Lexus RX200T vs Subaru Forester

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. 

The sixth-generation of Subaru’s Forester has landed and while the new hybrid versions constitute the biggest news of this batch, the petrol-only variants should not be ignored.

The five-seat mid-size SUV has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder 'boxer' engine, Subaru’s well-regarded 'symmetrical all-wheel drive' system and some new changes inside and out.

So, does the top-spec Touring offer the best value-for-money in the petrol Forester line-up?

Read on.