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New Lexus RX 200t Struggles to Climb Stairs in Russian Test

Old Range Rovers weighed well over 2 tons thanks to their independent chassis that's great off-road. Many crossovers are sold today as SUVs, even though they don't have the same terrain-crossing capabilities.
New Lexus RX 200t Struggles to Climb Stairs in Russia Test 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
The Lexus RX was always called a crossover by its makers, so we can't hold anything against it. However, this next video is fascinating, and we know you Lexus lovers will enjoy it.

A Russian website that we can't pronounce,... or read, recently did a full review of the 2016 Lexus RX 200t. We've already noticed there's something funky going on. The 200t engine is usually found only on the NX in America. But in Russia, you can have it on the bigger car.

Instead of a V6, the RX 200t gets an all-new 2-liter turbo rated at 238 horsepower. No, we have no problem with that, since the Audi Q5 and other vehicles of its size have similar engines. But while the RX's unibody construction helps to reduce fuel consumption, it's not ideal when going off-road. In addition, the RX uses one of those brake-assist systems instead of conventional locking differentials. The system is supposed to do the same thing, stopping the wheels that are in the air from spinning around like crazy. But that it's probably designed to cope with patches of ice on the road, not the famous "tripod position."

We think the Russian reviewer is saying this behavior is acceptable for a crossover and that the RX 200t is decent if you only need it to visit your favorite sky resort. That's true, but these aren't particularly big stairs. A Nissan Qashqai would probably have the same characteristics, so why buy an expensive Lexus? What's a real 4x4 going to do? To answer that question, we give you the classic G-Class climbing 60% incline stairs video. For the record, the new RX can't even approach those stairs because of its overhand and spoiler.

After eventually climbing those three shallow steps, the RX is placed in a cross-axle position. This flexes the body of the vehicle and messes with the geometry of the boot, which catches when the reviewer opens it. But, it's not too bad for a regular crossover. Many crossovers would have had problems with the doors as well, so Lexus has done a decent engineering job.

Despite its 4.9-meter body, the all-new RX only weighs 1960 kilos (4321 lbs). A Range Rover weighs about 200 kg more now and 600 kilos more when it used to have a separate chassis. Make sure to skip to the 15-minute mark in the video.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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