Driving Innovation: Lexus RX500h F Sport Performance Hybrid Review
The Lexus RX500h F Sport is the future of luxury hybrid cars. Elevating luxury with groundbreaking technology, all blended with exquisite craftsmanship.
Lexus RX500h F Sport Performance Hybrid Review
What better way to test the Lexus RX500h F Sport than a trip to the fabulous Headland Hotel, a magnificent baroque 5-star folly perched on a cliff overlooking Fistral Beach down in Newquay, Cornwall? And the Lexus RX500h was the perfect touring companion, luxury first-class travel all the way.
Now just when I start to feel like I've seen it all, Lexus goes ahead and surprises me with something unexpected and cool. Behold the Lexus RX500h, a masterpiece of automotive engineering seamlessly intertwining lavish comfort with state-of-the-art technology. So let's delve into the snazzy Lexus RX500 hybrid F-Sport in a bit more depth.
The Lexus 500h F-Sport has a 2.4 L Turbo in-line 4-cylinder engine with Lexus hybrid electric drive, generating 366 bhp. Its valve system comprises a dual-cam, 16-valve architecture with continuously variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i). Fuel consumption ranges from 34 to 35.3 mpg.
lt accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in a neat 6.2 seconds. The transmission is an electronically controlled six-speed sequential-shift automatic, along with paddle shifters for manual control. It also comes with DIRECT4 all-wheel drive which you get with the F-Sport or the Takumi package.
Boot space is ample with 461 litres and it opens with a wave of, well, your boot under the car, hands-free.
By the way, the F in F Sport stands for flagship or Fuji Speedway, the test track for Lexus performance cars in Oyama, Japan. Just in case you were wondering.
The RX 500h F Sport has an eye-catching dark front grille, skirts, and aerodynamic bumpers, complemented by striking black door mirrors, bespoke front and rear bumper spoilers, dark chrome side window frame mouldings, and black roof rails. Lexus has its own quirky look, a mix of Japanese manga and Euro rally cars that really grows on me the more I drive them.
Included as standard on the RX 500h F SPORT are powerful 10-spoke 21” wheels in striking matt black, paired with matching front brake callipers featuring the white Lexus logo.
The interior is full on luxury, getting into the car and sitting down, I'm immediately impressed by how comfortable it is. Then I discovered a new feature: a button that instantly changes the panoramic roof window from opaque to transparent, and vice-versa. I've been dreaming about something like that since I was a kid. No more wrinkled cloth curtain shuddering its way across the roof. Just sky or no sky, instantly.
Plus, it's freezing outside, but the heated steering wheel and seats make me feel like I could work from the car all day. And the info screen – which I normally avoid writing about, is exceptional. The detail, the size, the clarity – it's all top-notch. Even my iPhone screen looks dull compared to the colours here.
The F SPORT console also showcases innovative 7” thin film transistor technology, reminiscent of the superb Lexus LFA supercar, with a tachometer needle and digital speed indicator akin to Lexus F marque cars.
Overall, the Lexus RX is just extraordinary – comfortable, luxurious, secure, and spacious. And the tech? It's all so simple to use. The heads-up display showing speed, map, and auto drive, along with the active cruise control and lane assist, make driving a breeze. And don't even get me started on how quickly the steering wheel and seats warm up – perfect for when it's -2 outside. As it was down at Newquay on the clifftop.
Lexus calls it "Omotenashi" named after a tea ceremony. Rooted in ancient Japanese philosophy, it's all about hospitality, about anticipating people's needs before they even know them. Step inside the RX's plush cabin, and you can feel it – that sense of being pampered and taken care of, meticulously crafted by the revered Lexus Takumi artisans.
The F-Sports comes with aluminium sports pedals, a perforated leather stick shift and steering wheel. Plus you get the exclusive F-Sport front seats, reminiscent of those found in the LC sports coupé, with contrast stitching overseen by Lexus 'Takumi' master craftspeople. Though Lexus' standard seats are pretty amazing already, but hey, this is one up.
And hallelujah, the back seats recline electrically, something we think should be standard but is still a rarity.
Performance is deeply satisfying, and the combination of speed and comfort is impressive. However, this did start an argument between two of us here at International Excellence Magazine.
I preferred the extra power in the Lexus RX500h and a much younger colleague strongly felt that the Lexus RX 450h Takumiprovided more luxurious comfort. Considering our ages I would have thought it would be the reverse. Horses for courses I guess. We both agreed that the combination of performance and luxury for the price made Lexus a winner in the "which car to buy next" stakes.
The 500h F Sport does not have an EV-only mode, so the electric motor is just used in conjunction with the combustion engine. It does have dynamic integrated management or VDIM, which improves performance, traction, stability, steering and driver input response with some extremely clever real-time software.
Most importantly it has dynamic rear steering. That's right, all four wheels turn so you can steer in and out at much greater speeds, knowing the Lexus will hold so much better. The turning circle is also improved at 5.5 metres rather than 5.9 in the Takumi.
As mentioned in our previous review of the Lexus 450h Takumi, the adaptive cruise control and lane assist are terrific, at stage two of autonomous driving. The Lexus RX will drive you at your chosen speed, steer, brake and accelerate for you. It can handle all but the most precipitous corners on a motorway, a useful companion on A roads, and still somewhat helpful on country roads. Particularly in the pouring rain at night, when it sees the white lines better than you do. An absolute game changer for long-distance driving and an enormous help in battling the ludicrous glare of oncoming LED lights.
Like the Takumi it also has advanced parking, with remote control and a pre-crash system which sets up the car to protect you when it senses things might be taking a bad turn (pun intended), though this baby does everything to compensate for poor driving.
There is also a drive monitor that will alert you if your hands leave the wheel or if you start to get drowsy, slowing or even braking if it detects you are no longer in control.
It is the fastest Lexus RX which means that for a lower price, you get more speed. O-62 mph in 6.2 seconds is both mathematically neat and enough to satisfy anyone's sports cravings on the road. You're never short of the pep required to overtake on the motorway and can slide into narrow gaps in lanes with sure-footed ease.
What I love about Toyota is they use Lexus as an excuse to invest in research and development, pushing the boundaries, knowing they'll make it back with their mass-market Toyotas. And Lexus isn't just a fancier version of Toyota; it's in a league of its own, kind of like the difference between Bentley and Audi.
The Lexus RX500h F Sport is a flawless, fast, family luxury SUV, seamlessly blending speed, performance, and style. Whether touring the open road or navigating city streets, the RX500h epitomises automotive excellence, with future-proof technology and handling way above its class. As with the Takumi, it is a delight to drive, eating up the miles with sensual ease. You arrive feeling more refreshed than you did on departure. That's high-end, first-class travel. Plus it does not hurt that it looks damn good pulling up outside a dramatic 5-star hotel as the storm clouds rumble over the cliffs.
Lexus RX 500h F-Sport on the road from £77,195.
