Lexus RX200T vs Lexus RX350L

What's the difference?

Remember when Lexus design was about as adventurous as a warm cup of tea and a good lie down?

The Japanese luxury brand (and Toyota’s more expensive little brother) wasn’t exactly famed for taking risks on boundary-pushing looks. And that's not even me being mean - its own executives say they favoured conservatism over all else when working on an a new model. And thus everything looked like it was designed by a 75-year-old Japanese man, largely because it had been.

But gazing upon the angry, jutting jawline of the Lexus RX, those play-it-safe days suddenly feel a long time ago. If this RX isn’t the most striking (for better or for worse) SUV in its premium field, it’s got to be pretty darn close.

The cheapest and most youth-oriented model in the RX family is the 200T, making use of a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine to propel the big SUV. And the one you see in these pictures is the F-Sport model, which scores a bespoke bodykit, unique alloys and other styling stuff to make it look even more aggressive on the road. 

Having received its last major update in 2015 (but with a mid-life tweak just around the corner) this RX is starting to get on a little bit. So we spent a week in the 200T to see if it's still able to mix it with the best in the segment. 

It's just about so late to the seven-seat party that all that remains is a tired cleaner sweeping up confetti and cake crumbs, but Lexus has at last launched an SUV with a third row of seats. 

Well, technically it hasn’t so much launched a new model as it has extended its existing large SUV, adding a 110mm extension behind the rear wheels to squeeze in two extra seats and form the RX L 

Lexus shifted around 2000 units of its five-seat RX last year, and the brand’s local executives reckon 20 per cent of premium SUV shoppers are chasing a seven-seat car. If those numbers stack up, it could mean a 400-strong annual sales boost for the RX range.

A big deal for the Japanese premium brand, then. But what about the rest of us? Is bigger really better for the RX?