Infomation

With all the premium-brand crossovers on the road, it's easy to forget which one blazed the trail for these luxury car-based SUVs. When it hit the streets some 15 years ago, the Lexus RX gave consumers the plush ride, bulletproof reliability and low ownership costs expected of the brand, along with a fair measure of cargo capacity and foul-weather capability. Other entries quickly flooded the market. But despite this tidal wave of competitors, the 2014 Lexus RX 350 is still a very appealing choice for a luxury crossover.

With the latest RX 350 you're still getting all of the above qualities, plus a smooth V6 engine, comfortable seating for five and a handsome cabin featuring top-notch materials and assembly quality. You'll also find plenty of standard features here, along with a nice collection of useful convenience and high-tech options. There's not much to find fault with either, as the only significant downsides are the lack of a third-row seat and an electronics interface that takes more of your attention to operate than we prefer.

If either of these are concerns for you, we'd point you toward the seven-passenger 2014 Acura MDX and 2014 Infiniti QX60. The Infiniti has the bigger third-row seat of the two, but the Acura is more involving to drive. In addition, both have very easy to use audio-navigation systems. As five-passenger alternatives go, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Volkswagen Touareg are pretty upscale despite their lack of a luxury badge, while the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60 are all excellent smaller luxury crossovers. Overall, though, the Lexus RX 350 remains in the top tier among premium-brand crossover SUVs, even if it is no longer the undisputed segment leader.