This 4x4 was a huge seller for Lexus in the United States, and competed against the likes of the BMW X5 and Mercedes Benz ML series. In 1999 (a year after it's introduction) the RX300 was mostly responsible for a 60% rise in Lexus sales in the US market. It remained a strong seller until it's replacement in 2003 by the RX330 (also known as the RX300 in Europe) which is essentially an evolution of the original. The original RX300 had a V6 engine driving all four wheels, and most came with automatic transmission. Like all Lexus's, it is very highly equipped, with leather seats, climate control and plenty of wood trim throughout the cabin. In it's home market of Japan, it was sold as the Toyota Harrier.
This model is one of AUTOart's earliest efforts, and consequently is not as good as their latest (2004) offerings. Nonetheless it has an accurate shape and is correct to 1:18th scale. Engine and interior detail is quite good and it is certainly an attractive model to my eyes. A problem I had with my example was a loose piece of plastic inside the rear tailgate, otherwise it is a well made model. One area I don't think looks quite right is the rear lights. They appear flat, featureless and monochrome, unlike the distinctive lights on the real thing. Overall it gets 6.5/10 instead of the usual 8/10+ I normally give an AUTOart model.
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