2022 RX Interior

The RX has the kind of interior we appreciate; high quality, high-tech, and easy-to-use. Even from the base level, the interior of the RX feels solid and elegant, even though it shares some switchgear with much cheaper Toyota models. We like the more extensive touchscreen interface but don't understand why Lexus doesn't just rid its cars (and the world) of the horrid remote touchpad. It's difficult to use and, for us, distracting while driving, which isn't great for safety. Even though the RX has an eight-inch touchscreen, it doesn't dominate the interior. You still get separate media and climate control controls and a beautiful analog clock. The seats are comfortable and there's ample space for five occupants in the standard models, and seven in the longer variants.

2022 RX Interior Photos

Seating and Interior Space

There are very few changes happening inside the 2022 RX's interior. There's one new interior color and that's about it - but we're not complaining. There's seating for up to five passengers in the regular versions, or seven if you go for the stretched L body style. With captainç chairs There's ample space in the first two rows for occupants who are six feet tall, but five-row models do offer more second-row legroom than three-row models. As expected, the third row is much tighter when it comes to legroom, but children should be perfectly comfortable. The five-seater BMW X5 offers a similar amount of interior space as the five-seater RX. The top-end 450hL and its Black Line Special Edition have captain's chairs as standard in the second row, which is optionally available to the 350L. In this guise, the RX becomes a 6-seater SUV.

2022 Lexus RX Interior Dimensions:

Interior Colors and Materials

The standard upholstery across the range is NuLuxe - Lexus marketing language for leatherette. All other surfaces are covered in soft-touch materials, and what little plastic Lexus uses is of the highest quality. For a few thousand dollars, you can upgrade the upholstery to semi-aniline leather.

Standard color options include Birch, Parchment, and Black, all coupled with Striated Black trim. We'd be happy with any of these combinations, as all are tastefully executed. If you have smaller kids, stay away from the lighter tones, though. Upgrading to more premium hide unlocks Glazed Caramel NuLuxe upholstery and Matte Walnut trim. On L models, you can also opt for Open Pore Walnut. The top-tier Luxury Package offers the same colors, but the trim is upgraded to Sapele Wood and Aluminum.

You can have a sportier interior on F Sport models. The Circuit Red NuLuxe and Scored Aluminum trim looks good but is perhaps a bit too wild for the average RX customer. This year's Black Line is equipped with a model-specific interior. The black upholstery comes with white accents and gray stitching, unless you opt for the Black Line extended body length, which sports blue stitching.

The model we had on our test drive came in soft Black NuLuxe, metallic trim, and plenty of soft-touch plastics. We liked this man-made synthetic leather for a few reasons, mainly because it was very easy to clean after an accidental coffee spill - no liquid was absorbed. We also realized the heated seats weren't needed right away since this material doesn't seem to get as cold as leather in the winter. We'd like to see whether it maintains the temperature in the summertime.

2022 RX Trunk and Cargo Space

The RX was never designed to be a six or seven-seater, and it shows. With three rows in place, you only get 7.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity. That's not enough to accommodate the schoolbags of six kids, let alone enough for shopping to feed them for a week. With the third row folded flat, the space increases to a usable but underwhelming 23 cubes. Fold the second row down and you get 58.5 cubic feet. The standard five-seater is also way below par, offering only 16 cubes. If you fold the second row flat, the space increases to 32.7 cubes. At least Lexus makes it easy to access the cargo capacity, with a power tailgate being standard across the range.

The battery pack placement does not affect the cargo capacity, so the hybrid models boast the same figures as the ICE cars. Interior storage is ample. Every passenger cuts a cupholder and additional storage space in the door or seatback pockets. L models also get a second-row armrest with a storage compartment.

2022 Lexus RX Trunk and Cargo Space Photos

2022 RX Infotainment and Features

Features

Being a Lexus, the RX comes jam-packed with features from the base level. As standard, you can expect power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, a power-adjustable steering column, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. F-Sport models add sportier instrument cluster gauges and sportier front seats. Lexus adds tri-zone climate control and a power-folding third-row in L models. All models are equipped with the Lexus Safety System 2.0 +. This driver assistance suite bundles together full-speed active cruise control, lane-trace assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and road sign recognition.

Our sampler further came equipped with several extras, including a wireless charger ($200) and a lovely color head-up display ($600). Heated and ventilated seats are optional across the range.

Infotainment

The best thing about the infotainment system is that you can completely ignore the center console-mounted touchpad if you so choose. The easiest, fastest, and safest method of use is the eight-inch touchscreen. Like most vehicles, the RX's tuning knob is actually a physical knob, which is great. However, its location is too far from the driver as we found ourselves stretching to reach it. It's best for drivers to control the music volume via the steering wheel controls. A 12.3-inch touchscreen is available by means of a package upgrade.

Like with most modern new vehicles, the RX comes standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Alexa compatibility. A nine-speaker audio system is standard but a 12-speaker version is available, or, like our tester, a 15-speaker Mark Levinson Premium sound setup can be had, but the latter requires additional packages, too.