The 4WD battle royale
Bruce Newton
March 30, 2009 - 2:15PM

Which luxury soft-roader will emerge triumphant in Drive's test of the best?



Evergreens - that's what the modern breed of high-riding, luxurious four-wheel-drives have become. They are in essence the cars for all seasons - rain, hail or shine; work, school or play.

They're big enough for a family, small enough to park, have all the appointments to impress passengers and enough badge snobbery to tell the world you're doing OK in life. And they're macho, in an urbane kind of way.

We've assembled four of the most luxurious, refined, mid-sized soft-roaders money can buy.

The newest here has only just reached showrooms: the Lexus RX 350.
Even though it looks a bit like the smaller Lexus soft-roader that's been around since 2003, it is an all-new car, inside and out.

But to lure buyers to its badge, it'll have to sway them away from three formidable opponents: the BMW X5, the Mercedes-Benz ML (these soft-roader rivals started it all) and the other German catch-up machine, the Audi Q7.

We've chosen the six-cylinder petrol models to keep the fight fair. They each cost about $85,000 to take home.

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LEXUS RX350 SPORTS

Unusually for a Lexus, the new RX goes into this test as the most expensive vehicle. At least before you add options.
The thing is, the Lexus doesn't really have many options to add. While the Germans have encyclopedic lists of extras, the RX350 Sports (the middle model in the three-tier RX line-up) has one option only: a full-size spare tyre (and raised luggage floor to accommodate it). It adds $1000 to the $88,900 price.

On top of all the expected kit such as leather, dual climate control, six-CD audio and Bluetooth, it includes knee airbags for both front seats, radar cruise control, xenon headlights, a smart key, powered sunroof, automatic tailgate and satellite-navigation.

There's also a crash-anticipation system, called Pre-Collision Safety, that adds brake pressure and tightens seatbelts when it senses an accident is about to take place (similar to Benz's Pre-Safe system). Further safety innovation comes in the form of VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management), which adds steering assistance to electronic safety measures including stability and traction control.

RX also introduces Lexus's mouse controller system called Lexus Remote Touch. Based around a mushroom-like joystick, dual "enter" buttons and a couple of ancillary buttons (menu, map, map size), it's quite simple; the only negative is you can't push the main controller to hit enter, instead having to press a side button.

Of course not everything is to Lexus's advantage. There are no parking sensors available as yet (although that should change soon) and the all-wheel-drive system is on-demand. That means the rear wheels only engage when the front wheels slip. The system has fuel-economy advantages compared with the permanent all-wheel-drive used by the Germans but the traction levels aren't necessarily as good.

Despite a new rear suspension design, the Lexus doesn't set any dynamic standards either. Suspension is set to the softer side in the name of comfort, although it really only loses composure as speeds rise. VDIM then starts taking a lot of interest, shutting progress down dramatically. Around town the RX acquits itself well; less so when the going gets open and rougher.

The drivetrain does an unquestionably fine job. The overhauled 3.5-litre V6 and new six-speed auto respond to the throttle with alacrity and smoothness. While fuel consumption (13.72 litres/100km) was almost identical on-test with the ML, the RX felt livelier. Occasionally, you'll need to press the throttle pedal that bit extra to make sure the engine is still there, as it is virtually silent at low revs.

As is often the case, other noises move in to fill the gap. Tyre roar is more noticeable here, particularly in the back seat. The rear is the most cramped of these four, reflecting the smaller size of the RX.

The seat itself didn't draw a lot of favourable comment because of its flat squab. The front seats are large, plush and attracted no complaints.
The more compact overall size also means the smallest luggage space here, although it still remains sizeable. The RX's dimensions have advantages too, as it is the most sensible and easy to pilot through the vagaries of city traffic.

It managed to do that without leaving any significant styling imprint or impression of real character. The link with Toyota remains obvious, not least because of the flying buttress centre console that is also currently seen in the Toyota Corolla. It's one of the few styling double-takes in an otherwise conservative design.

Yet inside the RX does the job professionally. Storage is adequate, there is nice attention to detail (the blue backlighting in the instrument panel is a pleasant touch) and an obvious and reassuring level of build quality.

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VERDICT

Before we declare a winner, it's best to declare that our test crew came away without being too impressed by any of these four.

The reality is all these manufacturers build better cars than the soft-roaders assembled here. Having said that, the decision ...

...the Q7's size is good for those needing space but it can seem unwieldy around town.

The X5 is committed to being sporty, which means it has some edges that may irritate some drivers.

The Benz is impressive, matching or beating the Lexus in virtually every technical and design measure. But the trouble for Benz is the Lexus RX isn't far enough behind in the areas where it does lag to overcome the marked price difference

So it's a victory for all-round competence rather than outstanding achievement. Lexus has done a good job of evolving the RX. It should find plenty of homes in the posher part of town.