The Lexus RX has one of the nicest cabins in the business and nearly as much space in the back as the LS limo. So what’s missing?

SINGAPORE — Forget sex, it’s pragmatism that sells in Singapore. When it comes to cars, that means offering plenty of metal for the money, which is where the new Lexus RX Turbo rolls in.

RX Turbo? First one ever, right?
Well, strictly speaking, it’s a Lexus RX 200t, but yes, this is the first RX Turbo. It gets the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, force-fed engine that first saw service in the NX. Next year there’ll be a RX 350 (3.5-litre V6) and a RX 450h (petrol-electric hybrid).

So what else is new?
What else isn’t? The RX obviously has new clothes, and they’re nice and sharp. The body has crisp angles all over, but since the new RX is longer than the previous car (by 12cm) the lines flow quite nicely instead of being crammed together and looking busy. And check out the blacked-out C-pillar, which creates a sort of floating roof effect.

Looks sporty. Is it?
Well, the handling has been sharpened up considerably, and there’s more grip from the front when you turn into a corner aggressively. But the RX Turbo isn’t a big hot hatch on stilts. It’s quite tidy up to a point, and it doesn’t feel like a big, clumsy car on the move, but there’s a final bit of edge missing. Mind you, there’s an F Sport version with adaptive suspension. That one should feel a bit tauter around bends.

Surely the turbo engine helps?
It actually does, with plenty of muscle through the rev range making the RX Turbo feel nice and eager to break into a sprint. On paper it doesn’t look fast — 100km/h takes 9.5 seconds — but the RX never feels sluggish. You can merge with fast traffic with confidence, anyway.

But does it feel like a Lexus engine?
Yes and no. A Lexus engine is usually like a butler with laryngitis, doing its work with nary a peep. This one revs creamily, that’s for sure, and if you’re going gently along with city traffic it keeps its voice down, but when you want to access all that torque, the RX Turbo becomes surprisingly growly. The sound isn’t unpleasant, just uncharacteristic.

Does the rest of the RX feel more classically Lexus, then?
Actually, yes. The interior is just lovely and inviting, with the sort of immaculate assembly that makes it look like craftsmen took their sweet time to piece it all together. On the dashboard there’s an acre of soft leather with rows of perfect stitching, and a new laser-cut wood trim dresses up the centre console.

It looks better in real life than it does in pictures. All the buttons and switches feel properly solid, too.

That screen looks bloody enormous!
That’s because it is. 12.3 inches from one corner to another, as a matter of fact. The resolution has gone up, too, which makes this screen the best among the current Lexus models.

Apart from that, there’s a new head-up-display system that shows you crucial info like speed, and where the navigation system wants you to go. It’s all part of an obvious attempt to make life easier.

How so?
Well, many of the new features on the RX are aimed at simplifying your time behind the wheel. There’s an around-view camera to make parking easier (that compensates for the view out the back, which is pretty poor thanks to the sporty rake of the rear windscreen), blind spot monitors so you don’t change lanes dangerously, and even something that alerts you to traffic if you’re reversing out of a parking spot. The tailgate has a new hands-free feature, too: hold a palm over the Lexus emblem, and up it goes. The tailgate, that is, not the emblem. It’s like using the Force.

Nice! What else is worth having a Luke at?
Yeesh. Well, passengers aren’t neglected. The RX has had a 5cm stretch between axles, so there’s noticeably more room, especially in the back. The rear seats slide back and forth, but there’s a nice new feature: press a switch and they recline.

That’s also how you fold them forward to expand the cargo area, incidentally. No muscle power needed. In a Lexus there is no sweating allowed.

How about the competition? Should they be sweating?
Actually, the RX Turbo seems to occupy a fairly sweet spot in the market. At $276,000 with COE, it’s priced like BMW’s X3 sDrive28i ($268,800 wit COE), but offers more space and a posher interior. A closer rival in terms of size would be the Mercedes-Benz GLE 400, but that’s a good deal pricier, at $345,888 with COE. Considered in isolation, the Lexus offers one of the nicest cabins in the business, plenty of refinement, and almost as much space in the back as you get in the LS limo. The only thing missing? Seven seats.

So why no seven seat option?
It’s apparently still “under discussion”, but we asked the car’s chief engineer Takayuki Katsuda about it and he basically said you could have seven seats, or you could have the the RX’s swoopy silhouette with its sporty, almost coupe-like roofline. Maybe sex appeal does count for something, after all.

Lexus RX 200t Luxury
Engine 1,998cc, 16V, inline 4, turbocharged
Power 234bhp at 4800-5600rpm
Torque 350Nm at 1650-4000rpm
Gearbox 6-speed automatic
Top Speed 200km/h
0-100km/h 9.5 seconds
Fuel efficiency 8.4L/100km
CO₂ 195g/km
Price $276,000 with COE
Availability Now

Also Consider: BMW X3 xDrive28i, Mercedes-Benz GLE 400

READ MORE > How Lexus plans to turbocharge sales