Can The Rx300 Really Cut It Off Road?

JohnRX400h · August 4, 2004

I attended Edinburgh Lexus ‘open road’ event today and after 1 years ownership took the RX300 SE-L (theirs, not mine :winky: ) off-road for the first time. What a shock!

Firstly, the venue must do off-road events already as they had a proper circuit. Secondly, and let’s be honest here RX owners, most of us did not buy it as a 4x4, but a luxury SUV with lots of toys, leather, nice hi-fi, silky smooth transmission to mention a few. If we had wanted a ‘real’ 4x4 it would have ‘Defender 90’ on the side, no creature comforts and skinny tyres.

So I was genuinely surprised to see how well the RX performed in the messy stuff. There was a night of rain last night and there were plenty of puddles, mud, ruts etc. Even with fat road tyres the RX skipped over the course. Admittedly there was quite a bit of sideways sliding but the road tyres are bound to do that and the real steep stuff was roped off (Defender territory)

As I approached the rough stuff I really did feel better having my mobile in my pocket and Simon’s (Lexus Edin sales) number programmed in just in case I got stuck but onwards and upwards and no issues! Very quickly started having fun and by the time I got back had managed to get dirt all up the sides and almost onto the windows. Comparing to the other RXs there, they only had mud around the wheel arches and along the bottom. He he – I must have been trying hard enough!

Big thanks then to Ian Reynolds and Simon Lane at Lexus Edinburgh for the invite and another well run and organised Open Road event.

As for the LS430, well that’s another story……………

John

ColinBarber · August 5, 2004

Are you going to be taking your one off-road now? ;)

Rob · August 5, 2004

I know of a manufacturers "official" off road track which has a water obstacle and lots of mud for u to go thru - but you wont get stuck - why? because they had lots of bricks at various angles cemented in the bottom of it ;) ;)

JohnRX400h · August 5, 2004

Are you going to be taking your one off-road now? ;)

Erm, well, eh, hmmmm, perhaps not too often but it's nice to know it can!

And the track was un rigged, it was the usual Country House Hotel jobbie, and their own track, Lexus was only visiting for the day.

PS Forgot to mention the RX product manager was there. Nice guy, Paul, had met him at the Brimingham motor show, he told me he DOES read the forum and finds it useful. Don't know if he has a screen name or is just s lurker! Paul, you here?