Lexus offers something of a bipolar SUV lineup. On one end, Lexus sells two tiny crossovers, the UX and the NX; on the other, Lexus offers two hulking, Land Cruiser-based off-roaders, the LX and the GX. One vehicle (at least for now) covers the vast gulf between them, the Lexus RX — and that’s the gulf where most SUV buyers reside.

The RX is neither the sexiest nor the most capable Lexus vehicle. But its positioning makes it the Lexus a strong plurality of shoppers end up buying. Typically, the RX accounts for over a third of Lexus’s American sales, and outsells the entire Lexus car lineup combined. So even if it’s not an enthusiast favorite, the RX, by volume alone, can’t help but be kind of a big deal.

The fourth-gen RX had grown dated, after launching in 2015, so Lexus overhauled it entirely with an all-new fifth generation for the 2023 model year. It joins several of its Toyota and Lexus comrades on the current TNGA platform (TNGA-K, if you want to be specific), abandons available V6 engines for an entirely four-cylinder lineup, and it has a — let’s call it interesting — new spindle grille that gradually integrates into the car’s bodywork at the edges.

Lexus loaned me an RX 350h AWD — the entry-level RX hybrid — to sample over the holidays. It doesn’t get the pulse racing like the new 366-horsepower RX 500h F Sport…