Remember when the Lexus RX had a sensible front bumper for a crossover?

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
03/07/2018 at 10:11 • Filed to: None

Today when I pulled in to my parking space at work, there was an older Lexus RX350 parked opposite me. Since my car is all low to the ground, I immediately noticed something about the RX’s bumper.

The Lexus RX pictured above is the current style, regular, non-F Sport trim. It has the electric shaver version of the predator grille. The F Sport gets a chicken wire version of the same predator grille.

Either way, both grilles are part of a large, hangy-downy front bumper that still probably has a halfway decent amount of ground clearance, but the leading edge of it is obviously not designed with any consideration for the approach angle needed to traverse steep suburban midwestern driveways.

The old RX, on the other hand, has this front bumper:

LOOK AT THAT APPROACH ANGLE. It didn’t help this particular RX driving coworker of mine avoid bending the hell out of their front license plate and dealer tag frame, but hey maybe that was from a car wash or something.

DISCUSSION (19)

fintail > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 10:17

The predator/cow catcher front end really accentuates the overhang on NX/RX, too. This won’t be seen as a design classic in 25 years.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 10:22

Interestingly, the NX still has a similar bumper to the previous RX, but only in the US - the rest of the world gets something more like the new RX:

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > fintail
03/07/2018 at 10:24

Fun fact: the US spec non-F Sport version of the NX has a de-cowcatcherfied overhang so it can be classified as a “truck” for CAFE numbers, but the F Sport (and the non-US non-F Sport) have a low enough underbite to count as cars for CAFE purposes.

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/07/2018 at 10:25

Yes, it does , because of CAFE.

Milky > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/07/2018 at 10:26

Because its a “light truck”

https://www.carscoops.com/2014/07/do-you-know-why-us-bound-lexus-nx-has/

fintail > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 10:34

It’s funny, when I see a base/electric shaver NX, I see a RAV4 trying to break out of its shell.

The truck vs overhang thing is depressing in a way.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 10:42

Hmm does the current RX count as a light truck for CAFE then? It certainly doesn’t seat 12 people or come from a truck platform so that leaves off-road ability as a qualifier... it doesn’t seem to have much of that. Also, my predictive keyboard options when replying to you lol:

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/07/2018 at 10:58

Not sure about whether the RX is a truck for CAFE purposes but according to this the NX gets to be a “truck” because of its approach angle.

P.S. TSP and TVP are two different names for the same thing.

CompactLuxuryFan > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/07/2018 at 11:05

Wow I finally know why I find the NX so repulsive! International version looks a million times better! US one looks like it had its lower jaw removed

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 11:48

Remember when Oppo didn’t exist just to bash Lexus?

We get it. You don’t like their styling.

Find something else to hate on all the time.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 12:10

With the overhangs especially the size of these stupid things are deceiving for how cramped they are on the inside (stupid rake on the rear hatch doesn’t help either). Wife currently drives a Crosstrek, casually thinking of options for when its time to replace it with something slightly bigger but not massive.

Really want a GX but it maybe overkill for us and is thirsty, so thought hey the NX doesn’t look too horrible, at least should have Lexus build quality + reliability, and seems to be about 1.3x the size of our Subie. Shocked to learn that the stupid thing has LESS cargo volume than the Crosstrek, with the rear seats both up and down.

Every turn we take it feels like the world is shoving us in to a Forester as her next car (because PNW and anti-depreciation).

Textured Soy Protein > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
03/07/2018 at 12:22

Honestly I didn’t mean this so much as bashing of Lexus and really more just was struck by the approach angle on the older RX.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 12:38

Your post is one among many over the last few weeks, both here and on the FP where the entire point is to bash, demean, hate-on, insult, etc Lexus. I apologize that I have taken it the wrong way.

But I am tired of everyone having to make the same ‘sick burn’ post bashing Lexus for the exactly the same perceived flaws as everyone else points out. It’s boring, derivative, unoriginal, and not at all creative.

Textured Soy Protein > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
03/07/2018 at 12:43

My wife has an Impreza hatch. She had a Forester service loaner recently and now she’s all up on that Forester tip for what she wants for her next car. She likes that it’s very similar to her car but she feels safer in traffic sitting higher up and having the big windows to see out of.

I’m not entirely opposed to it but might want something different. Hopefully by the time her lease is up in April 2019 the Forester will have been refreshed to the new Impreza platform.

GX would very much be overkill. For us we’d be looking at small/medium crossovers. She doesn’t care about power but I’d like to get something that’s at least a little less slow, and also quieter as the Impreza isn’t so great at quieting road noise. I like the Hyundai Tucson & Santa Fe Sport, Mazda CX-5, and Honda CR-V. I sent her pics of those plus a couple others, and the Forester. Her response?

“I like the Forester the best, and my car.”

Textured Soy Protein > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
03/07/2018 at 12:46

Well, I promise, the only point of this post is,

DAT APPROACH ANGLE THO

Kinja'd!!!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 12:56

Approach angles aren’t needed on vehicles that only occasionally have to traverse such obstacles as wet leaves and plowed mall parking lots.

Not having any off-roading pretense anymore is not exclusive to Lexus.

Textured Soy Protein > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
03/07/2018 at 13:04

No need to be upset here. I think you’re projecting Lexus bashing on this post when there isn’t any bashing here. I’ve tried to explain this multiple times now.

All I said about the new RX was its bumper doesn’t appear to be designed to maximize approach angle, while the old one is. Do you see any words that could be taken as “this makes the new one bad” in my post? No, because they’re not there. I even said it “still probably has a halfway decent amount of ground clearance.”

Chhhhhiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllll

Kinja'd!!!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 13:21

Haha my wife is exactly the same. Subaru has a hold on her for having real AWD and being a super safe car. I’m not opposed to the Forester just because they hold their value so well, so at least there’s a financial aspect I can agree to it on, plus it’s totally inoffensive and fine as a family hauler. At this point the only thing that will likely get her to change her mind is a XC60 once they hit the preowned market, but that will still be waayyy over our budget and will only happen if we hold on to the Crosstrek for quite a bit longer than we otherwise would.

I really like the Hyundai options too – they’re smart looking vehicles with good features, and that warranty is a good bonus (even if the dealerships are known to be a pain). We tried a CX-5 before we bought the Crosstrek and she hated it – said it drove too rigid and the steering was too sharp (I was like EXACTLY, it’s awesome!), so probably a no go next time too.

Getting back on topic, Lexus could be a really good option if they only focused a tiny bit less on ridiculous styling and more on functionality. They’re nice cars to sit in, but a good portion of buyers are being driven by practicality first, other things are just nice to have…so it’s hard to pick an NX over a Forester, CX-5, or even a RAV-4 if you’re taking a huge day to day hit on how much crap you can fit in a car for the sake of extroverted styling.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Textured Soy Protein
03/07/2018 at 13:31

I wasn’t upset in my last post. I was making a sarcastic joke about current crossovers, Lexus included.