2020 BMW X3 vs Lexus RX

What's the difference?

Big fast SUVs have long been a guilty pleasure of mine. My brain has been telling me for years, since the first time I drove one - the first-gen Audi SQ5 - that they're silly and wasteful and 'not my kind of car'.

The Europeans - and latterly, the Americans - seem to be playing to an audience of me, convincing my prejudiced head that my try-anything heart is right: over-engined, jacked-up, stiffly-sprung family wagons are as much fun as anything else.

The X3 M is BMW's first full-fat M version of the X3, a car that has never really fired the imagination until this third generation. First we got the very good X3 M40i, now we have a 375kW, twin-turbo straight-six screamer, the M Competition.

Whether or not people like the look of the models in Lexus' line-up varies, but one thing's for sure, the Japanese luxury brand has a clear  identity. The intent of occupying the rung between a mainstream brand and a prestige one is clear in the pricing, and the styling of Lexus's vechicles is akin to jewellery – just look at the intricate Spindle grille, which is particularly enormous on the RX300 Luxury I've tested in this review.

The RX300 Luxury is the entry point into the RX large SUV range, so does this mean it's missing much in the way of tech, equipment or grunt? Yes, and no. Read on to find out.