2020 Lexus RX350L Brings Cramped Third-Row Accommodations

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Michael SimariCar and Driver

If you’re a luxury car company aspiring to succeed in the United States today, you’d better have a strong three-row crossover in your showroom. Lexus was oddly without one for years, instead offering only its ancient body-on-frame GX and LX SUVs as its family-friendly options. We’re not sure why it took so long for Toyota’s luxury division to cobble together a three-row version of its popular RX crossover, but it finally did for 2018 with a new variant called the RX L.

Updated for 2020 along with the rest of the RX lineup, the RX L remains less of a legitimate three-row SUV than its competition. To create this six- or seven-seat version of the fourth-generation RX, Lexus didn’t even stretch the wheelbase. There’s a bit of extra bodywork aft of the C-pillar to allow just enough space for a small third row of seats, but that’s about the extent of its changes over the two-row RX.

Lackluster Third Row

While many three-row luxury crossovers provide less-than-palatial accommodations in their way-back seats, the RX L’s are particularly skimpy on space. With the second-row captain’s chairs pushed all the way back on their tracks, the seatbacks actually make contact with the bottom cushion of the third row. And to get any usable legroom in the third row, you have to move the second-row seats so far forward that they become similarly cramped. Headroom is also limited in the third row. Trust us, even your kids might throw a fuss if they’re forced to occupy this Lexus’s aft-most chairs.

Lexus claims that some RX L buyers—who made up only 13 percent of all RX sales in 2019—chose the L simply for its extra cargo space. Compared to the two-row RX, the longer body does make for an additional 7 cubic feet of extra cargo space with the third row folded.

Same Comfortable RX

When sitting up front, however, the RX L retains all of the characteristics that make the standard RX such a popular choice in the luxury-SUV segment: a comfortable ride, a refined powertrain, and a plush interior. The RX350L wafts along the road quietly, and its nicely trimmed cabin is a sanctuary of calm over even the roughest roads. The tradeoff is a fair amount of body roll in corners. If you can make do with only two rows of seats, however, there is an F Sport model of the standard RX with a stiffer suspension tune and slightly more composed handling.

Lexus RX Is a Slightly Better Luxury Stalwart

Go Long! Three-Row Lexus RX350L Tested

Tested: 1998 Lexus RX300 the OG Luxury Crossover

We were not able test this 2020 example equipped with all-wheel drive, but a similar 2018 RX350L we tested went from zero to 60 mph in reasonable 7.3 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 15.5 seconds at 90 mph. It’s far from a scorcher. The RX350L offers merely adequate acceleration when compared to competitors such as the Acura MDX, which is more than a second quicker to 60 mph. This Lexus’s V-6 is at least smooth in its power delivery and well isolated from the interior, and the eight-speed automatic transmission shifts crisply enough.

Questionable Value

Our test car rang in at $63,540 and was fully decked with the Luxury package, second-row captain’s chairs, the Cold Weather package, a head-up display, a Mark Levinson audio system, and a 12.3-inch infotainment display. That screen is now a touchscreen and is mounted closer to the driver as part of the RX’s latest revisions. This change helps to address some of the RX’s previous ergonomic woes, as the touchscreen capability means you don’t have to rely solely upon the annoying touchpad controller on the center console.

Lexus charges $3150 extra for the L version of the RX350, and we don’t think that upcharge is worth it. If you actually need a third row of seats in your luxury crossover, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. The Acura MDX, Cadillac XT6, Lincoln Aviator, and Volvo XC90 all offer similar refinement yet with more space for passengers than the RX L does. And if you don’t need a third row and are willing to give up a few cubic feet of cargo space, the two-row RX offers nearly the same quiet, refined, and luxurious package for less money. As a three-row SUV, the Lexus RX350L qualifies but is not a fully committed effort.

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