ff_

So what? It's a luxury SUV. Next you're going to say that it doesn't count because the ML wasn't FWD like the RX (ha... like FWD is a good thing...)

toy4two

Range Rover has all you beat by a few years. If you are only counting luxury SUVs, not luxury cross overs.

Still rather have my rock solid RX then some POS like a Range Rover.

Lexmex

This is interesting, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_SUV

Incendiary

Acura SLX was out in 1996, no?

LexFather

ff_ you answered wrong. The ML was truck based.
It is also universally accepted one of the biggest POS you could buy. It almost single handedly made Benz quality from average to poor.

mmarshall

No...that one doesn't count. The SLX was a redone Isuzu trooper ( truck-based, not car-based ). The Lexus RX was the first luxury car-based SUV's....the subject of this thread.

mmarshall

OK...maybe. The ML was a fine line between car-based and truck-based...it had attributes of both. But SICK is correct that it was one of the worst vehicles Mercedes ever produced, quality-wise. For several years in a row, it ranked at the very bottom of Consumer reports' reliability database, along with the Land Rovers.

Toy4two.......the Land Rover, BTW, was indeed a luxury SUV but NOT car-based. Despite its unreliability and poor assembly quality, it is one of the world's best and toughest off-roaders.

LexFather

Now as I have been on the internet on many car forums for sometime now, I don't even get upset when I still see the bias towards Japanese brands and they have "no soul" and they dont create anything.

What people need to do is get their intense hatred for whatever out of the way since it clouds their posts and makes their debate seem like 4 year old "I hate you" rhetoric...
Lets go"
1. Acura SLX truck based, failed miserably. The first Japanese branded SUV off the Isuzu trooper. I think it debuted in fall 1996.
2 . Benz has had the LEGENDARY G wagon for sometime, I want to say 1970s....People paid over $120,000 to import them here (and got PISSED when Benz started importing them for much less).
3. Infiniti came with the QX4 in 1996 as well and well, it was no stud.
4. Range Rover was your other option for a luxury branded SUV for the past few decades
5. Lexus came with the legendary land crusier based LX 470. This SUV flew past expectations in 1996, surpassing RR in a year in sales! (1997)

Again no car based luxury suvs and suv luxury sales were very tiny.

Lexus again, came with the GROUND BREAKING RX in fall 98 as a 1999 model. Nothing has sold close to it. Next thing BMW had the X5 (and now X3) and everyone RUSHED to a car based platform. Acura came with the MDX. You have the Porsche CAYENNE now.

Trust me, no RX as a success, no Cayenne. Porsche saw SUVs are a very viable sales alrernative. Who would have thought they would live to see a Porsche OR even a BMW SUV?

I DIDN"T EVEN LIKE the RX for its first few model years but after having one, it just wins you over. It does everything good or better and nothing poor.

Now you have the groundbreaking first luxury SUV hybrid the RX 400h.

mmarshall

And, with that, guys, I think I'm going to bow out of this arguement and let the rest of you hash this one out. . It's VERY rare for me to walk away from an automotive discussion ( trust me on that ) but the question of whether the RX was the first luxury car-based SUV or not is going to be a very difficult one to settle, given the borderline car/truck-basing of some of its competition. There have been some very good differing opinions given here, and IMO we should leave it at that.

ff_

I think the real argument here is whether the RX was a groundbreaking offering. Or if it was nothing more than a meshing together of the ideas already "invented" by other automakers. I think we all know the answer to that.

MSMLexIS

MB had the first Luxury badged SUV with the G-Class in the late 70's wasnt sold in america so i guess the 91 Olds Bravadw as the first luxury badged SUV in america. And there all truck based.