I’m on my fourth cup of coffee, suffering the writer’s
curse. Even with a deadline sneaking up on me like a
scorpion, I barely have three words to start with. Even in
my fully padded and soundproofed podcast studio 30 floors
above the rest of the city, I can feel the editorial screws
tightening up as I stare at my own Everest: the blank page.
There is nothing more intimidating, yet at the same time,
more rewarding, exciting, and fulfilling when you beat it—
especially when you get it right.
A blank page. That’s exactly what Lexus had in front of
them in 1993 when they dreamt up the world’s first luxury
crossover, the Lexus RX. That enigma just outside of your
comfort zone and everything you know you’re good at. They
could have cut and pasted a pretty decent SUV from their
already many templates, just as I could have slapped one
generic sentence after the other to make up a minimum word
count. But they chose to write their own story; and 22 years
after it debuted in 1997, they have one hell of a tale to tell.
It’s one thing to be driving the world’s first luxury
crossover and another thing to save the earth. But to do
both at the same time? Well, you can thank Lexus for that.
They pretty much invented that marriage. Yes, you could get
technical and argue that Ferdinand Porsche invented the first
hybrid vehicle—which is true—but it was Toyota who made
it affordable. Lexus just came along a few years later and
made it desirable.
What is it that makes the RX450h a standout and such a
joy to drive? Well, there are many answers to that question,
but for the sake of brevity, let’s focus on the stuff the
competitors wish they had.
To start: that marvel of a powerplant. With a total system
output of 308 horsepower, the RX is no slouch. The dash to a
hundred happens in just 7.7 seconds, which is still respectable
considering its carbon footprint, and it only starts to run out
of ideas at 200 km/h. Impressive, no doubt. But to try to sum
up the RX450h in numbers is like choosing between a single
malt or a blended whiskey based on alcohol content—it’s just
not about that.
With the RX 450h, it’s all about the experience. Everything
you touch, smell, and hear (or don’t hear) is part of thatWith the RX
450h, it’s all about
the experience.
Everything you
touch, smell, and
hear is part of that
exclusive journey
76 philippine tatler. august 2019