Category: Sporting 4x4s 
Price Range: No data available
Quality, nice engine noise when you can hear it, very quiet, looks good; excellent Lexus reliability and customer service.
Lacklustre performance, no diesel, auto 'box, float with coil springs, thump with air-suspension, not really an off-roader or towing vehicle.
Scores well for refinement and specification, and a very good car for on-road use, but not particularly dynamic to drive, and not very versatile for something so large.
The RX 300 has large, electrically adjustable seats and steering wheel, so a decent driving position should prove easy for most people to find. Visibility is fairly good, though the rear window is a little small and the A-pillars are quite large, blocking the view slightly when turning at intersections. All controls are smooth and positive, and easily modulated. The mirrors are huge and the top-spec SE-L model comes with a rear-facing camera which displays on the dashboard when reversing; it's superb. The three-dialled instrument binnacle is big and clear, radio controls are all simple and it doesn't take a genius IQ to figure out the touch-screen controls for the ventilation and navigation systems. The RX 300 is not as tightly controlled and enthusiastic as an X5 on twisty roads, so if you're an occasional B-road hound, steer towards the BMW and clear of the Lexus. If you press on, the stability control cuts in too quickly, beeps annoyingly while its operating and keeps the anti-lock brakes pumping for too long, taking an age to cut out, which makes cornering in a Lexus sound very odd: 'Screee, bleep-bleep-bleep-bleep-bleep, bdrrdrrdrrdrrdrrdrrdr.'
The RX's V6 engine makes quite a nice noise under acceleration, but it's a shame that there's not a bit more performance to go with it. Nought to 62mph is claimed to take nine seconds, but acceleration at higher speeds isn't very inspiring. The automatic 'box, though smooth, kicks down on some motorway inclines if trying to maintain a constant cruising speed - even if you're in manual over-ride mode, which kind of defeats the object, really.
