Used 2017 Lexus RX 350 Base for sale 

The Lexus RX 350 is the cheapest in the RX series and is agressively priced between 40 grand to 50 grand. Lexus doesn't advertise it as a performance SUV, rather as a luxury SUV. And it sure is one aggressive-looking luxury SUV. The RX 350 is available in the regular and the F Sport variant, both of which are further available in the FWD and AWD options.

We Recommend

We recommend you to go with the lower end trim if you don’t plan to do a lot of serious driving, and would mostly use the car for commuting and weekend drives. Get the F-Sport variant if you are sure that you will be doing some very serious driving, which involves corners and fast overtakes among other things.

Lexus has used the 3.5L engine in its RX 350 with a V6 configuration. RX 350 has also got an 8-speed automatic transmission. This setup helps the RX 350 produce 295 bhp with 267 lb-ft. of torque. This is certainly less than what you get in its competition. But this lower level of performance ensures a better reliability quotient from the engine during this car's ownership. Also, good drivability isn’t something that’s purely dependent on power figures.

Do not think that you can take your luxury SUV by Lexus to the race track for competing against other cars so those numbers should not matter to you. Even though the power figures are low on the RX-350, the differences are negligible and can easily be made up for, by some good driving skills.

Acceleration

With a slightly less powerful engine than the Cadillac and Lincoln, the Lexus has the slowest acceleration for the 0-60 mph test and takes a second more to complete the quarter-mile than the X5. The exact numbers turn out to be 6.8 seconds and 15.1 seconds for 0-60 mph and quarter-mile, respectively.

One area where Lexus shows its efficiency is that it produces less carbon emissions when compared to other cars, which is worth considering if you are someone who cares about the environment. However, the acceleration numbers do look slow in comparison. But in a real-life scenario, these stats are fast. The BMW X5 is the quickest of the four with a 0-60 mph time of 6.1 seconds, followed by the Lincoln's 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds. The Cadillac took 6.6 seconds for its 0-60 mph run.

Handling

The driving experience on this big Lexus car is kind of mixed. The steering on this car is accurate but not quick. The wheels tighten up at speeds but there is not much feedback from the vehicle. The F Sport trim does add an adaptive variable air suspension so the ride is much relaxed.

The seats in the F Sport trim are the comfortable sports seats, so you are going to have a relaxed long trip in your RX 350. The RX is relatively fun on the outside, but there is a let-down when you get on the driver's seat.

Braking

This Lexus surely does well in terms of braking. Bigger the vehicle and the faster it can go, the much more of a hazard it becomes. So it is really important to have some good brakes. The brakes on the RX 350, despite being small, performs impressively within its segment. The braking performance of the Lexus is decent and competitive in the segment.

Braking in this luxury SUV seems to be better than the Cadillac and the BMW. It just takes 123 ft. of distance for this car to get from 60 mph to still. So if you see something jumping in front of you, just hit hard on the brakes and it will surely stop early while the X5 might hit that something. The Lincoln MKX has the best braking performance, by stopping from 60 mph to still at a distance of 119ft.

The RX 350 impresses a lot with its fuel efficiency. The lower power output pays off in this department as well. If you are someone looking for a good SUV, with lots of interior space and good fuel efficiency, then the RX 350 is the best companion for you. Buying a car with higher fuel efficiency can also translate to lesser fuel bills in the long term.

Fuel economy is where this SUV beats down its competition, even if it is by a small margin. The RX 350 gives you better fuel economy on the city roads as well as on the highway. It has a combined fuel economy of 23 mpg. And that should motivate you to go on quite a few long drives with a much more peaceful mind. With 20 mpg of combined mileage, Lincoln stands last in the fuel effficiency competition. The Cadillac is the next best choice after the Lexus, with a combined mileage of 22 mph. The BMW's fuel efficiency stands at a 21 mpg combined.

The Lexus RX 350 comes with 5 seating like any regular SUV. The RX 350 has got much space for all the 5 passengers sitting in the car. The car is big enough for a 6 ft. tall person to sit comfortably even on the rear seats with good enough legroom.

In the front row, the Lexus has the best in class legroom, but the BMW leads when it comes to head and shoulder room. The second row of all these cars looks small in comparison to their front rows. The Lexus definitely has good second row space, but if you compare it with others, you might find other cars to have better dimensions in one aspect or another. Major interior features include-

• Heated and Ventilated Sports Seats
• Lexus Display
• Simulated Leather Upholstery
• Dual-Zone automatic climate control
• Transmission Paddle Shifters
• Bluetooth
• Smartphone-integrated navigation system
• Illuminated Ignition Switch
• Panic Button

Infotainment

For an infotainment system that has been integrated into a luxury brand like the Lexus, the RX 350 has one of the most annoying infotainment system. The joystick-like control requires getting used to, and the lack of features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto makes things that much worse for the user.

However, if this is the only thing that bothers you about this car, looking at an aftermarket infotainment system would be the best option. Few key features include-

• 8-Inch screen
• Radio w/Seek-scan, AM/FM/CD
• Pause live AM/FM Radio
• HD Radio
• Traffic and Weather data provided via HD Radio
• Radio Data System
• Cache Radio
• Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone
• MP3 Player
• Voice Activation
• 9 Speaker Premium Audio System
• Smartphone-integrated Navigation System
• Scout GPS Link App

Cargo

Cargo should not be any problem for this big SUV. You can stuff this SUV with enough of your belongings with you on a long trip and can still fit 5 people in it. Although it doesn’t stand a chance against its competitors when it comes to cargo space. The SUV offers a cargo space of 18.4 cubic feet with all the seats up.

If you compare it to other SUVs, you can see the number is seriously lesser than what others have. The storage space is more than 10 cubic feet lesser than what Lincoln has. Maybe Lexus consumed that much space to make their RX 350 a Luxury crossover. When rear row seats are down, BMW puts out the best offering of 76.7 cubic feet.

The Lexus RX350 wears the aggressive Lexus signature on the front grill with the razor-sharp LED headlamps. This sharp design language continues throughout the body of the vehicle. You get the 18-inch wheels as a standard fitment along with six different 20-inch wheel options.

You get the sunroof as an optional feature, which can be expanded above the rear seats with the panoramic sunroof option. SUVs are supposed to be big and heavy, so is the Lexus's RX. It weighs around 4,222 lbs. The RX 350 has a length of 192.5 in, making it slightly longer than the Cadillac and Lincoln but 0.7 inches shorter than the BMW X5. 

Lexus has the smallest width at 74.6 inches. It stands tall at 67.7 inches, almost 2 inches taller than the Cadillac but almost 2 inches shorter than BMW. It even has the shortest wheelbase of them all, at 109.8 inches, which is almost 6 inches less than the BMW's wheelbase.Some of the exterior features are:

• Razor-Sharp Character Lines
• LED Illumination
• 18-inch standard wheels
• Optional 6 different 20-inch wheel options
• Optional Sunroof with Panoramic available

Lexus clearly offers one of the finest safety offerings with the RX 350. It gets multiple airbags ensuring the safety of all the passengers. It gets a bunch of active as well as passive systems that can analyze the car's surroundings and minimize the fatality of a crash by eliminating possible human errors. The Lexus RX 350, has also scored well in terms of safety ratings as well. Major safety features include-

• 10-airbag system
• Panoramic view monitor
• Smart stop technology
• LED cornering fog lamps
• Backup camera with dynamic gridlines
• Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic braking
• Intuitive parking assist
• Vehicle proximity notification system
• Vehicle stability control
• Vehicle dynamics integrated management (vdim)

Cadillac XT5 vs Lexus RX 350

XT5 is cheaper than the RX 350 with a better engine and more cargo space. But it produces more carbon emissions than the RX 350 and even consumes more fuel for miles equal to the RX 350. But no doubt the Lexus beats the Cadillac in the styling front. In the end, we would go with the reliability that Lexus brings on the table.

BMW X5 (sDrive 35i) vs Lexus RX 350

BMW X5 is more than 10 grand costlier than the Lexus. While the engine is a 3.0L, it produces more power than the RX 350 with its turbo engine, resulting in a faster SUV. But again, it is more thirsty for fuel than the RX 350. You are paying more than $10,000 for a marginal increase in performance. From the inside, both feel equally luxurious with enough cargo space and good enough legroom for everyone to sit comfortably on a long trip.

Lincoln MKX (Premiere) vs Lexus RX 350

Lincoln is also cheaper and powerful than the RX 350 as was the case with the Cadillac XT5. But the cabins of the RX 350 are much better than the Lincoln MKX. And did we mention the sports seats in the RX 350 F Sport are way better than what you get in the top trim of the MKX? All in all, Lexus RX 350 is our pick.

The 2017 Lexus RX 350 is no doubt the best-selling car from the Lexus. This SUV is packed with comfort, luxury, and features for its price. Do not forget that this car has bits from the company's mesmerizing sports car, LFA, like the steering wheel and the gauge cluster. It lacks behind the competitors when it comes to the engine output, but it does not perform poorly. Again, you are not going to take this SUV to the racing tournament but touring. And it seems like a perfect car for going on long trips. It is packed with all the necessary features and all the comfort you need.