Lexus RX 2023: Manufacturer channels luxury crossover origins with three new options

Since 1998, the brand has spearheaded the car class. And it's back with a refined and leaner version

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  The 2023 Lexus RX. All photos: Lexus

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  Assertive from the rear

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  The RX shows its dark side

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  The most powerful of the new RX breed is blessed with 366hp

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  In the front

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  The vehicle is no blocky SUV

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  The RX's new touchscreen

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  The RX at speed

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  The RX's gearstick set up

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  Turning on the power on tarmac

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  A look at the back

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  The RX at sunset

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  The new RXs maintain the brand's inclination to the tidier automotive look

The Lexus RX 2023 has just beefed up the carmaker's presence in the UAE and fans of the brand have a choice of three powertrains, two of which are electric and sit as the manufacturer’s first turbocharged hybrid vehicles.

While the brand is already popular in the Middle East, it can claim further bragging rights when it comes to the origins of this model, as 1998's RX 300 is cited by many as the world’s first luxury crossover.

As for the 2023 version, the pure fossil fuel option, the 350, is powered by a newly developed inline 4-cylinder 2.4-litre turbocharged engine that produces 275hp and 430Nm of torque.

Meanwhile, the first of the new hybrid-electric systems, the 500h, combines a 2.5-litre petrol engine with electric drive to produce 246hp.

That figure goes through the roof with the next fresh option, though — the RX500h F Sport Performance model is a 2.4-litre hybrid with a motor capable of generating 366hp.

All this helped, no doubt, by Lexus managing to shave 90kg off the car since its previous incarnation.

You wouldn’t expect a Lexus to be anything but tidy, and the new RXs are no exception.

The models, all with a lower centre of gravity than previous versions, have a refined air, incorporating the usual delicate, smooth lines, but they also retain an assertive and dynamic stance.

The 2023 Lexus RX. Photo: Lexus

The LED headlights are horizontal and sleek, while the body and spindle grilles merge to create a seamless look from all angles.

The interior features Lexus’s Tazuna design, which focuses on direct but intuitive control, for the driver’s cockpit, something revealed for the first time in the brand’s LF-30 concept car.

Each model has been fitted with the latest version of the Lexus Safety System, and all-wheel drive comes as standard.

The new RXs are available for order now, with prices starting at Dh350,000.

See the Infiniti 2023 QX80 SUV — in pictures

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  The QX80 is now in its tenth year of production. All photos: Infiniti

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  Still big and bold

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  Get inside, driver

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  Seats up...

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  Seats down

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  Ready to roll

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  Head on

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  Classic Infiniti stitching on the seats

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  The recognisable shape of the QX80 remains unchanged

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  The QX80 retains its classic centre dash

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  Roomy in the rear

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  The QX80 has been a popular choice in the Middle East since its launch