Photo: Lexus / Toyota / USPTO / edited
Toyota's luxury-oriented subsidiary prepares to launch a new sport utility vehicle in the US market, as if Lexus didn't already have six of them. To be slotted between the RX and body-on-frame GX, the eight-seat TX has been designed as the indirect successor of the RX-L.
Revealed in 2017 for the 2018 model year, the RX-L differs from the RX by means of a longer wheelbase and more seats. The Nagoya-based automaker developed the current-generation RX as a strict five-seat crossover in order to make room for the soon-to-be-revealed TX.
Expected to arrive in showrooms for the 2024 model year, the all-new TX shows a noticeably similar design to the Grand Highlander as far as the driver-side rear side area is concerned. Slightly more luxurious due to painted wheel-arch cladding as opposed to unpainted black plastic for the Grand Highlander, the Lexus-badged twin also sweetens the deal with gloss-black paint on the D pillars and slightly pointier taillights.
Toyota filed three nameplates for the all-new TX with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, beginning with the combustion-only TX 350. Further up the spectrum, potential customers will be presented with the hybrid TX 500h and plug-in hybrid TX 550h+.
The 350 and 500h were filed on the same day – September 8 of 2020 – and both were published for opposition, back on February 23 of 2021. The 550h+ is newer, with Toyota filing this designation with the USPTO back on March 16 of 2022. The plug-in hybrid powertrain may be a more powerful take on the RX 450h+, which combines a 2.5-liter engine with an eCVT, an 18.1-kWh battery, and two electric motors.
As for the hybrid, Lexus already offers the 500h in the RX. This powertrain brings together a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump, a torque-converter automatic transmission, and an electric motor tasked with driving the rear wheels. Last but certainly not least, 350 likely refers to the 2.4-liter turbo in the RX 350.
The Dynamic Force T24A engine also happens to be Toyota's base powerplant in the Grand Highlander. Its peak output ratings aren't known because Toyota hasn't published that information yet. On the other hand, we do know that 265 horsepower and 309 pound-feet (419 Nm) are generated at the Highlander's crankshaft.
Similar to the Grand Highlander, the all-new TX aims to blur the line between unibody and truck-based sport utility vehicle by offering car-like handling and refinement in a family-sized package. Three-row crossovers have also squeezed out minivans from the mainstream, which is only natural given that large crossovers feature better styling and more ground clearance than minivans.
Luxury-oriented rivals featuring unibody constriction include the Acura MDX from Honda, Infiniti QX60 from Nissan, and Lincoln Aviator from the Ford Motor Company. One could also make a case for the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, although said luxobarges are based on rear-wheel-drive platforms. The TX and Grand Highlander both rock the TNGA-K platform, which also underpins the Camry, Venza, ES, NX, and RX.
Expected to arrive in showrooms for the 2024 model year, the all-new TX shows a noticeably similar design to the Grand Highlander as far as the driver-side rear side area is concerned. Slightly more luxurious due to painted wheel-arch cladding as opposed to unpainted black plastic for the Grand Highlander, the Lexus-badged twin also sweetens the deal with gloss-black paint on the D pillars and slightly pointier taillights.
Toyota filed three nameplates for the all-new TX with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, beginning with the combustion-only TX 350. Further up the spectrum, potential customers will be presented with the hybrid TX 500h and plug-in hybrid TX 550h+.
The 350 and 500h were filed on the same day – September 8 of 2020 – and both were published for opposition, back on February 23 of 2021. The 550h+ is newer, with Toyota filing this designation with the USPTO back on March 16 of 2022. The plug-in hybrid powertrain may be a more powerful take on the RX 450h+, which combines a 2.5-liter engine with an eCVT, an 18.1-kWh battery, and two electric motors.
As for the hybrid, Lexus already offers the 500h in the RX. This powertrain brings together a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump, a torque-converter automatic transmission, and an electric motor tasked with driving the rear wheels. Last but certainly not least, 350 likely refers to the 2.4-liter turbo in the RX 350.
The Dynamic Force T24A engine also happens to be Toyota's base powerplant in the Grand Highlander. Its peak output ratings aren't known because Toyota hasn't published that information yet. On the other hand, we do know that 265 horsepower and 309 pound-feet (419 Nm) are generated at the Highlander's crankshaft.
Similar to the Grand Highlander, the all-new TX aims to blur the line between unibody and truck-based sport utility vehicle by offering car-like handling and refinement in a family-sized package. Three-row crossovers have also squeezed out minivans from the mainstream, which is only natural given that large crossovers feature better styling and more ground clearance than minivans.
Luxury-oriented rivals featuring unibody constriction include the Acura MDX from Honda, Infiniti QX60 from Nissan, and Lincoln Aviator from the Ford Motor Company. One could also make a case for the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, although said luxobarges are based on rear-wheel-drive platforms. The TX and Grand Highlander both rock the TNGA-K platform, which also underpins the Camry, Venza, ES, NX, and RX.
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