ON THE CONCEPT OF FITNESS
In the before time (read: Pre-COVID), I sold motorcycles. Scratch that. I sold a lot of motorcycles. Mostly Hondas and Kawasakis, but with more than a few Harley-Davidsons, Triumphs, etc. thrown in for good measure.
Part of the pitch, when you’re selling a motorcycle, is explaining to the customer that a motorcycle has to fit you in three ways. It has to fit you physically, it has to fit your lifestyle, and it has to fit your budget.
In terms of physical fit, you should be able to comfortably reach the pedals from the seat and comfortably reach the handlebars without straining your back or sitting in a “weird” position. That kind of thing. Translated into automotive terms, you should be able to get in and out of the car you’re considering without having the running board smack your leg every time you get in and out of the car.
I’m a bit under average height — about 5’7” — but that seems to put me in this weird limbo where I’m tall enough to not need a running board but not quite tall enough to step over it naturally, and I ended up whacking it every time I got in (ankle) or out (calf) of the RX. (It’s worth noting that my wife, a few inches taller and with longer legs, had no such issues.)
I do not fit, then — but this is supposed to be a review, so the show must go on.
ON THE SUBJECT OF STYLE
Moving on to the concept of lifestyle, a motorcycle has to fit not just your lifestyle, but your sense of style, too. It has to have a certain “feel” or “vibe” or whatever you want to call it — a Road Glide isn’t for everyone, and neither is a Gold Wing, even if the same rider may fit both in a similar way. And, while that’s hardly precise language, I’m sure you get the idea.
So, how would the Lexus fit my lifestyle? On paper, I feel like I’d be an ideal customer for the RX. I have a house in the suburbs and 2.5 (ish) kids. I like sporty wagons and SUVs. I like hybrid-y electrified things (that “h” in RX450h AWD F Sport stands for “hybrid,” by the way). I even like the loud, Grecian Water blue paint (it’s not too far removed from the Volvo Rebel Blue).
Despite that, I’m not confident that the Lexus fits my personal sense of style, especially when it comes to the interior … which, again, is nice. There is nothing objectively wrong with the RX450h AWD Sport’s interior (well, almost nothing — I’ll get to that in a minute). The leather is nice, the brushed aluminum works, and the heated/air-conditioned sport seats do the job.
That said, the whole interior feels very “Top Gun” to me. The center console is high, the styling angles everything towards the driver, and the myriad knobs and buttons and even the analog clock give off a “we think fighter jets are cool” sort of vibe that 100 percent did not speak to me…
… but that’s all subjective.