Getting in is easy, with no need to either climb up or duck down. The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive. Foldable armrests on both front seats provide additional comfort on longer trips. The center console slides forward and back, allowing room for a purse or whatever else between the front seats.
The instrument panel has three large round gauges trimmed in silver. The center dash area is framed in metallic-looking plastic topped with a pair of air vents. The center stack is dominated by the available seven-inch display. This screen is used for climate control and trip computer functions, as well as displaying the outside temperature and clock (with alarm). It's also used by the optional navigation system and rear-view camera. The camera is automatically activated when the transmission is shifted into reverse. You can't drive backward by watching the screen, but it's very useful for checking for obstacles that are difficult to see from the driver's seat.
Audio controls are at the bottom of the center stack. The radio has big knobs for volume and tuning, that are easy to use. The Lexus premium audio is a 132-watt, eight-speaker system with AM/FM/cassette/CD. The optional Mark Levinson audio system features 11 speakers and 210 watts and an in-dash 6-disc CD changer.
The shifter for the automatic transmission is located on the center dash. This was novel when the RX 300 first appeared, and has been copied since. The shift lever follows a mechanical zigzag pattern to make sure you only move it one gear position at a time. We found it made shifting between reverse, drive, and the lower gears ponderous, particularly when we were in a hurry.
The rear seat is contoured for two, though it has belts for three. There's a folding center armrest with cup holders, storage, and its own wood trim. The rear seats fold forward 40-20-40, the center section providing a long, narrow space for skis, shovels, and fly rods, while still allowing four people to ride in comfort. This is a better solution than the typical 60-40 folding seats, which force one of four passengers to travel in the less-comfortable center-rear seat when carrying the aforementioned long items.
RX 330 bucks the trend by offering no third-row seat. Lexus says buyers wanting more passenger space can buy one of the larger Lexus SUVs, such as the GX or LX.
Folding the rear seats down reveals 84.7 cubic feet of cargo space, more than a BMW X5, Mercedes ML350, or Infiniti FX. The rear seats don't fold completely flat, but they are split 40/20/40 for versatility between passengers and cargo. Cleverly hidden under the cargo floor are compartments for additional storage. The cargo cover automatically retracts when the rear hatch is opened, useful when your arms are full and you don't want to put things down on the wet pavement.
