Considering Lexus is trying to transform its image from geriatric and bland to edgy and sporty, do you think that Lexus might release a more powerful engine option for the RX to provide some substance to the look? Or maybe even a F version? Even the new Pilot, which is a boat on wheels is faster.

 

Doubt it since this is a FWD platform...so there isn't much about power they can do. Also, high performance isn't the purpose of the RX...it's a large comfort cruiser.

 

Unless toyota has some turbo 3 liter in skunkworks to match the output of a V8, no way are they gonna squeeze a v8 into this platform

 

The hybrid will be your best bet for better performance. Reviews state that the electric motor has more torque and faster get-off.

 

Lexus has increased power on the RX. The 1RX is 220 HP. It's now up 295 HP on the 350 and the 450h is 308 HP. Pretty respectable numbers. And we're talking about an LUV, not a sports car. Have you driven the 4RX?

 

I'll most likely swap out the current air intake with a K&N one eventually for some added HP. But it's not that bad.

Try driving an NX baby.

 

According to Lexus website, the hybrid has the same 0-60 as the regular RX. I get that performance is not the goal of the RX, but neither is it the goal of any other vehicle in this class and yet the RX is the slowest. The MDX, X5, Q5 (just to name a few) are all considerably quicker LUV's. Even their non-luxury counterparts are quicker. Does it really make sense to not release a faster version especially when Lexus is trying to rebrand itself? All looks and no substance.

 

Why? Thats like saying if I buy a shiny chrome fake air slits they sell at AZ, I will gain 400whp.

The most you will gain, is a trouble code when the MAF decides to ingest dirt or worse oil from that badly overoiled KN filter. And yes some people are really good at dropping in a KN properly but most just fail hard, and then complain about poor quality MAF lol

Intake modification is a terrible idea. The stock airbox is perfect as is.

NX is an interesting vehicle. The weights down, but the turbo tune is way too safe. When I test drovet the NX, at low rpm the car really felt overworked under powered. In manual mode, with the revs pegged high, it felt strong but who wants to drive you DD at redline to achieve max boost.

RX had the sense of power from the get, and felt like it had more.

Comparatively to the german offerings Q7 and X5, the RX is a puppy. Those things haul azz especially with their boost pressure coming at 1.5k. Plus they cost a hell of a alot more

Base engine on the X5 N55i is 305 but thats usually understated on purpose

IMO the RX is ok for most people. For those who need a bigger engine, the H will do i guess (Although you wont go any faster, it sure does feel faster with the electric motors).

 

I agree - it should feel faster because of the innate characteristics of the DC motors. From a stopped state, as soon as one presses the gas pedal you're getting maximum torque. Graph - thanks to mit.edu

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree with everyone here in that the RX is a good car and serves its purpose well. Personally I wished Lexus offered a faster option, which is something I would be willing to pay the premium for. I was just wondering what everyone else's thoughts on this were.

 

It's not what the RX is targeted toward. Actually, it's not what any of Lexus' offerings is geared toward. Even the IS-F, GS-F, and RC-F are all fairly slow compared to the other market offerings. Lexus offers a quality ride and reliability, not a powerful vehicle.
Considering, as someone said, the FWD platform, it's not going to greatly benefit from added power. And how much power are we talking? Increasing power means having to strengthen the chassis, transmission, axles, differential, etc. This adds weight, cost, and reduces fuel efficiency. Then you have to contend with a FWD chassis, which inherently possess torque steer, and give it a refined feel and prevent it from spinning the wheels more. Even if you limit it to the AWD chassis, you still have to strengthen all the previously-mentioned components, but that still makes it more liable to break something.
You could always jump ship to a Jeep SRT8, which offers a 6.4L V8 and 4wd, or the twin turbo X5 xdrive50i.

I think Lexus is doing what they do best: offering reliable luxury cars at a fairly decent price. It's quick enough, and I have modified my fair share of cars that would put even the LFA to shame in terms of acceleration.

 

The 4th gen RX has a lot more guts than previous generations, especially when dialed up to the Sport and Sport+ mode. Personally, I think it's a very satisfying ride and adequate, if not awesome, power and torque. There's enough power when you need it, in my opinion; it doesn't feel like a gutless luxury SUV.

Now, my last two SUVs were an Infinity FX50S (5L) and a Mercedes ML63 AMG (6.3L). Both those cars had way more torque and horsepower than useful for their stock tires could handle. And guess what? Neither drove anything like a sports car half the price. Other than towing, you can't really do anything useful with all those horses. Sure, your 0-60 drops from 6+ to 4-5-ish, but who drag races a luxury SUV... or any SUV? It's not at all nimble, you're too high up, the tires are too skinny, the vehicle is too heavy, and.. and.. and...

With the RX, you get an engine that's way quieter, uses a lot less gas, and I think, partly because the engine is physically smaller, you have more room in the cabin and trunk. Personally, even though my last 2 SUVs were a lot of fun, I would never go back to a big-engine luxury SUV. The ride is much nicer, there's no appreciable disadvantage while driving or as the passenger, and the fuel efficiency is a really nice plus.

 

interesting. good to know!

 

You can always cough up a little more money and get a Grand Cherokee with a 707 HP Hellcat motor in it

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/707-ho...-fo-1752509004