Big Lexus now family-ready

It’s not all that often that cars designed for the American market work especially well in Ireland. The Ford Mustang is a notable (and occasionally hilarious) exception). The new-shape Toyota Camry is another. And the Lexus RX450h-L?

Well, yes, it really is a car designed, originally at least, with the US market in mind. Lexus has long been a big-selling brand, stateside, occupying a much bigger slice of the market than it does here.

In fact, in many a year since it was first introduced in 1989, Lexus has been the US’ top-selling luxury brand.

What it lacked was a large, seven-seat SUV. A car to compete with the likes of the BMW X5 and Audi Q7. Oh sure, Lexus already had the impressive RX450h, but it was strictly a five-seater.

Not good enough, cried Lexus’ US-based dealers. We need a car with seven seats, as customers are walking out of our showrooms and heading across the way to the German brands.

So, Lexus acquiesced. It took the existing RX450h, and stretched it a little. It installed an extra 110mm of rear bodywork, all of it behind the rear wheel. It also redesigned the rear tailgate, making it more upright, and changing the shape of the roof at the back of the car. Looking at it all from the outside, you’d probably be hard pressed to tell the difference, unless this RX450h-L (to give it its full name) were parked next to a conventional model. The extra bits and bobs have added weight, though — an extra 100kg, which is not inconsiderable.

That extra length also means that the boot, when those third row seats are folded away, is massive, with 652 litres of loadspace, compared to the regular RX’s 539 litres. Fold all the seats down and you have a 1,656 litre hole into which to cram things.

The rear seats themselves appear, at least at first, to be as sumptuous as those in the front. They are wrapped in the same soft leather. The middle row of seats has actually been raised up a bit to allow space for people’s feet in the back, and the boot seats even get their own separate heating and air conditioning controls, and there are cupholders for those sitting in the back row too.

There is a limitation, though. Space. While Lexus has done its damndest to carve out enough space for people in row three, it’s still pretty tight and, to be honest, is pretty strictly a child-only zone.

I’m a hair over six feet tall, and I struggled even to get in and out, never mind to get comfy. The Lexus isn’t a full, proper seven-seater in the mould of the Land Rover Discovery or Volvo XC90.

Then again, it’s most prominent competition — the BMW and the Audi — aren’t either, really, so perhaps that’s okay. The fact is that seven-seat cars rarely get used in full seven-seat form. The extra seats are generally more apt to be there for short hops, for unexpected journeys such as your kids asking to bring home some friends.

You can slide the middle-row bench seat back and forth (it splits and slides in a 70:30 ratio) so that does help a bit, but to be honest, most of us, most of the time will probably use the RX450h-L with the middle row pushed all the way back for extra legroom, and the third row folded flat to maximise that massive boot space.

In the front of the cabin, you won’t care either way. You’ll be presented with a dashboard and driver environment of rare comfort and quality.

It’s a terrible old cliche, but it’s true to say that the front seats are as soft and welcoming as a favourite armchair, and the lovely, damped, quality of every control (even the lid of the glovebox) makes you feel as if the RX450h-L’s lofty price tag is money well spent.

If there is a drawback, it’s the infotainment system. The big central screen looks impressive, and actually the way the various functions work is pretty straightforward and easy to get your head around.

The problem is that the graphics look incredibly old-fashioned and clunky, and the little joystick controller is appallingly fiddly and hit-and-miss. Lexus knows it’s an issue and is apparently working on a replacement system right now.

The combo of big, smooth V6 and the extra torque from the hybrid electric motor means that your journey will likely be effortless.

Lexus (and Toyota) keeps making incremental improvements to its hybrids’ CVT transmissions, and while there is still some high-rev roar under full acceleration, it’s not as bad as it used to be.

That’s partly down to the inherent refinement of the engine (which takes some beating) and partly because there’s enough torque in the system that you romp up to your desired cruising speed pretty quickly.

Just don’t expect to match Lexus’ claimed 5.9 litres per 100km fuel economy. We managed 8.0 litres per 100km, which isn’t too bad for a big, hefty car with a 3.5 V6 petrol, and compares well to diesel rivals, as is the 136g/km CO2 figure. The better news is that you spend a lot of your time in town rolling around on silent electric power.

As for the rest of it, the RX450h-L is a supremely relaxing car — an effortless companion whether on the motorway or slicing around town.

It’s not perfect, by any means, but by the standards of cars designed for the US market finding their way over here, it’s pretty remarkably good.