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The 2016 Lexus RX is more of everything [w/video]

Both literally and symbolically, the RX is Lexus. The crossover accounts for more than a third of the brand's overall sales. Last year Lexus moved 107,490 RX 350s, almost as much as every BMW SUV combined. The first-generation RX 300 was such a hit it forced other luxury automakers to follow suit. And the outgoing third-gen model epitomizes the current challenge Lexus faces: it's comfortable, but boring – exactly like the reputation the brand wants to shed. The new 2016 Lexus RX, then, is the Lexus weathervane. In short: more style, space, and technology while retaining the plushness that keeps current owners happy. As is current Lexus tradition, the RX gets a massive spindle grille. And while there are more creases and character lines than before, the overall styling is softer than the angular NX. The conservative approach shows that Lexus took a cautious approach to its cash cow, while using lower-volume models like the RC coupe to push boundaries. Still, Lexus has made an honest attempt at sporting up the RX. The RX 350 retains the 3.5-liter V6 but gets a 30-horsepower boost to 300 hp, and the RX 450h now makes 300 ponies as well. In all-wheel-drive guise, both models can be had in F Sport trim, which brings exterior tweaks like 20-inch wheels and a unique instrument cluster. F Sport models also include an active stabilizer system to minimize roll in corners. All RX models also come with dampers and steering that automatically adjust to the driving situation. Inside, the new RX is loaded up with features, like a standard 12.3-inch infotainment screen and an optional color head-up display. A list of electronic safety features is too long to mention, but includes collision mitigation, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams. See the press release below for the full rundown, or just trust us when we say you can get the RX with almost every driving aid out there. The rear seats now feature a power-fold feature, and when the seats are up second row passengers are treated to more leg- and knee-room. That extra interior space comes from an overall stretching of the RX. Wheelbase grows 1.9 inches, while length is up almost five inches. What the new RX doesn't yet have, but we're told is on the way, is a third row of seats. The added versatility of a seven-passenger version should broaden the appeal of the RX to a wider audience. Expect to see the RX 350 and RX 450h in showrooms by the end of the year, with the three-row version coming sometime in 2016.

Lexus NX, BMW i3 to get Super Bowl commercials

At this point last year, we'd been getting news on automotive-focused Super Bowl commercials for more than two months. The teasers hadn't come out yet, but manufacturers lined up for the super-expensive spots were making their intentions known. This year? Almost nada, until this week. BMW has said it will air a 60-second spot promoting the i3 during the first quarter of the game, the Munich firm returning to The Big Game after a four-year absence. BMW says, "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." We say that pitching a tiny range-extended hatchback during the beer-iest American sports orgy of the year should make for some neat commentary afterward. Lexus is putting its new NX crossover in the second Super Bowl commercial it's ever aired, eschewing the glitter of celebrities and glamor for a straight-shooting spot and the tagline, "Be seen, be heard, make some noise." Joining those two are Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota. The six confirmed carmakers are down from eleven last year, when car spots made up a quarter of the total ad time. The price to do business for 30 seconds this year: reportedly around $4.5 million, up a stacks from last year's $4 million. You can watch the Lexus commercial in the video above, and beneath that, the BMW press release below has a bit more information on its effort. BMW to Advertise All-Electric BMW i3 during Super Bowl XLIX. The all-electric BMW i3 is featured in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 15, 2015... Today, BMW announced plans to feature the all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with a commercial during the first quarter. "As one in three Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we are thrilled to use this platform to educate viewers on the importance of electric mobility," said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." BMW i is BMW's forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world's most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber.

Lexus still planning seven-seat crossover

In case you're thinking, "But Lexus already has a seven-seat crossover in the GX 460," that's actually a proper SUV - the body-on-frame kind with the massive footprint and floaty handling. A report in Automotive News says that Lexus is trying to figure out how to produce a true crossover with space for seven humans, with the options narrowed down to growing the RX (pictured) or sorting out a brand new model.
How badly does the brand want it? Its chief told AN that another row is first on the list of dealer requests, that the offering could be worth 35,000 more sales per year and they don't care if it eats into five-seater RX sales - "We want it." But hey, when 40 percent of monthly sales are made up of the RX, and Lexus moved more than 103,000 of them in 2013, it's understandable that the company wouldn't mind risking a small hit for the chance to increase sales by a third of their current levels.
Toyota applied to trademark the name TX and that's already been mooted in reports as a replacement for the GX, said to end its life in 2016. The latest report, however, suggests that the GX might not go away since it's "highly profitable for the automaker, even at low volumes," and that "TX coding could merely be for a seven-seat variant of the RX 350." AN also wonders if this larger hauler would stay on the recently lengthened Toyota Highlander platform, which offers meager third-row seating, or switch to the rear-wheel-drive platform used by the IS and GS for tauter responsiveness. With Lexus saying it will be at least two years before it could be brought to market, we have a while to wait yet to find out.