1999-2003 Lexus RX 300

Deciding on the greatest utility in a sport/utility vehicle is sometimes psychological. Can it get you through the snow? Does it have good room inside and look more rugged than a sedan? Partly because of this dilemma, the crossover was born--looking rugged and handsome on the outside, but underpinned by a unibody chassis that owes more to a grocery-getter than a truck.

From there, the category expanded rapidly and grew to include luxury variants like the Lexus RX 300. Making its debut in 1999, the RX borrowed from across the Toyota line. A tall, rounded body was placed on a chassis that shared components with the ES 300 sedan, which itself was closely related to the Camry. The 220-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 (the first engine in any SUV to use VVT) came along for the ride as did the electronically controlled four-speed automatic; there are no manual transmissions here. Truck fans groaned, but Lexus dealers were delighted--the RX became the franchise's best-selling vehicle.

Partly because of that success, the RX changed little year to year. For 2001, a host of driver nannies were made standard: brake assist, vehicle stability control, and traction control. That year, HID headlights were offered as an option, and the fuel tank grew slightly to 19.8 gallons. Lexus toyed with the options packages right to the last year (2003), but the RX remained mechanically unchanged.

Clearly, the Lexus clientele didn't want or need a Jeeplike conveyance, and that's good because the RX isn't one. Instead of low-range four-wheel drive, it has electronically controlled AWD, which nominally splits power between the front and rear axles but can send the majority to the end with better traction through a viscous coupling. To further improve poor-weather traction--not all-terrain, mind you--a limited-slip rear differential was an option.

By forgoing the hardy off-road bits, Toyota was able to make the RX reasonably low and light, V-6 a fighting chance at performance; contemporary road tests posted 0-to-60 times in the low eight-second range. After all, it's basically a car underneath, with excellent highway ride, low noise levels, and comfortable seats.

Is the RX perfect? Not quite. Owners complain of disappointing fuel economy, often citing a 16-mpg average as well as a wide turning radius and various squeaks and rattles. But the worst offender is to be the transmission. In researching the reliability of the RX, we found numerous reports of outright transmission failure at fewer than 100,000 miles. There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern to the failures in terms of geography, owner demographics, or model year of the vehicle, but complaints are bitter and fairly widespread. Listen carefully for whining and feel for hard shifting on any RX you're considering. Insist on seeing the maintenance records and walk away from any RX that hasn't had the transmission regularly maintained (owners report better luck replacing the transmission fluid periodically even though Toyota says it's a lifetime fill).