Before test driving the 2018 Lexus RX 350L, I had read that the auto company has embraced the Japanese tradition of “Omotenashi,” which loosely translated means going above and beyond for a guest, while not acting as a servant.
Having visited Japan for the first time last year, I knew exactly what that meant. I found the people I met during my week in the Land of the Rising Sun to be extremely polite, helpful and anxious to assist an English-only speaking woman who at times had no idea where she was going.
I wasn’t sure exactly just how that would translate to a vehicle, but after driving the RX L for a week I realized that by including the concept of Omotenashi in its design and engineering, the Lexus was almost able to anticipate my needs.
Another Japanese tradition Lexus has incorporated into its vehicles is “takumi,” a word that's used to describe master artisans. To that end, Lexus has a division made up of takumi craftspeople who consider every aspect of design and development — including fit, finish and the feel of the buttery interior leather — and how that relates to an actual human driver. The goal is to ensure they feel as comfortable and confident behind the wheel as possible. Lexus says it’s also embraced the tukami masters’ philosophical view of excellence when it comes to the overall operation of the company.
And while all of those attributes sound great in theory, my main question was, “But, how does it drive?” As it turns out, my week-long test drive of this luxury crossover SUV was “subarashī” (translation — “splendid, glorious, excellent, superb”).
First of all, I had a fully-loaded SUV to drive, so what’s not to like. The RX L is 4.3 inches longer than the RX, which made it long enough to add a third row of seats making it ideal for a family or baby boomers with grandkids. The careful design of the interior of the RX L means there’s still lots of room for cargo, even with the extra seats.
I like the sleek look of the exterior of the RX L and the spindle-style grill gracing the front fascia. At the rear, L-shaped taillights wrap around the sides of the SUV and point towards the rear doors, giving it a bit of a space-age look. I also like the decorative aluminum hubcaps, which look a bit like silver daisies. Another design feature of note is the black C-pillars behind the rear doors, which flow down to the tailgate window to give the appearance the roof is “floating.”
Other highlights of the Lexus RX L include:
- Increased leg and knee space for second-row passengers
- It’s comfortable. While the extra length of this SUV makes it drive slightly more cumbersome than its predecessor, the interior is so well designed you hardly notice. You also have the option of dropping it into “Sport” mode, for a more agile drive.
- Folding the third row of seats to allow for more storage space is easy.
- Blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert.
- 10 airbags
- Pre-collision system with pedestrian detection — have you driven in Vancouver?
- A 12.3-inch infotainment screen.
- Remote touch interface.
sthomas@vancourier.com
@sthomas10
