INDIANAPOLIS — Lexus was one of the first luxury automakers to introduce a crossover when it launched the stylish RX in the late 1990s. Through multiple generations, the RX has become an anchor of the brand. But Lexus never had a proper three-row crossover, essential for attracting upscale families and retirees. It needed a luxury version of the venerable Toyota Highlander, and for 2024, it gets exactly that.
Long and tall
Styling is a blend of Highlander and Lexus. The long and tall proportions are shared with the Highlander, which also shares its Princeton, Indiana assembly plant and platform, but details identify the TX as a Lexus. The brand’s “spindle grille” is present, but more muted with body color slats and accented by sparkling LED headlamps under swoosh driving lights. The side view is highlighted by crisp body creasing, 20” wheels, and floating roof with chrome flourishes. Around back, check thin taillamps and LEXUS spelled across its foot-operated power rump.
If you’ve been in recent Toyota and Lexus models, the TX will feel like home. Flatscreen gauges and an intuitive 12.3” touchscreen convey information while devices connect wirelessly through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and console charging. It’s pretty luxurious, too, with heated/ventilated front seats, heated/ventilated rear captain’s chairs, and a heated steering wheel. Actual adults fit in the third row. My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the Mark Levinson audio system and panoramic moonroof as we sang the Wonka soundtrack on the way to grandma’s. The flip-wrist gear selector was a pain at the car wash, but the TX is a welcoming space in which to travel.
Typical for Toyota and Lexus, safety checks all the boxes for automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, front/rear cross path detection, and lane keep assist. Add to that lane tracing and safe exit assist that prevents passengers from stepping into traffic. Go forth with confidence all you consider family will arrive safely.
Plug or not
You can get the TX as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, but ours saunters forth with the base 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers 275 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. of torque – enough to pull up to 5,000 lbs. of boat, RV, or classic car. Front-drive is standard, along with an eight-speed automatic transmission, but ours stepped up with all-wheel drive for those snowy frozen mornings (or muddy path to the weekend cabin). Even without a hybrid system, the TX delivers a responsible 20/26-MPG city/highway.
I used the TX as would many of you. I carried my family on a long Interstate drive to visit relatives, picked up my daughter at school, dropped her at piano lesson, and drove through city traffic to get to the office. We collected groceries, picked up yard supplies, and took a nice Sunday drive in the country. The four-wheel independent suspension feels much like it would in a giant Toyota Camry, but it rumbled over rough pavement, rode comfortably, and handled itself with grace. That said, you never forget it’s a big rig, designed more for carrying families than making haste in the twisties.
Why it took decades for the inventor of luxury crossovers to hit the heart of the family travel is mysterious, but by sharing all Toyota learned from the Highlander while applying luxury and style demanded by Lexus customers, the TX350 mostly hits its mark. A base price of $55,050 - $69,044 as-tested – puts the TX against the Lincoln Aviator, Cadillac XT6, Acura MDX, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, and redesigned 2025 Buick Enclave.
Preview – 2025 Buick Enclave
Buick has a long history of offering world-class, stylish and powerful flagship luxury models, and since 2008, that’s extended to the three-row Enclave crossover. GM’s near-luxury brand has big changes in store as it heads into its third generation.
In truth, this longer, wider, and taller Escalade is not completely new, but it sure looks it. Cribbing design cues from the smaller Encore and Envista crossover, the Enclave adopts their gaping grille, signature winged lighting, LED headlamps, and cross-car LED taillamps. It’s decidedly sportier. Avenir models add walk-up lighting animation and 22-inch wheels. Artful expressions of the red, white, & blue Buick family crest adorn both ends.
Interiors are dominated by a 30-inch-diagonal display screen that wraps from the instrument cluster to infotainment screen. Artfully rendered, it provides access to the available 16-speaker Bose Audio system and devices connected through wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Going beyond the usual, front seats offer heat, ventilation, and massagers on Avenir trim.
The Enclave is the first Buick with GM’s hands-off Super Cruise system that can be used on approved roads (mostly divided highways). And, it will ride those roads with authority given a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 328 horsepower and 326 lb.-ft. of torque. Tow up to 5,000 lbs. All-wheel-drive and an adaptive suspension system are available. Safety systems include blind zone steering assist, automatic emergency braking, and lane keep assist.
Sales begin later this summer with production coming from GM’s crossover plant in Lansing, Michigan. Expect prices to start around $45,000.
Storm Forward!
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2024 Lexus TX350 Luxury
Likes
- Roomy interior
- Mark Levinson audio
- Turbo power
Dislikes
- Analog suspension
- Gear selector
- Frumpy proportions
Seven-passenger, AWD Crossover
Powertrain: 2.4-liter T4, 8-spd trans
Output: 275hp/317 lb.-ft. torque
Suspension f/r: Ind/Ind
Wheels f/r: 20”/20” alloy
Brakes f/r: disc/disc
Towing: 5,000 lbs.
Fuel economy: 20/26 mpg city/hwy
Assembly: Princeton, IN
Base/As-tested price: $55,050/69,044
