Meet the longest Lexus SUV ever produced, the seven-seat hybrid TX, based on the stretched underpinnings of a Lexus RX. But it won’t come to Australia.
The 2024 Lexus TX luxury family SUV has been revealed for the US – but it will not be built in right-hand-drive for sale in Australia.
The TX is the longest Lexus SUV the company has produced, and the luxury version of the Toyota Grand Highlander – itself the stretched version of the Toyota Kluger seven-seat family SUV.
It is the successor to the seven-seat L version of the Lexus RX, which was not continued into the new generation – and will sit alongside the off-road-focused GX four-wheel-drive in showrooms.
However the TX will not come to Australia as, like its Toyota Grand Highlander twin, it is not expected to be produced in right-hand-drive. It will be exclusive to North America.
The Lexus TX measures 5159mm long, 1990mm wide and 1781mm tall, on a 2950mm wheelbase – larger than the flagship Lexus LX four-wheel-drive (5090mm long, 1990mm wide, 1895mm tall, 2850mm wheelbase).
It is underpinned by the TNGA-K architecture used beneath the Toyota Grand Highlander, as well as the smaller Lexus NX, Lexus RX, Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Kluger SUVs.
Whereas the Toyota offers seven or eight seats, the TX is offered with six or seven seats.
Lexus claims space for seven carry-on suitcases in the boot, with 1625 litres with the third row of seats folded, and 2747 litres with the second and third rows folded.
US buyers will be offered three engines at launch: a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine in the TX350, the same engine with hybrid assistance in the TX500h, and a 3.5-litre V6 TX550h+ plug-in hybrid.
Available with front- or all-wheel drive, the TX350 develops 205kW and 430Nm – up from the Grand Highlander’s 198kW/420Nm – with an eight-speed automatic, an eight-speed automatic transmission and claimed fuel economy of 11.2 litres per 100km.
The all-wheel-drive TX500h F Sport Performance quotes 273kW and 555Nm – shared with the smaller RX500h – with a six-speed auto and claimed fuel use of 9.8L/100km.
Meanwhile, the top-of-the-range 2.4-litre TX550h+ plug-in hybrid combines a 3.5-litre non-turbo V6 with electric motors for a combined output of 303kW – nearly as much as the LX600 4WD’s 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6.
It uses a continuously-variable automatic transmission and all-wheel drive for claimed fuel use of 7.8L/100km, and up to 53km of driving in electric mode on one charge.
The TX500h and TX550h+ come standard with Lexus’ Direct4 all-wheel-drive system, which shifts power around under acceleration, the entry to a corner, and exit of a corner for maximum traction.
Exclusive to the TX500h F Sport Performance is rear-wheel steering, which can turn the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds for a smaller turning circle, or the same direction at high speeds for improved stability.
The TX shares much of its core structure with the Grand Highlander, though there are new front and rear ends – with styling inspired by the five-seat RX – and a different rear window pillar treatment.
Wheel sizes up to 22 inches are available – or standard on the TX500h F Sport Performance model, which also gets tweaked bumpers and design elements.
Inside, the TX receives the 14-inch infotainment touchscreen from other Lexus models, with wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, satellite navigation, and over-the-air updates.
A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster sits in front of the driver in top-of-the-range models, while a 21-speaker Mark Levinson sound system can be ordered – a key hallmark of the luxury division’s cars.
Available features include a head-up display, ambient interior lighting, seven USB ports, three power outlets, sliding second- and third-row seats, and a removable second-row centre console in six-seat versions.
Advanced safety features include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane following assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, and a 360-degree camera.
The 2024 Lexus TX is due in US showrooms later this year, but Australian deliveries are not planned.
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