Patriot X1 vs Lexus RX350L

What's the difference?

Over the past 12 months, some of the most significant names in camper-trailers have fallen victim to their own success. Ultimate Campers, one of the most interesting and (previously) desirable camping products was placed in voluntary administration and bailed out, while Kimberley Kampers, always the pinnacle of off-road camper design, still has a very uncertain future, if one at all. 

But amongst all that, here is Patriot Campers, an Aussie company essentially building $40,000 to $60,000 soft-floor camper-trailers and flourishing where others are failing. 

So what’s so good about them, and are they really worth all that money?

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?