Somehow I dont see conservative older people driving around in a $50K SUV with a spaceship interior

 

Hey, my wife and I are some of them “older” folks.... And neither my wife (who primarily drives the IS) or I like the exterior, it isn't even moderately evolutionary. The interior in general, looks OK, but will withhold further judgment till I get to touch, see, and feel one. Still, to me the exterior is a real let down, not what I would have expected from Lexus. I'm thinking that the new Venza looks far more modern, with better balance of elements, better tire to wheel arch fitment, and an all around nicer looking package. I may change my mind once I see the new RX in person, but so far, I’m completely unimpressed.

 

Thanks for the info. Looks like a big year for Lexus in 2009, and I'm assuming 2010 should be a fairly big year as well.

Lexus is always striving for younger buyers, and even IF it loses some older buyers it will be balanced out by attracting new younger buyers to the brand.

Despite the criticism of Bangle designs, BMW sales have never been better. BMW in the past few years has had continual sales increases, so obviously the public likes the Bangle designs otherwise they wouldn't be buying so many BMWs.

 

Also to add, while it strives for younger buyers it tries to balance that by keeping as many existing customers as it can. Very delicate balancing act Toyota is attempting here.

 

I hope that this car sales will flop within 2 years since it is such a poor redesign with so much tacky shapes and poor flow in the coherence of the design. The interior is so pathetic and that swoopy dash look as if came out of a toyota corolla. Jeez, even the toyota venza looks more sharper and newer than this remake of the 1st and 2nd gen popular RX. The 3rd gen is terrible and goes to show how pathetic lexus designers are and their laziness. 2nd generation will win hands down as the most cleanest and best design so far.

 

Agreed. Changing the formula in this economic climate is understandably questionable since Lexus has been the best-selling luxury nameplate in North America a few years running now.

 

I am not sure if the Lexus designers are lazy or not but I can see their effort in consistently executing the L-finesse design in their new cars, including this RX.

I once read a Japanese magazine that explains the L-finesse and there was a picture which shows two L symbols joined together (lookes like a portion of a helix or a curvy sweeping line) that appears in every new Lexus (IS, GS, LS, etc)

The flow of the main console in the RX shows that as well. (say, if you look straight into the console and looking from top to bottom, starting from the NAVI screen)

Blame the unclear US or Canadian Lexus brochures (same for a few other brands), the design especially the interior is not well explained.

When navigating lexus.jp, one will learn more about the features and the thoughtfulness in the design.

For example, no North American Lexus brochure will have a diagram that explains the paint process for Lexus cars..
http://lexus.jp/brand/philosophy/color_book/skill.html

 

Another find, though written in Japanese..

As the US press release mentions something about white organic LED used in RX display, the Toyota Japanese web site claims that it is the world first white organic EL display used in cars.

http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/news/08/Nov/nt08_074.html

 

Research of Lexus owners has shown they want it to remain a five passenger rather than seven passenger.

Lexus wants to gain market share by making a fresher design.

I think the above two statements almost "conflict" with each other because by being the best selling Lexus (not sure if still is) and then not expanding the capacity of the vehicle, but still increasing size, they are invertantly moving the RX into a size range that is not going to please the 5-passenger SUV shopper. My wife and I have had our RX for seven years now and my family is growing. We will be a family of 5 soon, and by having the RX remain a five seater, I am left with no choice but to move on because if I want to transport my three kids and then a set of parents, it can't be done.

For the customers that don't want the 3rd row, don't fold it up. Keep it down for the ownership term of the vehicle. Even a 3rd row that's not made for YaoMing is better than not having anything. I can throw the two younger kids in back, and then middle row for three passengers.

As for the design, it's getting bigger and bigger and without adding seating capacity... it does nothing for me. Once the MDX gets a minor refresh mid-cycle and if the design (lights and color) is freshened, then I'm jumping ship. I would love to stay with Lexus, but I don't like the ride of the GX, and the LX is neither affordable, or anything I would want to own just based on the huge size.

 

This new 3rd gen RX is only slightly bigger than the current 2nd gen. It's less than 2 inches longer. Lexus kept this new RX about the same size as the current model. There was no way they could have added a 3rd row without dramatically increasing the size, and Lexus didn't want to do that.

Like I said, MOST RX owners that were asked and surveyed by Toyota said they DID NOT want a 3rd row. Obviously you're not one of those owners, but that doesn't change the fact MOST owners are HAPPY with the 5 passenger setup.

Bigger and bigger? Since the 1st-gen RX300, the size of the RX has remained roughly the same. The RX has not gotten considerably bigger, it's always stayed at about the same size, which is too small for 7 passenger seating.

Your family is growing, so yes the RX is no longer the vehicle for you if you require 7 passenger seating. For most RX owners, a 5 passenger vehicle is what they want.

The GX is getting redesigned soon, and that might be the more appealing SUV for you then.

 

Should be interesting to see what Lexus does with the GX redesign and price point in lieu of the 2010 RX.

 

One should probably expect the same flared grill and asymmetrical console styling with the next GX as well...

 

Toyota made the Highlander Hybrid with a 3rd row seat and it's only 0.6" longer than the 450h ... I understand wanting to keep it two rows, but not that "there was no way they could have added a 3rd row w/o dramatically increasing the size".

Did I read correctly that the underpinnings of the 450h are the same as the 400h? So now the Highlander and RX lines do not share the same underpinnings.

 

3rd row is not available on the Highlander Hybrid, only on the regular Highlander.

I see your point, but adding a 3rd row to the new RX would have compromised 2nd row seating space as well as cargo capacity. That is the setup on the Highlander right now. The Highlander is all about practicality and flexibility though. Highlander owners did want the option of a 3rd row, compared to RX owners who mostly did not want a 3rd row.

Compromising 2nd row space and cargo capacity for a 3rd row would have been a deal breaker for a lot of current RX owners, which is why Lexus didn't do it.

In order for the RX to have a proper 3rd row, then yes the size would have to be increased considerably.

What do you mean in terms of the 450h having the "same" underpinnings as the 400h?

 

Official Lexus RX introduction video via YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BEnKvIEaAE&