Words by: Adam Allen
Elation. Relief. Unbridled Joy.
These are but a few of the unfiltered emotions felt by the likes of Rory MacIlroy, Ray Bourque and Dale Earnhardt during pivotal moments in their respective careers. Rory finally stepped into his green jacket after years of coming up short at The Masters, Ray Bourque got to hoist the Stanely Cup for the first time while in the cusp of retirement and Dale Sr. finally took home the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 after so many years of coming up short. Many of us, including these illustrious sporting figures have all felt the immense delight of the oppressive weight of expectation finally being lifted off shoulders at the altar of success. Perhaps no one’s felt the visceral rawness of those spirit soaring emotions more than the staff at Lexus dealerships across the country.
For so long, Lexus sales folk had to glumly watch as shoppers seeking a three row Luxury SUV from a tried-and-true brand would leave the premises take their business elsewhere. It’s not that Lexus staff can’t sell cars or that the coffee served in the lounge isn’t excellent (it is) but because they simply had nothing to offer. Not anymore.
Toyota’s gestation of the Grand Highlander- a truly excellent vehicle we loved when we flogged it last March- serves as the basis for the Lexus family hauler. The bones are compelling- huge amounts of space, excellent build quality and refinement and a choice of powertrains that includes a plug-in hybrid. Take that proven recipe and add the necessary froufrou needed to wear the coveted Lexus badge and you’re in business, bub.
And so it was with expectant excitement that we asked Lexus Canada for the keys to their lineup’s big rig to see how it’d fare on a golf trip to eastern Ontario with the guys for a few rounds plus assorted shenanigans. After the trip wrapped up, we came to a few conclusions, the most obvious being that the TX follows the excellence set forth by the Grand Highlander, and that no SUV, Lexus or otherwise, can improve a golfer’s showing on the scorecard, nor can it alleviate the crushing unpleasantness of a viscous hangover.
The first thing you notice about the Lexus TX is its styling. Out front, the aesthetic is dominated by the now familiar spindle grille that incorporates body-coloured horizontal slats. Out back and from the side, it looks very similar to the Grand Highlander on which it’s based, and that boxy look translates into heaps of interior space for passengers and their respective gear, a boon when you need to shlep 5 golf bags and luggage. We noticed a bit of a conundrum, and that is that while the TX’s environs are indeed superior to what you’ll find in the Toyota version, it just doesn’t have that unimpeachable devotion to quality and materials that you’ll find in say, an LC500. There is definitely a noticeable hush that falls over the proceedings while driving; this is a car that feels purpose built for road trips in comfort. The only thing that really irked us was the infernal electronically actuated door handles/button things. We grew tired of reaching across the front seat passengers to show them how to get out after the 5th time- after the 15th, we grew intensely frustrated. Seriously Lexus…why?!?
At least the incredibly contoured seats and pin sharp Mark Levison sound system do a lot to elevate things. The infotainment is relatively easy to master in short period of time, but there are some miscues, like burying the drive modes in layers when most have a dedicated switch on the console.
We played around with the available modes that run the gamut from Eco to Sport but ultimately kept it in Normal mode for what felt like the best balance. Look, we can tell you with 100% certainty that owners aren’t gonna be auto crossing this thing, nor are they racing for pinks down at the local drag strip. Despite a life destined to not experiment in those contexts, handling is good enough to have some fun and hustle the TX in enthusiasm here and there. Similarly, the 2.4 turbocharged four banger has the right amount of power to pass and merge smartly while being able to return decent fuel mileage on long highway slogs. The ride quality has to be the TX’s most exemplary trait- it smothers the nastiest bumps and impacts with precision and glides along even the most gnarled tarmac. The brakes didn’t fare as well- they were underwhelming and lacked good pedal feel. You learn to adjust to that behavior and then you don’t think much about it, a similar path we’d guess most owners will follow.
Those owners will also appreciate Lexus’s dedication to safety, a very important talking point in this segment where most passengers are of the kiddo variety. Toyota’s comprehensive suite of Safety Sense Technology transfers over nicely to the TX and we found that they (emergency braking, lane keeping, cross traffic alerts) worked quite well. Well, everything except the omnipresent driver attention monitor who’d admonish us if our eyes so much flicked over to take in road side attraction for a second or two. All these technologies, like ‘em or lump ‘em, serve as a way to let you concentrate more on enjoying the surroundings you’ve paid for in your top of the heap non-hybrid TX. That means basking in the lap of luxury with stuff like a heads-up display, triple zone climate control, heated and ventilated seats in the first two rows and the aforementioned Mark Levinson on-board boom box (a boom box with 21 speakers, but we digress.) Suffice it to say, there’s lots to like about driving Lexus’ take on a 3-row luxury SUV- just ask a Lexus salesperson if they would agree.
Better late than never, as the saying goes. It might have taken a while to go from barroom napkin brainstorm to SUV you can buy, but we think it was worth it. Were we in the market for a cavernous 3-row SUV with all the trappings of luxury, the TX would be high on our list. The Lexus RX began the era of luxury leaning crossovers back in 1998, and while the TX isn’t an innovator like its stablemate, we can easily foresee the TX rising to the top of its segment in short order.
2025 Lexus TX 350 F Sport - Specifications
- Price as tested: $84,132
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/all-wheel drive
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Engine: 2.4 litre turbocharged inline-4, DOHC, 16 valves
- Horsepower: 275 @ 6,000 rpm
- Torque (lbs-ft.): 317 @ 1,700 rpm
- Curb weight: 2,322 kg (5,119 lbs)
- Observed Fuel Consumption: 10.7L/100km (22 mpg)