This Lexus SUV Is The Most Practical And Balanced SUV You Can Buy Right Now

Luxury SUVs can be the pinnacle of comfortable, good-looking, and, sometimes, useful driving. It is not uncommon to find a luxury SUV that is very good at a couple of things, whether that be boasting a beast of an engine under the hood, coming equipped with all the latest tech, or providing enough room to ferry you and seven people around.

However, for a luxury SUV to boast everything fancy while still achieving decent fuel consumption, being available at a reasonable price, and being comfortable is rarer. This is where one of our favorite luxury brands comes in, Lexus. This year, they are selling a full-size luxury SUV that strikes the best balance between useful, spacious, frugal, well-priced, and plush.

The 2025 Lexus TX Is Well-Priced, Roomy, And Has Lots Of Cargo Space

We are talking about the 2025 Lexus TX in its numerous forms. Starting prices are below $60,000, it offers up oodles of space, it is safe and reliable, and comes equipped, as standard, with a lot of techy goodies that put some of its pricier rivals to shame. For its price point and what is offered, the 2025 Lexus TX is the most balanced and practical luxury SUV you can buy in 2025.

2025 Lexus TX Prices Start At $57,000, And You Get A Lot For Your Money

There are two flavors of the 2025 Lexus TX: a gas-engine lineup and a hybrid lineup. The gas-engine TX models are cheaper from the start, but for the extra cost, you do get a more frugal set of hybrid engines under the hood of the TX Hybrid models.

2025 Lexus TX Trims And Price

* MSRP includes delivery, processing, and handling fee of $1,350

As standard, the gas-engine Lexus TX models come equipped with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive as an optional extra. However, alongside the powerful hybrid mills in the TX 500h models, you get Direct4 AWD as standard. Regardless of whether you choose a gas or hybrid TX, starting prices are very competitive, especially up against other luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, whose cheapest full-size SUV this year is the 2025 GLS 450, with a starting price of just over $90,000.

97 Cubic Feet Of Storage Space And Seven Seats As Standard

Just because the prices for this year’s Lexus TX and TX Hybrid are lower than some of its competitors, it does not mean you are missing out on what are possibly two of the main reasons for buying an SUV: interior space and cargo capacity. Both the Lexus TX and TX Hybrid models measure in at a healthy 203.1 inches (L) x 78.4 inches (W) x 70.1 inches (H), and ride on a 116.1-inch wheelbase. This opens up a huge amount of room inside, with an impressive 97 cubic feet of storage space available if you fold the two rear rows away. Even with all the seats in place, the Lexus TX can’t be considered lacking in space to lug things around.

You also get seven seats as standard, with the option to replace the second row bench seat with captain’s chairs in both the TX and TX Hybrid. The standard second-row bench seat is a 60/40 split, and across all three rows, you and your passengers won’t be wanting for space to move around in on long slogs across country.

One of Lexus’ toughest rivals, BMW, is continuing to roll out the awesome full-size, three-row BMW X7 this year. In comparison, even with its lower price point, the TX lineup outshines the X7 in terms of space and passenger room. The 2025 BMW X7 has a starting price of just north of $85,400, and, yes, it is far sportier and more aggressive looking, but it only boasts 90.4 cubic feet of storage space with all the seats tucked away. Plus, all three rows offer less legroom, at 39.8 inches, 37.6 inches, and 33.3 inches, respectively.

The 2025 TX Is Available With Multiple Engine Choices

As we have mentioned, this year’s TX is available with a gas engine or a hybrid engine. The 2025 Lexus TX comes equipped with a 2.4-liter DOHC turbocharged inline-four that boasts VVT-i and is mated to an eight-speed auto box. This can be paired with front-wheel drive, or if you opt for it, AWD. The F Sport Handling Package gives you all-wheel drive as standard for the gas-engine models.

2025 Lexus TX 350 Performance Specs

If you open your wallet a bit further and go for the 2025 Lexus TX Hybrid, you do benefit from a hybrid setup, which not only helps in terms of fuel consumption but also gives you a bit of extra power. The TX 500h models come equipped with the same inline-four as the gas engine models, but it is mated to two electric motors and an eCVT, while the top-end TX 500h+ boasts a 3.5-liter V6 mated to a plug-in system and a CVT for the most juice.

2025 Lexus TX Hybrid Performance Specs

2025 Lexus TX Fuel Economy

This is where the Lexus TX could be a smart choice this year, especially some of the hybrid iterations. According to FuelEconomy.gov, the base trim Lexus TX equipped with the 2.4-liter turbo-four and front-wheel drive can achieve a combined mpg rating of 23 MPG (including 21 in the city and 27 on the highway). For an SUV that weighs 4,670 pounds, we don’t think it’s too shabby. The AWD TX 350 also achieves approximately 23 MPG, but you only get 20 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. You do benefit from all-wheel drive, though.

Where things get more efficient is with the TX 500h and the TX 500h+. FuelEconomy.gov estimates that the 2025 TX 500h can achieve a combined MPG rating of 27, with 27 in the city and 28 on the highway. The most powerful, yet most expensive, TX 500h+, can do even better. It is estimated that it can achieve a combined mpg rating of 76 MPGe and can drive for 33 miles in all-electric mode.

To put that into perspective, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e, which is also a plug-in SUV, can achieve a combined MPGe rating of 64 and can only achieve an estimated 380 miles from its 13-gallon tank. Where the GLC does pip the TX to the post, though, is with all-electric driving. It is estimated that it can drive up to 54 miles, which makes it the plug-in SUV with the highest all-electric range in 2025.

The Calm Lexus Luxury You Get Inside

What makes the Lexus TX the most balanced luxury SUV you can buy this year is that it also feels like a luxury SUV, not just a dressed-up Toyota Highlander Hybrid (which the TX is based on). At the center of its luxury is the cabin in all its calm, Lexus-esque design, and the goodies you get from the get-go.

The interior is built around clean, sweeping cabin lines and a deliberate-looking layout that frames you in a ‘cockpit-like’ space. The long, horizontal dash panel flows seamlessly from door to door and is finished in ‘Blackwood’ ash-wood trim. As we find in most Lexus models, even in Lexus sports cars, the interior is calming and classy, not-in-your-face and brash.

Materials differ by trim: base and mid-level TX 350 trims come with NuLuxe synthetic leather seating, while higher-end models and hybrid models are fitted with either leather or semi-aniline leather. Soft-touch surfaces, precise stitching, and ambient lighting finish off the serene ‘omotenashi’ feeling behind the wheel. It is Lexus doing luxury and comfort in their own way.

Oodles Of Tech And Comfort Features

Again, in typical Lexus fashion, for the low available prices, you get a lot of tech features. The entry-level TX 350 models arguably have all your tech needs covered. You get a 14-inch Lexus Interface touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tri-zone climate control, heated front seats, wireless charging, and a hands-free power liftgate. If you opt for the Premium or Luxury grades of the gas-engine TX, or any of the hybrid variants, features are a little more comprehensive, with ventilated front seats, a panoramic glass sunroof, and customizable options for the ambient lighting all included.

While the Lexus TX is very well-equipped as standard, some of the higher trims and hybrid trims are available with a 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio rig. However, regardless of what grade you look at, you are going to get a comfortable and calm cabin with enough tech and features to make long-distance driving a breeze.

Lexus-Grade Safety Features Come As Standard

While the Lexus TX hasn’t been awarded an IIHS Top Safety Pick this year, it is still very comprehensive when it comes to all-around safety. Across the entire lineup, Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is standard, and the NHTSA has given it a 5-star safety rating.

This safety suite includes pre-collision with pedestrian detection, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, lane tracing assist, and auto high beams. You also get features that are generally reserved for upgrades or higher trims of other models in the shape of rear cross-traffic alert, safe-exit warning, and rearview camera. On some of the higher trims and hybrid trims, you do get some advanced safety features as well. The hybrid Lexus TX models also come attached with a HUD and a panoramic view camera system.

The Cost To Run A 2025 Lexus TX Is Not Like Running Most Luxury SUVs

If you are looking to spend less over the long term on a full-size three-row luxury SUV, then the Lexus TX also has this box ticked. Central to why it costs so little to run (relative to other luxury SUVs on the market) is that its parent company is Toyota. Plus, Lexus works with Takumi Masters, individuals who know their craft better than anyone in their field, who are vital for everything from cabin design and tech fittings to ensuring that everything that is equipped in a Lexus works as seamlessly as possible.

With mastery behind it like that, we aren’t surprised that RepairPal has given Lexus an overall reliability score of 4 out of 5, and says that, on average, it will cost you just $551 a year to keep one on the road. Owners who have left a review on J.D. Power also echo this sentiment and have given the 2025 TX a reliability score of 80 out of 100.

Lexus TX Five-Year Cost Breakdown

With relatively low starting prices, low maintenance costs, and reasonable fuel costs, CarEdge says that, on average, it will cost you $56,661 to own and run a Lexus TX over five years. While that may sound like a lot, a BMW X7 will cost you an estimated $144,325 over the same time period, while a Mercedes-Benz GLC will cost you an estimated $65,784 over five years. CarEdge has broken down Lexus TX five-year costs in the following way:

• Depreciation. $22,386.
• Insurance. $12,550.
• Interest. $10,510.
• Fuel. $8,555.
• Maintenance. $2,660.

FuelEconomy.gov has also said that some models, especially the hybrid models, can be very reasonable to fuel. The front-wheel-drive TX 350 and all-wheel-drive TX 350 cost an estimated $2,600 for gas; the TX 500h will cost you $400 less than the gas-engine TX per year for gas, and the top-tier TX 500h+ will cost you an estimated $1,400 for gas and electricity. It seems again that Lexus is taking on its luxury German and other luxury rivals in most spheres. We have seen the case for buying a Lexus sports car over a German one, and this year, Lexus’s rugged, body-on-frame, family-friendly, well-priced, versatile, and fancy full-size TX is breaking all sorts of ground as the most practical and balanced luxury SUV you can buy in 2025.

Sources: FuelEconomy.gov, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NHTSA, RepairPal, and CarEdge.