The Lexus RX is an SUV from the luxury Lexus brand sold since 1998 in North America. This model is actually a Toyota Harrier , sold in Japan, rebadgé. This vehicle is the spearhead of the expansion of the brand owned by the giant Toyota , including its hybrid version that has made it the first hybrid SUV in the world. In the US Lexus lineup, the RX opens the SUV lineup, but is the only representative of this class in Europe.
NB: The numbers after the model name indicate the displacement (except the hybrid versions), as at Infiniti , or Mercedes .
First generation (1998 – 2003)
The RX takes the general style of the SLV prototype presented by Lexus at the Chicago Motor Show in February 1997. It comes out in March 1998 in North America after the official presentation in Los Angeles, then it appears in Europe at the end of the year 2000.
Motorization
It exists with a single gasoline engine:
RX 300: V6 3.0 201 hp
It has a four-speed automatic transmission in two or four-wheel drive.
Second generation (2003-2009)
The second-generation RX was officially introduced at the Detroit show in January 2003 and launched two months later in North America, then Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The RX grows about fifteen centimeters in length, two in width and a small centimeter in height. In 2005, a hybrid version based on the Hybrid Synergy Drive appeared, making him, with his twin the Toyota Harrier , the first hybrid SUV in the world.
RX 400h
The hybrid version of the RX was launched in March 2005 and became the first Lexus to benefit from such technology. This version is based on the V6 3.3 L of the American RX which develops 272 hp on it, and the system Hybrid Synergy Drive .
The vehicle is started by electric motors up to about 50 km / h, provided you have a light foot. When the demand for power increases, the gasoline engine provides most of the motricity, electric motors sporadically support it when needed. Its batteries are recharged automatically via the engine and recovering energy during braking . Thus, the vehicle manages to emit less than 200 grams of CO 2 per km despite a power and a high weight. Its fuel consumption is around 9 liters per cent, making it the least fuel-efficient vehicle in its class.
In September 2013 the RX400h is the subject of a manufacturer recall concerning the soldering of the transistor of the power module of the inverter of the hybrid system could deteriorate prematurely.
On these cars, Toyota explained that it would replace “the power module of the inverter (direct current / alternating current) of the hybrid system” for free. “Degrading the transistors of the inverter power module transistors could put the vehicle in safe mode, limiting the power available for driving,” the group said in a statement. “In rare cases the power circuit fuse could be rendered inoperative, disabling the hybrid system,” he added.
Third generation (2009-2015
Presented for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the fall of 2008, the third generation of the SUV RX takes the general line of the old and keeps its size. It has been marketed since February 2009 in North America and landed in Europe the following spring. In Japan, the RX, launched in December 2008, is for the first time distributed under the Lexus brand. He was previously associated with the name Toyota and was then called Toyota Harrier ; it remains in Japan still sold under this name, in less luxurious finishes than the versions sold under the label Lexus.
RX 450h
he second generation of the RX Hybrid was launched at the same time as the 100% petrol version. This version takes the V6 3.5 liters of the RX 350 which develops 249 hp on the hybrid version. It was the only hybrid SUV sold in Europe until the 2010 appearance of the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid .
The vehicle is started by electric motors up to about 50 km / h, provided you have a light foot. When the demand for power increases, the gasoline engine provides most of the motricity, electric motors sporadically support it when needed. Its batteries are recharged automatically recovering energy during braking . Thus, the vehicle manages to emit about 150 grams of CO 2 per km despite a power and a high weight up from the RX 400h. Its fuel consumption is around 8 liters per 100 km in mixed mode, making it the least fuel-efficient vehicle in its class.
A special edition was introduced in 2011 called “Shadow Line” it was sold in hybrid configuration and 4X4 exclusively, in four colors from white to black it is equipped with alloy wheels 19 “in Dark Gray finish, black painted headlights, a titanium gray grille, and aluminum under-shields at the front and rear.
Motorizations
The RX has two engines:
RX 350: V6 3.5 275 hp
RX 450h: V6 3.5 246 hp + electric motors or 299 hp.
The gasoline engine version is available with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrid version receives a continuously variable e-CVT box with a six-speed sport mode.