I’m in Baltimore, MD again (shocker!), and while I’m here for a wedding I’ve been given possession of a 2013 Lexus RX 350.
Anyone who knows me has heard my rants about the boring-ness that is Toyota, along with their premium product Lexus. Oddly, I’ve never really had a problem with the RX series. Why? Because it was just a simple, luxurious, and decently attractive small SUV for good money. The RX 350 I’m driving for the next week bases at $40,710, but with $9,275 worth of options -plus the $875 destination fee- a $50,860 Lexus SUV seems a bit more than what you’d expect for a vehicle with nothing earth shattering that it rides on, right? Well, I’m not sure that’s the whole story here.
A 2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i will run you more than 50 grand equally equipped. The xDrive35i will get you well over 50,000 dollars more easily.
The options list for our 2013 Lexus RX 350 reads like this: Comfort Pack ($1340), Luxury Pack ($4520), Navigation with SiriusXM, backup camera, etc. ($2775), the Intuitive Parking Assist ($500), wheel locks ($81), and cargo net ($59).
So far I’m enjoying the Lexus RX 350, but then again I’ve only really been playing with it for a few hours. It’s very comfortable, pretty attractive, with a quality interior, a very nicely executed navigation system with touch pad, and a damn good sound system.
You’ll see in the photos below that I’ve only taken a few meaningless photos thus far with my iPhone 5 (I’ll update and add more tomorrow), but you can see the nav screen, the fact that my jam is Thrift Shop (just check out my Facebook name). You may notice a weird photo of a slit in the body next to the fog lamps. What is that? I have no idea… but I like that it’s open and appears functional. I’ll figure that out for all of us, though.
So while there’s a lonely 2013 Scion FR-S waiting for me back at home in NC, I’ll be enjoying making a review of a Lexus RX 350 for you guys.
Update with extra pictures: I’ve had some extra driving time with the RX 350 today, and I must say, for a Toyota/Lexus product I’m definitely enjoying the driving style. The seats are all very comfortable, and the front seats have a small amount of bolstering that don’t give you too much of a sporty hug, but a bit more than you’d expect.
I’m really liking the steering wheel on the Lexus RX 350, and the fact that it’s so close to the driver. You don’t have to reach your arms out that far, in that’s what sporting drivers like myself want. It mimics the wheel from the LFA, of which I’ve never been much of a fan, honestly. But this steering wheel is quite good to wrap your hands around.
Until the full review is up, and while you’re checking out the new pictures I’ve uploaded, feel free to watch the music video to the song I live by right now.
Beware, Not Safe For Work:
