2023 Lexus RX spied testing

The next Lexus RX has been snapped on Japanese roads, with sportier NX-inspired styling – and the rumoured availability of three hybrid variants.

What appears to be the next-generation 2023 Lexus RX large luxury SUV has been snapped on the road, ahead of an expected reveal due within the coming months.

Filmed on Japanese roads by Oriba Car Channel, the new RX – the first new model in seven years – gains a new look in line with the smaller mid-size NX SUV, with sharp LED headlights and tail-lights, a tall Lexus ‘spindle’ grille up to the leading edge of the bonnet, and smooth surfacing.

While finer styling details remain obscured by camouflage, the prototype spied is in line with a vehicle seen in the back of a teaser image late last year, with dimensions larger than those of the NX parked next to it, and a version of the current RX’s recognisable rear pillar design. The car teased rides on a similar set of circa-20-inch wheels to the car spied in Japan.

The new RX’s interior can’t be seen in the spy video, however it’s likely a setup similar to the new NX will feature, with a 14-inch central touchscreen running up-to-date software, and a 8.0-inch display in front of the driver.

Under the skin, the fifth-generation RX is all but confirmed to migrate to the Toyota group’s latest ‘TNGA-K’ platform, shared with everything from the Toyota RAV4 and Lexus NX, to the current Toyota Kluger.

Japanese magazine Mag-X (via Creative Trend) reported earlier this year the next Lexus RX will offer buyers a choice of four powertrain option, including three hybrids.

It remains to be seen whether a new seven-seat RX L will be offered, or if a rumoured Kluger-based, three-row Lexus TX SUV takes its place.

Above: Lexus RX teaser image.

The base variant is said to be the RX350, powered by the same 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as the NX350, in doing so bidding farewell to the current RX350’s 221kW/370Nm petrol V6. Outputs in the NX350 are rated at 205kW and 430Nm, driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The entry-level hybrid – badged RX350h – will reportedly also draw close links to the NX350h, in which a 2.5-litre petrol engine mates with electric motors for outputs of 179kW.

Today’s 230kW V6 RX450h hybrid variant is tipped to be replaced by a new RX500h model, pairing the 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder with an electric motor. Power and torque outputs for this system aren’t listed.

Sitting atop the range is rumoured to be the RX450h+ plug-in hybrid, pairing a 2.5-litre petrol engine with more potent electric motors and a larger lithium-ion battery pack. In the NX450h+, this system is good for 227kW, and about 80km of claimed driving range.

All rumours point to a reveal of the 2023 Lexus RX in the coming months, ahead of Japanese and US launches tipped to occur in the second half of 2022.

Australian timing is yet to be confirmed, however if this timeline holds true, the first cars could arrive in local showrooms as soon as the end of this year.

The Lexus RX is the company’s second best-selling model ever sold in Australia, with 41,095 examples reported as sold between 2003 and the end of 2021 – though with the first-placed IS sedan no longer on sale, the RX should overtake it in 2024 or 2025, based on current sales trends.

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