The cute ＂plus volume＂ test drive of the Lexus RX450h

International Online Car Channel News: From the beginning of the launch of the luxury brand SUV market in 1998 to the official launch of the new RX450h in 2019, in the past two decades, RX has become one of the most important products in the Lexus SUV matrix, both in terms of sales and product influence. The reason is not difficult to find that the luxury and elegant product image and the user-first car-making concept are the prerequisites for the continued popularity of this product. Just like the new Lexus RX450h we tested this time, the new car retains the original luxury temperament while also "increasing" the car habits of domestic consumers, so that its comprehensive competitiveness can be further enhanced.

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It’s not a good idea.Appearance: Exquisite and fashionable, full of momentum

Among the many luxury brands, Lexus is one of the most radical in appearance design, with its iconic spindle-shaped air intake grille, sharp headlamp form, and sharp side lines highly recognizable. These classic symbols have also been preserved on the new car and fine-tuned in some details.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

The new RX’s intake grille shape has been fine-tuned compared to the old model. On the premise of retaining Lexus’ iconic spindle-shaped intake grille, the grille interior has been changed to a lattice shape. The angular headlights are long and narrow, and the lamp group adopts the world’s first BladeScanTM AHS high beam adaptive control system, and realizes 0.1 ° illumination angle control.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

The side styling of the new Lexus RX is basically the same as that of the old model, giving people an elegant and stretched visual enjoyment. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of the new RX are 4890mm, 1895mm and 1690mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 1790mm. The test car is equipped with a double five-width wheel shape, and the tire specification is 235/55 R20. The tires are selected from Dunlop’s SP SPORT MAXX series, which has won numerous annual awards and touted sporting performance.

It’s not a good idea.Interior: human-machine interaction, safety technology upgraded

The interiors of Lexus products have been well received for many years, both in terms of binding process and interior design, but there have always been shortcomings in human-machine interaction. The new RX has made targeted adjustments to this problem. The center console floating touch display and the new touch RemoteTouch information operating system support Baidu CarLife. Drivers can choose LEXUS navigation or smartphone navigation. At the same time, the new intelligent voice control can search for keywords in the cloud and local storage. With the blessing of these technological configurations, the new car has made up for the shortcomings in human-machine interaction to a certain extent.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

The interior design of the new car has not been significantly adjusted compared to the layout of the old model. It still adopts an asymmetrical central control layout and uses a large area of leather material to wrap it, ensuring the luxury of the interior part. The steering wheel shape of the new car has not been adjusted. The combination of leather and solid wood creates a good sense of high-end, and there are relatively complete function buttons on both sides to ensure practicality.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

The dashboard shape of the new Lexus RX is basically the same as that of the old model, but fortunately this dashboard style is still not outdated, and the clear and comprehensive display effect when actually driving is commendable. In response to the shortcomings of the old model in human-machine interaction, the new center console floating touch display and the new touch RemoteTouch information operating system support Baidu CarLife, the driver can choose LEXUS navigation or smartphone navigation, and the new intelligent voice control can search for keywords in the cloud and local storage.

It’s not a good idea.Driving: power output silky smooth

The Lexus RX 450h model we tested uses a hybrid powertrain. Its powertrain is a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine codenamed 2GR-FXS, and consists of a dual motor and a planetary gear power shunt device to form a gasoline-electric hybrid system. An independent motor is used on the rear axle to achieve four-wheel drive function. The maximum power of the engine is 193kW and the peak torque is 335Nm. The power of the front motor is 167Ps and the power of the rear motor is 68Ps. The comprehensive maximum power of the whole powertrain is 230kW, which is matched by an E-CVT electronic stepless speed limit system.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

Vehicles equipped with THS hybrid technology will have a characteristic when accelerating, that is, when the engine starts, the engine speed is almost linearly related to the depth of the accelerator pedal, which will make the vehicle’s acceleration feel more stable. As for the 3.5-liter high-horsepower engine, this feeling will better cover the speed range used in daily driving.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

When accelerating sharply, the uninterrupted and smooth output of the entire acceleration process is amazing. Although the car is a hybrid, it still provides a good sense of pushing back. In terms of the foot feel of the brake pedal, this car also gave me a certain surprise. In the process of gradually pressing the pedal and maintaining the depth of the pedal until the vehicle stops, the brake force is released naturally and evenly enough, which can be said to be no different from the ordinary fuel car.

It’s not a good idea.

It’s not a good idea.

The new Lexus RX450h is equipped with a combination of front McPherson independent suspension and rear double wisharm independent suspension. The front and rear suspensions are equipped with COX damping rods to absorb and release the energy generated by the twisting deformation of the frame, thereby enhancing the fineness and texture of vehicle handling. In terms of active safety configuration, all models except the lowest configuration are equipped with full-speed adaptive cruise, lane departure warning system, lane keeping assistance system and pre-collision safety system. In practice, the lane keeping function is more accurate for lane line identification, the applied steering torque is relatively stable, and the correction of driver misconduct is timely and natural.

Write at the end:

If localization is the "trump card" for luxury brands to increase their market share in China, then Lexus may be the "outlier" among luxury brands. As one of the few domestic second-tier luxury brands that has not yet put domestic production on the agenda, Lexus has still achieved remarkable results in the consumer market. In the past, outstanding marketing and solid product quality should be credited, but precise control of domestic consumer demands may become a new way for Lexus to boost sales in the future.

As far as the product is concerned, the RX450h retains its eye-catching appearance design and exquisite binding process, while the touch screen and CarLife’s blessing make its man-machine interconnection meet the car habits of domestic consumers. The accurate product upgrade undoubtedly makes the RX450h competitive in the domestic market to a higher level. (Photography: Liu Tuo, Author: Liu Tuo)