Waxing Poetic ‘Bout Being in the Lexus TX 500h F Sport AWD

How do you determine an automotive brand’s cultural significance? That’s a wide-reaching question, one without a cut-and-dried answer, but one way of replying is to list its hip-hop name-drops. And by that metric, Lexus is in the pop culture pantheon: it’s been name-checked by everyone from The Notorious B.I.G. to Ye, Snoop Dogg and JAY-Z (whose 2017 cut “Smile” included a bar that was paraphrased for this article’s title). There’s a certain vibe, one of elevated-yet-streetwise taste and quality, associated with a new Lexus, and it’s on full display through the TX 500h F Sport AWD, one-third of the brand’s TX offering.

A new range that began production in November 2023 and sits between the RX and LX lines, the TX line offers a standard model, a plug-in hybrid electric iteration, and a TX Sport iteration. Hypebeast tested the last of these over a three-day stretch split between the cramped streets of Brooklyn and the rolling hills of upstate New York.

Spacious and powerful, the TX Sport stands out in a crowded field that includes vehicles like the Acura MDX, Infiniti QX60 and Audi Q7. Its base price sits at $69,350 USD, and all models come equipped with F Sport aluminum pedals and scuff plates, a 14-inch infotainment screen that supports Android Auto/Apple Car Play, manual sun shades and a wireless charger on its console. The fully loaded version we tested, however, is priced at $76,585 USD, with the extra seven-and-a-half racks securing you a panoramic sunroof, 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, additional leather trim, a heated steering wheel, a suite of enhanced tech features like a heads-up display, cross-traffic alert and auto parking, and even a 1,500-watt AC power outlet.

All in all, we found the Lexus TX 500h F Sport AWD an apt, responsive SUV with enough power to be fun, enough finesse to drive in the city, and enough features to satiate the appetite of any luxury customer. Here’s a piece-by-piece review of its highs and lows.

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Exterior

The car was presented to us in an “Incognito” color scheme, sleek grey with black accents. This seems to be the palette du jor in the SUV market these days — at one point, we were parked in between a Toyota RAV4 and a Dodge Durango with near-identical grey and black embellishments — but for good reason as it provides a look that’s equal parts luxurious and sporty.

Design lines are sharp without being aggressive (soft corners are a foreign concept here), and the pinched-in, much-maligned “Predator” grill shape is gone entirely, replaced by a spacious front grill with headlights reminiscent of a furrowed brow. The entire assemblage sits atop 22-inch split-five-spoke alloy wheels with a dark grey and black finish. Though the TX 500h F Sport AWD is undeniably a large car, its aggressive styling almost provides a trompe l’oeil effect, hiding its true size, which makes for a pleasant system shock when you step inside.

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Interior

When stepping into the TX 500h F Sport AWD, passengers remarked how roomy it felt, as if the inside expanses were cleverly concealed by the outside styling. The interior is doused in supple leather with sharp suede accents tastefully applied on the sides of the seats, the doors and other areas, while captain’s chair seating both heated and ventilated is available in both the first and second rows. Even the third row, which offers power-folding seats, is plenty roomy.

The sizable touchscreen offers a nice combination of both touch and haptic feedback controls, while the center console is almost like a Vitsoe modular shelving system: a phone charging pad pulls back to reveal extra storage, and two removable cupholders sit in front of another sizable storage chamber. The panoramic sunroof could be adjusted to the passengers’ liking, and the Mark Levinson speaker system offered both the clarity needed for Miles Davis‘ Kind of Blue and the thump required to enjoy King Tubby’s King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown.

If there are any gripes to be had here, it was with the gear shifter, door handles and mirror folding — the first two were electric and felt unnecessary complicated (especially the gear shift, which, even after a few days of driving, was still hard to use smoothly), while the third, though it could easily be completed with the press of a button, didn’t occur automatically when the car turned off, a feature that would be handy for urban dwellers. Still, that didn’t affect the enjoyment of a smooth, comfortable, feature-filled and well-lit ride.

Engine and Handling

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The TX 500h F Sport AWD was easy to drive and more than responsive enough for its size, navigating the crowded streets of Brooklyn with ease. Though it does offer both sport and eco modes, there didn’t seem to be much of a feel difference between the two, even when climbing the hills and tackling the tight turns around West Point. Its sport-geared chassis does pop you up more on bumps than you’d expect from a luxury SUV, but apart from that the ride was almost entirely smooth, quiet and enjoyable.

Lane-detecting cruise control was smart and intuitive (after a little trouble figuring out its operating methods, which are displayed on the windshield’s heads-up display), and, unlike some other cars we’ve reviewed, continued to accurately detect lanes and monitor speed in inclement conditions like pounding rain and even hail. The TX 500 will let you know if you’re slacking off while driving too, as the digital dash reprimands drivers for both sitting too low and not looking straight ahead.

The 2.4L, 366hp turbo in-line four-cylinder engine with Lexus Hybrid Electric Drive was peppy if not overly powerful, with plenty of giddyup for sudden bursts of acceleration or dicy merges. Other reviews have noted that it doesn’t rip on a track, to which we reply: who cares? Nobody who’s buying a family-sized SUV like this is going to drive it on a track, and it has plenty of functional speed/handling ability. A daily driver with good “track speed” is like a sprinter playing football — their key skill, while impressive, is not the most impactful.

Verdict

The Lexus TX 500h F Sport AWD is a great city-to-country SUV with just enough sporty thrill to keep your inner adrenaline junkie appeased, and more than enough luxury features to justify its price tag. If you’re looking for a large SUV that provides aesthetic sensibilities, comfort and functionality, you could do far worse.