Lexus RX350 SUV outclasses rivals

MICHAEL BANOVSKY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Lexus does a solid job of upgrading safety features with the RX350 SUV, which has a high-tech Remote Touch controller and 10 standard airbags.

Michael Banovsky

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Napa Valley, Calif.– One of the most important things to consider when you're driving an automobile is its feel – both how responsive it is and what its interior is like.

Lexus apparently thinks that its new RX350 should make you feel as though you have a concierge at your beck and call: this crossover is compliant to your every whim but it also provides more feedback than you're used to, as if to remind you it's, uh, well, human.

Lest you think I'm crazy, let's start with a small point. The $45,000-plus RX that comes with the navigation option has what Lexus calls a Remote Touch controller; it allows you to make your navigation, audio or climate control selections from the display screen on the dash.

A cross between a leather-capped mushroom and a joystick, Remote Touch controls a cursor on the screen, just like a computer mouse. Unlike your mouse, however, it jiggles slightly when you position the cursor to make a selection.

That tactile signal (which theoretically means you don't have to take your eyes off the road as often) works well, but with two qualifiers.

The joystick is right beside the driver's right leg. Because a large number of vehicle functions require use of the controller – navigation being the big one – the passenger needs to reach across the cupholders and operate the system perilously close to the driver's right thigh.

That's not an issue if your passenger is a fashion model, but a big one if it's your skittish, video game-addicted nephew, hitching a ride to the airport.

The second: the system's display – fonts, colours and layout – looks awful, even compared with a $129 Apple OS X operating system (or even your kid's Xbox 360).

The RX 350 is in good company, though: the interfaces on, say, the Mercedes-Benz ML350, BMW X5, Acura MDX or Volvo XC90 aren't much better.

Typographical quibbles aside, when you do drive the Lexus, you feel as though you're in some sort of sensory deprivation chamber swathed in leather. Handling is as expected, with a numb on-centre feel. The suspension is soft, the brakes are predictable and the power delivery is smooth.

The experience is such that you have immediate urges to tour the Niagara wine region with your significant other. Stressful day at work? Just hop in and forget all about it.

For me, though, the experience was such that I felt like sucking on a Werther's Originals candy or watching Coronation Street in a retirement home.

So I started playing with the RX's electronic toys.

The Lexus's new Casual Voice Recognition System – to control audio, climate and navigation functions – works well. It joins other optional tech goodies like USB audio input, XM satellite radio and XM NavTraffic capabilities, Bluetooth phone integration, 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound stereo, dynamic radar cruise control, heads-up display and a dual screen rear seat DVD system.

When I tried to use my iPod Touch, however, the system seemed to only read about 30 per cent of my artists, albums and playlists. Sadly, the Annie Lennox tribute album remained unattainable.

Three more technologies deserve mention: a wide-angle side-view monitor that helps you see the ground near the right front-passenger wheel via a mirror-mounted camera, and parking assist that will aid your manoeuvres. The third is an automatic high-beam system that uses a front-facing camera to recognize the lights of oncoming traffic to automatically turn on and off the high beams as needed.

Ten standard airbags and a suite of safety gear seem designed to ensure high crash-test scores. The Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system combines stability control, ABS, hill-start assist and traction control into a single unit, reducing response times.

But VDIM is optional and only available on the Sport and Ultra Premium packages. Traditional and separate stability control, ABS and traction control systems are standard on all RX models, though.

There's so much stuff in the new RX that you'd be excused for thinking Lexus was trying to annihilate the competition.

For example, the ML350 and X5 are available with diesel engines this year, but their base prices just south of $60,000 beg the question: Who would pay more for less?

Badges aside, the RX at its most basic specification comprehensively out-contents both Germans, with 10 standard airbags (dual front, dual front side, dual rear side, dual front knee and dual curtain), more horsepower (15 more than the BMW and nine more than the Mercedes), and better implementation of its technology.

The MDX and the XC90 fare better than the others, but for different reasons. The MDX has more horsepower, handles better, has a more driver-oriented feel, and its options – eardrum-splitting ELS surround sound stereo and active suspension – reinforce that fact. But its thirst for fuel, base price around $55,000 – fully loaded for $65,000 – means that, again, Lexus trumps on price.

Finally, the Volvo XC90 has easy-to-use optional third-row seating, a feeling of on-road security and a base price less than $50,000.

The XC90 can also be upgraded to a V8 engine, but it's expensive. The standard 3.2 L inline-6 is the Volvo's sore spot: smaller, less powerful and less fuel-efficient than the Lexus' V6.

Though lacking a sporty drive, or room for seven, theRX350 remains a desirable crossover – and the first with true touchy-feely technology.

Travel was provided to freelance writer Michael Banovsky by the automaker. banovsky.com

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