There are plenty of large, luxurious hybrid SUV options these days, but the Lexus RX is the original. Does it still have what it takes today?

PROS:

+ Smooth and quiet to drive

+ Very high-quality cabin

+ Lexus' superb reliability rating

CONS:

- Fuel economy isn't great

- Average boot

- No fun to drive fast

Verdict: The Lexus RX is feeling as plush as ever in 2021, plus it's a hugely comfortable and relaxing SUV to drive around town and on the motorway. Don't expect it to thrill on a country road, mind, or provide as much space as its best competition if that's important.

2021 Lexus RX review: the five-minute read

You know that mate who rolls their eyes every time you mention a band you're going to see because they've followed them since the early days? Well, that mate is the Lexus RX.

Y'see, everybody is making a lot of noise about hybrid power for large luxury SUVs these days, but the Lexus RX has had hybrid power since 2005. In fact, it was the first 'green' luxury SUV.

However, today, there are more options, like the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Volvo XC90, all of which have the badge, the quality and the option of plug-in hybrid power to tempt buyers away from Japan's original.

BMW gets a hard time for its grilles, but in fairness, Lexus' is the biggest of any large SUV. That said, it's somehow less imposing than the Germans', and the RX's entire design is a striking collection of sharp angles that helps it stand out from its competition.

Inside the overall design is fairly subdued, but the quality of the materials and build is exquisite – the plastics, leathers and chrome details all look and feel lovely. Lexus' 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system is a big improvement on its past efforts too, with a sharp screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard and a more useful touchpad between the front seats to use when you're driving.

Where the Lexus falls down is space. There's good room for four adults, or five if you squeeze three across the rear bench, but you'll need the larger (and pricier) RX L model if you want seven seats. Even then, the space in the very back of the Lexus is worse than in the Audi, BMW or Mercedes in their seven-seat forms. The RX's boot is smaller than those others' too.

The RX comes with one engine choice – a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine which works with a battery and electric motor to provide hybrid power. Together, there's 313hp on tap, but because the RX weighs a hefty 2.1 tonnes, its performance is actually pretty leisurely. It's certainly much slower than a Q7, X5, GLE or XC90, all of which offer plug-in hybrid power rather than a 'self-charging' set-up like the RX.

Still, that performance is in keeping with the RX's nature, which is extremely relaxing around town. It's very keen to run on silent electricity as soon as it can and the RX's soft suspension makes it wonderfully comfortable over bumps. On country roads, the RX grips hard but doesn't inspire you to drive it hard with its light steering and CVT gearbox that holds onto revs and exposes engine drone.

Nope, you're better off sitting back and enjoying RX's strengths, which also make it a brilliant motorway cruiser. However, don't go thinking that this hybrid tech will mean nice fuel economy – 30mpg is the norm in mixed driving and the portly RX's CO2 emissions are nothing special as a result. A relatively modest 65-litre fuel tank means the RX's range is pretty poor between fill-ups too.

So, the Lexus RX is a better car than it's ever been, offering genuine quality and high levels of relaxation if driven the right way. Lexus also has first-rate reliability and customer service. Just bear in mind that there are faster, more fun, more economical and far more spacious hybrid large SUV options for this sort of money.

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Extended read…

2021 Lexus RX interior and infotainment

The Lexus RX has one of the finest cabins of any luxury SUV. It's fairly traditional in terms of its design and some of the switches and dials are a little 90s Hi-Fi, but there's a reassuring quality to everything you look at and touch.

Leather seats are standard and there are seven different colours possible depending on which trim you go for, plus four different dash and door trims including aluminium and wood finishes.

Every RX comes with a 12.3-inch widescreen touchscreen on the dashboard which can be controlled via touch, your voice or using a touchpad and menu shortcut buttons between the front seats. It comes with sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Its a bright and responsive system, even if some of the native graphics do look a little old hat. Still, with smartphone mirroring standard, you can make it look like your smartphone in a jiffy. That's better.

Wireless smartphone charging is standard across the range, while Lexus standard sound system is brilliant, but you can add a 15-speaker Mark Levinson system as an option that is one of the best on sale anywhere.

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2021 Lexus RX practicality and boot space

The Lexus RX comes in two forms – the five-seat RX and seven-seat RX L.

Here we're focussing on the RX, which will seat four tall adults with no issue, although three adults across the rear seats will be a bit of a squeeze on longer journeys.

Still, it's easy to find the RX's Isofix points on its outside rear seats and getting a child seat in through the rear doors is easy work too.

Unfortunately, there's less good news with the RX's boot. Versus the standard petrol or diesel versions of a Q7, X5, GLE or XC90 the RX's boot is a fair bit smaller, and although it's slightly bigger than the plug-in versions of the X5 and GLE, the hybrid XC90 and Q7 remain far more useful both in size and shape.

2021 Lexus RX engine and gearbox

The RX comes with one engine choice – a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine which works with a battery and electric motor on its rear axle to provide all-wheel-drive hybrid power. Together, there's 313hp on tap, but because the RX weighs a hefty 2.1 tonnes, its performance is actually pretty leisurely.

It's certainly much slower than a Q7, X5, GLE or XC90, all of which offer plug-in hybrid power rather than a 'self-charging' set-up like the RX which doesn't need to be plugged in. The RX's standard gearbox is a CVT auto, too, which is smooth to drive at lower speeds, but causes a fair amount of engine drone when pushed hard.

And don't go thinking that this hybrid tech will mean nice fuel economy – 30mpg is the norm in mixed driving and the portly RX's CO2 emissions are nothing special as a result. A relatively modest 65-litre fuel tank means the RX's range is pretty poor between fill-ups too.

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2021 Lexus RX driving

The Lexus RX is best in town, where it's keen to flick back to pure electric power as soon as it can. This means punchy 0-30mph performance, but more importantly, serene silence.

Its light steering and assortment of standard sensors and cameras also make it a relaxing car to thread through traffic and into parking spaces, despite its bulky size. Even better, it's very comfortable over bumps.

Leave town and you'll quickly find that RX is no fun to push hard in corners. Its light steering and modest performance are better suited to cruising, plus pushing the engine hard brings plenty of drone thanks to the CVT gearbox.

The RX does have Sport and Sport+ driving modes, plus you can add active anti-roll bars to keep it more upright. It grips hard, thanks in part to its all-wheel-drive too. But in truth, an X5 is a far more engaging large SUV to drive quickly.

Nope, you're better off just sitting back and enjoying what the RX is good at, which also means it's a great motorway cruiser. Lexus also throws in its adaptive cruise control and lane-keep tech as standard on all RXs. It's not quite as smooth as the German systems, but it still vastly improves long motorway journeys.

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