I’m partaking in Santa Monica’s “One Car Challenge,” which requires my girlfriend and me to drive only a single car for our daily commuting/errands, and for whatever reason, we chose her 2017 Lexus RX 350 — the most boring car in the world. I don’t like driving it, but I also do like driving it. I find myself facing an internal struggle every time I get behind the wheel, but ultimately when I shut the car off I always conclude: This thing is legitimately excellent. It may be the ultimate no-bullshit luxury SUV. Here’s what I mean.
Driving a car that doesn’t represent you in at least some way is a miserable experience. I learned this when I bought a 1995 Honda Accord as a winter beater because 1. It was cheap and 2. It had a five-speed.
The truth is, there’s not a single fiber of my being that feels even the slightest connection to a 1995 Honda Accord, and even when that pile of crap did run, driving the thing was never fun. I later bought a much junkier 1965 Plymouth Valiant, and though it was worse in every measure way, I loved piloting that machine. It felt like me.
My girlfriend’s 2017 Lexus RX3 50 feels more like the Honda than the Valiant in that I feel zero connection to it. The vehicle doesn’t represent me at all. It’s an appliance. And yet, unlike the with the Honda, part of me does enjoy driving the RX 350. Why? Because I respect how objectively good it is. Lexus absolutely nailed this car, and that’s an impossible fact to ignore.
It’s Hard Not To Respect The Lexus RX 350
Motor Trend has a metric that it uses to evaluate its Car of the Year contenders: Performance of Intended Function. The publication defines this term as answering: “How well does a vehicle do the job its creators intended it to do?” With the Lexus RX 350, the answer is: “Incredibly.”
That’s the internal struggle I face when driving this machine. There’s DT the car-nut who loathes driving this luxury-ified Toyota, and there’s DT the car journalist who evaluates cars based on their performance of intended function. I don’t love the Lexus, but I respect it. It has exactly what customers like my girlfriend want in a car, to a point where it’s almost flawless.
The engine is a 3.5-liter V6 making 295 horsepower and sending it all through an eight-speed automatic. Thanks partly to the engine’s decent low end torque and the transmission’s short 5.25:1 first gear ratio (the differential ratio is either 3.329 or 2.277; I get the feeling that my girlfriend’s is the former), the RX 350 is legitimately responsive. Whereas so many modern cars have dead-feeling pedals that have been set up for maximum fuel economy, the RX’s pedal calibration feels old-school in a way. You press it a bit, and the car goes, which is what everyone wants out of a no-bullshit car (which is what the Lexus is) — you want the car to do what you tell it to now.
This actually surprised me, because I expected the RX to have every sensation dulled just a bit so that the car fades into the background as something you barely even experience — just a way to get to work or home or wherever. But nope, the engine feels surprisingly quick, even if 0-60 only happens in 7.9 seconds, per Lexus.
The responsive engine and beautifully tuned transmission — mated with an all-wheel drive system and a good traction control system give the car a feeling of competence and safety: It works exactly as you want it to. It’s responsive, it’s quick enough, everything happens as smoothly as you want it to: It’s what people like my girlfriend want out of a powertrain.
Most important about that powertrain is that it just works. That 3.5-liter V6 is part of an engine family known for living until well past 250,000 miles. Also powering the previous-generation Toyota Tacoma (which was unfortunately saddled with a pretty rough six-speed automatic), it’s a nicely engineered motor that’s smooth and really shouldn’t require much maintenance. And when it does, like many of the other bits on this car it can be mended with relatively inexpensive components shared with Toyotas.
The Lexus’s interior is nice. I think the three-spoke steering wheel is almost as perfect a steering wheel design as exists on this earth, all the important bits of material you touch are soft and well put together, and the user interface is fantastic. The infotainment and climate control switches have quite a few nice, physical buttons, the gauge cluster looks clean, and while the automatic shifter isn’t the most modern, it works — everyone knows how to use it; you shove the stick into P to park, you shove it into D to drive.
The leather seats are comfortable and feel durable — they’re heated, cooled, and power-adjustable with memory function. They’re excellent seats in an excellent cabin in a car that floats quietly like a magic carpet
There’s a ton of space, visibility out the front is good, and though the D-pillars definitely create a blind spot, the vehicle does have beeping blind spot monitoring, and it rarely seems like an issue.
It May Be The Ultimate No-Bullshit Luxury SUV
My girlfriend sometimes gets upset when people call her car boring. It seems like an insult to a car that she thinks is so great. Are people saying she’s wrong?
No. She’s absolutely right. It’s an excellent car, and Lexus should be commended for building something that perfectly aligns with what she and so many other consumers are looking for: The ultimate no-bullshit luxury SUV. That’s what the Lexus RX350 is. You buy it, you’re comfortable, you’re confident, you’re safe, you rarely have to worry about significant mechanical issues, the dealership will give you a great service experience (my girlfriend actually enjoys going to the Lexus dealer, which says a lot about what Lexus is doing right), and the car just demonstrates its competence every time you’re behind the wheel. It fades into the background, and lets you live a life where cars are not at the forefront.
We car enthusiasts can’t imagine why someone would even want to live such a life, but it’s possible we’re all ill.
To be sure, there are quite a few other cars out there that check the boxes I just mentioned — comfortable, safe, reliable, easy-to-maintain, relatively luxurious. But the reality is that the average person probably trust’s Toyota’s reputation for reliability more than they do any other brand, and if that person wants luxury, it only makes sense to buy a luxurious Toyota. Factor in the dealership experience, and it’s no wonder I spotted so many of these RX’s here in Santa Monica during a short five-minute drive:
And it’s not just me preaching on about how this boring car is actually really good. Autoweek’s review of this generation Lexus RX is titled “2017 Lexus RX350 Review: Best-Seller For A Reason.” And Car and Driver wrote:
Assessed in terms of the goals laid down for this latest redesign, the fourth-generation RX sustains and augments the virtues that have made this vehicle a perennial strong seller: a posh interior, enduring comfort, quiet operation, contemporary safety features, the latest infotainment, and now a bolder exterior.
This beige Lexus SUV that I’m stuck driving for the next five weeks is boring as hell. It’s not amazing at handling, its acceleration won’t tear your face off, the styling is not incredible, and there’s really just not much soul. But at its job, it’s legitimately excellent. And I have to respect that.
Recently drove my daughter’s CR-V to diagnose an issue, so I get it. While I bemoan the loss of wagons & sedans and especially the CUV-ification of all cars, that car is somewhat nice—or at least inoffensive—drives well, gives her a decent view (she is not of commanding stature), and just works.
I haven’t felt so invisible driving a vehicle since my old boss’s 92 gold Camry, tho.
I totally get this. We had a 2011 highlander and it was just good. Nothing amazing or special, but it was good, boring but just all round good. Right now I have Corolla hybrid hatch for work and, I really really like it. It’s comfy, drives well, so stupidly efficient and just good.
My next point is. What the actual hell??? You aren’t driving your EV and instead doing almost twice the mileage in a relatively inefficient V6 suv, doesn’t this actually make less sense than using two cars? It just shows how stupid city councils actually are and that they don’t care about reducing emissions, they just want less cars on the road so they don’t have to spend as much on infrastructure
I had a RX400h for a few years and it was literally the best car I have had. Sure, it was pretty boring inside with its already dated interior but the building quality was just suberb and during those three years there was never a single little technical problem what som ever.
Only small downside was that it actuall shared the catalytic converter with the Prius, which meant that you were always a bit nervous that some thief would find out and have a more ergonomically nice position to cut it out from a SUV.
As an engineer, I would have expected more admiration from David for the engineering talent that goes into making something like this. A car that will never break down, outlive our solar system, and take your girlfriend and your cats from here to there millennia after you’ve evolved into an entirely new hominid species.
Kind of like I have some admiration for Beyonce’s music because it’s just so damn well made.
Also, cat food in the trunk = how are the kitties?
From “my friend” in passing inside articles to “my girlfriend” in a headline, this is serious business.
Also there’s nothing boring about that Lexus unless you find it exciting to never know if your car is going to take you where you need to go in a predictable manner.
We recently bought an RX350 for my wife, and I must admit it is a very nice place to spend some time. The interior is really nice and fairly quiet, and it drives very well. Excellent for road tripping, and as a daily commuter. Needless to say, my wife loves it. It is perfect for her.
it’s the golden retriever of vehicles. It’s your buddy that will always be there wagging it’s tail ready to go. Also the resale value is no joke on these things.
When can I get a ‘DT LVR’ license plate at the Autopian Gift Shop?
Thanks for pointing it out, I was afraid I was the only one seeing this.
This piece reminds me about what I love about my old RAV4.
It’s unexciting, unappealing, and Un-engaging, but it will do all of the things it needs to do until the end of time.
That opens up the opportunity for me to have a true enthusiast ride as a second car.
I love the Lexus, they give me what I love about German cars like great design and engineering, The Lexus has most of the latest gadgets and tech etc. But they actually keep working for the life of the car.
Well, except for the shit they make you subscribe to or that requires 3g which has been shut off everywhere. 😉
Sometimes Lexus is able to offer German levels of performance with a powertrain that won’t shit the bed in 5 years.
A high power V8 sports sedan with the upkeep of a Corolla.
It’s no wonder that any true “F” car’s value remains in the stratosphere as it ages.
Even if you despise this sort of disconnected plush SUV one thing Lexus (and Japanese cars have done generally) has done has to push every manufacturer to consider the reliability of their offerings.
… And go “eh, good enough” all across England
This generation was really great for a mindless commuter. I used to regularly drive one. While it wasn’t as exciting or interesting to drive as my Previa, C4 Vette, or Roadmaster Estate, the RX was perfectly quiet and comfortable for days where I just wanted to listen to a decent podcast or audiobook and get to where I was going. I drove a brand new one recently and Lexus completely ruined it. The new RX has run flat tires that make the ride quite harsh, it doesn’t appear to have as much sound deadening, the heads-up display rattled, and the engine was coarse and loud. Extremely disappointed so much so that I’ve dissuaded two people from buying a new one. I drove the hybrid too for good measure, also bad. I think the top trim with the performance hybrid would be ok but at $75k, no thank you.
A great perspective into an elite NPC-mobile, with a few caveats…
1) the black one you spotted is an NX, 2) my girlfriend wanted a no-BS luxury SUV and decided to save the 20k, keep the lux vibes and got a loaded CX-30, and 3) that era of Lexus infotainment is as far from BS-free as can be said to exist.
Not surprised on the NX. I’m keeping it in there, as it furthers my point.
“The responsive engine and beautifully tuned transmission — mated with an all-wheel drive system and a good traction control system”
AWD for Santa Monica?
Leaves occasionally fall on the roads.
It rains every 5 years or so. You might also think of going up to Big Bear (but you never do.)
We did. In a 100 hp Pinto country squire. In winter.
Uphill, both ways?
Definitely one way. No A/C for the summer either.
Every 5 years or so, it rains biblically (viz. this week)
One of my closest friends has one of these and she loves it. I however actively dislike it (although I would never tell her). It has been very reliable and she finds it very comfortable, but there is something about the interior that doesn’t work for me. I can’t really explain it, the interior just doesn’t seem to fit me right and vision always seems compromised, like the pillars were placed right where I don’t want them.
Its a fine car for someone else, but Mazda CX-5s and CX-9s are better looking, much more fun, and every bit as reliable.
I agree with you on the Mazda styling. They’ve been on a roll with that for a while, but don’t kid yourself about the reliability.
Toyota reliability is no myth. You’ll see a lot of 20 plus year Lexuses around but at least where I live, Mazdas are good for around ten years.
If you know you’re not keeping it long term, they are a good choice. But then there’s also Lexus resale value, which drives down the cost of ownership considerably.
The post 2016 CX-9 has been stellar for reliability so far, and recent Mazda resale values are quite good. I think Mazda is successfully moving up market.
That’s pretty decent.
I was looking at 3-row SUVs and it was between the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX-9. It all came down to the 3rd row seat. The CX-9 was miserable back there, and the Pilot was perfectly fine. We went Pilot.
It has 280hp! But it’s super boring to drive. It’s a perfect car for my partner. She loves it. Just don’t call it a minivan.
Same with a RAV4. It’s excellent at its job. Once I reached the same conclusion as David that made driving that car a lot better. Pushing it outside of what most RAV4’s do with towing to dirt/mud campsites or purposely doing AWD drifts in the snow revealed a bit of soul that gets overlooked when it does mundane commuting.
Fully agree, and I use my RAV4 to do all of those things you listed. My 06 has the diff lock which makes snow drifting that much more satisfying.
My 2013 has that same button to lock the rear to the front. That’s saved me on a number of occasions camping. We managed to bury a quarter of the front tire at a campsite. Hit the button, hop in and out it popped. It left a good size rut that later acted as a diversion channel for a heavy rain!
This article just gave me flashbacks. My wife had a 2017 RX350, white exterior and brown exterior. It was a dealer demo vehicle so we got it for $6k under MSRP and with 4,000 miles. She loved it because it was Sexi Lexi…reliable, enough power for her, and smooth to drive. I HATED it. It was the ultimate boring Toyota with a Darth Vader grille. The best part about the RX is we could take it to our local Toyota dealership for service without issue at 70% of the Lexus rates since most of the parts are straight off the Tacoma, 4Runner, or Highlander.
We sold the RX 350 to our neighbors a could years ago when they decided they wanted a car to last them the next 15 years in retirement. It’s a great SUV for people in their 60’s that want a little flash, a little power, and lots of boring. They want reliable and boring. It’s a much better fit for them than for me.
I beg your pardon? “A good car for people in their 60’s” is a hell of a statement. I’m in that group and my cars all begin “Audi Rs” as in 5 and 6!
Old folks don’t have as much time to screw around with questionable cars that are boring!
Toyota Avalon and Buick enter the chat…
Hey, I’m in my 50’s so I don’t judge! However, it sounds like you didn’t finish reading the rest of my sentence. I guess I should have just removed the “the their 60’s” altogether (my neighbors are in their 60’s and just retired). The rest of the statement really works for anyone from 16-90 that wants the things the RX350 delivers.
Apologies if there was any offense fellow Autopian.
No offense taken. I guess I’m age sensitive 🙂
I get the appeal of these in the same way DT does but in the same luxury CUV category and similar reliability credentials is the Acura MDX. I had a second gen back when they were had the torque vectoring AWD as standard. The combination of a good sounding 300hp V6 with VTEC and SH-AWD were really engaging even in a seven passenger CUV. I can’t speak to the newer generations, but the fundamental package hasn’t changed very much and now there’s sportier options for the current generation. So even though the RX350 is suitable for most people, for an enthusiast the MDX provides the same virtues as the RX350 but with more engagement.
The RDX has similar characteristics. It drives like a boss.
I’m going to sneak my wife into one of these when she starts complaining about her dead-nuts-reliable crapcan Vibe again.
For a vehicle that is almost $55K, I am not paying that for boring vehicle, you might as well get a Honda Pilot or the Toyota Rav 4….used. The #1 reason that people get a lexus is because they will last almost forever. Don’t get me wrong I love Lexus, the LC500 and GSF is like an orgasm on wheels;however, at that price point I don’t want boring. I want something that is going to thrill me.
I’m thankful for new Lexus buyers because they supply us used Lexus buyers. There’s no need to buy a car that’s going to last forever at full MSRP. Buy it after it’s depreciated a bit, because forever minus 3 or 5 years is still forever.
DT is wearing Birkenstocks!
Received a hybrid RX with CVT as a service loaner. It was awful. Pulled out in front of traffic, car just wouldn’t go. We were going to buy a 3 row RX in 2018, but it was only available in hybrid. We went with a Q7, awesome car. It’s been excellent, other than eye watering service costs.
My best friend–a single, otherwise fun gay man in his mid-30s–drives this car’s premium counterpart, a 2016 RX 450h. I agree; these are like Vicodin on Wheels. But the antiseptic perfection of a transverse-FWD Lexus is sometimes what you want, especially if the alternative is–as has been my choice all these years–chasing gremlins in a European competitor.
He actually bought his from Carvana 5 years ago and, funnily enough, it must have originally come from Lexus of Santa Monica, because that’s what the splash screen says when you start it.
My bonus mom also has an RX 450h, and hers is a 2018. Hers is fully-loaded, with the triple-beam headlights, pano sunroof and Mark Levinson audio system.
I should also note that the origami-like design of these fourth-gen RXs would be extremely interesting, if it wasn’t so ubiquitous. It’s really quite a striking shape.
What’s a bonus mom
Maybe “BFF” got autocorrected to “bonus”?
I’ve sometimes heard people refer to their step-mom, step-dad, or step-siblings as “bonus” mom, dad, bother, sister.
Cause it’s like they have an extra “bonus” one.
A “Bonus Mom” is someone who is/was a mother figure to you, but who is not in any official capacity, your mother. I have several people who I call Bonus Mom, mostly mothers of friends who were mothers to me at certain crucial periods of my life or when I was apart from my actual mother. One example is my college roommate’s mother, whose presence and warmth and love I really appreciated, since it was my first time living away from home. She treated me just like one of her kids. For me, it’s a hallowed position as a family member.
Another one you’ll hear me use is “Play Cousin,” which exists mainly in the Black community. It describes someone who you grew up with and who technically isn’t a cousin by blood or marriage, but you treat them like one. Perhaps your mothers were close friends.
That’s awesome, thanks for the education. Are Your Bonus Mom jokes allowed or are they off limits?
I drove one of these when shopping for my wife’s car (eventually bought an SQ5). If you see your vehicle as an appliance this is hard to beat. Its great in every measurable metric, but is completely devoid of anything remotely resembling a personality.
But we are enthusiasts —look at our usernames! People like my daughter just want things to work. Her CR-V is literally just an appliance to convey her around. I tried hard to mold her into a gearhead: we used to wrench on my old cars when she was young, but, when she hit her tweens, other interests took over.
But I’ll always remember her laugh of genuine delight upon spinning out one snowy day as I was teaching her how to control skids: she actually asked if we could do that again. She may be part of the wine & cruises crowd now—but there is a spark somewhere deep inside. 🙂
Driving dynamics and personality is not factored in 99% of people owning a car. The Toyota Lexus personality is being something that works the day you buy it until the day you sell it. Nobody likes being fleeced over and over by their own vehicle.
I owned a 2020 Lexus RX350L and a 2022 Lexus RX350. My 2020 RX350L was totaled when I was hit by a speeding driver, but I walked away completely uninjured! In fact, I was shocked the car was totaled because everything held together so well except for the left front side which was hit. Airbags didnt even deploy! My 2022 Lexus was totaled when a deer jumped in front of me on the highway at night while I was driving 70mph. Again, damage was confined to one area, no airbads deployed, I was able to safely pull the car to the side of the highway and it still steered straight. But, the left front side looked like it had exploded and insurrance deemed it a total loss.
The point of sharing this is that I MISS MY LEXUS! I drove 35 years without having an accident so totalling 2 cars in 12 months was too much! I asked a lot of questions like is the visibility in the Lexus bad? Do I sit too low? Were the headlights too dim? Was the comfort of the car making me lose focus? And it almost felt like bad juju.
So I switched to a 2022 Acura MDX Advanced. I sit up higher, the headlights are incredibly good, the car is a bit bigger, and for what I would have paid for the Lexus, I got more features including heads up display and a better sound system. And I haven’t stopped complaining about not having my Lexus. The Lexuses are quieter, better built, the infotainment is more intuitive and feature rich, its more comfortable to drive, and I miss having the Lexus!
That said, I dont see myself getting another Lexus anytime soon. I do not subscribe to the whole electric car or hybrid movement. I want a decently powered 6 cylinder and have no interest in 4 cylinders, turbo charged or not, or the electric platform of an EV. And with Lexus moving to the 4 cylinder, I will pass. I like my MDX enough and plan on keeping it for 10 years and thatll make me 65+ and I can re evaluate then what my next car will be. Maybe we will have truly autonomous cars by then!
For anyone that thinks Im horrible for not getting on the EV or Hybrid bandwagon, I say to you that you’re fools for thinking its better for our planet! I drove a Tesla and considered buying the Model S dual. Heres the reality! Not only are they fire hazzards and use rare earth metals, which requires extensive and ecologically damaging mining, but our infrastructure cannot support wide adoption of electric cars. We would need more power generation, new grid infrastructure, all new transformers in every neighborhood and more of them, millions upon millions of homes would have to upgrade from 100 amp service to 200 amp orbeven 400 amp service. The amount of copper, aluminum, and other resources needed to completely overhaul our infrastructure would more than negate any benefits of an electric car. Then we can talk about the tires for electric cars. Those that dont know, tires on electric cars last about 60-70% as long as on a regular car, and are more expensive to replace. So you are now adding to the waste stream and a great deal of petroleum is used in rubber tire manufacturing. Finally, ignoring all of the ecological damage thatvwould be done to make a complete switch to EVs, there is another big issue and that is that a huge percentage of the population cant afford them! Many people today still drive 30 and 40 year old cars, do their own maintenance out of necessity, and manage to get by. Moving to EVs would put car ownership out of reach for 30-40% of the population. And what is the solution? Car companies are already planning for this. People wont own cars, they will subscribe to a car service. Steady income stream for car manufactuers and owners, but everyone else will be forced to pay a monthly subscription with no chance of ever getting out from underneath that expense! So, as nice and as quiet as they are, they are nothing more than a gimmick with no real benefit other than the uninformed can pat themselves on the back and pretend they’re saving the planet!
I drove my MIL’s 2017 RX350 for a couple of weeks and hated it. Didn’t like the balance of it. It really wanted to lurch forward. Lots of blind spots.