2025 Lexus TX 350 F Sport Handling AWD - Almost perfect
Of course the TX 350 is not that small. It is 203.54" long on a wheelbase of 116.14", and most importantly for my one-car garage it is 78.35" wide. Yet for some reason it felt smaller than another SUV I recently drove that was actually shorter!
The TX 350 F Sport Handling also felt lighter, more nimble than its weight of about 4,700 lbs. might lead you to believe. At the same time it felt substantial, not flimsy. In my opinion Lexus nailed it.
Even though it isn't overly long, Lexus puts three rows of seating in the TX 350. I wouldn't want to sit way back there but your preteen kids should be okay.
On the version tested there were two middle seats giving a total seating for six people (2-2-2). The front and middle seats were comfortable, and supportive without being overstuffed. Nice.
The controls and displays weren't over-the-top. Lexus does use a gearshift lever but why there is a separate "Park" button is beyond me. There is no reason to reinvent something as simple as a gearshift lever and the PRNDL pattern even if there is no longer a mechanical connection between the lever and transmission.
Motivation for the TX 350 F Sport Handling comes from a turbocharged 2.4-liter that makes 275 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. That's a lot of power from a relatively small engine, and it's all thanks to modern tech.
Power goes out through an 8-speed automatic. The top two gears are overdrives. With AWD the TX 350 F Sport is rated at 21-mpg city and 26 highway. According to Lexus the test version will do 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds, and it will tow up to a 5,000 lb. trailer.
Part of modern tech I'm not completely sold on is the start/stop systems that kill the engine when you stop, and restart it when you take your foot off the brake (maybe). Start/stop saves fuel and reduces emissions, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
Some of these are almost unfelt, some aren't. The test TX 350 F Sport was about the worst I've experienced. If you are of a certain age and you liked to smoke the tires but your car had an automatic transmission you had three choices - stomp on the gas and hope you had enough power to spin the tires, do a brake torque (braking while hitting the gas), or a neutral drop (transmission in neutral, rev the engine, and drop the lever into gear). A neutral drop can make short work of an automatic transmission so kids, do not try it at home.
The TX 350 start/stop was like a mini-neutral drop. It was so slow starting the engine that my foot was on the gas pedal before it started. Instead of putting up with the lag (and BAM as the engine revved just before engaging the transmission) I turned off the start/stop foregoing any fuel saving. I have to think this is a simple programming problem.
Enough of that. One of the reasons people buy SUVs is space, space for people and space for their stuff. The TX 350 driven had 20.2 cubic feet of storage behind the third row, and 57.4 with them down.
Price? Not that bad. According to lexus.com, as of 7/30/2025, the base price for a 2025 Lexus TX 350 F Sport Handling AWD is $65,680. The version tested had $3,670 of options (including a really great Mark Levinson sound system I wouldn't part with). Add in tax and license and you're over $75,000. Now I don't have that kind of cash but if I did, I would consider a TX 350 F Sport Handling AWD. I liked it that much.
Comments