Features

While the RX 450h is reasonably priced to start at $42,110, adding options quickly ratchets up the sticker price. Items you might find standard on other cars in this class, like those heated and cooled seats, are an additional $640 (or $825 in a package along with rain-sensing wipers). To get a power moonroof, you need to add a $2,400 Premium Package, which also adds heated outside mirrors, a power hatch, a USB adapter, and memory settings for the driver's seat and steering wheel. Add in my test vehicle's navigation system ($2,465), a surround-sound audio system ($1,610), and LED headlights ($1,825), and the sticker was $52,110.

As a music fan who took the RX on a long commute, I was not impressed by the audio system. The sound was crisp, but it had no low end or midrange; it made even the most laid-back rock 'n' roll sound shrill. The navigation and entertainment settings, accessed using Remote Touch, were a pain to use.

    See also:

    Remote Touch
    Integral to the Lexus Navigation System, Remote Touch is an innovative multi-function device offering simple, intuitive control over the Lexus CT 200h's audio, navigation, climate, phone and vehic ...

    Tires
    Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance schedules and treadwear. Checking tires 1. New tread. 2. Treadwear indicator. 3. Worn tread. The location of treadwear indicators is sho ...

    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 t ...