2023 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance Review: Quick Take

On the surface, the concept of a sporty Lexus RX has real dad-wearing-fluorescent-Nikes vibe.

The RX is a great many things: luxury crossover trailblazer, comfortable road tripper, money-printing machine for Lexus. But sporty? That seemed like a stretch when the 2023 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance launched a little over a year ago. I liked it well enough on that curated first drive, but a recent weekend together—spurred on by a comparison with its new TX big brother—confirmed this mid-sized SUV is a solid all-rounder for folks wanting a bit of fun.

The latest RX sits on the TNGA-K platform shared amongst too many Toyota and Lexus models to count. And yes, there is an F Sport version of the pure-gas RX 350, with the same adaptive suspension and big, six-piston-caliper front brakes. The styling is the same on both too, though the color-coding is different. The RX 350 F Sport has bright chrome around its windows and other areas, plus gloss black lower bumper sections and side skirts. Meanwhile, the RX 500h darkens the chrome bits and paints the lower-most bits of the car body color; in this case, the wonderful Copper Crest.

Under the hood, the torquey 2.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder now hooks up to a six-speed automatic, with a compact electric motor sandwiched between them. Another motor acts on the rear axle alone. Total system outputs are 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, enough to launch this 4,750-pound (2,155-kilogram) five-seater to 60 mph (96 km/h) in under six seconds. That figure seems both conservative and very repeatable: torque arrives early on, giving the 500h serious shove even at highway passing speeds. The six-speed does well on its own, with ratios well-matched to the hybrid powertrain’s delivery. Should you want to direct, wheel-mounted paddles make it possible.

The RX 500h’s main advantage of the lesser 350 is the addition of rear-wheel steering. This gives the SUV more agility in low-speed corners and more stability on the highway. There’s no dominant feeling of front or rear bias: just locked-down composure. Quick and accurate steering builds driver confidence early, though what little feedback exists is a little fuzzy. Despite the big 21-inch alloys, the RX doesn’t have a rough ride, muffling most large bumps from upsetting the cabin. The big Lexus stays appreciably flat through sweepers, too.

The cabin of the latest RX is well designed and chock-full of quality trim bits. The concave dashboard design gives it a cockpit feel without feeling cramped. The Alcantara lining the door panels wraps right around the front too; hardly necessary, but we appreciate the consistency. The seats have outsized shoulder supports but remain comfortable for daily use, their blend of leather and Alcantara looking good and keeping folks secure. Lexus has exorcised most physical controls from the center stack—boo—but has at least kept the climate controls always visible on the big central touchscreen. Note: the 14.0-inch setup is standard in Canada, but it’s an extra-cost option for the F Sport Performance in the US. Thank you to the Lexus designers who kept most of the piano black to places people wouldn’t be touching.

At a little over 192 inches (4,877 millimeters) in length, the RX has plenty of space for adults to get comfortable in the second row. Both rows have optional heated and ventilated seats, too. Despite the rakish tailgate, there’s also a very useful 29.6 cubic feet (838 liters) of storage behind the second row. That expands to an okay 46.2 cu ft (1,308 L) with the seats folded, as they don’t sit flat.

While initially happy with the much-needed ditching of the old trackpad-based infotainment, we do find some quirks with the current interface. For starters, there’s no simple way to flit between the native setup and Apple CarPlay. A lot of features are buried in sub-menus too, including drive modes and instrument cluster customization. The contextual buttons on the steering wheel to operate various functions via head-up display (HUD) make sense in theory. In practice, however, they’re more fiddly than functional. The TX allows the driver to adjust the HUD placement and brightness directly from the HUD itself; we hope that improvement comes to the RX.

The RX’s long list of safety and driver assists is to be applauded. All work as expected, with a smooth adaptive cruise control being a stand-out. We do find this tester’s front cross-traffic alert more annoying than helpful however, turning every intersection into an 8-bit song. For actual tunes, the 21-speaker Mark Levinson sound system is crisp and powerful.

The RX 500h F Sport Performance rings in at $63,800 ($82,005 CAD) including destination. This Canadian-spec tester is the top trim north of the border, equivalent to adding just about every option in the US. The result is $72,500 ($88,455 CAD).

Other options around this price and performance level include the Acura MDX Type S, Genesis GV80, and Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge. The BMW X5 xDrive40i is a sportier drive, but you’ll be looking at a couple extra grand to match the equipment levels of the Lexus.

The RX 500h has an efficiency advantage too, with 27 mpg combined (8.6 L/100 km). That’s quite a ways off the RX 350h, but only the Volvo tops it, and by 1 mpg, assuming you’re not regularly plugging it in.

While not the sportiest choice in the market, the 2023 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance nonetheless adds a welcome dollop of fun onto the Japanese brand’s best-seller. Quicker and yet more efficient than the regular RX 350, with a snazzy and spacious cabin, the RX 500h is a worthy range-topper.

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