Monday, April 8, 2013

Lexus tries to make RX 350 a sports car, and fails


Lexus injected its brand, which had taken the place of Cadillac among AARP members, with a little excitement when it introduced the LFA and the IS-F. While those models have legitimate sport cred, the F-Sport line of cars, exemplified here by the 2013 Lexus RX 350 F Sport, comes off as much less convincing.


In colloquial terms, F Sport is all hat and no cattle.


On its own, the Lexus RX 350 works as a solid luxury SUV. Seating for five, flexible cargo space, and an easy driving character have made it a strong seller for Lexus, and a success that other automakers attempt to duplicate. Appointments such as leather, power adjustable seats, and a powered lift gate add to the RX 350's appeal, not to mention a base price around $40,000.


Lexus fits the RX 350 with a useful cabin electronics suite featuring navigation, hands-free phone, and a quality stereo. A few driver assistance features are also available, but Lexus pushes few boundaries, going with tried-and-true rather than setting a benchmark for the gadget-happy set.


However, Lexus made a significant step forward with its Enform app integration. This system lets drivers access popular apps such as Yelp, Pandora, and Bing local search using the car's interface, including voice command.


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