Lexus finally has a proper family SUV in the form of the Lexus TX. The luxury brand used to sell a three-row RX L, but putting a third row in a crossover the size of an RX was a joke. The TX is a proper three-row SUV built for America by Americans — it’s assembled at Lexus’ plant in Indiana. I’m taking the plug-in hybrid version for a spin, and I want to know what you want to know.
Lexus offers the TX in three flavors: TX, full-on F Sport or the plug-in hybrid I have here. The TX PHEV is unique in that it’s the only one in the lineup that gets powered by a V6. Lexus paired its 3.5-liter V6 with dual electric motors and an 18.1 kWh battery. The result is the most powerful TX you can buy, with 404 total system horsepower and 35 miles of all-electric driving range. And it’s pretty quick, especially for something weighing 5,400 pounds. With all-wheel drive, the TX PHEV can hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds according to Lexus.
It’s properly big, too. While it’s two inches shorter than the outgoing Chevy Traverse, for instance, it somehow has a third row that can actually fit two adults in comfort. Of course, with this being Lexus, the TX is loaded with features like a surround-view camera system, heated and cooled seats for the first two rows and advanced park assist.
But you’re going to pay dearly for it. The TX plug-in starts at $78,050; my Celestial Silver Metallic with Peppercorn (it’s really more of a chocolate brown) interior TX stickered for $81,095. A big pill to swallow.
Anyway, this thing has been on family hauling duties and has handled it great so far, including a casino run one night that saw every seat filled. Let me know what you’d like to know about this luxury hauler down in the comments. I’ll answer what I can here and leave the rest for the review.