not)?

John Walker · January 21, 2023

Didn’t get to sit in a Takumi yet but I m sure it will be great. As I said the materials in the F Sport are definitely next level, I was impressed and I m not easy to please.

If i m being picky i could complain about the air vent (on the driver side) that is now surrounded by glossy black plastic and i m not a big fan of glossy surfaces. The storage in the armrest got significantly smaller and so are the door bins. I love how huge they are on my 2016 RX. They still didn’t bother to put any lining inside them. The cup holders in the back armrest are identical with the ones in the previous generation and nothing to complain as they are very good, just surprised to see that they are still using parts from the previous generation.

This was whatever i could see in the few minutes i sat in it but overall i was struggling to find cheap materials. I m sure you will love your new RX. Let us know once it gets delivered 🙂

jpjsavage · January 22, 2023

17 hours ago, John Walker said:

I m sure you will love your new RX. Let us know once it gets delivered 🙂

Will do John.

F.A. · January 23, 2023

I love that copper colour.

Is that an RZ450e in the photos also?

RadicalCoupe-Fuji · January 29, 2023

The front grille is not good imo, only looks ok in dark colours. Looks like a wall that the plaster has crumbled off & has exposed the metalwork underneath.

John Walker · February 3, 2023

On 1/23/2023 at 7:28 AM, F.A. said:

I love that copper colour.

Is that an RZ450e in the photos also?

Yes it is but i wasn’t impressed honestly

John Walker · February 3, 2023

On 1/29/2023 at 5:20 PM, RadicalCoupe-Fuji said:

The front grille is not good imo, only looks ok in dark colours. Looks like a wall that the plaster has crumbled off & has exposed the metalwork underneath.

Once you see in flesh i m pretty sure you ll get over the grill and love the car as a whole, I think it s probably the best looking SUV out there (exterior wise) and i tend to be pretty objective.

jpjsavage · February 3, 2023

Lexus Stoke have just had two of their demonstrator cars arrive - the 350 and the 500. The 450h demonstrator is due in early March. Our car is scheduled to arrive in mid April. I'll go for a test drive in March and take some pictures of all your amusement!

John Walker · February 3, 2023

You should go and test drive any of them asap 😃

jpjsavage · February 3, 2023

3 minutes ago, John Walker said:

You should go and test drive any of them asap 😃

Probably! Bit reluctant to drive the 500 as I'll want to change my order and the BIK goes right back up to some astronomical %.

John Walker · February 3, 2023

3 minutes ago, jpjsavage said:

Probably! Bit reluctant to drive the 500 as I'll want to change my order and the BIK goes right back up to some astronomical %.

The extra excitement you ll get from the 500h don t think will compare with the luxury of driving the 450h+ 40 miles or close on pure electric. I gave it a good thought when i was thinking to place an order for the new RX. Don t think the 500h is going to offer a much better driving experience in comparison to the 450h+ to be worth to give up on the plug-in feature. If they had a 500h+ (plug-in) probably it would’ve been a no brainer.

jpjsavage · February 3, 2023

39 minutes ago, John Walker said:

The extra excitement you ll get from the 500h don t think will compare with the luxury of driving the 450h+ 40 miles or close on pure electric. I gave it a good thought when i was thinking to place an order for the new RX. Don t think the 500h is going to offer a much better driving experience in comparison to the 450h+ to be worth to give up on the plug-in feature. If they had a 500h+ (plug-in) probably it would’ve been a no brainer.

I agree with that entirely. If you want a performance SUV, I think you'd be better off looking elsewhere.

Spock66 · February 3, 2023

2 hours ago, jpjsavage said:

I agree with that entirely. If you want a performance SUV, I think you'd be better off looking elsewhere.

I think the 500h will be a very low volume car, not sure who the target market is.

The sensible buyer will go for the 450h, the petrol head for something else.

rayaans · February 6, 2023

I think theyve missed a trick not offering the f sport design pack on the 450h+ as that would be the best of both worlds

John Walker · February 7, 2023

20 hours ago, rayaans said:

I think theyve missed a trick not offering the f sport design pack on the 450h+ as that would be the best of both worlds

I ve always preferred the interior of the Premier and the exterior of the F Sport as I think the Premier/ Luxury grill looks a bit dated. Everything changed when the 2020 Takumi facelift came, the grill is very similar to the F Sport and I think the wheels look stunning (even better than the one on the F Sport)

In regards to the 2023 RX I think the exterior it s pretty much identical on all models, just different wheels. I tried the seats in the F Sport and they might be a but tight for a big lad

PeterI · February 7, 2023

I've been pricing things up on this front and the new interest rate (8.9 vs 1.9 on my 2020) that lexus finance are offering means an effective doubling of monthly payments on a PCP deal, I have a test drive booked at the dealer for the end of Feb but the cost is looking a bit high to replace a car I'm happy with (and the worst of the depreciation is already done)

On the other hand the copper does look great....

GSLV6 · February 7, 2023

Price excludes us from ever owning another new one. I would like the 500H in F sport trim with a few extras. Priced it up using Lexus built menu and it came out at £82K! Was offered £20K for my 2014 low miles one in part ex but that still leaves £60K so there's no way in the current economic climate we can justify that spend. I will change it for an RX4 in 4 years time when I have owned it 10 years and be happy with that. I'd be happy with a new RX3 to be perfectly honest.

John Walker · February 7, 2023

6 hours ago, PeterI said:

I've been pricing things up on this front and the new interest rate (8.9 vs 1.9 on my 2020) that lexus finance are offering means an effective doubling of monthly payments on a PCP deal, I have a test drive booked at the dealer for the end of Feb but the cost is looking a bit high to replace a car I'm happy with (and the worst of the depreciation is already done)

On the other hand the copper does look great....

You have a great deal at 1.9% and you should stick to it for a while. 8.9% it s just not comparable.

I think many of us are excited to test drive the new RX and if it drives as good as it looks it will be hard to say no 🙂

On the other hand I ve been test driving the Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid recently and I left speechless. Build quality on the inside is impressive. But what really impressed me was the way a 2.3 tones big SUV can handle. It s almost like a sports car but also very comfortable with the air suspension in comfort mode. 0-60 in about 4.8 seconds, so unnecessary but so fun if you are a petrol head enthusiast. Starting price is about 9k more than the RX450+ and after you add a few optionals it easily goes to 15-20k more. I compared it with the RX450+ because the Cayenne is plug-in with about 30 miles range but I understand the new facelift coming this year will have 50 miles range. So all in one, my 2016 RX might come up for sale soon. If anyone is interested let me know.

John Walker · February 9, 2023

This review makes the 500h sounds like it s the more…interesting option

GSLV6 · February 11, 2023

It is....except for the "buzzy" IL4 engine...

John Walker · February 11, 2023

Right so I just had a go in the 500h. Here’s my thoughts.

The good : It s very fast or at least this is how it felt to me. The brakes are great. It s good on corners and feels pretty solid when driving through the potholes, even with the 21” wheels.

The bad or better said, what I didn’t like : The sport seats squeeze your back in a manner that I wouldn’t want to sit there for too long. I wonder why they didn’t put an adjustment for that like I had in my old GS450h Premier. There was an awful fake noise coming through the speakers when i was accelerating (even in the normal mode). I had the same thing in my wife’s old IS300h but at least in that I could turn it off. The dealer said the sound is not fake and it s coming from the turbos which I highly doubt, even if it does, it still sounds unpleasant to my ears. I personally don t like the new design of the dash where the screen is so close to the driver, makes the space so small in comparison to the older model. The seats feel smaller overall. I sat in the 350h where it was much better as my back wasn’t squeezed but still not happy for our long journeys in Europe (i m 6’1 and 78kg btw)

I finally understood what the v6 smoothness is about and got to appreciate my 2016 RX more. The new RX has completely changed its character. It s a much younger car, more dynamic and potent. But i m not sure that the old RX owners will like it that much.

And there s the fuel economy, the dealer said he s getting 25mpg (it s his company car atm) but he might have a heavy foot so i guess it depends from driver to driver.

The fact that you could buy a 2022 Takumi with a few thousand miles on the clock for £50k-55k makes it a no brainer for me or if you re not fussy about the year/ mileage just get a 2016 Premier model, they are amazing and sell for a fraction of its price.

ColinBarber · February 11, 2023

39 minutes ago, John Walker said:

The dealer said the sound is not fake and it s coming from the turbos which I highly doubt, even if it does, it still sounds unpleasant to my ears.

The F Sport (including 500h) has active sound control. You can turn it off, but only through the menu system rather than with a dedicated physical control as with the IS300h.