Lexus Retuned the RX at the Nürburgring — but Only Japan Gets It
Retuned dampers, steering, and rear-wheel steering for the hybrid RX went on sale in Japan on September 30. The 2027 RX arriving at US dealers this fall doesn't mention any of it.
Lexus has retuned the RX's chassis at the Nürburgring, and the revised SUV went on sale in Japan on September 30. The changes aren't part of the 2027 RX headed to US dealers this fall, and Lexus hasn't said whether they're coming.
This is a running change, not a facelift. The styling stays the same, the powertrains carry over, and it is unrelated to the RX Morizo RR.
What Lexus changed
The changes Lexus lists are all calibration. According to the Japanese release, engineers reworked the damping of the Adaptive Variable Suspension and the control logic of the electric power steering and Dynamic Rear Steering. Lexus says the target was steering and body responses that track the driver's inputs more linearly, plus calmer body control on rough pavement without sacrificing ride comfort.
The RX's ride and handling were previously developed mainly at Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, the company's test complex in Japan. For this update, Lexus moved the work to the Nürburgring, which it describes as the template for Shimoyama and a harsher environment for a chassis. The release doesn't specify which Nürburgring layout was used, and Lexus hasn't published any before-and-after figures.
Only three versions get the retune: the RX 500h, the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, and the all-wheel-drive RX 350h. The gas RX 350 and the front-drive RX 350h sold in Japan keep their previous calibration.
The rest of the update is equipment. Every Japanese RX gains infrared-cut front door glass, and the hybrids' brake hold function now remembers its setting between drives. A digital rearview mirror and a front-and-rear dashcam, previously limited to the RX 500h and RX 450h+, are now standard on the RX 350h and RX 350 as well. The version L grade adds White Nova Glass Flake paint, and the optional calipers on F SPORT and F SPORT Performance models are now red.
Japanese prices, including 10% consumption tax, range from ¥7,040,000 for a front-drive RX 350 version L to ¥9,290,000 for the RX 500h F SPORT Performance.
What the US gets instead
Lexus USA announced the 2027 RX on September 17. Its release leads with optional red front and rear calipers on the F SPORT Handling and F SPORT Performance grades and mentions no change to damping, steering, or rear-steer tuning. Prices run from $55,450 for an RX 350 Premium FWD to $73,510 for an RX 450h+ Luxury, including a $1,550 delivery fee.
The overlap with the Japanese car is close. All three powertrains that got the Nürburgring work are sold here, and the US RX 350h comes only with all-wheel drive. Adaptive Variable Suspension is offered on the F SPORT Handling and F SPORT Performance, and Dynamic Rear Steering on the F SPORT Performance.
The RX is the model Lexus can least afford to neglect in America. It sold 118,636 units in the US in 2025, down 4.5% on 2024 but still more than any other Lexus, according to Hearst Autos' tally of luxury-brand sales. Worldwide, Lexus says it has sold about 4.3 million RXs in roughly 95 countries and regions since the nameplate launched in North America in 1998.
This is also the second Japan-first chassis update from Lexus this month. The LS sedan got retuned dampers and steering on September 10, but that car has already left the US lineup. The RX hasn't, and it shares the powertrains that received the new tuning.
Lexus hasn't said whether US-market RXs will get the revised calibration, or whether it could arrive as a running change during the 2027 model year. Until Lexus USA addresses it, the Nürburgring-tuned RX is a Japan-only car.
