HONED TO PERFECTION LEXUS RX 450H TAKUMI
Today’s pell-mell world leaves little time for thought. Information crowds in on us from every direction. Advice follows advice; the latter contradicting the former. The head spins. Social Darwinism impels us to become winners all, lest Heaven forbid, we become losers. As the immortal Bard of Avon once pointed out: 'We are not safe'.
Frankly one gets tired of hearing that competition per se is good. No more so than in the motor car market where manufacturers vie for supremacy. Wouldn't it be a better world, perhaps, were we to stress that unexciting word 'competency'? It suggests the right person for the right job. The right tool in the right hands.
And so as summer sunlight enlivened the hedgerows, I drove along a country lane. My mood was a combination of exultation and reflection. Above all, I felt content.
My high spirits were occasioned by the car I was driving - a new Lexus hybrid. A £62,365 top of the range RX 450h Takumi. As the wheels turned beneath me I felt completely at home, utterly secure and most comfortable: above all rather grand. All this deriving from the cumulative effect of clever engineering and perceptive design as embodied in the Lexus principles of quality, exclusivity and individuality.
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The very individuality embodied in the Lexus RX 450h ensures that it is no shrinking violet. Quite the opposite. Earlier that day I had been transfixed by a car on my drive that would not have looked out of place in a Yorkshire sculpture park. It was, of course, the RX 450h Takumi, displaying the presence and monumentality of a grand artistic gesture evoking an irresistible impression of incorruptible metallic worth - as of some rare ore, furnace-cast into an ambitious evocation of motoring sublimity.
Lexus stylists have managed to impose individuality upon the parameters of SUV design consensus. Beefy but graceful, assertive but endearing with, of course, that Lexus badge to tell the world - well - that you are a person of means and taste. Nearly everyone liked its looks but no one could ever ignore its presence.
The interior conveys an opulent message. You know at once you are in luxury land. All the expected aids and equipment are there - up to top notch specification like the superior Mark Levinson surround sound system. Seating is absolutely comforting and supportive with adjustment to hit the sweet spot of personal preference: an environment conducive to a relaxed frame of mind. It is, of course, a seven-seater when needed with the third row of seats best suited to taking children on short hops.
Safety, of course, is paramount and here again Lexus offer only the best. There are numerous features designed to sidestep impending doom and prevent matters from getting out of hand should the world conspire against you.
It's a self-charging, petrol-electric hybrid combining a 308bhp 3.0 V6 petrol engine with 230kw of electric power enhancement from two motors, driving through an electric CVT transmission to all four wheels when needed. A system like this makes a lot of sense. Combined fuel consumption is claimed to be about 35/36 mpg. (Realistically it's around 38/40 mpg if you use Eco mode a lot)
With a top speed of about 124mph, this is not a car offering raw performance - rather one that reassures with optimum adequacy. It has a very high 'whoosh' factor though if you engage 'Sport' mode and accelerate hard. It's a large car and a very quiet one too so you will be surprised by the speed indicated on the head up display.
The RX seems to understand this - inviting one, as it were, to accompany it on the journey, compelling one to accept the imposition of the car's own pace: a balm to one's excitable mood. The result is a perceptible sense of tranquillity, with the surprise that journey times are in no way increased. You arrive punctually, unflustered and invigorated.
The deftness of response and tidy road manners are indicative of a smaller nimbler beast and one forgets one is driving a large 4x4 SUV. However, this is not the car for the Gobi Desert. But for all reasonable off-road purposes and slippery surfaces, the 4WD is reassuring in a belt and bracers sort of way.
It's impossible to ignore the aura emanating from this Lexus, resulting in a noticeable driver deference on the part of other road users who subliminally recognise its presence. For a brief interval I indulged in a little proud ownership of the vicarious kind. Forget rivals. It's one of a kind, standing on its own four wheels with the conviction of a true contender.
By Syd Taylor.
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MOTORING L EXUS RX 4 5 0H TAKUMI
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