2005 Lexus RX330: In The Autoblog Garage Day 1
There's nothing like getting a week in a luxury car. Even a week in an entry-level luxury SUV like the RX330 is a treat. Automotive journalists can't really deny the fact that it's not so bad getting to drive vehicles they normally couldn't afford or wouldn't necessarily buy themselves. But that shouldn't cloud any judgment when reviewing a new vehicle.
The small, car-based SUV has been one of Lexus? best sellers since it came on the scene. This RX330 is the newly
designed mid-size that I see everywhere. It?s odd that such a subtle car is so popular. If you didn?t look for it on
the road it would blend in with everything else on the road unlike Infiniti?s funky FX.
Inside the RX330 is just good enough to warrant the $41,000 price tag. The leather is supportive if not luxurious in
feel, the controls and plastic seem like just a slight step above the Highlander?s though. Besides the navigation
system and a superb steering wheel there?s nothing inside that makes the RX330 stand above the competition from BMW,
Volvo and the before mentioned
Infiniti.
But there also isn?t anything so horrid to turn a potential customer off either. The Lexus seems extremely competent during the first day but I?m struggling with the seats, they?re very small compared to the huge Barco-Lounger seats of the GMC XUV, and the precision of the accelerator pedal. Although admittedly those aren?t going to kill the RX330 in my eyes.
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