Widely considered the industry’s first luxury crossover SUV, the Lexus RX has garnered plenty of attention over its long production run. While it's all too easy to rest on your laurels, a commitment to continual improvement has kept the RX at the top of its segment over the past 25 years as Lexus integrates the latest and greatest in performance, comfort, convenience, and safety into every successive generation. Visit Lexus of Manhattan, your Lexus dealer near Great Neck, and you’ll see just what we mean. From a fully customizable ambient lighting system and premium Mark Levinson audio system to a generous suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and some of the most comfortable seats in its class, the RX is a true showcase of Lexus’ luxury credentials. Let’s examine each of these features in detail and learn why the RX has become the midsize luxury crossover against which all others are measured.
#1 - Light up the Night With Thematic Ambient Illumination
Ambient lighting has been making its way into more and more models in recent years, but Lexus has put its own luxury spin on this increasingly popular feature with the introduction of Thematic Ambient Illumination. This innovative system allows drivers to select between 14 preset LED lighting themes that will be subtly splashed across the crossover’s dashboard, doors, and front footwells. Lighting themes range from Daylight White and Dawn to Meteor, Afterglow, and more, and the system even includes a Custom setting that lets drivers choose from a wide spectrum of colors. With 64 individual hues to choose from, it’s never been easier to turn your interior into a one-of-a-kind environment designed to match your exterior or interior color scheme, outfit, music, or whatever mood you might find yourself in on a particular day.
In addition to choosing which colors can be displayed around the cabin, Thematic Ambient Illumination also allows drivers to manually adjust the brightness of the entire array or even a specific zone. Find those illuminated footwells a little distracting? Simply dim them using a simple slider or deactivate the area’s lighting entirely. The same trick can be performed for the front and rear ambient lights, allowing drivers to create a lighting scheme that fits their specific needs and preferences. If you’re looking to adjust the lights on the fly but don’t want to fiddle with the controls while you're cruising through Great Neck, you can use the voice-activated Intelligent Assistant in the Lexus RX to select from one of the preset themes. With such a feature-packed system on offer, it’s little wonder that the RX’s Thematic Ambient Illumination was singled out by Kelley Blue Book in its ranking of the 2024 models with the best ambient lighting.
Thematic Ambient Illumination is a little difficult to appreciate under brighter lighting conditions, but as soon as night hits, it’ll add a little flair to RX’s sophisticated cabin. While this fun feature is reserved for the RX’s upper trims, the base model does come with its own ambient lighting system. This relatively simple ambient lighting feature might not offer the same full-level customization as Thematic Ambient Illumination, but it’s still a nice little perk that sets the Lexus RX apart from many of its competitors.
#2 - Relax in the Best Seats in the House
Luxury brands put an emphasis on comfort, engineering their vehicles to provide a smooth, refined ride that goes a long way in elevating the overall driving experience. While this comfort-first approach usually focuses on a vehicle’s suspension, there’s no underestimating the importance of seating. The average driver spends almost 300 hours a year behind the wheel of their car, which is why choosing the right seats is so important when designing a luxury vehicle. The right seating can make those 300 hours fly by, while the wrong set can make each ride an exercise in frustration as you struggle to get comfortable.
Luckily, Lexus has outfitted the RX with some of the segment’s most comfortable seats, treating every trim with eight-way adjustable driver’s and front passenger’s seats. With the ability to control height, tilt, legroom, and more, these power-adjustable seats allow both the driver and front-seat passenger to create a tailored experience every time they climb into the cabin. A memory function allows the drivers to save their specific seating preferences, which means no more tinkering before every ride.
Whether you’re returning home from a busy day in the city or exploring the many parks that make Great Neck such a relaxing place to live, you’ll arrive feeling refreshed and ready to unwind. The RX’s seats aren’t just adjustable––they’re packed with a host of comfort-focused technology that’ll have you looking forward to your next journey. This SUV is available with heated and ventilated front and rear seats, which comes in handy when you’re cruising around on a hot summer day or trying to psych yourself up for the daily commute on a chilly New York morning.
Drivers who opt for the RX’s performance-focused F Sport trims will see the SUV’s typical front seats replaced with a new set of bolstered seats that maximize comfort while giving the cabin an athletic look. These race-inspired seats feature extra bolsters, improving the vehicle's sporty feel and allowing the driver to feel nice and snug as they unleash the available 366 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The seats improve control by ensuring you’re not sliding around the cockpit, and they are affixed in a low position that better aligns the driver’s hips with the RX’s center of gravity. Add the extra foam-injected bolstering, and you’ll have a fitting throne for the luxury SUV.
#3 - Listen to Premium Sound Courtesy of Mark Levinson
Whether you’re trying to belt out your favorite tunes or pick the right musical accompaniment for the moment, a good stereo system can make all the difference when it comes to enjoying your ride. While every car, truck, and SUV on the road is sold with some sort of audio system, luxury vehicles, such as what you'll find at your local Lexus dealership, go above and beyond with these in-vehicle entertainment systems. Lexus leverages an over 20-year relationship with premium audio equipment brand Mark Levinson to grace its models with the latest and greatest in automotive sound. The partnership has been a fruitful one for Lexus, allowing its customers to enjoy a tailor-made system designed by the same team that produces some of the industry’s best home audio systems.
The 2024 Lexus RX represents one of the duo's most ambitious collaborations to date, with Lexus and Mark Levinson teaming up to outfit the crossover with a bespoke 21-speaker audio system. The 1,800-watt array delivers concert-quality sound to every seat in the house, deploying some of Mark Levinson’s cutting-edge technology to ensure a high-fidelity listening experience. The centerpiece of this system is Mark Levinson’s PurePlay architecture, a groundbreaking surround sound system that reflects a unique approach to mobile audio.
While many automakers build their speakers into the expected locations around the cabin, Lexus and Mark Levinson went through years of testing to determine the ideal placement. The result is the PurePlay system, which sees nine 90 mm Unity speakers placed at shoulder level in order to eliminate distortion and improve overall acoustics. This system ensures that the high and mid-range frequencies emanating from each speaker can be heard just as clearly as the others, with an added timbre matching feature that creates a more natural, blended soundscape.
The nine Unity speakers are complemented by two woofers mounted in the front doors, as well as a trunk-mounted subwoofer that delivers rich, heavy, low-end tones throughout the cabin. But the PurePlay feature is just one arrow in the RX’s audio quiver. The SUV is also outfitted with Mark Levinson’s Clari-Fi technology, a modern feature designed to solve a thoroughly modern problem. Digital audio files are a boon to convenience, allowing listeners to pack thousands of songs onto their phone or computer, but they also come with their disadvantages. These audio files tend to be heavily compressed in the name of saving space, which can lead to a significant loss of audio quality.
While this compression might not be as noticeable when listening to music with earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker, the RX’s high-end audio system can make these shortcomings all too apparent. Mark Levinson has engineered around this common issue with the introduction of Clari-Fi, a system that serves to return a little warmth and fidelity to digital audio files. With Clari-Fi, drivers can enjoy their favorite music the way it was meant to be heard, turning the RX’s interior into a rolling soundstage that will quickly become your new favorite place to put on an album.
#4 - Enjoy a Convenient Ride Through Technology
The high-definition cameras, sonars, and radars packed into the 2024 Lexus RX allow the luxury crossover to offer a safe, convenient ride that’ll leave drivers feeling both protected and pampered, even on the busy streets of New York City. These sensors are the backbone of the advanced driver assistance systems that are offered as part of the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 suite.
Advanced Park with Remote Park lets drivers ease into a perpendicular or parallel parking spot with the push of a button. The system controls the SUV’s steering, acceleration, braking, and shifting to make any parking task a breeze. It can even be activated remotely using the Lexus smartphone app. Lexus further eases the burden of parking with a Panoramic View Monitor, which stitches together images from the exterior cameras to give drivers a 360-degree look at the area immediately surrounding the vehicle. With the Panoramic View Monitor, those little dings, dents, and bumps that can come with squeezing into a tight space will be a thing of the past.
Traffic Jam Assist might not be a fully automated driving system, but it comes pretty close with the ability to brake and steer for you in the low-speed situations you sometimes encounter around Great Neck. This system is complemented by All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), an adaptive cruise control feature that can even be used in frustrating stop-and-go traffic. Curve Speed Management is a new addition to the DRCC system that helps the RX to tailor its speed through curves for a safer, more comfortable ride. Road Sign Assist might be one of the RX’s most novel features, using an intelligent high-definition camera to detect common traffic signs. These signs are then sent directly to the crossover’s Multi-Information Display, where they’re displayed for easy reference.
For those seeking an even more extensive safety package than the standard Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 suite, there’s the optional Integrated Lexus Dashcam. This system records not only video, images, and sound but can also store location data for an even more precise incident report. The data can be played back on any connected smartphone or PC and comes with 16 GB of storage. Those first moments after an accident can be overwhelming, but with the RX’s network of eagle-eyed cameras on your side, you can spend your time making sure your passengers are okay instead of straining to catch sight of the other driver’s license plate. The system will jump into action, recording the incident and collecting information that could prove useful if you find yourself needing to file an insurance claim. Great Neck might be a safe and close-knit community, but accidents do happen, and you can never be too careful when it comes to protecting your investment.
The Lexus RX Has Something for Everyone
The Lexus RX is a prime example of just how important luxury and convenience features are in today’s ultra-competitive luxury market. There are lots of eye-catching SUVs on today’s market, but it's a mixture of both style and substance that really allows a vehicle to stand the test of time. Lexus has perfected this formula over the RX’s two and a half decades on the market, crafting a luxury crossover that leaves little to be desired. This approach has made this midsize SUV a favorite of drivers and critics alike, a trend that’s perfectly encapsulated in the latest model. Whether you’re an audiophile looking to enjoy a premium audio system as you cruise down the Long Island Expressway, a comfort-focused driver who is seeking a little relief in the form of adjustable, heated, and ventilated seating, or simply someone who appreciates being the first to experience exclusive tech features like a premium audio system and full-feature ADAS, the Lexus RX has something for everyone. Contact us today to set up a test drive.
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