Every so often, a car comes along that creates a new segment, but rarely are those segments massive, all-consuming juggernauts that alter the course of the entire industry. The 1999 to 2003 Lexus RX 300 changed cars forever, possibly more than most of us will ever know. In fact, it was even more disruptive than the original LS 400, because while that car forced established players to change their products, the original RX forced them to create new ones. All of them.
The BMW X5 showed that sports sedan brands could branch out into crossovers, and the Infiniti FX shook off all off-road pretenses for the better, the Lexus RX 300 came before both of them. It was the first luxury crossover to catch on, and it changed absolutely everything about the automotive landscape.
Cast your mind back to the midsize luxury SUV scene in 1998. Land Rover had the body-on-frame Discovery, Jeep had the ZJ Grand Cherokee with a solid front axle, the LaForza still existed for some reason, and Mercedes-Benz launched the body-on-frame ML SUV. Notice anything in common here? These are all fairly truck-like vehicles, and Lexus was about to shake up that order.
Based on the ES 300 sedan, the RX 300 shared that car’s three-liter 1MZ-FE quad-cam V6 engine, its four-speed automatic transmission, and its unibody platform with independent suspension at all four corners. It wasn’t an off-roader in the slightest, but it offered a raised seating position, plenty of cargo space, and an interior that feels far more modern than its 1998 introduction suggests.
For starters, the RX 300 got a screen displaying both information and entertainment. Alright, so it was really a combined display for the automatic climate control and sound system, but this screen was the centerpoint of the RX’s dashboard. Boiling it down to the basic concept, how modern is that? Oh, and that’s not the only touch you’d expect to find in a more recent car. A partial console incorporated a floor-mounted cubby for a laptop bag or purse, the second-row seats slid and reclined, and you could get auto-dimming exterior mirrors to cut headlight glare behind you. This is still a nice car in 2024, a testament to how hard Lexus went when creating a segment.
The Lexus RX 300 isn’t normally considered a performance vehicle, but performance is relative. Keep in mind, the average SUV — even the average luxury SUV — of 1998 was an agricultural device by today’s standards. Even if the Lexus looked a bit like a Mercedes-Benz ML320, it was a whole lot quicker than that German-American ute, as Car And Driver found in a period review:
Working through a four-speed automatic of impeccable smoothness, [the 220-horsepower V6] hauled our four-wheel-drive, 4020-pound RX300 to 60 mph in just 8.2 seconds. In the inevitable Rodeo Drive stoplight drag, the 4443-pound Mercedes, at 9.8 seconds to 60 mph, doesn’t stand a chance. Nor do most other SUVs, for that matter. Only two sport utilities we’ve tested—the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited and the SOHC V-6 Ford Explorer Sport—are as quick or quicker.
Oh, but the RX 300 wasn’t just the third-quickest SUV that Car And Driver had tested at the time. It stopped better, turned better, and got better fuel economy than the Mercedes-Benz ML320 it was competing against. The on-road performance improvement over a typical body-on-frame SUV was so great, the magazine noted:
This is typical performance for a car, not a truck. In fact, driving the RX300 feels a lot like driving any of a number of Toyota or Lexus sedans, if you overlook the increased ride height. At idle, the RX300’s 45-decibel murmur is as hushed as an Audi A6’s. At 70 mph, only 67 decibels of noise will impinge on All Things Considered. That’s luxury-car quiet.
If you’re looking for the holy grail of RX 300 options, option code LD ought to do the trick. It was a Torsen helical limited-slip rear differential that would let this sedan-based ute carve snow like nobody’s business. Thanks to a viscous coupling, the original RX could send power rearward smoothly and automatically, a stark contrast from many luxury SUVs of the time with part-time four-wheel-drive.
Now, one could potentially argue the Land Rover Freelander is the real godfather of the luxury crossover. While it did beat the RX 300 to market, the RX 300 holds two distinctions over the Land Rover. Firstly, it’s based on a car platform that everyone knows. Secondly, it still feels luxurious inside. Thirdly, it sold like psilocybin at Burning Man. Over five model years on the market, Lexus sold more than 370,000 RX 300s, quickly becoming the biggest model in the range for sales. The people were hooked, and they’re still addicted to the luxury crossover recipe today.
The RX 300 hasn’t seen massive enthusiast attention, but that just means clean examples of these incredible pieces of automotive history are going for reasonable money. Here’s an absolutely minty pearl white 2002 example with crystal-clear headlight lenses and a properly nice interior for sale in Pennsylvania for $6,990. Would you guess it’s a salt-belt car with 98,485 miles on the clock just by looking at the shiny side? I sure wouldn’t.
Want one from a sunnier climate? This 2000 model hails from Seattle, Wash., sports a mere 88,593 miles on its odometer, and is likely one of the nicest in the country. Of course, outstanding examples command outstanding price tags, but even at $12,700, you could do a whole lot worse.
An extraordinarily successful car spawns a segment with two or three other vehicles, like how the Mustang brought about the birth of the pony car. The RX 300 spawned one of the biggest segments in the world. From the Genesis GV80 to the BMW X5, every luxury CUV today needs to tip its hat to the RX 300, for this humble-looking crossover is automotive royalty for getting the entire party started.
What’s more, crossovers don’t show any signs of being a mere fad. It turns out that people love tall, liftgate-equipped vehicles that ride and handle closer to cars than to body-on-frame trucks because they’re genuinely pragmatic. Mark my words, the RX 300 will be collectible someday. It’s just waiting for the world to catch up to it.
(Photo credits: Lexus)
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First time I’ve ever heard someone talk about Seattle being sunny. Rain in Seattle is nearly as common as a hot day in hell, but ok.
yeah, maybe salt-free would have been a more recognizable descriptor, but i’m pretty sure the stats are out there: Seattle gets more days/yr. with precipitation than the great lakes (and maybe New England, depending on where in PA his reference car came from), but also more hours of sunshine per annum too, particularly when comparing the regions for October to April. if you’re not from here, the only thing greyer than the slush is the winter sky.
Quick Google search says Seattle has 71 sunny days per year, and Philadelphia has 93, Pittsburgh only 59. Those were all from the same site so some parts more, some parts less. Looks to be close enough to equal to me
Pennsylvania is many things, but part of New England is not one of them. New England is the US east and north of New York State.
I think Massachusetts would tend to disagree with that
Is there anyone in Massachusetts that thinks they’re not part of New England? That’s absurd – do they not root for the New England Patriots?
Oh my goodness, I’m a moron. I had it in my head that MA was south of NY. Wow.
Having a brain fart is a much happier result than it could be. I was afraid a real argument about this was a real thing that people actually had! 🙂
Seattle is sunny and stunning in the summer and early fall. Then a day comes in October when it clouds over and starts to drizzle… and it will keep drizzling for the next 5 months.
My uncle had one of these for a long time. My only memorable moment with it was on a Pheasant hunting trip. He swore up and down that it was a very capable off-road vehicle, even better than my dad’s GMT800 Z71 Suburban. Naturally he got it stuck on a mud road.
Ugh. I get that other people like to sit up high because of some strange reason. But I would take an equal-condition ES or Avalon over this all day, any day.
Don’t overlook the earlier Acura MDX if you’re looking for a similar SUV. I’ve had two, and they are great cars. Quiet comfort, roomy inside, and very well built. Seating for seven, decent towing capacity. And, Honda.
My wife bought a 2018 MDX last year with 10k on the odometer. We taken it on many road trips since then. I didn’t understand the appeal of the luxury SUC before but now I get it.
I’m old enough to remember the Infiniti QX4. For some reason I found that insanely desirable when it came out. By the time the RX300 came out I was already in the anti-SUV camp, but it certainly had an impact.
It’s also a car that will gain you entry anywhere; the valet won’t sneer at you and you will look normal in a school parking lot or on the wrong side of the tracks. Is it today’s Volvo 240? If so, I am sad by how far we’ve fallen.
I had a strange love for the facelifted QX4 when it came out. I normally favored Honda but I guess I was on a bit of a Nissan kick at the time in general.
…back in the days when Nissan was good…
Just early enough that they weren’t in danger of bankruptcy any more and they had some good product updates, but before le cost cutting had fully taken hold…
Exactly.
I used to work at a Lexus dealer when these came out. Nobody knew what kind of hit the RX would be. Literally right out of the gate it started selling with a waitlist. It crushed sales of the ES300 at the time. Lexus didn’t even think it would do as well as it did. One of the weirdest cost cutting moves I ever saw was on the 1st year RX heated seat switches, it was one switch for both seats, if you wanted
The passenger side seat on the driver side had to be on also. I believe they changed it quick for the 2nd year. At the time Mercedes wasn’t soo sure the ML320 would do too well either, so they cheaper out on things like the flimsy plasticky interior and the grey bumpers and cladding.
I bought a 2001 RX300 new and drove it for 120,000 miles – and traded it in on a 2007 RX350. I’d have given serious consideration to the NX when I bought my latest luxury CUV if they hadn’t made the front end so damned ooooogley; instead, I bought a GLC300. (The NX today is the size of the RX300, just as the GLC is. Today’s RX won’t fit in my small garage.)
Lexus got the RX300 very, very right.
The 1st gen Land Rover Freelander was more of a RAV4 rival – not at all a luxury crossover!
I always thought it was funny how the 4th gen Camry wagon looks so similar to the RX.
I couldn’t find a good picture, but I’ve seen some with the same two-tone white/silver paint and they really look similar.
45971199982_459b07856f_b.jpg (1024×679) (staticflickr.com)
I wonder, if this the first SUV with part of the taillights on the tailgate?
It seems the shift from vertically-oriented taillights to horizontally-oriented taillights correlates with the shift from SUVs as rugged, functional /trucks/ to crossovers as road-oriented, functional /cars/.
I think you might be right? Most SUVs at that point had some form of drop down rear tailgate, swing out rear tailgate, swing out spare tire carrier, split rear doors…or some combo of those available on a single model, so a major element like taillights had to have a fixed place. License plate placement did move around (see: Pathfinder and 4Runner with an without the swing out spare tire), but that varied anyway between different markets globally.
Some minivans had some of the lights on the gate to that point, at the least reverse lights that were sometimes “blended” into the design, but it came to be pretty early on that a lifting rear tailgate was the way to go in that segment outside of a few couple models.
Come to think of it though, it seems relatively recent to that time that station wagons had taillights on the tailgate too.
There was more precedent for station wagons, though still not always common… Chrysler Town & Countrys through most of the ’70s, for example. The earliest example I can think of is the 1959 Chevrolet station wagons (…which also makes the 1959 El Camino the first pickup with taillights on the tailgate).
I think the ’98 Navigator had them, but you’re right. Up to that point, tail/liftgates were pretty barren, save for the occasional spare tire or license plate.
You’re right! Definitely a step in the luxury direction, but the Navigator taillights are still truckishly vertical more than horizontal.
The RX is a go to recommendation for me when people ask me about an affordable used car (well crossover, cause that’s what non-car people friends want when they ask for a recommendation) and they are ok with something older as long as it works well.
I remember the RX300 distinctly. We bought a 1st gen highlander with the same basic underpinnings. It was okay, but the 1mz was known for oil issues (valve guides). It was also known as dropping HP pretty substantially during the Toyota/Lexus issue of re-rating their engines with the proper accessory load. I think it went from 220 to 190 or thereabouts.
If I remember, this drivetrain didn’t have a viscous coupling center, it had a viscous over open differential. So a mechanically linked open differential with a viscous friction adder for LSD effect. For anything but off-roading it was about as good as passive gets with the exception of a torsen center.
The Torsen rear was option on lots of Toyota’s then. My 96 RAV4 5-speed had it! It made a huge difference in the snow, but otherwise few would notice it.
There was a house in my neighborhood that had three first gen RX300’s in use until very recently. I think they still have one there.
These used to be EVERYWHERE, but now I’m lucky to see one a month. Where did they all go?
25 years takes a wee bit of a toll on the automotive population
They went to a nearby ZIP code with a lower household income.
They’re in the WalMart parking lot now.
The transmission was the big weak point in this generation so I’m pretty sure bad transmissions thinned out the herd of what was otherwise a robust and simple-to-maintain vehicle. I always loved the weird greenish tint that the earlier models had. Honestly, I’d love to have one of every Lexus model from the early 2000’s.
What’s really interesting about the RX is how it did a complete about-face with its styling for the second generation, and that gen-2 styling has more or less remained and evolved through the subsequent three generations.
That means that someone who was uninformed wouldn’t necessarily realize the first RX is an RX at all. It’s a case of “One of these things is not like the others.” Autowriter Jack Baruth compared it to the “Early-Installment Weirdness” tv trope, wherein early episodes of a long-running show look very foreign to the rest, because the show hadn’t yet hit its stride and defining character when they were made.
I wonder how many other cars there are for which this is the case. I’d say the Prius is another. The first one was a rather dowdy-looking sedan. But it was the second generation that gave the Prius its characteristic liftback shape, split rear glass, and wedge-like profile. And though Toyota has made yet another big change for the current model of Prius, it’s still something of an evolution of the second-gen.
Agreed – this was much boxier. That said, all of Lexus seemed to have a styling break in the early 2000s, going from having lower cladding – often in a different color than the primary color – to not having the cladding. I think it really started with the second gen GS, then the LS and ES, and finally with the RX. The loss of that very horizontal design element anchoring the styling left a clear line between “90s Lexus,” which still had a whiff of JDM to it, to “00s Lexus,” which was kind of all over the place until mid-decade.
The odd thing is that the Toyota version of the RX – the Venza – has been a horrible failure.
(You thought I was going to say Highlander – didn’t you?)
And I’ve never heard Seattle described by anyone who has actually been there for more than a weekend as “sunny” in anything other than a momentary comment:
“Did you see how sunny it was this afternoon? You could even see Mt Rainer/the Olympics! I hope it happens again for Seafair…”
A friend from California was even passed over for a C Suite position at Starbucks because his personality profile said he’d be miserable and wouldn’t last long in rainy Seattle.
You mean the Toyota Harrier. The first two generations of the RX shared their body shells with the JDM Harrier. It followed a trend of Lexus models being altered versions of premium JDM Toyotas. When Lexus launched in Japan, the brand began to deploy its “L finesse” styling and became distinct from the Harrier, growing in size for the third, fourth, and (current) fifth generations.
Meanwhile, our North American version of the latest Harrier—still close to the size of the original Harrier and RX—is the current Venza, more or less unaltered from the Japanese version. That said, 2024 is the final year for the Venza here, as Toyota Notth America plans to replace it with the Crown Signia.
Well, with the exception of the ES250 those JDM Toyotas (Soarer, Celsior, Windom, Aristo, Harrier, etc) were actually just rebadged Lexuses, because they were designed primarily for Lexus.
Toyota had many outlets (Toyota, Toyopet, Toyota Corolla (formerly Toyota Publica) and Netz (Formerly Toyota Vista, formerly Toyota Auto) with no Lexus brand in Japan at the time.
Toyota only introduced the Lexus brand in Japan in 2005.
Eh, I don’t think Toyota ever sought big volumes for the Venza this time around, and looking back on it now the Crown Signia’s arrival makes it seem like it was always intended to be a stopgap. The RAV4 is already the best-selling non-pickup in the US, the Highlander was the best-selling 3 row crossover and sales only slipped once the Grand Highlander showed up. Any Venza sales were probably just gravy, retaining buyers that wanted something nicer or not as big as the other two. Kind of like how the Avalon which, while nicer, wasn’t always appreciably bigger than the Camry in the last couple generations.
This is true. I briefly owned a new Venza. It was alright, though not a particularly functional SUV.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-2021-toyota-venza-limited-style-over-substance/
It’s really interesting that the Crown Signia is a successor to the original Venza, which was a lifted wagon.
I have appreciated the current Venza for going for the comfort side of things, even though on paper it seemed like a less useful RAV4. But it is pricey and I tend to wonder if it will make the most sense as a used buy should they end up depreciating more than a comparable higher-demand RAV4. Which is something it does have in common with the original Venza actually, it always seemed like the people that bought the first Venza, particularly toward the end or used, went in with the expectation of buying a RAV4 but didn’t like the swing out rear door, or the way it rode.
(Also I’ve always enjoyed reading your comments or pieces wherever you’ve popped up so I appreciate you sending your write-up!)
Aww, shucks! 🙂
I definitely was shocked by the Seattle and sunny climate comment. I’ve seen about 3 minutes of sun today.
Be nice – Some LaForzas still exist, for good reasons.
I should like to hear what those reasons are
Some things are better left unsaid.
The interiors are lovely and comfortable, the body structure and chassis are insanely overbuilt, and the size and rarity make it a hit at any car event 🙂
Too bad we never got the RX220 sold in other markets. It came with the 5S-FE 2.2L I4.
While Toyota makes awesome cars, supposedly the RX300 is even more difficult to work on than the equivalent V6 Camry/ES300 with the same engine 🙁
So, the RX300 is more difficult than the ES300 and V6 Camry, but it isn’t a great deal harder than many of its competitors like the MDX, XC90, or the really annoying to work on FX35/45. I’m sure the 5S-FE would be much easier, but the 1MZ-FE is a nice, smooth, and reliable engine.
Hopefully David doesn’t yell at me since I used the word “reliable” in reference to a motor with a timing belt…
well to be fair, the 1MZ is non-interference, so even it does snap, you just need a new TB 🙂
And also, with the 5S-FE, it would be easier to swap in a 3S-GTE, or even put the GTE shit on the 5S head and make a 5S-GTE 😀
I’ll happily take a well thought out timing belt over a definitely-not-for-life timing chain that you can’t replace without tearing down the engine.
Meh. The RX300 was an OK performer; it would have been a dog with the 2.2.
The 2.2 is just fine in daily driving 🙂
If you still want more, you can swap in a 3S-GTE 😉
Sunnier climate…Seattle, WA…[kaboom]
I was thinking the same thing.
As someone who grew up an hour from Harrisburg I think Harrisburg is sunnier then Seattle.
Crappier too. But sunnier
I always liked these, but just…. not stock. Lifted? They look great:
https://lexusownersusa.b-cdn.net/uploads/monthly_2017_01/IMG_0947.JPG.fd80fb434d88b74844c9ced1c4b9a8ad.JPG
Lowered? Also cool
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/attachments/rx-1st-gen-1999-2003/121768d1207114326-post-a-pic-of-your-rx300-thread-johnny.jpg
Ew
I know and agree that they are great cars. I also know that I despise them with every fiber of my being and would only drive one as a last resort. I hate just about everything about them, especially the interiors. Something about the Lexus/Toyota painted leather and cheap fake wood always revolted me. I hated it in our Sienna and it only offends me more in Lexi. Literally the only cars of the brand I haven’t hated are the SC300/400s and the LFA. It’s irrational but so deeply ingrained (unlike their leather). I won’t start on the grills.
I did drive an RX300 once. One word perfectly sums up that driving experience: Anodyne
the RX300 has real wood. Lexus only started using fake wood recently.
It looked fake.
Sorry – The Lexus SC and LS do NOT have painted leather and fake wood.
That’s Toyota
And Mercedes-Benz*
(*unless you order the upgraded leather package, if available at all.)
Mercedes-Benz ought to be ashamed. I’m picking up a ‘15 S 550 Coupe this weekend, and I had to search high and low to find one with the Designo package that comes with the upgraded leather. The base leather is shameful, especially on the dashboard.
I can’t believe that, on a car costing $120K or more in ten-years-ago dollars, Mercedes-Benz still found a way to be cheap. Up until recently, that was part of the draw of Lexus: you got the nice materials standard and didn’t have to pony up for thousands or tens of thousands in options packages for them.
Oh, how right you are.
The leather in my A209 CLK is of horrible quality – I have color coming off the steering wheel and seats when I dare clean too hard. I even have bits of color coming off the non-leather parts of the steering wheel!
At least my wood isnt fading – like earlier years of the W209 & W211 era.
Have you tried some leather moisturizer? It might help with the flaking.
Same reply. It looked and felt painted and the wood looked fake.
Remember, I already admitted and declared my hatred is entirely irrational.
I just remembered, I didn’t totally hate the original LS400 either. I didn’t love it like many, but no hatred either. It was a revelation, that’s for sure. Just not my cup.
What? Fake wood. The first Lexus with fake wood was the LX450 in the late 90s. And I believe that has been the only. Painted leather? What?
The driving experience anodyne? The ML320 was similar also. The first gen ML320 also had a horribly cheap interior and economy car like grey plastic cladding outside.
Indeed about the ML320! We had one but wisely got rid of it after just a couple of years. It started throwing fuel system codes after just 10k miles. I knew it was always going to be a problem child so I’m glad we got rid of it.
However, my hatred of RX300s is such that if I had to choose between owning either the Lexus or the Mercedes for the rest of my life, I’d still probably choose the Merc. It’s utterly insane.
These still stand out due to the striking difference in color between the front and rear glass
Ahhh, the days before the predator grill and angry angles became a design trend.
They are great! They did dramatically change a segment of the car market.
Collectible some day?
Color me skeptical…
For a second there, I thought you were going to tell us how a Lexus RX 300 changed David Tracy forever.
David would do better to live in an RX300 for a month.
Remember, he’s already done Lexus…