![]() On the road, there’s damn little to get excited about, good or bad. Still, once those presets are punched in, the stereo settings adjusted, your phone synced, there’s little reason to use the interface. I’ll admit - maybe it was the sauna-like heat that day - to a few moments where I wanted to put my fist through the screen. It’s not hard to imagine buyers of an older persuasion being flummoxed by the level of technology, even though this hasn’t crept up overnight, but it’s not a tall fence to jump. This system would find the missing Malaysian jetliner. Accurate, detailed, and functions well with the joystick. Oh, speaking of maps - what a navigation system. By the end of the of the week, I’d stopped overshooting targets in the menu, but passengers were all over the map. The concept is fine, but the sensitive controller requires a surgeon’s touch. Lexus kept the Remote Touch joystick controller for the RX 350’s infotainment system, sending the touchpad to other models in the lineup. An analog clock mounted in the center of the dash that screams this is serious luxury - don’t you dare forget it! Volume and tuning knobs to ease technology fears. Tasteful amounts of dark wood trim and chrome accents. Soft leather under both hands, both elbows, and backside. The RX 350’s cabin delivers what traditional buyers want. Step inside, and any worries a buyer might have had about being too stodgy to be seen in the vehicle melt away. Yes, the gaping corporate Predator spindle grille isn’t for all tastes, but fortune favors the bold. Some might complain that the flanks are too busy, that the angular slashes and creases are akin to a zebra-pattern-and-neon ’80s album cover. The result? A healthy dose of aggressive, brawny design attitude and a body that no longer causes narcolepsy. For its 2016 redesign, Lexus tossed the RX 350’s conservative duds and raided its younger sister’s closet. The folks at Lexus will be pleased no one frowned at the exterior styling. Feeling extra comes with a premium, and their reactions should leave the base RX 350 feeling insecure and vulnerable. And guess what? Every last feature they fawned over was an option. When asked what it cost, I told them, down to the dollar. To my traveling companions, the RX 350 felt and drove like a luxury vehicle should. There weren’t any complaints, either, because there was nothing for them to complain about. Panoramic sunroof? Hey, aren’t we important people …įunny, there were no compliments reserved for seat comfort, ride quality or the power of Toyota’s venerable-but-trustworthy 3.5-liter V6. The wireless charging system thrilled another whose phone was on the verge of going dark. For one, the overhead view of the vehicle displayed on the 12.3-inch media screen when the transmission was in reverse did the trick. Every passenger had that one particular feature that tickled their own personal fancy. ![]() When optioned to the gills like this tester, the RX 350 ticks every box on the luxury checklist. For my mother, it was the fender-mounted turn signal lamps that got her into her first new car - a ’76 Plymouth Volare (a decision she rightfully laments to this day.)Ĭobble together enough feel-good features - ideally paired with a reliable powertrain (side-eye to the former Chrysler Corp.) - and you’ve got a pretty compelling package to dangle in front of buyers. It’s fickle, but it’s the little things that make you feel special. Nice - this is what people pay for, I thought. Well, didn’t the RX 350’s yet-unnoticed LED cornering lamps light up that street corner like a baseball diamond. I pulled up to the last stop sign and signaled for a right turn. See, night had just fallen, and Lexus’s stalwart midsize luxury crossover was taking me home. No, I wasn’t doing something the cops should know about. That thought ran through my head on my first night in the 2016 Lexus RX 350.
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