LEXUS RX

Life will be a lot less comfortable now this luxury SUV has left us

- ALASTAIR CLEMENTS

A little over 20 years ago, I was sent to cover the launch of the second-generation Lexus RX for Autocar. At the time it was not much more than a quirky niche player over here yet, thanks to the US market's voracious appetite for it, the world's best-selling SUV. While it has since gained traction in the UK, it has lost that title to its little brother, the Toyota RAV4 - a car that donated much of its drivetrain to this, the fifth-generation RX, in a search for greater efficiency (presumably in terms of parts commonality as well as fuel consumption).

That means the sweet 3.5-litre V6 of old has been replaced by a 2.5-litre four-banger, but to (more than) make up for it, the RX 450h+ is a plug-in hybrid that offers more power and torque from its electric motors than from its petrol engine, in total mustering a useful 305bhp.

In daily use, particularly around town, that results in a car that feels effortlessly potent, with the muscular torque of the motors meaning you avoid the wearing droning so common among CVT-equipped cars.

On a longer journey, however, when the battery's charge has been exhausted, you can feel the lack of torque - on petrol alone, there's a fairly lightweight 167lb ft - and it's vocal (albeit not unpleasant) when called upon. Still, Toyota's vast experience in self-charging hybrids means that it's quick to generate enough power for the next overtake.