From a legendary lineup of luxury automobiles, we shift past the sedans and cruise by the convertibles to find the best sport utility vehicles available.
Lexus has been in the business of making luxury automobiles for decades. The brand comes as part of Toyota’s subsidiary that manufactures high-end cars for consumers all across the globe. The inception of Lexus came to be when Toyota decided to market themselves to wealthy and influential consumers who had a few bucks to spare. Capitalizing on the splurge led to Lexus, a name that would become synonymous with words like luxury, reliability, and comfort.
Our topic of discussion, however, narrows down to Lexus’ SUVs, more specifically, the best ones they’ve made. Some of which have been favorites among the auto enthusiast community thanks to their reassuring traits and unquestionable reliability. Before we shed more light on that, here’s a brief about Lexus’ entire lineup of SUVs and Crossovers that they currently sell.
Lexus UX
The UX line is the entry-level Lexus SUV. Because of how SUVs have stormed the market, Lexus decided to join the bandwagon with their take on a sub-compact sport utility vehicle. The moniker stands for Utility Explorer, and Lexus says it is one of the more luxurious of the available sub-compact offerings.
Being fairly new to the market, the UX was launched as a 2019 model year and has since seen great improvements in terms of sales and general market reception. The UX lineup consists of the UX 200, UX 250h, and the UX 300e. A comfortable companion for a city commute, the UX, however, is not the best when it comes to rear occupant space or cargo volume.
The layout is fairly rudimentary with a front-engined, front-wheel-drive setup for the base variants, while the higher trim levels offer the option of four-wheel-drive. The UX 300e is a motor-driven layout sending power to the front wheels only. Engine options for the UX lineup start with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four in the UX 200, putting out 168 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque.
The most common model, however, is the UX 250h with the same 2.0-liter unit but with hybrid assistance via an 80 kW electric motor powered by a 24-kilowatt nickel-metal hydride battery; power figures see a bump to 181 horsepower in this setup. The UX 300e, although not sold in the U.S., is a pure electric version that houses a 201 horsepower (150 kW motor) unit with power supplied via a 53.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Prices for the 2021 UX 200 starts from $32,900 while the 2021 UX 250 has a retail price of $35,100.
Lexus NX
The Lexus NX saw its inception in 2015 as a compact luxury crossover that currently slots between the UX and the midsize RX SUV. Based loosely on the Toyota RAV4, the Lexus NX comes in two variants for the United States; NX 300 and NX 300h.
However, there is an NX 200 as well, but it seems Lexus has reserved it exclusively for the Russian market. The Lexus NX 300 has quite the reputation of becoming one of the best compact crossovers currently on sale. Some of the used examples have been quite solid in terms of values and residuals. The demand for the SUV is largely due to the NX being a sensible prospect. The Lexus NX 300h is among the most spacious and technologically advanced crossovers in its class. That said, compromised luggage space and controversial styling could be a deal-breaker to some.
Available powertrain choices are fairly limited for the U.S. market. The available engine options include a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four (NX 300) and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with hybrid assistance (NX 300h) from two electric motors rated at 105 kW and 50 kW for the front and rear respectively.
Power figures are rather impressive with the NX 300 putting out 235 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque whereas the NX 300h makes do with 194 horsepower whilst pushing similar torque. Transmission is a rather slouchy six-speed automatic for the NX 300 while the NX 300h gets a CVT. Efficiency figures for the NX 300h are rather impressive at an EPA-rated 31 mpgs combined, while the range sits at a modest 458 miles. Prices for the 2021 Lexus NX 300 starts from $37,510 whereas the 2021 Lexus NX 300h hybrid gets a $40,060 MSRP.
Lexus RX
The RX is a midsize offering from Lexus and is one of the oldest nameplates in the company’s history. Introduced in 1998, the RX saw its early stages as a compact offering whilst gradually growing in dimensions as years went by.
Currently running its fourth generation, the Lexus RX has been quite popular thanks to its well-crafted interiors and modest performance figures. Currently, Lexus brands the RX under two nameplates; an RX 350 and an RX 450 along with their respective L versions. The third-generation Lexus RX (2010-2015) was a particular favorite in regards to reliability, comfort, and overall ownership experience.
Though the RX has seen a plethora of engines powering it, much of them have been dropped and the 2021 lineup is limited to a 2.0-liter inline 4 in the RX 300 (not sold in the U.S.) and a 3.5-liter V6 with and without hybrid assistance depending on the model. The RX 350 makes a total of 295 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque.
On the other hand, the larger RX 450h with a hybrid-assisted 3.5-liter V6 puts out a combined 308 horsepower and 247 lb.-ft. of torque. While the RX 350 makes do with an eight-speed automatic, the RX 450h gets an eCVT. The difference between RX 350 and RX 350L is merely the addition of third-row seats, apart from that, they remain identical; the same goes for the RX 450h and RX 450hL.
Prices for the 2021 RX 350 starts at $45,170 while the RX 450h retails at $47,820.and the L versions cost $48,000 and $51,210 respectively.
Lexus GX
We’ve reached the big leagues now. The GX lineup saw production since 2002 and is currently running its second generation. The Lexus GX shares its platform with the Land Cruiser Prado, a model that’s currently unavailable in the North American market.
Famed for its off-road abilities, this full-size SUV is the go-anywhere type for the adventurous ones. Though its off-road abilities remain one of the best in the industry, Lexus hasn’t shied away from giving it luxurious interiors.
The GX lineup for 2021 is currently limited to just the GX 460 in North America and quite frankly, at its $53,100 price tag, there are several better options. For one, the GX 460 is running the same platform since 2009.
Although it’s still a very capable SUV, we recommend looking at a decently equipped BMW X5 or Mercedes GLE. The only available powertrain is an aging 4.6-liter V8 putting out a modest 301 horsepower and 329 lb.-ft. of torque via a clunky six-speed automatic driving all four wheels.
Lexus LX
Here we are at Lexus’ flagship SUV, the LX. This full-size luxury sport utility vehicle is based on the titan of reliability, the Land Cruiser. Although much of the internals remain relatively unchanged, Lexus has made sure to give the LX a unique distinction from its Toyota sibling. The Lexus LX has been in production since 1995 and is currently in its third generation, albeit with a ton of facelifts in between.
Bear in mind, the LX is built on a platform developed back in 2007. To continue milking it to this day and age of sophisticated crash ratings and safety concerns shows how capable and how well sought-after it is.
The Lexus LX lineup for 2021 consists of just the LX 570 however, the 2006 LX 470 remains one of the great flagship SUVs from the brand. The current-gen LX 570 is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 putting out 383 horsepower and 403 lb.-ft. of torque.
The power is transmitted to all four wheels via an advanced eight-speed automatic gearbox. Prices for the 2021 Lexus LX 570 start from $86,000, however, it is easy to spec one well past the $100,000 mark, making it the most expensive Lexus SUV currently on sale.
Best Lexus SUVs
We’ve narrowed down the best Lexus SUVs you can buy into three. Of these Lexus SUVs, a couple of them belong to the used market and although a bit old, they still command a decent premium in the used market. Without further pause then, here are the Best Lexus SUVs categorized based on budget.
2009 Lexus LX 570
The Lexus LX 570 is the ultimate generation of the Lexus LX lineup. Known for its bullet-proof reliability and supreme comfort and convenience feature, the 2009 Lexus LX is one of the best Lexus SUVs.
If you’re in the market looking for one, we’d suggest going for the 2009 LX 570. You can easily pick up a well-maintained example for less than $25,000, which considering how well they’re rated in terms of reliability, is a steal.
For reference, the 2009 Lexus LX 570 achieved a rating of 8.15 out of 10 with a reliability score of 4.7 out of five.
2008 Lexus GX 470
The Lexus GX 470 is yet another example of Lexus’ brilliant ingenuity and engineering prowess. The 2008 Lexus GX 470 is regarded as one of the most reliable full-size SUVs in the market. For reference, the 2008 Lexus GX 470 achieved a rating of 8.5 out of 10 with a reliability score of five out of five making it one of the best Lexus SUVs of all time. The used car market is filled with tons of GX 470s for sale and scrounging for a well-maintained example could take time.
However, considering the bargain on offer, we’d recommend you take your time. A decent example of a 2009 Lexus GX 470 will set you back $15,000 or thereabouts.
2019 Lexus NX 300h
This fairly new entrant has turned out to be a well sought-after package from Lexus. The 2019 Lexus NX 300h with its potent engine and a rather frugal drivetrain comes along as one of the best new Lexus SUVs you can buy. Demand for the NX is quite high as it remains largely devoid of consumer complaints and any fatal reliability concerns.
Buyers looking to purchase a 2019 Lexus NX 300h or any of the later model years needn’t worry for it remains one of the best from the land of the rising sun.
Photos: Lexus
