Ask any car nerd what the first luxury crossover was and chances are they’ll say the Lexus RX. When the first iteration of this long-running mainstay of the Whole Foods parking lot debuted, there wasn’t anything out there quite like it, and it set a blueprint for brands all the way from Acura to Volvo to follow. However, while the RX 300 is widely regarded as a landmark car, there’s a solid chance its RX 330 successor might be just as important.
See, the RX 330 was the first Lexus built outside of Japan, and the brand’s top brass picked Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in Cambridge, Ont. to fasten it together. It was a bold step at the time, but one that’s paid off. Nowadays, the NX compact crossover, TX three-row crossover, ES midsize sedan, and the RX midsize crossover can all roll out of North American plants, but there’s still an important question to answer. After more than 20 years, how is the RX 330 holding up? To find out, I went to the North American home of the model, where Lexus was celebrating 35 years in Canada.
Full disclosure: Lexus Canada invited me to Cambridge, Ont. as part of an event celebrating 35 years of the brand in Canada with a plant tour, and models new and old to drive. Accommodations and catering were provided by the manufacturer, and I drove myself down and paid for my own gas. -TH]
This RX 330 hasn’t been pampered in the possession of its makers since new. It’s a normal secondhand car, enjoyed as an everyday vehicle for more than 120,000 miles and purchased by Lexus Canada through a normal classified ad. This means it has a scratch here and a little crack in the corner of the dashboard there, but it generally exhibits remarkably little wear for a daily driver going on two decades.
On the outside, the RX 330 is aging gracefully. It helps that this silver-blue color is aging back into fashion as postmodern trend cycles continue to be an ouroboros of culture, but the most refreshing thing here is the lack of fuss. Creases were drawn only as needed, the surfacing is subtle, and the fast greenhouse and raked rear window are right in line with many crossovers of today. Sure, the abundant sidewalls, proud bumper covers, clear taillights, and door rub strips are practically quaint period pieces, but they bring out the sort of misty-eyed nostalgia that doesn’t impede cognitive functioning.
Moving inside, the leather upholstery is still almost immaculate, every button and switch is damped with the smoothness you’d expect while still retaining all of their labels, and even the carpets still feel deep. Of course, being from 2005, you get real controls for everything. Three buttons for the clock, knobs for volume and tuning and heated seats, switches for the moonroof and a stalk for the cruise control. If true luxury is ease, the uncomplicated nature of this cabin beats the gadget-laden screen-fests of many modern flagships.
Despite this RX 330 not being equipped with the optional 11-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, there’s an enveloping warmth to the sound signature that while not anything approaching reference grade, works well with certain genres. Post-punk revival, divorced dad rock, and boom-bap? Absolutely. Scrongly hippocampus-warping dirty riddim? Probably not, but I doubt many people in 2005 thought producers would be sidechaining dial-up modem noises to kicks.
Under the hood, you’ll find a 3.3-liter quad-cam 3MZ-FE V6 making 230 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 242 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,600 rpm. Hitched to a five-speed torque converter automatic, it won’t make you feel like Jarno Trulli but it’s more velvety than any turbocharged four-banger, and almost makes you feel like you’re going toward the light with its unusually ethereal song. It’s a similar deal with the well-weighted hydraulic power steering, light on feedback but strangely right.
Making my way onto a less interesting road fit for higher-speed straight-line cruising, I was astounded by how unsurprising the RX 330 felt. When we’re dealing with 20-year-old cars, it’s common for some aspects of them to be better than we recall and some to be worse, but Lexus’ crossover for the mid-aughts is exactly as I remembered. It still smothers road noise with a quiet sort of love, it still deals with frost heaves and potholes with modern dexterity and poise, and the wide, plush seats are as comfortable as they are honest. Leave the lateral grip heroics to the sport sedans, a crossover’s for schlepping a hybrid bike across town without decanting your mocha latte.
Pulling into a layby for some quick photos, it didn’t take long to start appreciating lovely little touches that constantly remind you that this is a car with an MSRP of nearly $62,000 in today’s money. Pressing a button to open the console lid is ordinary, but pressing a second one to close it and having the mechanism be entirely mechanical truly feels like a feat of engineering. Each front occupant gets their own adjustable seat-mounted armrest, because why settle for anything less? There’s even a space between the console and the shifter tower for a small tote bag, so you can always keep your most important things right at hand. A leather-bound journal, a fountain pen, a few favorite Polaroids, artifacts of a luxuriously leisurely life where stopping to smell the roses is a routine whim.
However, a second-generation Lexus RX isn’t effectively a $62,000 car anymore. You can pick a nice one up for less than 7,500 greenbacks, and other than infotainment, small-overlap impact rating, and advanced driver assistance systems, it does just about everything just as well as a modern luxury crossover. It’s also proof that reliability and quality is part of corporate culture and not just a product of the geographic region a car’s built in. Add in famed reliability and reasonable parts pricing, and you can see why some families simply hand down their old RXs rather than trade them in. So, if you have a reasonable sum to spend on a well-used crossover, want something nice, and don’t want to think about buying another car until 2035 at the soonest, get yourself one of these.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
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These things have always been a great, comfy way to get around. I know we all hate the big predator mask Lexus grills of the last 10 years but now the old ones look like tiny little baby grills to me haha
I had a 2003 RX330 that I got for $3,500 from my uncle. He touted it as being super well cared for, had service records, said it had a clean bill of health.
Definitely didn’t when the battery died in the middle of a rainstorm and the shop I took it to did a run up of $7,000 in fixes that should be done (oil leaks, blown shocks, a full front end rebuild, etc.). I believed it because as I started driving it I noticed the clunks from the rear end, the power steering pump started making noise, the hood release was broken (found that out in the rain), on and on with all the little issues.
Mine was a pretty shit example, but for me it brings up the point that these things are lovely and a great example is worthwhile, but at some point these things go down hill and the costs get steep.
I sold it at a horrible loss when we moved and didn’t look back. Still regretting not picking up a cheap old Cherokee like I should have.
I did get mine with 240,000 miles on the clock. Had it actually been taken care of as advertised, probably would have been worth it. The really good examples are running about $8,000 to $10,000 for an ’07 in the Connecticut area with not insane mileage.
I’m in the process of buying an 06 RX400h in the next few days. Little old lady owned, 117,000 miles, clean as can be and since I work for a dealership, wholesale pricing. I’m super stoked about adding it to the fleet, especially after this article.
I rode in a high-spec 2006 Toyota Highlander years ago and was amazed at how similar it felt to the RX 330. I’m not going to research it, but my guess would be that are based on the same or similar platforms.
I do love the interiors of that era of Lexii.
Yep, same platform. The Highlander is a bit larger. The RX has a fancier interior as well, though the delta between the base RX and top Highlander is relatively small at least in newer generations.
I need to buy one of these this year for my wife, don’t go reminding everyone how good they are!
My nephew is about to be a first time parent and has been on the hunt for a family friendly, near luxury used vehicle. My brother’s family have been Toyota fans since he bought his first new car, a 1985 Toyota Camry. My nephew is ready to move out of his Corolla and upgrade to an “adult vechicle” (his words). When he was in college, I gave him my Dodge Stealth, since I was about to purchase my first “adult vehicle”, a minivan to safely swaddle our pride and joy in safety and cupholders. Perhaps it is the impending upgrade in responsibility that has generated his nostalgia for the Stealth, and an urge to combine sporty and practical (people under 35 are not allowed to indulge in nostalgia; melodramatic discourses on nostalgia are only permitted when 25 years of a milestone passes, and kindergarten doesn’t count). He keeps circling back to the RX series and asking my opinion. I am going to be the curmudgeon here and say that the RX series is…boring. Toyota has made great vehicles, but their strength has always been consistency. Even in the 1980s, when I got to drive my cousin’s Celica GT or my brother’s SR5 Pickup, I was merely whelmed. I think the most fun I have ever had behind the wheel in a Toyota (there was more fun once, but I was not behind the wheel and this is a family publication) was driving my friend’s 1979 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback Sportwagon. Even the IS 350 I drove made me feel like it was a little embarrassed about being sporty. All of this being said, I endorse the RX series as a perfect vehicle for him and his growing family. I know that they will be safe and unburdened by concerns of quality. When a new life is joining our ranks, being whelmed is perfect.
We bought my daughter a 07 350 awd when she turned 16 in 2021. The second gen especially the 350 with its increased hp (276) and full time awd is the sweet spot for the RX in my opinion. The only issues with these is the dash IS gonna crack and if the recall wasn’t preformed the oil cooler pipe on the awd models will break at some point. Otherwise great vehicle for what it is.
A wood steering wheel and a CD player? What more could anyone ask?
Everyone that I know that has one of these absolutely loves it. It hits a sweet spot between maneuverability, performance and economy, with incredible comfort, ergonomics, quality and dependability as well.
I’m not an SUV fan, but you would have to look far and wide for a better tall wagon than this series of Lexus.
When my dad started making more money at new job in the early 2000’s he got one of these in exactly that color. Was quite an upgrade from the 96 Aerostar.
It’s just another gussied up econobox. True luxury requires a starting carburetor as part of a startup procedure complex enough to make a key an unnecessary formality.
I wonder if that Rolls Jason saw at Goodwood runs too smoothly to soothe a baby though.
I sold the shit out of these for about six months in 2006. The RX350 is worth it for the much nicer engine/transmission combo, or go for the RX400h for 30+ mpg.
My sentiments exactly.
I was on the Fixed Operations side of Lexus for 15 years and greatly appreciated the 330s’ evolutionary improvements over the 300s’ (both RX and ES), but was always disappointed with the drivetrain’s performance. That 350 engine/trans combo was the real game changer for sure!
Ditto for the GS300 and IS250 of 2006. Really nice cars, but dog slow until the 350 upgrade in 2007.
If they’d done a manual IS350 I’d have bought one. I had someone trade a GS300 on a GS350 after owning the former for only 18 months or so. Probably my easiest sale.
The new ES350 was impressive, too. If I had a long commute I’d probably have one with 300,000 miles by now, LOL.
Brain fart, please ignore.
which one? because there were 2, the Acura EL(older) and the Acura CSX(newer)
Too bad we never got the 4-cylinder versions until very recently 🙁
RX220 RX240 and RX270
and yeah, you get Classic Toyota Quality with the additional luxury and prestige of Lexus 😀