1999 Lexus RX 300

Just when you thought you'd seen them all, here comes yet another mid-size, luxury-flavored sport/utility. Lexus, which, until now, has offered only the full-size LX 450 (itself a rebadged Toyota Land Cruiser), brings another guest to the SUV party this March, in the all-new RX 300. Lexus granted MT the first in-depth look at this interesting 4x4. Sized within a pinch and an inch of the Mercedes-Benz ML320, Motor Trend's '98 Truck of the Year, the RX 300 stems from the ES 300 luxury sedan, though there isn't much of it you'd recognize. The unibody structure will be a Lexus-only offering for the U.S. market, and can be had in both full-time four-wheel and plain-old two-wheel-drive forms. Preliminary pricing estimates put it in the $33,000-$39,000 range, depending on model and equipment selections, while the all-wheel-drive RX will run about $1500 more than the front-drive-only version.

There's considerable band width in the SUV spectrum between "truckish" and "carlike." While the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V stick toward the car side of the equation, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Land Rover Discovery clearly come from the truck realm. Mercedes splices the M-Class with an excellent balance of truck and luxury car DNA, but the Lexus moves even further toward the luxury car side of the formula. Typical of the Japanese automaker, the emphasis is on comfort, quiet, high-quality interior accoutrements and feature content mixed with the all-weather, any-condition security of all-wheel drive.

Only one drivetrain is available, but it's probably the only one necessary: a VVT-i(variable valve timing with intelligence) version of its 3.0-liter, all aluminum, four-valve-per-cylinder V-6, coupled to an electronically managed four-speed automatic transmission. The VVT-i system, much like that found in the new GS and LS luxury sedans, helps minimize the usual tradeoffs between low-end torque, high-rpm power, fuel economy, and clean emissions. Cylinder heads, intake, and exhaust systems are RX 300-specific components. The VVT-i has been recalibrated for more low-end grunt for its SUV tour of duty, with power outputs for the V-6 estimated in the 215-220-horsepower and 220-230-pound-feet torque range. Lexus says this combination should scoot the two-wheel-drive RX 300 to a getting-pretty-sporty mid-8-second 0-60-mph time.

While terminal off-roaders will lament the lack of a low-range transfer case, hard-core rock pounding is not the RX's mission in SUV life. One thing Lexus is hoping to accomplish with this vehicle is to minimize objections posed by the "I don't want to drive a truck!" buyer. Though ground clearance and front/rear breakover angles are appropriate for moderate off-roading, the overall height is some 4.5 inches lower than that of the Mercedes. The step-in height is lower, too, easing entry and exit.

Once inside, you'll know you're in a Lexus. A thickly padded three-spoke steering wheel frames the main instruments in the binnacle directly in front of the driver. Those gauges feature Lexus' trademark Optitron backlighting; hokey Flash Gordon name or no, Optitron gauges are crisp and easy to read under virtually any conditions short of driving into an active lava flow.

All ancillary controls and functions are housed in a large ovalish console unit in the center of the dash, interesting because it does not connect with the rear portion of the console at all. The console is really two separate units, with a space in the middle large enough for, say, a handbag or small satchel. This area contains an LCD readout panel for the heating and A/C, the sound system, and the clock/trip computer. You can bet it was designed with a navigation system in mind that will probably be offered in a year or so. Once you understand the meaning of all the readouts, it appears as if the system will be user-friendly. The rest of the interior is packed with the usual cubby holes and cupholders.