Experienced by Kimatni D. Rawlins
The Lexus RX class has come a long way since it debuted in the late 1990s as the RX 300. The Japanese crossover is a bread-winning luxury model that continues to garner the attention of households looking for reliability and advanced, modern features in both safety and efficiency. For my time in the latest 2021 Lexus RX 450h F Sport, I enjoyed its accommodations during a visit to Detroit, Michigan.
Featuring Lexus Hybrid Drive, my Celestial Blue “Black Line Special Edition” came with contrasting 20” black rims wrapped in Michelin rubber, a black grille, and black trim surfaces around the entire vehicle, including unique black blades. This distinctiveness delivered the luxurious and sporty look Lexus is known for and represented a heightened upgrade from the standard models. The ride around Detroit in the AWD RX 450h was efficient and comfortable. Lexus repeated the Celestial Blue hue as interior stitching to highlight the black leather seats, rugs, and keyfob cover. White leather strips added even more flavor to the bolstered seats, doors, and center console. Elegant touches are rounded out with a jeweled center clock, brushed silver interior trim, and the gorgeous F Sport steering wheel with thumb indentions and paddle shifters. Oversized silver pedals with rubber bumpers let you know that the “Black Line Special Editions” are ready to rock.
My first stop was to pick up some grub from Detroit Vegan Soul, which satisfied my cravings. In past years I have only visited downtown Detroit, so it was good discovering the outer banks of Motor City. From a performance perspective, boost is outputted from the RX 450h’s 3.5-liter V6 hybrid engine, which generates 308-horsepower. Fuel economy is rated at 31 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 30 combined for the all-wheel-drive model. Drive Mode Select allows drivers to put the RX in situational settings such as Eco, Sport, or EV mode. Though, you certainly need Sport mode enacted if you plan on consistent acceleration. But either-or, the Lexus RX requires more juice.
From visits to Motown Museum “Hitsville USA,” where musical history was made, to the 982-acre Belle Isle island park to view the skyline hovering the Detroit River, my weekend was full of allure. Lexus is offering multiple sound packages for the RX, including the standard 9-speaker Lexus Multimedia system (8” touchscreen) and the ultimate 15-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Audio System, which I was blessed with. I absolutely loved the navigation with the 12.3” touchscreen display, but I didn’t utilize the Remote Touchpad much at all. Other conveniences included a phone charge pad, color head-up display, two rear USB outlets that came in handy for my photographer, a digital tachometer, and door pockets that extend out for thicker items.
Upon detailed glances, the new 2021 RX seriously boasts a more excellent exterior definition, highlighting curvilinear angles and concaves throughout, pointy Bi-LED lights, LED taillamps, a chin spoiler, and a tailgate spoiler. The new spindle grille prodigiously stands out, encompassing the majority of the front fascia. This daring, sleek, and sporty profile, along with L-shaped lighting elements, presents a serious level of aggression. Expect an MSRP of $51,200. My Detroit loaner topped $59,380.
