New Seven-Seat Lexus RX L Gives Premium Crossover Customers An Extra Three Reasons To Choose One For Their Next Car Lease

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WHEN Lexus introduced the original RX Premium Crossover back in 1998 it's unlikely they would have anticipated how big that particular segment of the market would become. Now it seems everyone is falling for the combination of SUV styling and luxury saloon comfort.

Which is probably why the new Lexus RX L takes that winning combination and adds to it with an extra row of seats so more people can experience the premium feel.

The new seven-seat Lexus RX L was unveiled at the recent Los Angeles Motor Show and will be available in the UK from Spring 2018. Full specification and prices haven't been released yet but we suspect, apart from the extra row of seats, it will be pretty much the same as the existing RX range. In other words, it will be very good.

The RX L is 110mm longer than the standard models, and the angle of the rear window has been altered to create extra headroom passengers using the rear seats. The extra seating comprises a 60/40 split-folding bench, designed to offer just as much comfort and luxury as the middle row seats.

Access is made easy thanks to a pull lever that slides the second row seats forward, and the design gives the RX L a longer flat cargo floor area than its competitors. The second row seats are set slightly higher than those behind, creating more foot room for the rearmost passengers.





We do know that among the features in models intended for the North American market you will find a tri-zone climate control system with separate settings and vents for the third row of seats, plus a power-folding seat system and a smart power tailgate. Back row passengers are also provided with cup holders and there is a neat luggage space cover that operates on covered slide rails.

Beyond that it all becomes a little vague, but for reasons of economy it's highly likely the new RX L will be based on the existing range.

That means leasing one in the UK will probably get you behind the wheel of a hybrid that uses a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, which alongside the electric motors generates around 310bhp. Plenty of power to ferry the extra passengers around then.

Despite the power, and the three and a half litres sucking in petrol, the Lexus RX L should still be reasonably economical. The current range offers in excess of 50mpg and, depending on specification will return between 120 and 127g/km. The increased size of the RX L may have a small impact on these figures but we don't expect them to be significantly greater than they are right now.

In terms of luxury you should find most of the boxes are firmly ticked. The current entry-level model, the RX 450h SE, comes with climate control, privacy glass, heated seats, eight-inch Lexus Navigation system, leather upholstery, DAB audio, reversing camera, and LED headlights. And that's just the base model. Move up through the range and you get all kinds of premium upgrades and equipment to play with. We see no reason why Lexus would complicate the issue by massively altering the specification just because you chose an extra row of seats.





Of course, a lot of this is based on an educated guess. We won't know for sure how close to the actual specifications we are until the details are released early next year. Having said that, this is a Lexus and they do know how to do luxury so we don't expect them to drop that particular ball any time soon.

If you are thinking of leasing a premium crossover, or if your current lease deal is coming to an end, then the new Lexus RX L could be exactly what you are looking for. There's no question that Lexus can do premium as well as anyone, and if past performance is any indication then build quality won't be a concern either. The only thing we can't say right now is exactly how much the new RX L will cost to lease, but we'll be the first to let you know – and our lease rates on Lexus will always be highly competitive.

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