This article is an original shared article by Yaston and comes from the writer Chirp.
As Acura and Infiniti, among the three major Japanese luxury brands, have successively promoted localization, Zhihu netizens still seem to be indifferent to the "politically correct" and Lexus . Even so, in Guangdong, where Lexus is most popular, queuing up is still a common occurrence.
The newly redesigned RX200t we experienced this time is the favorite of a car owner who has been waiting for half a year. How has Lexus, which has ranked first in reliability in the United States for many years, performed? We tried to start with this new car to see what Lexus has to offer beyond reliability.
A brief history of RX
If I mention luxury SUV to you now, you may think of Mercedes-Benz ML, BMW X5, etc. But if you want to ask you, who discovered the luxury SUV market segment? Who would have thought it was Lexus RX?
Back in 1997 at the Chicago Auto Show, Lexus released a concept car called SLV (Sport Luxury Vehicle) at the booth, mentioning the concept of a luxury sports SUV for the first time. The following year, the first-generation Lexus RX, developed with the SLV concept in mind, was officially launched in the U.S. market. In order to meet the setting of a luxury SUV, Lexus at that time packed the RX with a lot of luxury equipment, such as interiors decorated with solid wood and leather, constant temperature air conditioning, multi-function displays, automatic headlights and various electronic control equipment, etc. . Many equipment that are only optional on other brands have become standard equipment on RX.
The concept of luxury and the practicality of an SUV made those Americans who pursue fresh personality quickly accept this setting. In just five years, the first-generation RX sold 370,000 units in the North American market. This caused many jealous manufacturers to start to get involved in this market segment. From then on, there was no such thing as luxury SUV.
The second-generation RX was released at the 2003 North American Auto Show. In addition to being more dynamic than the first-generation model, the power was also upgraded from 3.0L to 3.3L, with a maximum horsepower of 230 horsepower. And in 2004, a hybrid version of the RX 400h was added for the first time. The hybrid system equipped on the RX 400h combines a gasoline engine to output a maximum power of up to 268 horsepower. When paired with the ECVT electronic continuously variable transmission system, the RX 400h can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds.
The third-generation RX was officially released at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show based on the LF-Xh concept car. Starting from this generation of RX, Lexus’ most iconic spindle face shape was added. The biggest highlight of the third-generation RX is that the hybrid version of the 450h uses the Atkinson cycle-designed 2GR-FXE 3.5-liter V6 engine and three electric motors, which are respectively responsible for starting the engine, driving the front and rear wheels, and recovering braking energy.
was launched in 2016 as the fourth-generation facelift model of RX. Starting from this product, RX adopts a new Lexus design language, especially the appearance has undergone very obvious changes. In fact, it is the lines of the body that are more domineering and sharp. The unique surface treatment of the body makes this car reflect light and shadow more strongly. In addition, the tapered air intake grille used in the new generation model has a larger area and a more domineering shape, which makes the entire RX series show an avant-garde style.
RX reflects the radical design of Lexus models in recent years. After paying attention to the LS series released at the North American Auto Show, you should have a deeper sense of this visual impact. But as Consumer Reports commented, as a luxury brand, adopting such a bold and avant-garde design language is not necessarily a good thing for Lexus, because such a shape will not become a "popular lover."
Has the sense of luxury shrunk?
Before getting this 2016 RX200t four-wheel drive elegant version, we did a series of homework, such as checking the relevant evaluation articles of the US "Consumer Reports". Since Lexus entered the United States in 1989, it has successfully occupied the American luxury car market with its excellent reliability, excellent after-sales service and more competitive pricing strategies.
At the end of 2016, when Consumer Reports announced its annual reliability list, Lexus undoubtedly continued to occupy the first place, but behind this glory, we can still see a not-so-good change: as a main model The ES and the newly launched NX have both been evaluated as lacking in luxury and lower than the conventional level of Lexus, a luxury brand.
With such questions, we decided to enter this RX 200t and have a good experience.
Compared with the alluring appearance after the new facelift, the interior style of RX is relatively conservative. Similar to the routines of most competing luxury SUVs, the main color of the RX200t's interior adopts a warm color matching style, with a large amount of black and brown-red leather materials wrapped. The combination of these two colors can be understood as low-key luxury. The embodiment of the car, combined with the use of some matte metal trim strips, makes the overall interior environment very soft and leisurely. In addition, the performance-oriented F sport version adopts a more dynamic and passionate red interior.
But when we focus on some small details, it is easy to have a feeling of "not enough quality". For example, as a mid-to-high-end 2.0T model, this RX does not use the solid wood trim that Chinese consumers are accustomed to. The piano-painted "three-dimensional decorative panels" on the center console and sub-dashboard have simply become fingerprint and dust collection boards. .
refers to the practices of competing products such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche . Lexus also placed a small clock between the two air-conditioning outlets on the center console. However, no matter from the perspective of design or brand, this small clock cannot support the "luxury" setting and is not well integrated with the entire interior layout. For the driver, this small clock is not It will be easier to watch the time, maybe it is just a stack of configurations.
(I have to say, it is another place to collect dust.)
Unlike the simple center consoles affected by current mainstream luxury cars, Lexus RX still places most of the physical buttons on the center console, and an 8-inch The LCD display is erected on the center console and is operated through the knob on the central channel and the buttons on the multi-function steering wheel. From a sensory perspective, this design is not very attractive. Perhaps retaining physical buttons can be beneficial to driving safety, but to be honest, such a dense arrangement of buttons will not bring a good user experience.
If the interior design and materials can still support the RX's sense of luxury, then the sense of technology is a bit simple. Particularly worth mentioning is the instrument panel. Unlike the LCD instrument panels that are widely used today, the RX still retains the traditional design and only displays vehicle information between the speedometer and tachometer. One of the drawbacks is that the electronic speedometer The table only appears in the highest configuration.
Perhaps for luxury car consumers, feelings and brand are more important than configuration. But when competing products of the same level are fully expressing their sincerity to the Chinese market, Lexus, which has no advantage in terms of configuration or price, can live a good life in China just by relying on "political correctness" in the eyes of new era consumer groups. Yet?
.0T, is it enough? The RX200t we experienced this time is equipped with a 2.0T engine model 8 AR-FTS, with a maximum power of 174kW and a maximum torque of 350Nm@1650-4000rpm. Judging from the parameters, this kind of power performance is not outstanding, especially considering the weight of the RX car, which exceeds 2 tons. Therefore, during actual experience, we found that we cannot pursue a sporty feel for the RX 200t. At least it cannot give you an obvious sense of speed-up or the so-called push-back feeling. The acceleration time of 100 kilometers per hour of 9.5 seconds can illustrate the problem.
It can be said that this Lexus RX does not have a "violent" character, but its continuous and linear power output is its advantage. The organ-style accelerator pedal is thick and heavy, and the positions of the accelerator and brake are reasonably set, making the entire driving process comfortable and even relaxing.
However, while luxury SUVs are catching up with gearboxes with more gears, Lexus RX still uses 6AT.One of the reasons is that the 2.0T engine it uses has a transverse layout, and only a relatively small 6AT gearbox can be placed in the engine compartment. Despite this, the adjustment of this powertrain is relatively smooth, and the minimum driving quality can be guaranteed.
This version provides standard, economical and sports driving modes, which can be controlled through the knob on the secondary instrument panel, but it is not equipped with paddle shifters. In the economy mode, the accelerator pedal will be heavier. Since the turbine intervenes within 2000 rpm, the speed can be controlled at 1500rpm or even lower during the entire driving process. However, even with the current 2.0T engine that has good power and economical performance, the fuel consumption of this RX200t is not low.
It can be said that the degree of surprise left by the facelifted Lexus RX200t continues to decrease with the process from the inside and outside, from static to dynamic. Perhaps the new family-style design adopted after the facelift is too profound. Apart from a more spacious and transparent cockpit environment, there is not much luxury left in the car. As for the power performance of the 2.0T version, it is even more ordinary. Whether it is the Audi Q7, which directly competes in product positioning, or the Cadillac XT5, which directly competes in price, they can leave a deeper impression on people.
Maybe this is Lexus, a brand that can be inexplicably fans.
