VIDEO: Is a Japanese-Built Lexus Actually Better Than a North American Lexus?
There are some fairly obvious differences between the Japanese Lexus RX and Canadian-built examples, it seems.
The automotive world is full of rumors and speculation, ranging from what future models might look like to various, interesting little tidbits regarding the ones that are out there already. One of the most prevalent, however, is a long-perpetuating rumor that Japanese Lexus vehicles are simply built better than their North American counterparts, offering superior quality to customers as a result. Obviously, it’s difficult to determine if this is actually the case, as North American Lexus models are quite well-built and reliable, and always have been. And that’s precisely what makes this video from AutomotivePress so interesting – in it, engineer David Chao compares the Japanese Lexus RX to its American counterpart, noting some important differences between the two.
Chao was recently in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon, and decided to drop by his favorite Lexus dealer there to check out the brand-new 2023 RX. He notes, right off the bat, that American and Japanese Lexus vehicles are extremely close these days in terms of how they’re built – but that isn’t always the case. In fact, the new RX is a prime example of an outlier, as Chao discovered when comparing one produced in Canada versus this Japanese-built model.
“I was actually pretty impressed with the quality of the Lexus built in Canada,” he said. “But one thing I noticed as one potential issue – which appears to be a bit of a recurring theme for the Lexus NX as well – is the back door, which I’m finding, at least in the Canadian-made Lexus RX, is I have to push it harder than the front door to close. Otherwise, every time I try to close it, it’ll almost close, but not quite.”
That wasn’t the case with the Japanese RX, however, which closed completely when Chao barely pushed it. On top of that, the door gap is far smaller on the Japanese crossover than its Canadian counterpart. Chao was a bit surprised to discover this difference, and tested out various other Canadian-built RX models with the same result. He also found many other subtle quality differences between the two, such as paint, panel gaps, and even the texture of the crossover’s interior panels.
Regardless, Chao notes that there is really no cause for concern here, as the Canadian-built RX is still a high-quality vehicle by any measure. However, it is truly interesting to note that there are some fairly obvious differences between the very same vehicle that’s built on the other side of the world.
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