2025 Lexus RX 500h Disappoints in New Mid-Size Luxury SUV Comparison
Though it’s a well-rounded machine, the 2025 Lexus RX500h didn’t quite manage to best some of its newer competition.
The Lexus RX has been a stalwart among luxurious mid-size SUVs for a long time now, having debuted way back in the 1998 model year and proceeding to top its segment in terms of sales on many occasions. The fifth-generation RX just debuted back in the 2023 model year, bearing a host of updates in every department, and those have resonated with shoppers thus far. However, it also faces its fair share of ever-increasing competition in that heated space, which continues to grow with every passing year. Turns out, the 2025 Lexus RX 500h, specifically, didn’t fare so well against some of those rivals in a recent comparison test.
This test was conducted by MotorTrend recently between the 2025 Lexus RX 500h, the Lincoln Nautilus hybrid, Acura MDX Type S, and Genesis GV80, each of which is relatively new in the luxury mid-size crossover/SUV segment. Each also carries a similar sticker price of between $75,000 and $83,000, but the redesigned-for-2024 Nautilus came in with a bit of a favorite tag after having secured 2025 SUV of the Year honors from MT recently.
In this particular test, the main focus pertained to which of these models offers the most luxurious experience, which is what MT assumes most shoppers are looking for. In that regard, the Nautilus and GV80 delivered the fanciest cabins and the most impressive tech, while the MDX and Lexus RX 500h “take a more understated route to luxury,” according to MT. Its “14-inch touchscreen looks sharp and offers quick reactions,” and its “user interface is cleaner and easier to use than the brand’s previous systems,” but the “materials feel less opulent, and their overall designs don’t have the same aspirational flair of the other two SUVs.”
In terms of the driving experience, the 2025 Lexus RX 500h is more geared toward the “traditional sense of grunt and growl underfoot,” according to MT, aimed at “those who like sportier suspensions and more urgency in response to inputs,” while the Lincoln and Genesis focus more on comfort. The RX performed well overall, offering up “a balanced blend of power and refinement,” but MT noted that “the steering feels a bit disconnected.”
Ultimately, MotorTrend gave the 2025 Lexus RX 500h a third-place ranking in this comparison (topped by the Nautilus), calling it a well-rounded and solid choice, albeit one that “still somehow feels like an older, out-of-date definition of luxury.” However, it was also the most affordable in this group, “making it a great value for those laser-focused on a refined vehicle with some hybrid benefits.”
Photos: Lexus
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