Lexus RX350 vs Lexus RX350L

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.

Lexus has seemingly added two extra seats to its RX range without any design or dynamic drawbacks. If you're a fan of the five-seat car, there's little doubt you'll be a fan of this one, too. 

What it will come down to, though, is how often you use the third row of seats, and how big the humans that will be sitting in them in are. If they're for kids or for occasional use, the space will be ample. But if your child has undergone a Tom Hanks in Big-style growth spurt, you will likely find the space back there too tight for everyday use. 

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.

All the action takes place at the back end here (essentially from the rear wheels back), with Lexus adding 110mm in length to form the RX L, which sits on an identical wheelbase to the five-seat car.

They deserve credit for not making this seven-seat version feel like a behemoth, with the extension in keeping with the style of the five-seat car (same 'floating roof' sitting above a kinked pane of glass), with only the more vertical and extended boot line hinting at the third row inside.

Elsewhere, it’s business as usual for the RX L, with the bigger model sharing the sharply angled body styling, narrow headlights and ferocious-looking grille of the standard RX.

Inside, expect a premium-feel interior, with leather seats in the first and second rows (the third gets the man-made stuff), elegant wood finishing and a sleek and simple dash set-up dominated by a floating screen in its centre.

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.

You know how there are some seven-seat SUVs in which, at a pinch, you can squeeze two adults into the third row? Well, the RX L isn't one of them.

For one, climbing over the second row (after pulling a manual handle that Lexus says is quicker than an electric set-up) requires some acrobatics. And once in the seat, my head (I'm 175cm) found itself in an intimate relationship with the roof. My knees were forced into the seat in front, and most worryingly, my presence pushed the second row far enough forward to make that passenger uncomfortable, too. 

Still, how often are you really going to squeeze adults back there? There is certainly enough room for younger kids, or - as I suspect is more likely - for the third row to be used as an in-case-of-emergency option. It can house a child seat, too.

There's not a bad ambiance back there, though, with artificial leather seats, two central cupholders and tri-zone climate with vents and temperature controls. Middle-row riders now get an extra 45mm of forward adjustability (to compensate for the third row), and there are two cupholders hidden in the pull-down seat divider and bottle room in each of the rear doors.

Up front, expect two cupholders, along with a pocket in each door, while the large central storage bin is home to two USB connection points and a power source, the latter matching a second power source underneath the air-conditioning controls. 

And so, to the boot. All three rows in place, you'll find 176 litres of storage to the seat-tops (211 litres to the roof). Lower the third row, and that number climbs to 433 litres. Drop the second and third row, and you'll find 966 litres of storage.

First, the bad news. There's a price punish for opting for the seven-seat RX. How much, though, depends on which trim level you decide on. 

The RX L arrives in 'Luxury' and 'Sport Luxury' trim levels, and with two engines; a petrol-powered V6 or a hybrid option that adds an electric motor. Luxury prices start from $84,700 (a $3280 increase over the five-seat car), while the Sport Luxury models start from $101,500 (a $1630 rise). 

Opt for a Luxury car ($84,700 for the 350L, $93,440 for the 450hL) and you'll find leather seats in rows one and two, and artificial leather in the third. You'll also get heated and ventilated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and tri-zone climate control.

Outside, expect proximity unlocking, 20-inch alloys, LED headlamps and DRLs as well as standard roof rails. Technology is handled by a nav-equipped, 8.0-inch display that pairs with 12 speakers. There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, though, and the entire system is operated via the 'Lexus Remote Touch' mouse pad thingy that I can't get used to no matter how hard I try.

Spring for the Sport Luxury ($101,500 for the 350L, $110,240 for the 450hL) and you'll add a colour head-up display and moon roof, as well as adaptive suspension, heated second-row seats, a nicer interior treatment and LED headlights with adaptive high beam. Your screen is bigger (now 12.3 inches), and it now pairs with a 15-speaker Mark Levinson stereo, 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.

There are two engine options on offer here; the V6 of the 350L or the hybrid powertrain of the 450hL.

The six-cylinder petrol engine is good for 216kW at 6300rpm and 358Nm at 4600rpm, sending that power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

The hybrid option uses the exact same engine, just with lower outputs of 193kW at 6000rpm and 335Nm at 4600rpm. It's paired with an electric motor that lifts the total output to 230kW. That combination pairs with a CVT auto, sending power to all four wheels. 

Lexus claims identical performance figures for both options, with a 0-100km/h sprint of 8.0 seconds and a top speed of 200km/h.

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 petrol V6 will require a claimed 10.6L per 100km on the combined cycle, with the hybrid predictably performing better, returning 6.0L/100km on the same cycle. Emissions of CO2 are pegged at 234g/km (V6) and 137g/km (hybrid).

The V6-powered RX boasts a 72-litre tank, while the hybrid shaves several of those off, offering 65 litres.

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.

Let’s start with the good news: having admittedly only been behind the wheel for a shortish stretch (and a lot of that was on a freeway) I’ll be damned if I can spot the difference from five- to seven-seater.

Its 110mm longer than the five-seat car, of course, and it's heavier, too. And a more thorough test might well reveal those extra kilograms from behind the wheel. But I suspect you'd have to be truly pushing the RX L around some serious corners to have any chance of noticing.

Keep in mind, this isn't the sportiest option in the segment, and this L version isn’t either. The steering feels a little vague and flat on-centre, and neither engine offers face-peeling acceleration. But the ride is terrific, the cabin is comfortable and polished and both the Luxury and Sport Luxury are ferociously well-equipped. 

We'll wait until we get the RX L into the office for a more thorough examination, but after our brief taste test, we reckon there'll be no on-road penalty in opting for the seven-seat option.

Lexus has a strong reputation on this front, and the RX L is predictably well-sorted from a standard safety viewpoint.

Expect 10 airbags (with the curtain bad extended to the third row), a reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors. 'Lexus Safety Sense+' also arrives as standard, which adds active cruise control, lane-keep assist, auto high beam and an AEB pre-collision safety system the now includes pedestrian detection for the first time. 

The five-seat RX was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP crash rating when tested in 2015.

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.

Expect a four-year/100,000km warranty (that's 12 months longer than both Germans), and the RX L will require a trip to the service centre every 12 months or 15,000kms. Your first service is free, and total maintenance costs for the first 60,000km will run you $2031.31.