Assisted driving notes

All Uk-market versions of the RX come with Lexus Safety System+, an autonomous emergency braking system, as standard. The Proactive Driving Assistant adds pedestrian and obstacle detection and avoidance, while Dynamic Radar Cruise Control can not only detect but also automatically adopt posted speed limits, and slow the car for corners and junctions too. Premium Plus models get an extended Safety System+ set-up, which adds an automatic lane change assistant and a junction assistant.

Our car had all the systems, none of which was particularly intrusive. The lane keeping was subtle but didn’t always pick up on faded lane markings, and the speed limit detection could be a bit slow to recognise a change in the posted limit.

Lexus’s Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, meanwhile, does offer a motorway undertaking guard function.

AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING

 Does the system avoid false activation well? ✓

 Can it be deactivated? ✓

 Does it have pedestrian/cyclist detection? ✓

LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE

 Is the system tuned to keep the driver engaged at all times? ✓

 Is it adjustable for sensitivity? ✓

 Does it allow you to drive around a pothole/obstacle within your lane easily and without deactivation? ✓

INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL

 Can the system consistently recognise and automatically adopt motorway gantry-signed variable speed limits? ✓

 Does it prevent undertaking? ✓

 Does it have effective audible or visual alerts, or steering intervention, to prevent changing lanes into the path of an overtaking car? ✓