2023 Lexus RX - Which One to Buy

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enLexus redesigned the RX for the 2023 model year and this legend of the luxury crossover World rolls on into its fifth generation you've got a few choices to make if you're in the market for one so let's dive in and see which one is right for you essentially we've got two nearly similar trim paths split by a Powertrain choice there's some extra muscle at the end and another version that's yet to arrive and we'll get to those towards the end let's talk engines first though as you can go with the turbocharged RX or a hybrid one the gas only engine is a two and a half liter turbocharged four-cylinder which produces 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque it pairs with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and this RX is offered with front wheel drive or all-wheel drive though the all-wheel drive system does split the torque 75 front 25 rear in normal driving but can do up to a 50 50 split should the need arise the other powertrain is the hybrid setup that's comprised of a two and a half liter four-cylinder engine a battery pack and all-wheel drive thanks to a rear mounted electric motor the hybrid model uses a CVT with an exception at the final level and as I said we'll get to that one at the end for now let's start with the base model simply called the RX 350. oddly white and silver are the two base colors that cost more and that's fine because Matador red Mica and Nori green are two gorgeous choices on the inside the center screen is 9.8 inches Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto are standard and the Lexus digital key is available as an option this basically turns your smartphone into a key though after three years the service turns into a subscription-based item the starting price for the 2023 Lexus RX 350 is 48 550 for front wheel drive or 50 150 for all-wheel drive if you prefer the RX 350h which is the high hybrid that one also starts at fifty thousand one hundred and fifty dollars next we have the RX 350 premium this model adds in the Power Tilt and slide moonroof heated and ventilated front seats and a wireless charger a standard kit you also get a few more optional interior choices as well with the RX 350 premium it's 50 550 for front wheel drive 52 150 for all-wheel drive or that same 52 150 for the RX 350h premium the next step in the family tree is the RX 350 Premium Plus here the very cool Copper Crest paint option is available for 595 dollars on the inside you jump to the larger 14-inch touchscreen display and the interior is fully leather trimmed also Lexus includes its thematic ambient illumination which lets you splash the cabin with some lighting that is spread across 64 colors and offers 14 different themes all designed to make you happier when you're stuck in traffic does it work I don't know but it's a neat party trick for sure also this is the first trim level where you can select the mark Levinson 21 speaker sound system as an option it boasts 1800 watts and costs 1160 which if you do your accounting in watts per dollar actually I don't know if that's a good deal or not but it sounds like it is right the starting price of the 2023 RX 350 Premium Plus is 53 150 for front-wheel drive or 54 750 for all-wheel drive here again the Hybrid price matches the all-wheel drive gas only price at 54 750. you can probably sense that Theme by now or as Lexis marketing would likely say the Thematic price distribution experience moving on Welcome to the RX 350 luxury here we add in semi aniline leather trim on the inside the wheels climb from 19s on up to 21 inch hoops and a head-up display is standard the 2023 Lexus RX 350 luxury starts at 56 660 for front-wheel drive or 58 150 for both the gas only all-wheel drive or the RX 350h luxury hybrid now I mentioned there's a split near the top and it happens when we arrive at the f-sport level of the party the 2023 RX 350 F Sport handling is the gas only one and it gets the full f-sport upgrade in terms of exterior and interior styling the gauges are sportier the brakes are larger and the suspension is re-tuned and gets adaptive dampers that cool Grecian water blue is a no cost option in terms of the paint here oddly the upgraded sound system is 2265 on this one so it throws my watts per dollar are accounting out of whack this one is only offered with all-wheel drive and it starts at 57 750. over on the hybrid side we make a bit of a jump that's because this one is called the 2023 RX 500h f-sport performance instead of that earlier hybrid powertrain I mentioned this one teams up a 2.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine a six-speed gearbox with an integrated power control unit and electric motor and then an 80 kilowatt motor on the rear axle the result is a total output of 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque also the all-wheel drive system jumps to the more sporting direct4 system which can move torque around more aggressively and quickly to put the Power where it's needed further the 500h gets Dynamic rear steering as well that dank's sound system is still an optional extra at this level which seems silly just include the damn thing regardless the starting price is 62 750. there's a model I haven't mentioned yet because well it's not out yet but Lexus is cooking up the RX 450h plus which is an upcoming plug-in hybrid that's expected to arrive with the same 302 horsepower powertrain found in the Toyota RAV4 Prime so all that said which one to buy honestly the premium plus seems like the trim with the most to offer as it sits especially since you get the larger screen I can easily argue that the 19-inch wheels will result in a better ride on a daily basis compared to the next trim which gets the 21s also you can upgrade to the sound system on this trip oh and how can I forget the Thematic ambient illumination that's just a bonus get the premium plus and keep this Lexus RX in the mid to lower 50 000 range get the turbo gas model because you also prefer the smooth 8-speed gearbox over the annoying CVT but if you have to have a hybrid version just wait for the Plug-In or get the RX 500h so you have all the power you want still Premium Plus looks like a pretty solid option either way thank youLexus redesigned the RX for the 2023 model year and this legend of the luxury crossover World rolls on into its fifth generation you've got a few choices to make if you're in the market for one so let's dive in and see which one is right for you essentially we've got two nearly similar trim paths split by a Powertrain choice there's some extra muscle at the end and another version that's yet to arrive and we'll get to those towards the end let's talk engines first though as you can go with the turbocharged RX or a hybrid one the gas only engine is a two and a half liter turbocharged four-cylinder which produces 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque it pairs with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and this RX is offered with front wheel drive or all-wheel drive though the all-wheel drive system does split the torque 75 front 25 rear in normal driving but can do up to a 50 50 split should the need arise the other powertrain is the hybrid setup that's comprised of a two and a half liter four-cylinder engine a battery pack and all-wheel drive thanks to a rear mounted electric motor the hybrid model uses a CVT with an exception at the final level and as I said we'll get to that one at the end for now let's start with the base model simply called the RX 350. oddly white and silver are the two base colors that cost more and that's fine because Matador red Mica and Nori green are two gorgeous choices on the inside the center screen is 9.8 inches Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto are standard and the Lexus digital key is available as an option this basically turns your smartphone into a key though after three years the service turns into a subscription-based item the starting price for the 2023 Lexus RX 350 is 48 550 for front wheel drive or 50 150 for all-wheel drive if you prefer the RX 350h which is the high hybrid that one also starts at fifty thousand one hundred and fifty dollars next we have the RX 350 premium this model adds in the Power Tilt and slide moonroof heated and ventilated front seats and a wireless charger a standard kit you also get a few more optional interior choices as well with the RX 350 premium it's 50 550 for front wheel drive 52 150 for all-wheel drive or that same 52 150 for the RX 350h premium the next step in the family tree is the RX 350 Premium Plus here the very cool Copper Crest paint option is available for 595 dollars on the inside you jump to the larger 14-inch touchscreen display and the interior is fully leather trimmed also Lexus includes its thematic ambient illumination which lets you splash the cabin with some lighting that is spread across 64 colors and offers 14 different themes all designed to make you happier when you're stuck in traffic does it work I don't know but it's a neat party trick for sure also this is the first trim level where you can select the mark Levinson 21 speaker sound system as an option it boasts 1800 watts and costs 1160 which if you do your accounting in watts per dollar actually I don't know if that's a good deal or not but it sounds like it is right the starting price of the 2023 RX 350 Premium Plus is 53 150 for front-wheel drive or 54 750 for all-wheel drive here again the Hybrid price matches the all-wheel drive gas only price at 54 750. you can probably sense that Theme by now or as Lexis marketing would likely say the Thematic price distribution experience moving on Welcome to the RX 350 luxury here we add in semi aniline leather trim on the inside the wheels climb from 19s on up to 21 inch hoops and a head-up display is standard the 2023 Lexus RX 350 luxury starts at 56 660 for front-wheel drive or 58 150 for both the gas only all-wheel drive or the RX 350h luxury hybrid now I mentioned there's a split near the top and it happens when we arrive at the f-sport level of the party the 2023 RX 350 F Sport handling is the gas only one and it gets the full f-sport upgrade in terms of exterior and interior styling the gauges are sportier the brakes are larger and the suspension is re-tuned and gets adaptive dampers that cool Grecian water blue is a no cost option in terms of the paint here oddly the upgraded sound system is 2265 on this one so it throws my watts per dollar are accounting out of whack this one is only offered with all-wheel drive and it starts at 57 750. over on the hybrid side we make a bit of a jump that's because this one is called the 2023 RX 500h f-sport performance instead of that earlier hybrid powertrain I mentioned this one teams up a 2.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine a six-speed gearbox with an integrated power control unit and electric motor and then an 80 kilowatt motor on the rear axle the result is a total output of 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque also the all-wheel drive system jumps to the more sporting direct4 system which can move torque around more aggressively and quickly to put the Power where it's needed further the 500h gets Dynamic rear steering as well that dank's sound system is still an optional extra at this level which seems silly just include the damn thing regardless the starting price is 62 750. there's a model I haven't mentioned yet because well it's not out yet but Lexus is cooking up the RX 450h plus which is an upcoming plug-in hybrid that's expected to arrive with the same 302 horsepower powertrain found in the Toyota RAV4 Prime so all that said which one to buy honestly the premium plus seems like the trim with the most to offer as it sits especially since you get the larger screen I can easily argue that the 19-inch wheels will result in a better ride on a daily basis compared to the next trim which gets the 21s also you can upgrade to the sound system on this trip oh and how can I forget the Thematic ambient illumination that's just a bonus get the premium plus and keep this Lexus RX in the mid to lower 50 000 range get the turbo gas model because you also prefer the smooth 8-speed gearbox over the annoying CVT but if you have to have a hybrid version just wait for the Plug-In or get the RX 500h so you have all the power you want still Premium Plus looks like a pretty solid option either way thank you\n"