Lexus RX
Midsize luxury SUV · 1998–present. 118,636 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
Toyota Motor Corporation developed it for its luxury brand, Lexus. The chief engineer of the first RX was Tsuneo Uchimoto, who said his team was able to "throw away the usual constraints" by creating a new kind of vehicle instead of a smaller SUV. The chief engineer of the fifth generation, unveiled in 2022, is Takaaki Ohno of Lexus International.
It was built in Japan from the start at Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant in Fukuoka Prefecture, which began producing the RX 300 in December 1997. Since September 26, 2003 it has also been assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) in Cambridge, Ontario, the first plant outside Japan to build a Lexus. Today the RX sold in the United States comes from Cambridge (RX 350, RX 350h and RX 500h) and Kyushu (including the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid).
It was previewed as the SLV (Sport Luxury Vehicle) concept at the 1997 Chicago Auto Show. It launched in Japan as the Toyota Harrier in December 1997, debuted as the Lexus RX 300 at the January 1998 Detroit auto show and reached U.S. dealers in March 1998 as a 1999 model.
Toyota and Lexus explain RX as Radiant Crossover; in its lineup, two-letter names identify the model family and the original number (300, 330, 350) stated the engine displacement in deciliters: 3.0, 3.3 and 3.5 liters. The letter h marks a hybrid and the plus sign a plug-in hybrid. In Japan the same vehicle was sold as the Toyota Harrier, named after a bird of prey, until the third generation.
In the mid-1990s luxury SUVs were body-on-frame trucks: tall, heavy and rough-riding. Lexus wanted a vehicle as comfortable and powerful as a sedan, but with the high seating position, space and traction of an SUV. The answer was a unibody derived from the platform of the ES 300 sedan, then the best-selling Lexus in North America. Toyota says the market responded at three times the original goal and that other luxury brands copied the formula, creating the luxury crossover segment.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 11999–2003
The world's first luxury crossover
Photo: SsmIntrigue · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It replaced nothing: it invented a category. Instead of the body-on-frame chassis of the SUVs of the day, the RX 300 used a unibody derived from the ES 300 sedan, with MacPherson struts at all four corners, active engine mounts and lower ground clearance for easy entry and exit. It seated five, held up to 75 cubic feet of cargo and had rear seats that slid almost five inches. Lexus sold about 42,000 in 1998 and close to 80,000 in 1999.
The innovation. The transversely mounted 3.0-liter, 220 hp V6 with a four-speed automatic, in front- or all-wheel drive: the AWD used a viscous coupling in the center differential for a 50:50 torque split, with an optional Torsen differential. It was proof that a luxury SUV could be built like a car.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists two recalls for the 1999 model: on units with the optional traction control, the rear brake line distribution was designed improperly and the vehicle could feel unstable if one of the two lines failed (99V012, remedy: modified brake tubes); and the headlights and taillights might not come on automatically in AUTO mode (99V011, new body control unit). These are 20-plus-year-old cars: ask for maintenance records and check the condition of the automatic transmission and suspension. - Gen. 22004–2009
Canada, the RX 330 and the first luxury hybrid
Photo: TiB1001z · CC BY 4.0 What changed. It arrived in spring 2003 as the RX 330, with a 3.3-liter, 230 hp V6, five-speed automatic, strengthened structure, revised all-wheel drive, more rear legroom and optional 40/40/40 split rear seats. The drag coefficient dropped from 0.36 to 0.35. On September 26, 2003 the first Lexus built outside Japan, a silver RX 330, rolled off the line in Cambridge, Ontario. In February 2006, for the U.S. 2007 model year, the engine grew to 3.5 liters and the name became RX 350.
The innovation. The RX 400h, unveiled in Detroit in January 2004 and announced for sale on April 15, 2005 as a 2006 model: the first Lexus hybrid and the world's first luxury hybrid SUV. Its 3.3-liter V6 worked with three electric motor-generators for about 270 system hp, with E-Four electric all-wheel drive through an independent motor on the rear axle and with the VDIM integrated vehicle dynamics system. From that launch, Lexus sold more than one million hybrids in just over ten years.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists several recalls. On 2004–2007 RX 330, RX 350 and RX 400h, the floor carpet cover next to the console could come loose and interfere with the accelerator pedal (06V253 and 11V112). On 2004 RX 330, the brake light switch could stop working from silicon oxide build-up (04V558). On 2004–2005 RX 330 and 2006 RX 400h, the crankshaft pulley could misalign (11V539). On 2006–2008 RX 400h, transistors in the inverter's power module could be heat-damaged and shut the hybrid system down while driving (11V342 and 13V396; remedy: inspection/replacement at no cost depending on the campaign;13V396 excludes modules already replaced under11V342). Check by VIN that all of it was done. - Gen. 32010–2015
The RX 450h and the dual-zone cockpit
Photo: Ethan Llamas · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It debuted at the November 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show and went on sale in February 2009 as a 2010 model, from $37,625 including destination. The 3.5-liter V6 rose to 275 hp in the RX 350 and the hybrid was renamed RX 450h, with up to 295 system hp. The front adopted an inverted-trapezoid shape and, with the 2012 update, the spindle grille and the F Sport trim. This was the first RX generation sold in Japan with the Lexus badge; Toyota Harrier continued separately.
The innovation. The first dual-zone cockpit in an RX: a display zone for information, set far from the driver, and an operation zone for controls, within easy reach. The RX 450h added exhaust-heat recovery and cooled exhaust-gas recirculation to improve fuel economy and emissions.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists three recalls. On 2010 RX 350 and RX 450h, the accelerator pedal could be trapped by an unsecured or incompatible floor mat (12V305; remedy: modified pedal and correct mat). On 2011 RX 350 with VDIM, the hydraulic valve calibration in the brake actuator was incorrect and the right front wheel might not be controlled properly during ABS (11V377; new actuator). On 2012–2013 RX 350, an electrical component in the brake actuator could light up several warning lamps (14V054; software update). All are free at the dealer. - Gen. 42016–2022
Bigger, safer and with a third row
Photo: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. Unveiled in New York on April 1, 2015, it grew 4.7 inches in length (192.5 inches) and nearly 2 inches in wheelbase (109.8 inches). The RX 350 introduced the direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 with 295 hp and an eight-speed automatic; the RX 450h reached 308 system hp. It was the first RX with a panoramic roof and offered L-shaped LED taillights wrapping around the sides and rear. In January 2018 the three-row RX L joined, for six or seven passengers, from $47,670.
The innovation. The Lexus Safety System+ package: pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, intelligent high beams and all-speed radar cruise control. It also introduced the touch-free power back door, a Lexus first.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists for the 2016 model a recall for an improper weld in the driver's knee airbag (16V053), one for the RX 350 brake actuator (16V198) and one for airbag sensors that could fail and prevent deployment (18V085). On 2017 RX 350, the brake booster vacuum pump could cause a sudden loss of brake assist (18V211). The Denso fuel pump recall (20V012, expanded by 20V682) covered 2018–2019 RX 350L: the impeller could deform and the engine stall while driving; the remedy is a new pump. Check by VIN at nhtsa.gov. - Gen. 52023–present
Goodbye V6: turbo, three hybrids and the GA-K platform
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 What changed. Unveiled on May 31, 2022 (June 1 in Japan) on the GA-K platform, up to 198 pounds lighter, with a 2.36-inch longer wheelbase and the same overall length. The V6 is gone: the RX 350 uses a 275 hp 2.4-liter turbo; the RX 350h a 2.5-liter hybrid with 246 hp; the RX 450h+ is the first plug-in hybrid RX, with 304 hp; and the RX 500h F Sport Performance pairs the 2.4 turbo with a rear electric axle for 366 hp. Tazuna-concept interior with a screen up to 14 inches. At its debut, the RX had sold about 3.5 million units in some 95 countries since 1998.
The innovation. DIRECT4 on the RX 500h: an all-wheel-drive system that distributes force between front and rear axles through a high-output rear eAxle, the first performance-focused RX hybrid. Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 adds motorcycle detection, curve speed management and an emergency driving stop system.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists one recall for 2023 RX 350, RX 350h and RX 500h: an electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable could be insufficiently welded, separate and deactivate the driver's airbag (23V480; remedy: inspection and spiral cable replacement at no cost, letters mailed September 8, 2023). On November3,2026, NHTSA Lexus/RX queries for2024 and2025 each returned four campaigns; RX350 queries returned zero. Campaign25V744 includes certain RXs with Panoramic View Monitor. The queried name matters, and zero results do not rule out campaigns for an individual VIN. Look it up by VIN before buying.
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