The RX 350 has splashes of walnut or bird's eye maple on the doors and center console and on its steering wheel. The RX 400h has brushed aluminum that resembles the metallic plastic used in both models around the gauges and switch plates and its steering wheel is wrapped completely in leather. For 2008, black bird's-eye maple wood trim is available with light-gray interiors on either model.
Getting into the Lexus RX is easy, with no need to climb up or duck down. The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive. The seat bottoms are relatively flat, making it easy to slide in and out. Folding armrests on both front seats offer more comfort on longer trips. The center console slides forward and back, allowing room for a purse or whatever else you might stow between the front seats.
The instrument cluster in the RX 350 features three large, round gauges trimmed in silver, with legible script and near-perfect backlighting. In the RX 400h, an illuminated meter replaces the traditional tachometer on the left, displaying the level of power generated by the hybrid powertrain. The driver can also monitor gas-electric power distribution on the multi-function display, which dominates the center stack and serves as the navigation screen in vehicles so equipped.
This seven-inch screen is also used for climate control and trip computer functions, and can display the outside temperature and clock (with alarm). It shows the image provided by the back-up camera, which is included with the navigation system and automatically activates when the transmission is shifted into reverse. You can't drive backward by watching the screen, but it's very useful for checking for low obstacles (and people) that would be difficult to see just by looking over the shoulder, and it also helps when backing the RX into a parking space.
The optional navigation system is one of the best. The current Lexus package includes voice activation, Bluetooth interface with compatible cellular phones and impressive shadowed graphics. There's a downside to many of these new, integrated control systems, to be sure, and the RX is no different. You have to press two buttons to change the fan speed, for example, rather than just one. Lexus dealers can program the default settings of many of the control functions, so be sure you have them tailor automatic door locking and other features to your preferences. If you're fighting some feature, it can probably be programmed to operate differently.
Overall, we find the switches and controls in the RX (and in Lexus cars generally) to be among the best. They're well placed, properly sized and soft to the touch, yet firm and positive in movement.
However, there are exceptions to this: The trip odometer can be hard to read. Perhaps more annoying, the switch that moves the outside mirrors is positioned such that, when drivers get the seat positioned in a comfortable position, many can't reach the mirror switch without leaning forward in the seat. Thus, they have to lean, adjust the mirrors and then lean back to check the mirrors from the position they'll take while driving. This trial-and-error process reminds us of old sports cars or trucks where you get out of the car, adjust the mirror, get out of the car, readjust the mirror. And in one of our test cars, the electric steering column moved in un-Lexus-like skips and lurches, rather than with a nice, smooth motion.
Audio controls in the RX are low on the center stack. The radio has big knobs for volume and tuning that are easy to use without distraction from the task of driving. The standard audio system sounds great, with 132 watts of output, eight-speakers and a CD-changer. We like that Lexus still includes a cassette for old-timers as well as books on tape. The optional Mark Levinson audio system features 11 speakers, with a subwoofer and 210 watts of power.
The shifter for the automatic transmission is located in a pod in the center of the dash. This was novel when the RX series first appeared, and has been copied in other vehicles since. The lever follows a mechanical zigzag pattern to make sure you only move it one gear position at a time. We found this made shifting between reverse, drive, and the lower gears ponderous, particularly when we were in a hurry.
The RX bucks the SUV trend by offering no third-row seat. Lexus says buyers wanting more passenger space should look at its larger SUVs, the GX 470 and LX 470.
As it is, the rear seat in the RX is contoured for two, though it has belts for three. No surprise then that that RX is comfortable for four people, crowded with five. There's a folding center armrest with cupholders and storage, and the rear seats fold forward 40/20/40. That means the center section will fold to create a long, narrow space for skis, shovels, or fly rods while still allowing four people to ride in comfort. This is a better solution than the typical 60/40 folding seats, which force one of four occupants to travel in the less-comfortable center-rear seat when carrying the aforementioned long items.
Folding all the rear seatbacks opens 84.7 cubic feet of cargo space in both the RX 350 and RX 400h. The substantial battery pack in the hybrid model does not encroach on cargo capacity. Further, there's more cargo room in the RX than in the BMW X5, Mercedes M-Class or Infiniti FX, and more than that available in the larger, heavier Lexus GX 470. The rear seats don't fold completely flat, but compartments cleverly hidden under the load floor offer some additional storage. The cargo cover automatically retracts when the rear hatch is opened, which is handy when your arms are full and you don't want to put things down on the wet pavement.
