Lexus RX 2022 review: 350 F Sport

It’s a sizeable car, and sticks out when parked at the local Woolies car park.

It’s very Japanese looking with curved angles, a narrow nose and large grille in black, which is a point of difference to the squarer European cars on offer in this category.

The design of Lexus looks… fast. Like it’s a little more aerodynamic, which is good for such a large SUV. 

It’s very Japanese looking with curved angles, a narrow nose and large grille in black.

Inside feels great to sit in, and so it should at this price. There are leather seats which feel luxe and a leather steering wheel.

This model has seriously cool aluminium accents on the steering wheel, centre console and pedals, befitting its F Sport name. The whole effect is that of a luxury sports car with an SUV body.

The design of Lexus looks… fast.

It’s keyless entry, which I appreciate, so the car unlocks as you approach the door, rather than you having to tug on the handle twice like some cars.

The park brake turns on and off automatically. There is a power tailgate. The front seats are power operated and you can set your seat positions. They’re also heated and cooling. 

For storage there are two cupholders in the front, a spot for keys and a phone that’s also a wireless charger, a large centre storage bin and bottle holders in each door.

There are plenty of storage options for both front and rear passengers.

There’s also a handy phone storage slot, which is the perfect size to hold your phone safely in place while driving. 

Rear passengers get two cupholders in the centre armrest, directional air vents and bottle holders in each door. 

It’s a good height off the ground to climb into and everything is within reaching distance once you’re in the driver’s seat. 

The RX 350 F Sport has a 3.5L V6 engine which means it has enough power to carry around such a large car effortlessly, and makes it feel almost nimble.

It’s quick off the mark for such a sizeable vehicle, too, and handles very nicely around corners. 

If you’re after a hybrid, there’s the petrol-electric RX 450h. 

The RX 350 F Sport has a 3.5L V6 engine which means it has enough power to carry around such a large car effortlessly.

This model feels very smooth to drive. It’s quiet, even though it’s a V6, and builds up speed quickly. You’ll be confident overtaking on highways, and it zooms up hills well. 

It’s quite long to park, so be warned you’ll need larger spaces, but there is a good reverse parking camera and 360-degree camera to help, and the steering wheel turns nice and easily. 

The Lexus RX 350 is fully kitted out with advanced safety including auto emergency braking (with day/night pedestrian detection and daytime cyclist detection), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane trace assist (like lane keep assist that aims to keep you centred in your lane).

The Lexus RX 350 is fully kitted out with advanced safety.

There are airbags for driver and front passenger and side curtain airbags that extend to the back row, plus side airbags for front and back rows, which I appreciate having family members in the back. 

It has two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points to fit kids car seats in safely, and scored a maximum five ANCAP stars when it was tested in 2015.

The Lexus RX 350 F Sport costs $93,970, before on road costs and extras.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 9.6L/100km and I averaged 10.3L/100km driving mostly in suburbia with a few highways thrown in. You’ll need 95 RON premium petrol across the RX range. 

The Lexus RX 350 F Sport costs $93,970, before on road costs and extras.

It’s covered by Lexus’ four-year/100,000km warranty, which isn’t amazing, but better than the three years offered by many European competitors.

Servicing is required every 12 months/15,000km. Capped price servicing is offered at $595 annually for the first three years.