Lexus RX 450hL review

By Tim Barnes-Clay, Sorted’s Motoring Editor.

 Follow Tim on Instagram @tbarnesclay and Twitter @carwriteups

Sport utility vehicles have been the flavour of the decade in the UK. Some are as bland as gluten-free crackers, though - but we still purchase them.

Of course, SUVs, as they're commonly known, don't have to be like this - and Lexus has come up with a formula to make them pleasing. The carmaker would have to silence me forever (gulp!) if it told me what the recipe is, but the Japanese firm has at least let me sample an RX 450hL for this article.

Now, it came as a surprise to me how the RX 450hL Takumi - an elongated, seven-seater version of Lexus' RX 450h is as far from bland as you can get. Why? Put it this way - if you need your SUV to give you oodles of equipment, top-drawer quality, excellent refinement, and bags of comfort, then this Lexus could be the car for you. It's nowhere near as driver-focused as, say, BMW's X5, but it’ll chill you out by turning any...