Lexus

Vanilla looking luxury sedan. That offers amazing value if you aren’t in a hurry.

E-Class size, but cheaper than a C-Class. The value offering of ES 300h is inarguable.

You get build quality that’s better than any German brand. And access to the best luxury car dealership service experience.

Hugely spacious interior. Deeply comfortable, especially for long-distance touring. But the Lexus infotainment trackpad controller is a terrible UX mis-execution.

The hybrid powertrain is very efficient but has nowhere near the performance of a German turbodiesel.

If you never drive dirt roads. And like the anonymous brand image. This is a terrifically sensible luxury sedan.

Sharper looking Toyota Prado. With 6-cylinder engines.

If Prado 2.8’s lazy acceleration and very average overtaking ability are an issue. This is your solution.

The math is simple: Land Cruiser 300’s 3.3 turbopetrol V6 - in the slightly smaller and lighter GX 550 platform.

GX 550’s 260kW delivers excellent overtaking and dune-driving performance.

Heavy on fuel. And there’s no long-range fuel tank, like the previous-gen Prado had.

Overtail trim looks great and is much better to own in real-world SA conditions. Why? Because of the ride comfort and terrain survivability of those 18-inch wheels, rolling all-terrain tyres. SE version of 22-inch wheels is just silly.

More exclusive version of the wildly capable Land Cruiser 300. With a more distinctive, better-balanced exterior design.

No other vehicle gives you more luxury, space, and all-terrain capability for zero-anxiety adventure road tripping. You’ll run out of signal long before an LX runs out of off-road ability.

Impeccable build quality and no air suspension to go wrong – unlike Ranger Rovers and German luxury SUV rivals.

Lexus dealers offer perhaps the best service and support experience in the luxury vehicle space.

Trims matter. Sport versions on silly 22-inch wheels are pointless on SA roads. LX500 Overtrail diesel on factory 18s with all-terrain tyres is beyond brilliant.

The Lexus alternative to BMW’s X3. If you want something rarer and more distinctive than the German status mid-size crossovers, the NX is a sound choice.

Bold design meets terrific cabin quality, although the driving experience is more effortless cruising than dynamic engagement like a BMW.

Luggage space and rear-seat roominess are below average. Overall cabin quality superior to many German luxury brands with class-leading materials and fit-finish.

The NX works best as a hybrid and in 450h+ form, rated at 227kW of total system output. NX450h+ has enough electric only range for a daily commute, and you can recharge it at home.

The Japanese alternative to X5-sized luxury SUVs.

Dramatic design isn’t for everyone, but the Lexus ownership experience is. Buy an RX and you have access to some of the best luxury car dealers in South Africa, backed by Toyota's organisational scale.

No diesel engine options, but Lexus has been building hybrids longer than anyone else. If you are hybrid curious, an RX is the safest way to experience it in a luxury SUV.

Impeccable build quality, reliability, and genuine long-distance driving comfort. Avoid the RX 350 base model, which is too fuel-hungry.

Best buy is the RX450h+, a very clever combination of 80km urban electric driving range and long-distance cruising ability on petrol power. All with plug-in battery recharging, when it suits you.

The entry-level Lexus with a fixed hybrid powertrain option.

UX isn’t the most elegant design, but it does have a typical Lexus cabin architecture. That means excellent materials, brilliant build quality and a feel of true premium luxury, at any price.

Problematically, the hybrid powertrains aren’t that advanced. You don’t get much combined powertrain output for highway performance. And there’s no PHEV option to recharge the batteries and optimise electric drive-assisted efficiency.

Luggage space is a bit too small. Truth be told, there are just too many quality Chinese PHEVs offering wildly more spec, performance and space than UX, for a lot less money.