The Lexus RX took the title of Lexus' first SUV Crossover. A peer of the likes of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class now called th GLE, Porsche Cayenne, and BMW X5. Somewhat unloved the original model looked a little off. Like the designers at Toyota and Lexus had to rush off to something else, like a new Camry. However, over four generations the Lexus RX has grown up. With an eye-catching design, all the up-to-date infotainment systems and essentially everything that you would ever actually need in a car the 2022 Lexus RX is an all-around excellent SUV. A fifth generation sits on the horizon.

Yet this isn't the only reason to buy the Lexus RX. Almost everyone acknowledges that Lexus are not only the most reliable luxury brand but of the most reliable brands all-round. With so much development focused on ensuring a driver's car, goes where they want without issue. This is why Lexus' cars carry a premium.

The Lexus RX won't leave you stranded with both class leading reliability and crash safety.

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This Is How Good The Lexus RX's Reliability Is

2022 RX450h
Via Lexus

When you search online for a car's name followed by the phrase, "known issues", your browser reveals a litany of various websites all with comprehensive advice and guidance. With the Lexus RX, this could not be further from the truth. This search yields dead links and very few listicles. One would expect that such a large car would have suspension issues and faulty sensors. This is the case for the oldest generation of cars. But buying a brand-new Lexus RX is a surefire way of getting an issue-free vehicle. Jaguar Land Rover needs to take a leaf from their book.

There's plenty of technology to go wrong on the current Lexus RX. Featuring a complicated infotainment system and on most models a hybrid drivetrain, there's far more technology going on in a Lexus than there is beneath the hood of the competing BMWs and Mercedes-Benzs. Sat at the top of the model range one would expect this car to have more faults with far more features on it. But back in 2021 on a consumer report, Lexus received a 98.7% reliability rating. With the Lexus RX using the company's K Platform, the same as the famously dependable Toyota Camry, the RX won't leave you stranded. Nor will the owner have complaints about the car's user experience.

Hybrid technology on certain models may bring a car's reliability into question. However, just think about how many old and battered Prius still litter up the roads. Lexus and Toyota build dependable drivetrains, this carries over to the Lexus RX.

Lexus did recall the RX for a few reasons in 2020. The first is that the fuel pump in the full tank has failed enough customers that Lexus replaced the part for many. But other than this there are no known major issues for the fourth generation RX. Toyota's reputation for reliability continues unmarred after the major recalls now over a decade ago.

This Is How The Lexus RX Compares To The Competition

2022 Lexus RX - white
Lexus

With a price point of $47,000 rising to north of $60,000 the RX has plenty of competition. These include the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Jaguar F-Pace, and Cadillac XT6, a true cross-section of the segment. Starting with the F-Pace, in that aforementioned consumer report Jaguar Land Rover returned only a 78% reliability score. That means that nearly a quarter of customers had an issue with their car bad enough to report.

If you search for the BMW X3's problems you find a completely different story to the RX. With BMW Tuning explains issues, such as oil leaks, sunroof rattles, and overheating radiators. The brilliance of German engineering looks greatly diminished in the complete lack of issues from Japan's very own Lexus.

It isn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Lexus RX. The competing cars have far better driver engagement, especially the BMW X3. More than this with the hybrid models carrying batteries, boot space is worse than the competition. For example, the BMW X3 has a square 550 liters of rear boot space, the Lexus RX falls behind with only 539 liters in a less useable shape.

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The Lexus RX Has Excellent Crash Safety

Lexus-RX-Feature
Via: Lexus

For many; crash safety falls out of the mind of many in the reliability debate. However, the ability to reliably walk away from your car after a crash still sits at the top of many's agenda. According to IIHS, the Lexus RX is class-leading in its crash safety. In terms of crash worthiness, the car has good ratings all-round. This is for features of the car's design such as side collision protection, overhangs, as well equipment for the safety of passengers including children.

The only place where the Lexus RX falters is its headlights. This receives either a poor or acceptable depending on an individual vehicle's specification. The optional Sleeker Triple LED headlights fall down in comparison to say, Audi's Matrix system. With technology in this department continuing to develop the Lexus RX does fall slightly behind the competition. However, the RX is still the class leader in crash reliability. The car even received a 5-star NCAP rating. From 2020 all models received pedestrian sensing technology and optional trims of a 360-degree camera and blind spot monitoring. Without known issues these sensors will reliably jump in to prevent accidents.