I drove the new Lexus TX 350 on a road trip in Western North Carolina. Testing it as a family hauler, a gear hauler, and a mountain handler. During a weeklong trip in the Smoky Mountains, I came to admire the capacity, comfort, and capability of Lexus’ newest full-sized SUV.
Released at the same time as the Lexus GX, the TX is likely the car more suitable to a wider range of drivers. No body-on-frame hardcore off-road architecture like the GX, but it does have full-time AWD, and after taking it up some of the steepest mountain roads I’ve ever driven on, I found it to be beyond suitable for all but that rare, dedicated off-roading trip that is often more the stuff of daydreams than reality.
DESIGN AND INTERIOR
On the outside, there is a slightly futuristic look to the fascia of the TX. The angle of the headlights and the dip of the hood give it a more aggressive demeanor than you might expect from a full-sized SUV that will spend a lot of time in school pickup lines and Whole Foods parking lots. It’s a look that says, don’t you dare confuse me for a minivan. And you won’t.
In the Premium trim level I tested, the interior felt refined. The leather seats were wide and comfortable after long hours behind the wheel. There’s enough room inside that you can spread out, and kids in the back seat are a little removed from the conversation up front, but still close enough for passing back snacks or fixing fiddly iPads. The Mark Levinson Audio System was a standout for filling the cabin with sound when we could all agree on what to play, and with the strange hot and cold that we experienced in the Smoky Mountains, I used the heated and ventilated front seats on both settings. The AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot was critical for passengers getting work done on the road, and the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, often a buggy experience where it can pick up the wrong speed limit on overpasses, was well ironed out.
Rear cargo space was also excellent. When I went fly fishing with the owner of Maggie Valley Fly Shop, after I got off the river I had enough room to throw all my gear into the back––rod tube, waders, boots––without having to rearrange all the other suitcases and bags we had brought along and souveniers we had or collected along the way.
PERFORMANCE AND EXPERIENCE
Covering hundreds of freeway miles on my way from Charleston to the North Carolina mountain town of Blowing Rock, the TX was stable and smooth. Gas mileage with the 2.4L turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine is a not-too-shabby 26mpg highway (20 in the city) and given the size of the SUV, I was fairly shocked by how infrequently I stopped for gas. And with 275-horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, there was plenty of power––passing at speed on the freeway, using the fast lane to climb the steep Saluda Grade into the mountains, or going up even steeper one-lane mountain roads––it never felt sluggish. Lexus driving dynamics are always excellent, and I was impressed that the Lexus engineers were able to deliver their signature responsiveness in a 4,500-pound vehicle with four cylinders under the hood.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My first encounter with the Lexus TX was in Tucson, Arizona at a launch event for the new Lexus GX––a vehicle I love for its rugged good looks and serious off-road capability. But in many ways the TX is a better match for the way I actually drive, and I think that is also probably true for most people. It’s nimble for getting around town and plush for long hours of freeway driving, but the high ground clearance and AWD mean it’s capable enough to get up steep unpaved mountain roads. As a road trip car, there’s enough cargo space that you don’t have to worry about being a Tetris master every time you load it up.
As tested, the TX 350 Premium AWD costs just under $64k––well-priced for an SUV that knows what you want as well as what you need, and strives to deliver both.
