Video: 2016 Lexus RX 350

And six months later, we're here in beautiful Portland, Oregon to get our first spin behind the wheel of these two very popular luxury vehicles. Now on the outside, they've made quite a lot of changes. On the inside, they've cleaned things up as well, but under the hood, there's really not all that much that's different. So we're here to take a spin and see just how different these are than the models that have come before. Now, we haven't been huge fans of Lexus new styling theme, but honestly, this is the first time I think that this really works. The entire vehicle from start to finish I think really wears the new theme quite well. It starts with the spindle grille, which on other vehicles has looked a little overbearing, a little ostentatious, but here I think it works quite well. You've got a mesh grill that leads into the led headlights and even led fog lights. (mellow keyboard music continues) There's a lot of character in the side plan of the vehicle as well and it culminates with this, the new floating roof concept that we're seeing and a lot of Japanese luxury vehicles like the Nissan Murano, and now here on the Lexus RX as well. Driving the new Lexus RX really isn't all that different than driving the old Lexus RX. It's calm, it's smooth, it's pleasant, it's quiet. If you don't ask it to do too many athletic things, you won't be disappointed. Now it also comes in an F Sport flavor, which changes things around a little bit. You get an adaptive suspension, you get sport bucket seats, you get better styling, you get different tires, but it's a little bit like putting your dad in track shoes. Yeah, you might make them change direction a little bit better, but in the end of the day, it's still your dad wearing track shoes. My favorite frankly is the base model, the RX 350. It is calm, it is pleasant, it is quiet. It's everything you pretty much want in a Lexus, but athletic, it's just really not. The RX is frankly heavy. And that means there's quite a bit of body roll. Even in the base model and in the F Sport. The F Sport has a bit of a stiffer suspension, but that really doesn't make the body behave any differently, it just means that the ride is a little bit rougher. Brakes are a little bit soft and squishy, it almost feels like you've pushed a brake button and now the brakes are being applied. There doesn't seem to be much in terms of mechanical feel between your foot and the actual brakes themselves. The strongest point has to be the powertrains though. There's plenty of power in the 3.5 liter V6 and in the hybrid system as well. And the mating to the brand new eight speed automatic transmission that is now standard across all of the RX line really seems perfect. It never really wants for power. It's always got plenty of torque on hand and it's a pleasant driving experience with it. Steering in the RX 350 is light and easy and not terribly demanding. If you get an F Sport, you can even increase the effort of the steering to firm things up pretty well, but it still doesn't feel as athletic as some of its German competitors like the BMW X5 or the Audi Q5. But then honestly, who really drives an SUV like a sports car anyway? On the inside the changes to the new RX really do make a difference. It's nicer in here The materials are better, the design is cleaner. The switches, however really aren't all that different. They still look a little bit like a really nice Camry, Toyota parts bin special. The seats in here are the F Sport seats. They're heavily bolstered, but they're frankly not as comfortable as they are in the base model. If you really want comfortable seats, you have to get the luxury package. That gives you power extended seat bottoms and that makes all the difference. Now, when you opt for the F Sport model, you also get a new gauge cluster, but frankly, the base model gauges are easier to read, easier to follow and present information in a way that just makes everything better. The F Sport is kind of cluttered. It's a little bit difficult to read. It's only one central gauge cluster. It's really not as good as the base model. The biggest problem I have with the interior of the new Lexus RX is one that we've had before. It's this multimedia controller. That's basically like using a laptop computer with a mouse as you're driving. You have to select something on the screen, you have to click it, just like you were using a mouse on a laptop. It's not easy to do while you're driving and it's pretty distracting. (mellow keyboard music continues) Legions of loyal buyers of the previous Lexus RX will be perfectly happy with the brand new 2016, whether or not Lexus can pull in some buyers who were otherwise intending on German competitors however, that's gonna be a tougher sell. To read the full review of the new 2016 Lexus RX 350 and 450h Hybrid, look us up on cars.com. (mellow keyboard music ends) (car trunk slamming)