RX HITS THE SPOT (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 143

History has not been kind to the Lexus RX300. For precisely one month it was top of the tree, THE luxury 4x4 to have if on-road styling was more important than getting down and dirty in a slurry pit. Then BMW's X5 arrived and the Lexus has been a car that rarely gets a mention. What often gets forgotten is that X5 notwithstanding, the RX300 didn't become a bad car overnight, indeed Lexus seem incapable of turning out such a thing. What the X5 did was render the RX300 obsolete. The goalposts moved, the rules changed, call it what you will, but suddenly Lexus found itself playing in the B team. Used prices reflect this, and if you're not prepared to fork out serious money that used X5s, late Mercedes MLs and Range Rovers fetch, the RX300 is the best bet by far.

Modelsword count: 8

Models Covered: 3.0 6cy 4x4 [standard, SE, SE-L]

Historyword count: 165

Arriving here in October 2000, the Lexus RX300 was something of an instant hit, snapped up by those who'd waited a long time for a luxury 4x4 with a healthy dose of pragmatism. Here was a vehicle that recognised that buyers in this market generally didn't care a fig how accomplished their vehicle was off road as long as it was big, well equipped, looked the part and was smoother than butter when on the blacktop. The RX300 satisfied those requirements to a T and looked set for big things until BMW revealed another level of all-round competence with the X5. In truth the RX300 wasn't state of the art when it was first launched, having been around since 1997 as the Toyota Harrier in Japan. If Toyota had spotted the opportunity earlier, they could have made some serious money in the UK with the Harrier/RX300. In 2003 the RX300 was relaunched with sleeker lines, more space, a more powerful engine and better safety features.

What You Getword count: 273

Not that the sleek shape is unappealing - or particularly slab-sided. In fact, it gives the car a rather dynamic, futuristic look that appears a little smaller than the class norm. Despite this, the plush cabin is pretty spacious, with plenty of room for two adults to spread out in the back on rear seats that can be slid back and forth to improve either legroom or the space on offer from the large boot. At the wheel, the driving position is peerless, spoiled only by the great three-spoke sports steering wheel's lack of reach adjustment. Not everyone will like the centre console-mounted auto shift lever (there's no manual option of course) but it frees up enough floor space for front passengers to walk through to the rear, should they need to separate warring back seat occupants. You also get a full house stereo system, a trip computer, electric everything and those wonderful instruments that light up when you twist the key in the ignition. Only the shiny 'wood' detracts from the cabin's quality feel. You can understand why the RX300 has been such a hit across the Atlantic in the market it was obviously designed for. It delivers, quite simply, what the shape and the badge promise: a Lexus luxury experience for those who want occasionally to venture slightly off the beaten track and need a more versatile alternative to a smart saloon. To criticise it for not handling like a fast four-door or not being able to chase buffalo across the Serengeti is to miss the point. You don't usually buy a car like this to do either of those things.

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