Lexus RX300
The
Lexus RX300 Set New Standards Of Refinement When It Was First Launched In 2000. The Latest Version Shows How Fast Things Change In The Dynamic Luxury 4x4 Sector. By Andy Enright
Theres a great MBA thesis somewhere in the story behind the Lexus RX300. Its got everything. Bitter rivalry, missed opportunities, market upheaval and paradigm shifts, its all there. Although it was only launched in the UK in October 2000, were already looking at an all-new Lexus RX300 and the sleek styling makes the looking all the better.
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But first a quick recap.
The old RX300 was a case study in missing the boat. It was a very good car and when it was first introduced to the UK it set new standards in luxury 4x4 refinement. Here was a car that came loaded with a healthy dose of pragmatism,
Lexus realising that few customers in this market sector particularly cared about off-road antics. This was a 4x4 that offered butter smooth on-road manners with a silky engine and a superb specification list.
It was even keenly priced. How come we werent knee deep in the things? The RX300s nemesis was the
BMW X5, launched precisely one month after. Here was a car that aced the Lexus in almost every department. The fact that the RX300 had been on sale for three years in Japan badged as a
Toyota Harrier showed how badly Lexus had missed a big revenue opportunity over here.
Subsequently the revised Mercedes M-Class and the Range
Rover relegated the RX300 still further down the league table and when the
Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg followed them, the RXs position was becoming untenable. Lexus arent accustomed to offering midfield products and the latest model, first unveiled at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show, aims to once more make the RX300 a must have product. The styling is a good deal sportier than before, Lexus perhaps figuring that if customers werent overly concerned with off roading, then nor did they need the internal dimensions of a pantechnicon. That said, the shape cleverly disguises the fact that this model is bigger and roomier than most of its rivals.
Its also a full 155mm longer than its predecessor and 25mm wider with a 100mm stretch in the wheelbase for additional passenger room.
"The latest model aims to once more make the RX300 a must have product"
Yukihiro Okane, the chief stylist of the RX300 takes up the story. "We determined at the outset that the RX must have advanced styling, an unsurpassed level of safety equipment and a host of innovative features. Parallel to this, we chose to improve driving dynamics in several areas and the passengers will be rewarded with an even higher level of sophistication." So there it is the latest RX300 in a nutshell. The bodys excellent basic rigidity has made the suspension designers task a whole lot easier. Almost everything about the suspension is different springs, shock absorbers, bushes, rear axle have all been redesigned. One thing thats not wholly new, however, is the motive force.
The 201bhp six-cylinder engine has been massaged up to 204bhp with the help of more efficient intake and exhaust systems and as a result of this, improved aerodynamics and higher performance tyres, the top speed of the RX300 has risen from a fairly unimpressive 112mph to a more potent 124mph. When optimising high-speed aerodynamics it helps to have suitable test facilities and Lexus pulled no punches on finding the best. The Maibara wind tunnel, used in the development of the Bullet Train and capable of generating wind speeds of up to 250mph, was selected as the venue of choice and resulted in Lexus being able to reduce the wind noise of the RX300 to all-time low levels. Three main trim levels are available, with the entry-level RX300 opening proceedings at £30,495, some £5,000 less than the petrol/electric hybrid RX400h.
The £34,790 SE version adds 18-inch alloys, leather trim, heated front seats, an electrically adjustable steering wheel, rain sensing wipers, a power operated tailgate and memory for the drivers
seat and mirrors amongst other features. The flagship SE-L version retails at £39,450 and includes the Lexus Navigator sat-nav system with colour imaging rear view camera, an 11-speaker Mark Levinson stereo, air suspension and Active Front-Lighting System (AFS). This swivels the headlights for better visibility when cornering, taking into account the cars speed and the steering angle, and is linked to an automatic levelling system for optimum results. Water repellent glass and rain sensing wipers help visibility still further and, if the worst should come to pass, the RX300 is seriously tooled up with airbags.
As well as the usual set of twin front and side airbags, the RX300 adds curtain shield bags at the sides and, for the first time in this sector, knee airbags for the driver. This bag helps to reduce injury caused by contact with the unyielding steering column, but tests have shown an additional benefit. Knee bags also reduce head and chest injuries. How? In a usual front end collision, the legs come into contact with the lower dashboard and steering column.
Rarely contacting square on, this causes the pelvis to cant forward and begins a twist in the drivers body that can prevent the airbag in the steering wheel doing its job to optimum effect. Knee bags nip this in the bud, making for a safer car. Grim, but true. On a lighter note, the interior styling has been given a welcome freshening with the most noticeable feature being two brushed metal dash inlays that border the LCD information system and ventilation controls.
The instruments are housed in a more conventional three pod cluster, Lexus choosing not to extend the IS series chronometer look here. Will the RX300 succeed where its predecessor stumbled? The market has changed more radically than the RX300 has, so it cant command a place in the premier league of 4x4s. What it does represent is a sweetly styled and beautifully engineered luxury 4x4 that doesnt subscribe to ostentation or the fruitless quest for ever more obscene power figures. If you appreciate good looks, a good drive and a modicum of restraint, the RX300 may well be just the ticket.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Lexus RX300 range
PRICES: £30,495 - £39,450 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 14
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.7s / Max Speed 126mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Combined) 22.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side, curtain and drivers knee airbags, ABS with brake assist, traction control
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4735/1840/1675mm
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