The cabin is luxurious and inviting. The leather is soft and slightly bunched. Getting in is easy, with no need to either climb up or duck down. The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive. Foldable armrests on both front seats provide additional comfort on longer trips. The center console slides forward and back, allowing room for a purse between the front seats.
The instrument panel has three large round gauges. The center dash area is framed in metallic-looking plastic topped with a pair of air vents. The center stack is dominated by the seven-inch display. This screen is used for climate control and trip computer functions, as well as displaying the outside temperature and clock (with alarm). It's also used by the optional navigation system and rear-view camera. The camera is automatically activated when the transmission is shifted into reverse. You can't drive backward by watching the screen, but it's very useful for checking for obstacles that are difficult to see from the driver's seat. The system includes Bluetooth and voice activation. The downside to all this integration is that you have to press two buttons to change the fan speed rather than one. Also, the trip odometer is hard to read. Lexus dealers can program the default settings of many of the functions, so be sure you have them tailor automatic door locking and other features to your preferences.
Audio controls are at the bottom of the center stack. The radio has big knobs for volume and tuning, that are easy to use. The Lexus premium audio is a 132-watt, eight-speaker system with AM/FM/cassette with six-disc in-dash CD changer. The optional Mark Levinson audio system features 11 speakers and 210 watts.
The shifter for the CVT automatic is located on the center dash and follows a mechanical zigzag pattern to make sure you only move it one position at a time. We found it made shifting between reverse, drive, and the lower gears ponderous when we were in a hurry.
The rear seat is contoured for two, though it has belts for three. There's a folding center armrest with cup holders and storage. The rear seats fold forward 40-20-40, the center section providing a long, narrow space for skis, shovels, and fly rods, while still allowing four people to ride in comfort. There is no third-row seat for the RX.
Folding the rear seats down reveals 83.9 cubic feet of cargo space, more than a BMW X5, Mercedes ML350, or Infiniti FX, and just slightly less than an RX 330. The rear seats don't fold perfectly flat, however. The battery packs are housed under the rear seats.
