2017 Lexus RX 350, Sage in a spiked and horned suit

The Bossman here at Luxury Car Magazine and I are board members of our beloved Automobile Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC). Every quarter or so, a board meeting is held in Toronto which means that the 500 km stretch of the Highway of Heroes, aka the 401, that separates Montreal from Toronto must be undertaken.

The Big Cheese and I aren’t getting any younger so opting for a luxurious, comfortable and quiet Lexus RX 350 was almost too easy. The second reason for the selection was that the Lexus provides an abundance of room as we were going to be three adult males for the return trip. Also, our tester was a full-on F Sport Series 3 edition.

Had we made the right choice? Was our burgeoning relationship going to survive the drive? Did we survive?

2017 Lexus RX 350, Sage in a spiked and horned suit

The sounds of relief

I quickly found myself satisfied with the extra kit included with the Series 3 setup. At $71,690, this RX represents the very summit of Lexus’ best-selling vehicle. As the head-honcho and I were to spend many hours together, the presence of the sublime 15-speaker Mark Levinson audio system gave me hope that I wasn’t going to need to entertain, nor listen, to the man for the whole trip…

As we met and loaded up, seat comfort proved to be good however I would have preferred the power lumbar adjustment to be lower in the seatback. Be that as it may, we headed west. Before long, the chief was hungry and we needed to stop and pick something up. Immediately, we noticed that storage up front for phones, sunglasses, coffees and whatnots is very limited.

All kidding aside, the manager and I had some business to discuss. The RX’s quiet cabin with limited wind and road noise penetration kept the conversation level manageable and civil. Breaking the silence would only occur whenever traffic on the 401 would degenerate – we’d both allow the V6’s surprisingly vocal intake and exhaust sounds to fill our ears.

Powertrain refinement

As we zipped by the Pointy House just east of Cornwall, I realized how much further we still had to go. In order to make sure we had enough conversation for the drive, I made good use of the RX 350’s power.

The well worn 3.5L V6 is an adequate mil for the heavy-ish RX. Its 295-horsepower and 268 torques do an eloquent if slightly laboured job of the getting the two-ton CUV up to speed. As engine revs rise, so does the front end of the RX. The lack of low-end torque is the engine’s principal failing. A smaller displacement V6 with a turbocharger or two mounted on the flanks would certainly cure this ailment.

Its primary focus is on maintaining civility and this, even with the F Sport Series 3’s five drive modes. The final one is Sport + and despite my praying for a miraculous 50-hp boost, it was never to come. The included paddle shifters were rarely used as the standard 8-speed automatic always behaved with the same degree of restraint.

The Grand Pooba took the wheel on an occasion or two and other than making me feel mildly nauseous with his driving style, he too could not extract more excitement out of the drive.

Easy going

As with the powertrain, the Lexus RX’ calling card is not pulling serious Gs, or agility or being the best handling vehicle in its category. Be that as it may, between Montreal and Toronto, all seven bends in the 401 failed to derail the RX. The same can be said for the few on- and off-ramps we tackled despite my intent at pushing the Lexus and the fact that it was shod with Bridgestone winter rubber.

Much like the company, and the conversation, by the time we hit Oshawa, the clear non-event that was the road trip for the RX and its occupants demonstrated the luxury ute’s basic approach at motoring: comfort, quietness and serenity.

The Lexus’ inherent stability made for an extremely easy drive however the lack of feedback and heavy assistance from the electronic power steering eliminated all potential sportiness and made me wish for al little more feel. Spending six hours with the “Supervisor” eliminated any chances for me to have any fun too…

In your “F”ace Sport

Unlike the drive, the RX’ relative fun is all on the outside. In fact, so unique and distinctive are recent Lexus designs that they’ve become anything but luxury Japanese appliances.

And then, here’s truly no mistaking any Lexus product when equipped with an F Sport package. The vehicles were once tame librarians but now are snarling alien butchers with attitude. Unfortunately, the clothes do not make the man, especially in the Big Kahuna’s case, but don’t tell him, it’ll hurt his feelings…

The return road

The leathers, the switchgear and fit and finish grew on us, much like the odours in the cabin what with three grown males onboard, food and things male adults occasionally do. Although this time around with more people and gear onboard, the Lexus felt no different.

By nightfall, after a long yet fruitful board meeting and drive, I was quite happy to see the Pointy House again as it meant we had barely more than an hour to go before Montreal. Unfortunately, his Excellency was hungry so we stopped for some delectable Canadian food such as poutine, club sandwiches and döner, pitas – classy, like the man.

The outcome

Obviously, we survived and we were all happy with how the Lexus handled itself. The only true downside is that we expected a better than 12.5L/100 km returned fuel consumption average. Lexus does offer a hybrid 450H version that crushes this negative aspect. Again, a drop in displacement and boost would do wonders…

In the real world, the Lexus RX is the brand’s bestseller and the number 1 seller in the segment in North America. Spending any amount of time with an RX quickly reveals why this is and I’ve come to realize that, in the end, I think it saved the King Pin and I’s relationship, if not help it start in the right direction.