Aston Martin Vantage vs Lexus RX

What's the difference?

It’s either a comfortable race car or a bonkers grand tourer, but it’s that best-of-both worlds positioning that makes this new Vantage so appealing. Think of it as like a supercar for proper grown-ups, and one you don’t need to grunt and groan to extract yourself from.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

It’s hard to look past the value equation of the RX350h Luxury 2WD when comparing it to almost all its competitors. The pricing is on point, but there are some features missing.

However, there are very few (if any) rivals with a true hybrid powertrain (sorry, mild hybrids do not count), so the RX will capture buyers looking for environmental credentials and efficiency without going full EV.

The drive experience is much better than before and it’s all wrapped up in a very stylish package. The Lexus RX should not be ignored.

Ok, so the first thing you notice is this massive grille, which I now know is exactly 38 per cent bigger than before. That’s mostly for cooling, sucking in great lung-fulls of air – and any stray pets unlucky enough to wander into its path, I’d imagine — to keep that engine humming.

That air has to go somewhere, and the new bonnet vents complete the engine-cooling.picture.

Then there are 21-inch alloys are wrapped in performance rubber, and I love the swollen haunches at the rear tyres, giving the Vantage a mean and menacing vibe. At the rear, a very new and very loud quad-exhaust completes the picture.

In the cabin you'll find nothing in the way of hand-me-down Mercedes switchgear, which makes for change. This is all Aston Martin, and actually it all feels really nice.

The twin-screen setup looks tech-savvy and premium, the materials are all nicer than you'd find in something more track-obsessed, and even the optional race seats managed to be both snug-fitting and comfortable.

Across its five generations, the RX has held significant visual appeal - especially the still-handsome second-gen version that was the first RX sold Down Under. The first-gen model skipped Australia.

The new model that launched in 2023 is a clear evolution of the car that came before, but it’s been softened and sharpened in the right areas, giving it one of the most appealing designs in its segment.

The proportions and design elements like the squat stance, unique C-pillar treatment, slimline headlights and nicely sloping roofline give it a sporty look.

In fact, I reckon it might be the best looking Lexus available today - not including the jaw-droppingly beautiful LC coupe and convertible, of course.

The interior is modern and feels like an evolution of Lexus’ previous cabin design - but elevated. The gloss black section of the dash helps here.

Levels built into the dash break up the bulk, but the interior is very grey. It could do with a dash of colour.

The synthetic leather seat trim doesn’t look premium. If you want a more expensive feeling RX, you need to pay more for a higher grade.

You’ll be shocked to hear that Aston Martin didn’t dedicate too much of its limited track time to extolling the practicality perks of its new Vantage, mostly because there simply aren’t that many of them.

But the most obvious one, I think, is that most of the people in the market for a $400k-plus vehicle in this category are likely to be, well, of a certain vintage, and it’s for these people that the more traditional layout of the Vantage will no doubt appeal.

See, the engine is up front, and the doors open in the usual fashion, making getting in and out of the cabin easy, and free of the human-origami antics sometimes required to climb in and out of a scissor-door supercar.

But there have been practical improvements made to performance here, too. There’s 30 per cent more power, 15 per cent more torque, new cooling, better aerodynamics, retuned suspension and anti-roll tech, new brake booster tuning, improvements to the ESP system, more body stiffness. And it goes on.

The RX is a five-seat only proposition in this generation - the previous model had a seven-seat option - so if you need a third row you can look at the Lexus LM people mover or massive LX 4x4 SUV, or at any number of other three-row lux SUVs like the Volvo XC90 or new Mazda CX-90.

That doesn’t mean the cabin isn’t practical. 

Up front the seats offer excellent comfort levels and ample upper body support, but not a lot of hip support.

Lexus has changed up the door handles for the new RX and it can be complicated - initially.

The interior handles bamboozled every new person that got in my press car over the three week loan. But once you realise it’s a simple push of the thumb on the handle’s thumbpad and a gentle push, it all makes sense.

Lexus calls the electrically activated door handles an ‘e-latch’. Is it tech for tech’s sake? Probably. 

I recently reviewed the Lexus LM and commented on how much I like Lexus steering wheels and that’s true of the RX, too.

It has clearly identifiable controls and feels nice in your hands. Thankfully, the cruise control buttons are housed on the wheel too, so no annoying stalk on the wheel.

There’s plenty of space across the front row so you should avoid the awkward driver-passenger elbow bump on the centre armrest.

Under the armrest is a huge central bin that opens on the driver and passenger side. There’s also a big covered storage nook forward of the shifter and another ledge above that, as well as a sizeable glove box. 

The doors have ample storage room for bottles, but the space is almost too wide. My bottle slid around when driving so I had to lay it down.

The centre console houses two big cupholders with adjustable depth in one of them. Clever touches like this and the central bin add to the appeal.

As with the Lexus LM, I am a fan of the new Lexus multimedia set-up. It has an easy-to-navigate menu along the side, easy wireless Apple CarPlay connection, and visually appealing graphics.

It’s a world away from Lexus’ previous system. That frustrating touchpad is, thankfully, in the bin.

I quite like the gear shifter with its unusual gate and even the indicator feels and sounds premium.

Small rear windows make for a rear three quarter blind spot, but visibility is otherwise good.

On a side note, the RX has very strong air conditioning - perfect for an Australian summer.

Jumping into the second row, there’s plenty of space all around and no shortage of head, leg, knee and shoulder room. Although foot room under the front seats is tight.

As with the front seats, the rear row offers comfortable seating. Kids should be happy back there.

There’s only a small transmission tunnel so middle-seat legroom is good. And in great news for passengers, the rear backrests recline. 

Lowering the 40/20/40 split-fold rear seats for more cargo space is done via a lever on the side of the outboard seats, or by a button in the boot area. There are ISOFIX clips on the two outboard seats.

Other amenities in the second row include map pockets, two USB-C ports, knee-level air vents, climate control, and a pull-down armrest with pop-open cupholders.

Open the power tailgate and you’ll find cargo space of 612 litres with all seats in place, or 1678L with the second row stowed.

That’s a decent amount of space but not class leading. The Mercedes-Benz GLE has 630L and the VW Touareg can swallow 810L.

There’s no under-floor storage because that’s where some hybrid hardware is housed. You will find audio speakers, nice carpet, a cargo blind, two 4.0kg hooks and three top tethers. No spare, only a tyre repair kit.

The range-opening RX350h Luxury 2WD petrol-electric hybrid starts at $86,904, before on-road costs, and for that amount, the standard specification list is healthy. But it doesn’t include everything.

As well as a long list of standard safety gear (see section below), the RX350h comes with three-zone climate control, heated and eight-way adjustable power front seats, electric steering wheel adjust, rain-sensing wipers, a 14-inch multimedia set-up with wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, digital radio, sat nav, a 12-speaker audio system, five USB-C (and one USB-A) ports and more.

It is missing a few items, however, that should be standard, such as a head-up display and wireless device charging. Those features are available as part of an options pack - or 'Enhancement Pack' in Lexus speak.

For $5000 more you get those two things and a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, a more digital instrument cluster and other goodies. 

You can opt for an all-wheel drive version of the 350h and that adds just over $3500 to the price. If you want the same powertrain but more gear then you’ll need to step up to the $110,575 Sports Luxury.

There’s also the petrol-only RX350 in F Sport and Sports Luxury guise, as well as the flagship RX500h F Sport Performance hybrid that tops out at $124,675.

Looking at the opening price of some of its rivals, Lexus has most of them beat.

The Mercedes-Benz GLE300d starts from $144,900, the BMW X5 xDrive30d is $134,900, Porsche Cayenne starts at $138,700 and the Volvo XC90 B5 Ultimate Bright kicks off from $100,990.

Only the Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI ($89,240) and Jaguar F-Pace P250 R-Dynamic ($83,700) are close on price.

The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is still borrowed from Mercedes-AMG, but this is the new-generation unit, making 489kW and 800Nm. It gets modified cylinder heads and bigger turbos, helping generate the extra grunt.

That’s fed through an eight-speed ZF automatic and channeled through to the rear tyres. The race to 100km/h? That 3.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the flying top speed is around 325km/h.

Powering the RX350h is a series parallel hybrid system consisting of a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a front-mounted motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery. 

Lexus doesn’t provide combined torque outputs for the hybrid, but total power for the system is pegged at 184kW.

This drives the front wheels only via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

There’s the official figure, which is 12.1L/100km on the combined cycle, and then there’s the real-world figure. It’s not really fare to judge fuel use when you’ve just stepped off a racetrack, but rest assured it was a large number, which is to be expected really.

The Aston’s 73-litre fuel tank prefers 98RON fuel, too.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure for the RX350h 2WD is 5.0 litres per 100 kilometres, with CO2 emissions of 114g/km. You won’t get figures like that in a petrol or diesel competitor.

Over three weeks of mixed city, country, urban and freeway driving, I recorded 6.8L/100km which is not too bad given some of my spirited driving. The trip computer said 7.0L which is close to my figure.

The RX350h takes premium unleaded petrol and has a 65-litre fuel tank, so expect a range of around 950km based on our real-world consumption number.

It's funny, I never felt like the old Vantage wanted for power, but now I suddenly wonder how we ever made do with it. This feels like the engine and the outputs that should have always been, such is the way it suits the nature of Aston’s most performance-focused model.

Everything is about the driver here. From the suspension tune to the gearbox mapping and the increase in stiffness everywhere. You’re supposed to feel like the main character, and you do.

Aston Martin have come under fire in the past for delivering cars that are a treat to look at, but didn't quite deliver the drive experience to match the appearance, and it's something the brand says it is actively rectifying with with the Vantage, and the Astons that will follow it.

The mission, it says, is to be spoken of in the same sentence as the Italian supercar makers when it comes to delivering driver engagement, and this 2024 Vantage is a considerable leap in that direction.

It is, above all else, fun. From the multi-stage ESP settings that you can pair to your bravery, to the retuned and raucous exhaust and the blistering acceleration.

More than that, it feels light and lithe on a racetrack, and super communicative, the front wheels talking through your wrists, and the back tyres through, well, the bit of you that hits the bottom half of the racing seat...

It is plenty fun, right across the park. The power is immense, but somehow it doesn't feel terrifying, partly because you're so dialled-in to the drive experience, and partly because the carbon brakes fitted to our test car were able to slow the Vantage so savagely it's as though we'd dropped anchor out the back window.

The Vantage does have a split personality, though, and it's one that really shows itself once you venture out onto the road. It's quiet, comfortable even, at suburban speeds, leaning more into grand tourer than bonkers track-day special.

The only downside being that, should you sit behind the wheel long enough, it becomes easy to forget you're driving something "super" at all. Well, until your right foot finds its way back to the accelerator, that is...

The old RX was competent and even nice to drive but not a patch on the likes of the BMW X5. The new-gen RX improves on that in a big way.

It offers solid acceleration from a standing start. Lexus says 8.1sec from 0-100km/h - without giving you chills. The sportiest RX is the 500h Performance hybrid and that covers the same distance in 6.2sec.

The transition from electric power to petrol propulsion is more evident in this model than it was in the LM350h people mover I tested recently - the RX is a little noisier. The CVT doesn’t help this, offering up an uninspiring engine note.

It is, however, a much more fun car to push into tight bends than the previous RX. It remains reasonably flat in corners, and pulls out of tem with ease, but can’t compare to the dynamics of the dearly departed IS sedan.

The 19-inch tyres have large sidewalls and as a result soak up harsh bumps on the road. The non-adaptive suspension is tuned for better dynamism, meaning the ride quality is on the firm side.

The front-wheel drive RX lost traction for a second on a sweeping uphill section of my drive route, but the electronic traction systems otherwise kept the big SUV in check. 

But around town in urban areas, there is very little to complain about behind the wheel of the RX350h.

The RX comes packed with standard safety gear and the SUV was awarded a maximum five-star crash safety rating from ANCAP in 2022.

Just some of the inclusions are auto emergency braking with pedestrian (day/night), cyclist (day/night) and motorcyclist (day) detection, intersection assist, emergency steering assist, driver monitoring, lane keeping aid and lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitor (including stationary) with rear cross-traffic alert and safe exit assist to avoid 'dooring' incidents. 

I must say, Lexus’ (and parent company Toyota’s) driver assistance tech has come a long way.

In the early days of the pandemic during a rare non-lockdown period in Melbourne, I drove from Melbourne to Sydney in the previous-generation Lexus RX200 Sports Luxury.

The lane keeping system and adaptive cruise control were shockingly underdone. The cruise control would simply stop working when you encountered even a slight downhill section. 

Not anymore. The new, smoother lane keeping set-up uses subtle wheel adjustments, unlike the ping pong effect of the previous RX, and the cruise system is now very much in control of the speed.

The Lexus safety suite now operates without too much intervention and is hard to beat among its key rivals.

Aston Martins in Australia are covered by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, but you can extend that for one or two years, at a price.  You’ll be visiting the service centre annually, too.

The RX350h is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and the servicing schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km.

There’s a capped-price servicing plan lasting five years and it will cost $695 per service. That's significantly less than some rivals like the Mercedes GLE.

The RX is covered by the 'Lexus Encore' loyalty program and includes complimentary service loan cars, fuel offers as well as discounts and other offers with Lexus partners.