Exterior

The new RX is clearly an evolution of the past generation's design, not a groundbreaking new look. That's OK, because the previous generation is the benchmark for the class; competing automakers tell us that directly, which is a compliment. The previous RX sold extremely well, and the new one is also selling well. That's why the new design, while slightly more aggressive up front, remains nondescript everywhere else, which shouldn't turn off any buyers.

The biggest change comes to the grille, which has an interesting vertical swoop at the bottom and, as far as I could tell, was actually made of metal — a rarity in today's plastic, fake-chrome world.

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    Interior
    The level of luxury inside is pretty high. I found it to be nearly as rich as the larger, more expensive LX. Standout treatments included a leather-wrapped steering wheel and dash, with stitching ...

    Coat hooks
    To use the coat hook, push it in. CAUTION: Items that must not be hung on the hook Do not hang a coat hanger or other hard or sharp object on the hook. If the SRS curtain shield airbags deploy, ...

    Safety/Security Features
    A reinforced passenger compartment helps protect the occupants with front- and rear-crush structures. Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters are used for the front and outboard rear seats. In a ...