Lexus teases 2016 RX before New York debut

Here’s your first look at the 2016 Lexus RX crossover, which Toyota’s upscale brand will unveil April 1, at the New York auto show.

What we see at first glance is a rakish, BMW X6-esque tail and flared rear wheel arches, cues that suggest Lexus might stray from the typical mid-size luxury crossover formula with this new design. That would be a daring move for a company that rarely takes risks, never mind with one of the auto industry’s top-selling upscale crossovers, and Lexus Canada’s best-selling vehicle.

We take away from this image a sense that, regardless of its shape, the new RX will be notably longer than the current model—but not too much longer: a sleeker RX would lend credence to rumours of a future three-row Lexus model to be positioned atop the brand’s crossover lineup. Those flares look a lot like those on the recently-introduced compact NX crossover, so it’s clear there will some family resemblance between the two.

Powertrain-wise, our best guess is the RX will stick with its proven 3.5L V6/six-speed automatic combo for the moment, despite the eight- and nine-speed autos fitted to many of the RX’s competitors. (We’ve been kindly reminded that the RX 350 F-Sport uses an eight-speed automatic; with that in mind, our bet is that transmission will become standard in the new RX, in order to help Lexus keep up with the rest of the field in a numbers-driven marketplace. —Ed.)

We’ll have more details for you as soon as Lexus pulls the covers off on April 1.