Lexus RX350h First Drive Review: Japan's Quiet Masterpiece in a World of German Noise
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| image credits:carwale |
In the mid-size luxury SUV segment in India, the script rarely changes. German cars dominate the conversation, the sales charts, and the aspirations of buyers spending ₹75 lakh and above. BMW X5. Mercedes-Benz GLE. Audi Q7. These names carry three decades of brand equity in this space, and unseating them requires something genuinely different — not just a car with a compelling spec sheet, but one that makes a persuasive argument for a different kind of luxury entirely.
The Lexus RX350h makes exactly that argument. It doesn't compete on outright performance, turbocharged brawn, or configurable air-suspension theatrics. Instead, it bets everything on refinement, reliability, and the increasingly rare experience of a luxury car that simply doesn't drain you — not your wallet on fuel, not your patience with unreliable electronics, and not your energy on roads that feel like they're trying to shake you apart.
After a full day behind the wheel, the verdict is clear: the RX350h is one of the most effortlessly composed luxury SUVs on sale in India today. It's not perfect. But it makes the case for Japanese luxury with a clarity and confidence this segment hasn't seen from Lexus in years.
Design: Bold Meets Restrained — And It Works
Park the RX350h anywhere in India and it draws attention without trying. The fifth-generation design is striking — especially in the new Sonic Copper metallic finish or the commanding Caviar black — but it achieves impact through proportion and precision rather than chrome excess or oversized grille theatre.
The front is dominated by Lexus's evolved spindle grille — wider, more assertive, and more cohesive with the slim blade-type LED headlamps flanking it. The low bonnet line and sweeping roofline give the profile a coupe-like tension that most three-box luxury SUVs cannot match. On the side, the flared wheel arches and standard 21-inch alloy wheels lend it a purposeful, planted stance. The arrow-like roofline tapers neatly into a clean, flush tailgate — completing a silhouette that photographs beautifully and reads well in traffic.
The touch-free electronic door handles are the most polarising design choice. Rather than a conventional pull handle, Lexus uses flush sensor pads that detect your hand and release the door electronically. The concept is elegant. The execution falls short — there's a momentary pause between hand placement and door release that consistently catches first-time users off guard. After a day of use, the adaptation happens; but across five passengers in our test, initial reactions ranged from mildly irritated to confused. Lexus should either make this system instantaneous or return to conventional handles that communicate with the intuitive clarity luxury buyers expect.
Body colour choices for India: Sonic Copper, Sonic Iridium, Cloudburst Grey, Eminent White Pearl, Obsidian, Caviar, and Fireside. Three interior colour schemes are available — Flaxen, Black, and the new Dark Sepia — each paired with quality soft-touch materials that reinforce the cabin's premium identity from the first touch.
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| image credits:carwale |
Interior: Where Japanese Minimalism Meets Genuine Luxury
Step inside and the cabin is one of the most well-resolved in this class. The Tazuna philosophy — drawn from the Japanese art of controlling a horse with reins — governs every interior decision. Everything a driver needs is within intuitive reach, positioned to minimise distraction and maximise focus on driving.
The 15-inch touchscreen infotainment display, angled toward the driver, is crisp, visually sharp, and beautifully rendered in its graphics and transitions. In terms of usability, however, it reveals the Lexus software team's most persistent blind spot: far too many functions are buried behind multiple menus, and navigating to basic settings while moving requires extended eyes-off-road time that is unacceptable at this price. Wireless Apple CarPlay is present; wireless Android Auto is not — a genuine miss three years into this generation's production life that no amount of visual polish can justify.
What the interior does exceptionally well is everything tactile: the quality of leather on seats and door cards, the damped precision of every switch and button, the craftsmanship visible in panel gaps and stitching. The Lexus Premium 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system — on the Luxury trim — is one of the finest audio experiences in any SUV at this price point in India. The staging, imaging, and bass response make extended listening a genuine pleasure rather than background furniture.
Front seat comfort is strong — well-bolstered and ergonomically considered. Some will find the standard cushions slightly firm beyond two hours; the Luxury variant's upgraded seat specification addresses this. Rear seat space is genuinely impressive — elevated seat height delivers good thigh support, cushions are plush, and under-seat foot space is generous. Rear passengers on our drive were consistently comfortable across both city and 90-minute expressway stints.
Boot space at approximately 461 litres is adequate for four passengers with full luggage, though the narrow loading lip requires some careful reorganising for larger bags.
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| image credits:carwale |
The Hybrid Powertrain: Smooth, Efficient, and Honest
The RX350h's powertrain is its most compelling chapter. A 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine pairs with two electric motors — one on each axle — delivering a combined system output of 247 horsepower (246 bhp). The rear motor simultaneously provides the car's E-Four AWD system, distributing torque electronically front-to-rear with no mechanical driveshaft. The e-CVT transmission completes a package built around seamlessness rather than drama.
Off the line, the RX350h launches in pure electric mode — silently and immediately. In city stop-go traffic, this electric-first behaviour is the powertrain's most appreciated daily quality. The cabin stays whisper-quiet, throttle response is instantaneous, and regenerative braking in heavy traffic feeds the fuel efficiency equation directly. A dedicated EV mode button allows pure electric driving up to 50 km/h — genuinely useful for neighbourhood errands, underground parking, and hospital zones.
At higher speeds, the petrol engine engages smoothly. The transition between electric-only and hybrid operation is among the most seamless in any non-plug-in hybrid currently on sale. Republic World's 900 km independent test returned a real-world efficiency of 19.45 km/l — a figure that fundamentally reframes the running costs conversation against every German rival at this price.
The CVT's characteristic rubber-band effect is present under hard acceleration — rpm builds before vehicle speed responds. For relaxed daily driving and highway cruising, it is a non-issue. For urgent overtaking at high speed, it requires anticipatory throttle input rather than a last-moment prod.
Drive Modes
| Mode | Character | Electric Usage | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eco | Dulled throttle, maximum efficiency | Prioritised | City commutes, heavy traffic |
| Normal | Balanced and smooth | Standard | All-day mixed driving |
| Sport | Sharpened response, lower regen | Reduced | Highways, expressway runs |
| EV | Pure electric only | Full | Up to 50 km/h — low-speed urban use |
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| image credits:carwale |
Ride Quality: The Art of Disappearing Roads
This is where the RX350h's India-market case is most compelling — and most defensible.
The fifth-generation RX rides on Lexus's enhanced GA-K platform, a lightweight, low-centre-of-gravity architecture with electronically controlled adaptive suspension. The tuning philosophy is unmistakably Japanese: absorb everything, disturb occupants as little as possible, and make arriving feel like floating.
In city conditions, the RX handles India's broken urban surfaces with a composure that consistently surprised every passenger across our drive. Large potholes are absorbed without drama. Speed breakers, including unmarked ones, are swallowed with a softness that rivals costing twice as much regularly fail to match. At highway speeds, the car is planted, settled, and directionally stable — wind noise suppression at 100 km/h is genuinely remarkable.
Road noise, however, tells a slightly different story. The 21-inch wheels — which look magnificent — transmit noticeable tyre noise on concrete road surfaces, increasingly common on Indian national and state highways. It is present and inconsistent with the otherwise serene cabin experience.
One honest dynamic limitation: the compliance-first suspension tune reveals body roll and an unwillingness to engage dynamically when pushed beyond measured cruising in corners. The steering is accurate but communicates very little. For the buyer this car is designed for — someone who values arriving composed and refreshed — this is entirely irrelevant. For the buyer who wants a luxury SUV that also drives like a sporting machine, the Germans retain their clear advantage.
Safety: Lexus Safety System+ 3.0
The RX350h's standard Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is among the most comprehensive ADAS suites in any production vehicle in India at this price. Standard equipment includes: Pre-Collision System with pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist detection; Automatic Emergency Braking at highway speeds; Dynamic Radar Cruise Control; Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist; Lane Keeping Assistance and Lane Centering; Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert; and Automatic High Beams.
In our drive, adaptive cruise control performed with precision and smoothness — interventions were subtle and never jarring. Lane centering on the expressway required minimal driver correction over extended stretches. Consumer Reports' independent road test rated this system as a benchmark in its class, particularly for pedestrian and cyclist detection accuracy — with zero documented false triggers for emergency braking across extended evaluation periods.
3 Real-World Case Studies
Case Study 1: The Reliability Convert — Sanjay, Delhi NCR
Sanjay owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d and purchased the RX350h Luxury as a second luxury SUV, motivated by Lexus's reliability reputation after three warranty claims and one roadside breakdown with the GLE in three years. After six months of RX350h ownership, his verdict: zero unscheduled service visits, and fuel costs approximately 40% lower than the diesel GLE at his annual mileage. He acknowledges the RX is less engaging to drive but considers this a straightforward trade for complete ownership peace of mind.
Case Study 2: The Chauffeur-Driven Executive — Priya, Mumbai
Priya uses the RX350h exclusively as a chauffeur-driven car for city meetings and frequent Mumbai–Pune expressway runs. Her evaluation prioritises rear seat comfort, cabin noise levels, and journey composure above all else. After four months, her consistent highlights are the cabin hush during city traffic — which enables phone calls without raising her voice — and rear seat space she describes as more genuinely comfortable than the GLC she previously used for the same application. Her one standing criticism: the absence of rear seat ventilation in the India spec, which she considers non-negotiable in Mumbai's climate.
Case Study 3: The Fuel Efficiency Buyer — Vikram, Bengaluru
Vikram commutes 70 km daily between Whitefield and Koramangala. His previous BMW X3 30 xDrive averaged 9–10 km/l in Bengaluru traffic. After five months with the RX350h, his city efficiency consistently sits at 15–17 km/l, with peak stop-go traffic occasionally touching 19–20 km/l. The fuel savings against his previous car comfortably offset a meaningful portion of the RX's higher sticker over a three-year horizon — the calculation that ultimately validated his decision.
Lexus RX350h vs. Key Rivals
| Feature | Lexus RX350h Luxury | BMW X5 xDrive40i | Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d | Audi Q7 45 TFSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5L Hybrid + 2 E-Motors | 3.0L Turbo Petrol | 2.0L Turbo Diesel | 2.0T Turbo Petrol |
| System Power | 247 bhp | 340 bhp | 265 bhp | 265 bhp |
| Transmission | e-CVT | 8-speed AT | 9-speed AT | 7-speed DCT |
| AWD | E-Four (Electric AWD) | xDrive | 4MATIC | quattro |
| Real-world Efficiency (India) | 15–19 km/l | 8–10 km/l | 12–14 km/l | 8–10 km/l |
| Cabin Noise — Highway | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Driving Dynamics | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Reliability Record | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Infotainment UX | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price (ex-showroom India) | ₹98.19 lakh+ | ₹97–1.15 crore | ₹95–1.1 crore | ₹93–1 crore |
| 3-Year Ownership Cost | ✅ Lowest | ❌ Highest | ❌ High | ❌ High |
What Impressed Us
- Hybrid powertrain integration is seamless — one of the best self-charging hybrid systems in any production luxury SUV
- Real-world efficiency of 19.45 km/l transforms the ownership cost argument against every German rival
- Cabin noise suppression at city and highway speeds is class-leading; the hush is the experience
- Ride quality absorbs Indian road conditions with composure that rivals costing significantly more struggle to match
- Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is comprehensive, well-calibrated, and impeccably tuned for zero false triggers
- Mark Levinson 13-speaker audio (Luxury trim) is among the finest audio experiences in any India-market SUV at this price
- Rear seat space and comfort genuinely suits India's chauffeur-driven luxury market
- Build quality and material consistency — every panel, surface, and switch reinforces the premium identity
- Reliability — Lexus/Toyota ownership data globally is the gold standard for this segment
What Could Be Better
- Infotainment UX — buried menus and multi-step functions demand excessive eyes-off-road time
- No wireless Android Auto — three years into this generation, this remains inexcusable
- Electronic door handles — concept is elegant; execution requires a patience tax new users shouldn't pay
- 21-inch wheel tyre noise on concrete highway surfaces breaks the serenity the rest of the cabin works hard to create
- No rear seat ventilation in India spec — a significant miss for a warm-climate chauffeur-driven market
- CVT rubber-band effect under hard acceleration is manageable daily but present when urgency is needed
- Driving dynamics are comfort-first throughout — buyers wanting a driver's luxury SUV should look at the BMW X5
Verdict: The Antidote to German Complexity
The Lexus RX350h does not win every category. It is not the fastest, most dynamically engaging, or most configurable luxury SUV at ₹98 lakh–1.1 crore in India. By conventional segment metrics — power output, gearbox responsiveness, corner-carving ability — the Germans retain their advantage.
But the conventional metrics are increasingly the wrong framework for many luxury SUV buyers in India in 2026. What the RX350h delivers instead — consistently and completely — is reliability that removes ownership anxiety entirely, fuel efficiency that fundamentally changes the running cost conversation, ride quality that genuinely coddles occupants across India's varied roads, and a level of cabin refinement that German rivals charge considerably more to approach.
Luxury SUVs often ask you to choose between sizzle and sense. The RX350h leans hard into sense — and never once feels dull in doing so.
At ₹98.19 lakh ex-showroom for the Luxury variant, the Lexus RX350h is the most intelligent choice in this segment for buyers who commute long distances, value rear-seat refinement for chauffeur-driven use, or simply want a luxury SUV that costs dramatically less to run. When Lexus addresses the infotainment UX and finally adds wireless Android Auto, the RX350h's case in India will become close to unanswerable.
Final Score: 4.3 / 5
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Design & Road Presence | 4.4 / 5 |
| Interior Quality & Craftsmanship | 4.6 / 5 |
| Hybrid Powertrain | 4.5 / 5 |
| Ride Comfort | 4.7 / 5 |
| Driving Dynamics | 3.4 / 5 |
| Technology & Infotainment | 3.6 / 5 |
| Safety | 4.8 / 5 |
| Fuel Efficiency | 4.9 / 5 |
| Long-term Ownership Value | 4.8 / 5 |
| Overall | 4.3 / 5 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the real-world fuel efficiency of the Lexus RX350h in India? Republic World's independent 900 km test returned 19.45 km/l overall. City stop-go can touch 19–20 km/l. Highway at 100–110 km/h delivers 14–16 km/l — among the best real-world figures for any mid-size luxury SUV in India.
Q: How does the Lexus RX350h compare to the BMW X5 for Indian buyers? The X5 leads on driving dynamics, power (340 bhp vs 247 bhp), and infotainment. The RX350h leads emphatically on fuel efficiency, cabin refinement, reliability, and three-year total ownership cost. Drivers choose the X5; commuters and rear-seat passengers lean toward the RX350h.
Q: Is the Lexus RX350h suitable for chauffeur-driven use in India? Yes — with one caveat. Rear seat space, ride quality, and cabin refinement are excellent for chauffeur-driven use. The absence of rear seat ventilation in the India spec is a genuine limitation for a warm-climate market.
Q: Does the Lexus RX350h get wireless Android Auto in India? No. The India spec offers wireless Apple CarPlay but only wired Android Auto. Consistently flagged as a significant omission across all reviewer and owner feedback.
Q: What is the starting price of the Lexus RX350h in India? ₹98.19 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Luxury variant, after GST reduction. On-road pricing in major metros will be higher.
💬 German vs. Japanese Luxury — Where Do You Stand?
The Lexus RX350h versus German luxury SUV debate is one of India's most genuinely contested automotive conversations. Reliability and running costs on one side; driving dynamics and brand prestige on the other. Have you driven or owned the RX350h? Made the switch from a German rival? What tipped your decision?
Drop your experience, story, or question in the comments below — we read and respond to every one.
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