2025 Lexus RX

Pros

• It is a beautiful building with an elegant interior.
• Seats that are big and comfy.
• It is less expensive than many of its European rivals.
• People say that the RX 350h gets great gas mileage.

Cons

• It takes a lot of work to speed up in the RX 350 and RX 350h.
• Some settings require help to figure out how to use them.
• The F Sport Handling gets stiff on the rides.

How does the RX get power? Our test car had the F Sport Handling trim level. Because it has all-wheel drive, the RX can hit 60 mph in 7.8 seconds even if the power isn’t increased. However, it is slower than the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350, which has four engines, and more than two seconds slower than both the Genesis GV80 and the Mercedes GLE 450, which have six engines. It is slightly faster than the V6-powered model that came before it. It is important to note that the RX 350 does not come with an alternative engine. If you want more power, you will have to buy the RX 500h instead.

The car can only stop in 132 feet, which is less than rivals’ panic stops from 60 mph. On the other hand, the RX’s strong and responsive brake pedal makes stopping easy in a range of street conditions. The RX isn’t very sporty on country roads because its tires could be better, even though the F Sport model has performance-tuned suspension. The RX’s strong chassis makes it safe to drive, but we don’t see many benefits for the F Sport.

People who were worried that it wouldn’t have a V6 engine like the ones in older RXs shouldn’t be. It has a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes a lot of power in town, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts quickly and smoothly. Its engine is completely modern.

How does the RX make you feel? We drove the F Sport Handling trim level, which has 21-inch wheels and an adjustable suspension designed for sports. We didn’t think the F Sport would work with the old RX because it had a very stiff ride and didn’t make any noticeable changes to the handling. The new generation of the F Sport is more balanced, though some buyers may still find it stiff. The seats in the F Sport are also different from those in the regular RX. They are just as soft and comfy, but they have more support. The back seats in our test RX had better-than-average support and shape, and the system for heating and cooling the seats worked quickly.

Finding and using most of the components that regulate temperature is not difficult. The three-zone climate system did a good job of keeping the temperature stable, even though we thought the middle vents were too low to be very useful on a hot day. There’s little wind or noise inside, although we heard more tire hum than expected.

How is the state of the inside? The RX’s interior is a mix of some confused and often unpleasant design choices and Lexus’s usual high level of attention to detail. The 14-inch touchscreen monitor is fast and has a great display. The RX is easy to learn how to use, and most of its controls are clear, even with its beautiful new inner look. The great backup camera and, if available, surround-view video system are another benefit of the big center screen. It makes it easy for the RX to move around in tight spaces.

However, the shift lever swings strangely, making it easy to select neutral when we should have been driving. The unlabeled driving wheel buttons make this worse. Lexus made them adaptable, but their only practical function is the head-up display, and simple chores need a lot of concentration.

The RX’s back seats are big enough for most people, but they don’t have as much legroom as the Acura MDX’s. The driving position can also be easily changed to fit people of different sizes. There is not much headroom, especially for bigger people sitting in the back.

What’s wrong with the tech? We could have added the attractive 14-inch screen to our test car. Fast answers and legible images are wonderful, but the menu structure should be improved. There was also a Mark Levinson sound system with 21 speakers in our test car. The update is worth the extra money because it makes the sound stronger and clearer.

Interestingly, most cell phones don’t have navigation apps, but they do have wireless connections. Lexus currently charges every two years to use the cloud-based service after the free trial. We needed some help connecting to the cloud-based system, even in Southern California, which has a lot of people. The RX’s voice controls were pretty useless because they took too long to respond, even though they could handle everything from the radio station to the wipers.
Lexus’ Safety System+ 3.0 comes standard with the RX and has almost all of the high-tech safety features you’d expect. There were no false alarms, despite the delayed reaction times.

What’s going on with storage? There is a lot of space inside the RX, even though it is a medium SUV. The liftover is a bit high, but the cargo area doesn’t have any strange forms or awkward cubbies. Still, the RX only has 29.6 cubic feet of space behind the second row of seats, which is less than rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLE (33.3 cubes) and the Acura MDX (39.1 cubes). The RX has a lot less overall space than its competitors when all of its seats are full.

The center console has a clever storage box that opens from both sides to keep your phone safe while you’re moving. The wide, felt-lined front and back door pockets may shake around small things. It’s easy to load a car seat into the RX’s second row because the anchor points are close at hand, and the back seats recline separately.

The RX isn’t known for its towing ability, and it could be better at it. When it’s fully equipped, the RX can pull up to 3,500 pounds. Some competitors, such as the Mercedes GLE, Genesis GV80, and Acura MDX, can pull a lot more.

How much fuel does it use? The all-wheel-drive F Sport is expected to get 24 mpg overall (21 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway). This makes the RX one of the most fuel-efficient SUVs in its class. The RX stuck to that estimate, getting an average of 25.4 mpg on our 115-mile test loop, which had a lot of highway driving. This is a lot better than what we’ve seen from cars like the Mercedes GLE, Acura MDX, and Genesis GV80.

Is the RX a good deal? Even though our test car was equipped with F Sport features, the Lexus RX comes with a lot of great features and is built very well, which makes it a good deal in this market. The RX range starts at a little more than $50,000, which is about the same price as the Acura MDX, which is the other value leader in the class. But when you look at the Lexus RX’s value against cars like the Mercedes-Benz GLE, feature for feature, it really stands out.

Lexus comes with four-year bumper-to-bumper and six-year engine warranties, which are class-standard. For four years, you get free roadside help for as many miles as you need it. However, you only get free maintenance for one year.

Don’t be afraid that the RX’s clean, modern look will detract from the relaxing, easy Lexus experience. The RX is just a more up-to-date version of the earlier model. The engine is more responsive without detracting from the fun of driving, and technology has come a long way.

There are some things we don’t like about the RX F Sport, but overall, it’s a much better and more appealing choice. The RX has some problems, mostly with the technology inside. However, it’s a nice place to hang out because it’s great at everything, even though it’s not very fun to drive.

As of this writing, Lexus hasn’t said anything public about the 2025 RX. If anything changes, we’ll let you know, but based on last year’s RX, the RX 350h is a good place to start. It has a lot of comfort and technology, and it makes the most of its best feature: its gas mileage. We would choose the middle-of-the-road Premium+ option if we wanted a bigger infotainment screen and real leather seats.

Types of Lexus RX

The Lexus RX is a medium luxury SUV that can seat five people. It comes in four models: the RX 350, the hybrid RX 350h, the new plug-in hybrid RX 450h+, and the performance-focused RX 500h hybrid. In terms of standard tools, both versions are the same.