‘I’m not sure the Lexus is big enough back there’

Three CAR readers meet the big seven-seat 4x4 for the first time and explore what it has to o er them. By

Our Lexus RX L is the company’s first seven-seater in Europe, and word is slowly spreading. It’s telling that none of our reader panel had heard of it, though. We gathered together three likely prospects to judge the large SUV on its own merits – a couple of potential in-market seven-seat SUV buyers plus an owner of a Lexus GS450h, who’s already converted to the Lexus lexicon. Would our panel see eye to eye? Or would it be polite, premium fisticuffs at dawn? Only one way to find out… considered a Lexus before and was intrigued to see what it would offer over his BMW X3. With the elder of his two daughters just entering the teenage years, extra space and practicality are rising to the top of the priority list – and the RX has a mixed response here.

‘The girls would really like the heated seats, sunblinds and two USB charging ports in the middle row,’ he muses. ‘This stuff keeps the peace on longer journeys.’ Space in the third row leaves him disappointed, though, and this is a man who’s currently test-driving the Volvo XC90 and Discovery.

‘I’m just not sure the Lexus is big enough back there for doing school runs and lifts for family and friends,’ says Richard. ‘We need a really big boot and, while this is quite large, it’s not as spacious as the luggage compartment in the Volvo or Land Rover. I felt the XC90 would take anything we threw at it – bags, kids, dog, bikes, tents – for a long summer holiday across France. I can’t say the same about the RX L.’ The Volvo has most boot space with all three rows in use; the Land Rover is biggest when rows two and three are flat.

Better news on the way the Lexus drives. ‘When I heard it was five metres long, I feared it might feel like a boat to drive, but it isn’t daunting at all. The steering is really good: I like how light it is at parking speeds, but then it weights up nicely, and the ride is comfortable. I find it a very relaxing car to drive.’

He notices that the fuel gauge is nestling at half full, and is surprised the trip computer range reads only 166 miles. ‘I’m used to diesels going over 500 miles on a tank, so that’s not great,’ he reflects. Our range has never shown more than 370 miles when brimmed with petrol.

The longer Richard spends in the RX, the more he recognises its ace cards: its quality and engineering integrity. ‘It’s beautifully built throughout. You just know you could buy a Lexus and it’ll go on for years and years without breaking down.’ ⊲

‘You just know you could buy a Lexus and it’ll go on for years and years’RICHARD LUFF Richard, who works for one of the UK’s biggest payment card companies, has never really