Welcome back to Drive Notes — a recurring feature in which I give you a few brief notes on what I am driving or have driven recently.
Up today: The 2024 Lexus TX 350.
As usual, we’ll do this pro and con style.
Pros
- The infotainment system that Toyota/Lexus moved to recently is easy to use and easy to read. Toyota went from having one of the worst, most outdated systems to having one of the better ones.
- There are cool little touches throughout, such as little lights in the gauge cluster that light up when you tap the brakes.
- The large knobs for radio and HVAC are appreciated.
- There is the usual level of Lexus comfort, except for one thing — see the “cons” section.
- It’s roomy.
- There a relatively decent amount of grunt from the 2.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder. You can feel the 317 lb-ft of torque.
- While the handling is still on par for a large three-row, it’s a bit better than I’d expect. The ride is nice but otherwise unremarkable.
Cons
- Although the controls are laid out logically and Lexus uses touchscreen controls for a fair amount of functions, there was still a “busy” feel to the inside.
- The engine was heard a bit more than is usual in Lexus products. It was far from obnoxious — it was maybe a tad more noise than I’ve experienced in the aging GX — but it was noticeable.
- The start/stop button is in a weird place.
- While there’s decent grunt, the TX is also heavy and it feels like it.
- With the third row up, there’s little room for luggage or groceries.
This is a pretty solid effort and definitely a nice, luxurious take on the Toyota Grand Highlander. It’s unremarkable but packaged well enough that Lexus will likely sell plenty.
[Images: Lexus]
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