Lexus RX 350

Kendall and I went to drive cars recently and ended up at the Kuni Lexus dealership in Greenwood Village. It's right by a rather fancy neighborhood and I wondered if I was getting in over my head with pricing. However they had a nice selection I could see online, and the salesman was low key and easy going.

We chatted a bit and then looked at their selection on his iPad. We picked out 3 cars, and he went to get keys. Our plan was to drive these cars

• 2012 RX350
• 2010 RX450h (hybrid)
• 1999 RX300

The hybrid was being detailed, so we never got to it, but we went in the 350 first.

Impressions

The SUV is larger than the small SUVs like the X3 and Q5, but not big enough to have a third row. Kendall sat in back and said it was comfortable. The room is similar to the Suburban, and the seats recline about the same amount. It's not as wide as our car, but it's fine. For 4, it's good. 5 would be tight, but not as bad as the Suburban.

The ride was nice. Comfortable, good seats, though not cushy like the Suburban. I could easily see, which is one thing I wondered about, having heard about the pillars in the back limiting vision. It's up high enough for me, and the car drove well. Kendall liked it, saying it was her favorite of the day, including the X5 that we tested.

Cargo looks roomy enough for 3 of us easily to go skiing. The sunroof is like the Suburban, small, but lots of other things in the car look good. The controls are familiar to the Prius and easy to use.

All in all, a nice car.