Lexus RX350 vs BYD Atto 3

What's the difference?

The RX is a big SUV that doesn't always look, or drive, like one, and – in 500h guise especially – can put a smile on a driver's face, too.

Gone are the cabin quirks and the polarising design elements (well, mostly...), and in their place you'll find a solid, premium-feeling family offering without much in the way of drawbacks.

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

BYD hasn’t made dramatic changes to the Atto 3 for 2024, but has it done enough to lure in more buyers? 

The additional equipment, namely the larger infotainment screen and new tyres, will certainly help make the Atto 3 more appealing. And the technology behind EVs is more understood by the average motorists, so the barriers to making the switch to electrification are dropping.

But the single biggest factor is likely to be the price. At a time when inflation (and other reasons) is driving the cost of new vehicles up, having your updated model go in the wrong direction will only help make potential buyers take notice.

Especially when you consider Toyota’s closest rival to the Atto 3, the bZ4X, starts at $66,000, while the Tesla Model Y is priced from $55,900, making both significantly more expensive propositions. Heck, the cheapest Toyota RAV4 hybrid model starts at $42,260, only marginally cheaper than the Atto 3 Standard Range.

So, if BYD can make its value argument strongly it will help lure more new buyers to take the plunge into the world of EVs.

Honestly, the Lexus RX looks far more powerful, and cohesive, in the metal than it does in some photos, and in the right colour (we're fond on the deep black or the copper-rose hues), it looks downright fetching.

That Predator-shaped front-end is massive, but the way the Spindle grille kind of bleeds in the body work at the nose of the vehicle is a neat trick, and the whole design ethos gives the RX a sportier, more modern, and more intimidating, energy from almost every angle.

Perhaps the most clever element though is the wave-like design piece that links the rear window with the boot, somehow managing to shrink almost-five-metre SUV (visually, at least), and leaving the RX looking more sporty than hulking.

The door handles are cool, too. They’re fixed, and you just touch them to open the door, with a similar system used once inside to get out again.

Inside, Lexus has gone for a clean, modern-feeling space, and, thankfully, there isn't a Remote Touch trackpad in sight. Instead, you can choose between two screen sizes – 9.8- or 14.0-inch – which kind of dominate the dash, while the air-con controls are digital and interactive, too.

It must be said, though, some interior treatments feel far more special than others, and while Lexus in Australia isn't spilling on specifics for our market just yet, the top-spec models will almost certainly feel more plush than the cheaper ones.

In a couple of words, not really. At least when it comes to the exterior design.

In fact, the biggest design change for 2024 is actually the colour of our test car, the new Cosmos Black. Apart from that, the rest of the Atto 3 is unchanged visually, which is becoming something of a trademark for EVs, at least from newer brands like BYD and Tesla. 

Instead of worrying about adding a new grille, different headlights or an alternative alloy wheel design, brands like BYD are focusing on updating batteries, the technology and other software enhancements to keep their models fresh.

The only exterior change is at the rear, where the previous 'Build Your Dreams' lettering has been replaced by a simple 'BYD' badge.

As for the interior design, kudos to BYD for not following Tesla down the cost-saving-disguised-as-minimalist-design path, but personally the design aesthetic and the variety of colours and trims used aren’t to my taste, but I can see why others may love it. The ‘guitar string’ door pockets are likely a particularly polarsing design choice.

BYD has added a new interior option, with a black/blue trim for the examples finished with grey and black exteriors, while white and blue painted cars get a blue/grey interior.

The entire RX range now rides on Lexus' GA-K platform, which is lighter (-40kg), more rigid, and offers a lower centre of gravity (-15mm) than the model it replaces.

The RX is wider (+25mm to 1920mm), lower (-10mm to 1695mm), but no longer (still 4890mm) than the outgoing model. But Lexus has lengthened the wheelbase (+60mm to 2850mm) to earn some extra backseat space for rear riders.

And it must be said, there is lots of room for backseat riders. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position I had more than enough knee room, and enough head room, and a general feeling of airy spaciousness.

Elsewhere you get the usual practicality perks, with two cupholders up front, two more in the pull-down seat divider that splits the rear seat, and there are two ISOFIX attachment points in the back seat, too.

Charging is handled by a four USB ports, and depending on the trim/spec balance Lexus in Australia shoots for, you should at least find vents with temp controls for backseat riders, too.

Lexus is yet to confirm the luggage space specs for the new RX, but given it’s only being offered with five seats, and that there’s been no change to the vehicle’s length, you can expect a fair bit of room for bags in its auto-opening boot.

The Atto 3 remains classified as a ‘Medium SUV’ but blurs the line between mid-size and small in terms of dimensions, especially inside. It’s not in the same size game as the Toyota RAV4 or Mitsubishi Outlander, but is close in size to the likes of the Honda ZR-V and Mazda CX-5.

While there’s a few key practical storage spaces, there aren’t as many as some newer rivals, which does suggest the Atto 3 design is starting to date or just wasn’t well thought-out enough in the first place; such as putting all the switchgear in the centre console rather than on the dashboard.

This was probably done, at least in part, to accommodate the rotating touchscreen, which seems like a poor design and practicality choice to me. Especially the new one, which at 15.8-inches when rotated to the portrait mode it starts to interfere with your vision and the layout is more user-friendly in landscape mode - both when using the native multimedia system or your smartphone connection.

Space is respectable in the back seats, and there’s both a USB-A and USB-C port for charging devices. While out the back the boot measures 440 litres, which is a respectable amount of space for an SUV this size, but there’s only a tyre repair kit instead of a spare wheel.

As we just mentioned, price has been a critical tool for carmakers looking to keep demand for EVs rolling along as the early adopters fade, and BYD is not immune from this. Earlier in 2024 the Atto 3 Extended Range, the model we’re testing here, started at $50,011 before on-road costs. Then in April 2024, BYD announced a drive-away deal for $45,990 for pre-registered demos. 

Now this updated model is priced from $47,499 (plus on-road costs), which is a jump up from the sale price, but is more than $3500 cheaper than the Atto 3 was at the start of 2024. Meanwhile, the Standard model is priced from $44,990 (plus on-road costs), which is also a saving of more than $3000 on the previous model.

The key difference between the Standard and Extended Range models are the batteries, so the specification is similar. Both variants are equipped with LED headlights, power tailgate, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, 5.0-inch digital instrument panel and in-built satellite navigation.

One of the big ticket item changes for 2024 is the upgraded 15.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, which comes with BYD’s signature trick - rotating between portrait and landscape modes. This is upsized from 12.8-inch in the old model. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard too.

Let’s start with what we’re not getting at launch. Internationally, there's a new plug-in hybrid variant that pairs a 227kW hybrid system with a 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery for an EV driving range of more than 65kms, but fight though Lexus in Australia did, it couldn't secure the model for our market at launch. It wants it though, and badly. So watch this space. 

Instead we get three options, including the RX 350h, which pairs a 2.5-litre petrol engine with Lexus' existing hybrid system to produce a total 180kW and 316Nm. It's paired with a constantly variable transmission and will be offered in two- or all-wheel drive.

There’s also a turbocharged 2.4-litre petrol engine on offer in the RX 350, good for 205kW and 430Nm, and paired with an eight speed automatic and AWD.

But the powertrain I really, really like lives in the RX 500h F Performance, and pairs a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor up front, and a second at the rear axle, for a total of 273kW and 551Nm.

The all-new hybrid system has been designed with turbocharged engines in mind, and features a single electric motor at the front, and a bigger rear motor, with the latter able to provide real driving power to the rear tyres - and contribute to a sprint to 100km/h of just 5.9secs.

Lexus calls it an 'eAxle' motor, and it can deliver some 76kW to the rear tyres. It pairs with a 'DIRECT4' all-wheel drive system which the brand says improves "handling, controllability, and feel."

Fitting, then, that it features on the RX 500h F Performance, which also introduces a new go-fast tier for the Lexus brand (though one you can expect to see more frequently in the near future), and which sits between the existing F Sport and the top-tier, full-fat F models.

The brand says things like bigger brakes, performance components and the highest power outputs will be reserved for the F Performance models. And so it is with the RX 500h F Performance, which welcomes six-piston front brakes, adaptive variable suspension, dynamic rear steering and 21-inch wheels.

As with the design there isn’t much to say about what’s powering the Atto 3 because it’s the same as the 2023 model. Both the Standard and Extended Range use the same front-mounted electric motor, which makes 150kW/310Nm and drives the front wheels through a single speed transmission.  

With 0-100km/h times of 7.9 seconds and 7.3 seconds respectively for the Standard and Extended Range, the Atto 3 won’t shove you back in your seat, but it has adequate performance for a mid-size SUV. 

Let’s start with the pure-petrol RX 350, which will sip a claimed 8.8 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, and will demand premium petrol. The RX 350h is more fuel efficient, demanding 6.4 to 6.7 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle.

But the most impressive is the RX 500h, which Lexus says will need 8.2 to 8.5 litres per hundred kilometres — making it more efficient than the petrol-powered RX 350, despite producing an extra 68 kilowatts of power and 121 newton metres of torque.

The Standard Range has a rated driving range of 345km (WLTP) from a 49.92kWh ‘Blade’ lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery while the Extended Range’s bigger 60.48kWh unit increases that to 420km.

Charging is capped at 70kW (DC) for the Standard and 80kW (DC) for the Extended. 

One of the major hurdles for EV brands is convincing people that they won’t run out of charge every day. At 420km the Extended Range Atto 3 will get most people through multiple days of commuting, so even with public charging you shouldn’t worry about range anxiety. 

Those drivers with commutes longer than 420km per day should be looking at something other than an electric car (and probably a job closer to home).

Right, let’s cut to the chase here. I like the way the all-new RX family drives, pretty much across the board. If that’s all the information you want or need, feel free to check out here and move on to the next sub-heading.

Still here? Ok, then let’s go a little deeper.

None of the powertrains on offer feel under-powered in the RX range, which is a good start, but they all do their jobs a little differently. 

The RX 350 is probably the most familiar, with a traditional automatic and that well-known petrol-powered punch. It’s not the most powerful engine on offer here, but it’s more than enough to get the RX up and moving — but, for mine, it can feel a little thrashy (or like it’s straining a little too hard), when you really start to push it, but such is the price you pay for a four-cylinder engine pushing a large SUV.

Next up is the RX 350h, which Lexus reckons will be the best-selling model in Australia. Lexus and Toyota have been doing hybrid powertrains for some time now, and the system fitted to the new RX is predictably solid-feeling, though it too has its drawbacks – namely that the constantly variable transmission can drone on and on under constant acceleration, and even the commendably insulated cabin can’t block it out completely.

So if this is a Goldilocks’ scenario, then the just right has to be the RX 500h, which blends its powerful powertrain with a traditional-feeling automatic to deliver plenty of performance and a tight, engaging drive experience that makes it feel as though the big SUV is somehow shrinking around you from behind the wheel, courtesy of the best performance kit (brakes, adaptive suspension, etc).

But to be honest, no matter the RX, the thing that really stands out here is its on-road dynamics. The car doesn’t really wobble about, there’s not much in the way of body roll, and it feels tight and confidence inspiring, no matter the model - but especially the rear-wheel-steering equipped 500h.

The RX also does a commendable job of locking the outside world outside of the cabin. Where you want it to be a calm and sedate family hauler, it can be that. But it can also put a smile on your face on the right road, too.

And that, I think, is something to be celebrated. And also not something we’ve come to associate with Lexus over the years. But that’s now beginning to change. Long live F Sport Performance, then.

Driving the updated Atto 3 feels… fine. Nothing special or class-leading, but within the expectations buyers should look for in a mid-size SUV. Which is meant as a compliment to BYD, as it is still a relatively new brand in this very competitive market and there are certainly some noticeably worse rivals in this same segment. 

The Atto 3 may not be the most comfortable, most powerful or most dynamic mid-size SUV, but it’s a perfectly nice thing to drive and it will get you from Point A to Point B quietly and smoothly.

Another of the major changes for 2024 is BYD’s decision to ditch the fantastically named, but not very good Atlas Batman tyres, replacing them with Continental rubber. The Atlas tyres were a major drawback on the old model, lacking grip and detracting from the driving experience, with the new ‘Contis’ solving those problems. 

In terms of safety, both Atto 3 variants get a comprehensive list of both passive and active safety features, enough to score a five-star ANCAP rating.

There’s airbag coverage for all occupants, 360-degree parking cameras, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward and rear collision warning, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, rear cross-traffic brake and door open warning.

Most of these systems behaved themselves during our testing, although the forward collision warning did seem overly sensitive at times, and sounded alarms over potential accidents that simply weren’t a problem. Still, compared to some modern brands, the BYD systems performed well.

The Lexus family is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is about bang-on in the premium-vehicle space. 

While servicing details are yet to be confirmed, the previous RX required a trip to the service centre every 12 months or 15,000kms, and it will fall under the brand’s capped-price servicing program, and the Lexus Encore program, which offers all sorts of perks to owners.

BYD offers a six-year/150,000km warrant for the vehicle, with eight years/160,000km coverage for the batteries.

Service intervals are every 12 months of 20,000km and while a minor service is only $165, every second visit is more expensive, ranging from $498 to more than $600. There may be less oily bits under the bonnet but there’s still a cost to owning an electric car.