Camouflaged bumper. That’s all we have for now.
The updated Lexus RX is out on the road, getting beat up by engineers, and while the spy shots show a mostly unchanged silhouette, the real story is hiding in the cabin. We caught a glimpse of what looks like the flagship RX500h F Sport Performance. The rear? Untouched. Boring, even.
Up front it gets interesting. The headlights are bare, letting the world see their shape, but the grille and bumper are wrapped in heavy paint camo. Why mask that area specifically? It implies the designers actually changed something there. Not just a bumper swap, probably a restyle of the entire front fascia.
It could be an early prototype. Things still look soft, malleable.
We don’t know when this will hit dealers. This year? Possible. Next? Also possible.
The exterior changes might be scant, but the interior overhaul is the main event.
Forget what the old dashboard looked like. The new RX is borrowing its face from the latest Lexus lineup. Look at the new ES sedan. Look at the TZ electric SUV.
Symmetrical. Clean. Cold, maybe, but clean.
The analog buttons you know and hate? They are likely dead. The future here is touch-capacitive switches.
Imagine this: An angular digital cluster sitting in a dashboard recess. A free-floating screen for infotainment. And below it, a row of glassy touch panels. There is, mercifully, a physical dial for the volume. Lexus remembers how to listen to you.
Under the skin? Probably the same.
It sits on the TNGA-K platform, sharing bones with the Toyota Kluger. No point rewriting the chassis code when it already works. The engines are likely staying too.
You have your pick in Australia:
- RX350h : The hybrid base model. 2.5L four-cylinder. Can come in FWD if you don’t mind being left behind in snow.
- RX350 : The turbo punch. 2.4L four. Always AWD.
- RX450h+ : The plug-in hybrid. 2.5L hybrid setup with electric range.
- RX500h : The beast. Turbo hybrid. Always AWD.
No all-electric RX. Don’t expect one. Lexus put that duty on the RZ.
Why update now? The fifth generation dropped in 2022. It’s been three years. For Lexus, a mid-cycle refresh usually hits between five and seven years in, so this feels early. Almost suspicious.
Unless… unless they are trying to save money. Everyone is squeezing life out of current platforms to fund the expensive EV wars. Stretch the cycle. Cut dev costs. Smart. Ruthless.
One thing is missing from these spy photos. The RX L. The seven-seater version vanished in the last redesign, replaced by the much larger TX. And since the TX isn’t built for right-hand drive, Aussie drivers are stuck. No three rows of seats in this segment. Ever.
It sells though.
Last year, the RX was the second-best selling Lexus in Australia. Over 2,100 units. But let’s not get carried away. The smaller NX outsold it three to one. The small box moves faster than the luxury barge.
The facelift arrives soon. Maybe subtle outside. Inside? A radical shift.
Will you notice the difference until you get behind the wheel?
