Trims, Powertrains, and Performance
Although four powertrains are offered with the new Lexus RX, this page will only focus on the hybrid. With this version of the RX, you’ll have a choice between five trims: 350h, 350h Premium, 350h Premium+, 350h Luxury, and 500h F Sport Performance. The 350h’s hybrid system consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a pair of electric motors. Combined, they produce a total system output of 246 hp and 233 lb.-ft. of torque. The 500h’s powertrain is similar, but instead of the 2.5-liter gas engine it has a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder. The total system output for this trim is 366 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque.
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drivetrain are standard across the board, but the 500h gets the enhanced DIRECT4 AWD system, which immediately applies drive force between the front and rear axles to improve handling. As far as fuel efficiency, the 350h variants return an EPA-rated 37 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, while the 500h achieves 27 city/28 highway. With the available towing upgrade, the ’23 RX Hybrid can manage up to 3,500 pounds.
Standard Equipment
Luxury is at the forefront of the ’23 RX Hybrid’s appeal. The base 350h has a plentiful stock of amenities, such as a power tailgate, LED exterior lights, heated and auto-dimming side mirrors with reverse gear tilt-down, rain-sensing wipers, and SmartAccess proximity entry. It also comes with push-button ignition, interior mood lighting, multi-zone automatic climate control with an interior air filter, a 7-inch multi-information display, power-adjustable heated front seats, and a 40/20/40-split folding and reclining rear seatback. The shift knob and power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel are given the leather treatment as well.
The Premium gains a moonroof and roof rails, as well as ventilated front seats, a wireless phone charger, and position memory settings for the driver’s seat, steering wheel, and exterior mirrors. The Premium+ is boosted with thematic ambient illumination (this allows you to set custom themes to match the interior environment with your mood), a smog-sensing climate control system with an auto-recirculation mode, perforated leather upholstery, and a heated steering wheel with wood accenting. The Luxury is elevated with a perforated semi-aniline leather interior, additional power adjustments for the front seats, suede-like door trim (Ultrasuede), and a 10-inch head-up display.
The F Sport Performance variant is the most daring of the bunch with its race-inspired attributes, like a vehicle dynamics management system with dynamic rear steering, six-piston front brake calipers, an adaptive variable suspension, front and rear lateral performance dampers, and active sound control. It also gets a more distinct appearance formed by its matte-black wheels, gloss-black and dark chrome exterior elements, mesh grille, color-keyed rocker panels and rear valence, and special front fender with exclusive badging. Its interior has more in common with the Premium+ than it does the Luxury, but it differs from those trims with a perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, aluminum sport pedals and scuff plates, and sport-bolstered front seats.
Sophisticated Safety Aids
All trims have the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 suite of advanced driving aids, which includes all-speed dynamic radar cruise control with curve speed management, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection and intersection support, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and intelligent high beams. Some other standard safety systems that aren’t a part of the Safety Sense bundle are blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, brake assist, and digital latch with safe exit assist. The Premium and above are supplied with the RX-first intuitive parking assist system with automatic braking, as well as being eligible for the new traffic jam assist system and a panoramic view monitor.
Multimedia and Connectivity
The Lexus Interface infotainment setup takes care of connectivity and multimedia duties in the redesigned RX Hybrid. In the Base, Premium, and F Sport Performance it consists of a 9.8-inch touchscreen with voice recognition, wireless smartphone connectivity (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), Bluetooth hands-free, an AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a 12-speaker audio system. Drive Connect (Cloud Navigation, Destination Assist, and Intelligent Assistant advanced voice recognition) is available. The Premium+ and Luxury go to a 14-inch touchscreen with a three-year trial of Drive Connect (which is optional for the Premium and F Sport Performance); a premier 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system with PurePlay surround sound is optional.
Available Features
The ’23 RX Hybrid can be augmented with a series of add-ons. All trims can be ordered with a windshield wiper de-icer and Digital Key, while the Premium and above trims qualify for a hands-free liftgate, a digital rearview mirror, and a 120-volt AC inverter. The Premium+, Luxury, and F Sport Performance can add premium triple-beam LED headlights with washers and cornering lamps, plus a panoramic glass roof and heated and ventilated rear seats. The Luxury and F Sport Performance can be upgraded with power-folding- and reclining rear seats.