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Strength." The increase in wheel- base means the wheels are pushed fore and aft; the A-pillars are pulled back, and the C-pillars are slanted more, and through the use of black-out trim in the C-pillar area, the roof appears to be foating. The spindle grille in front has a chrome-plated border. There are standard Bi-LED headlamps with an L-shaped LED daytime running light. (There are triple- beam LED headlamps, consisting of multiple, individual low- and high-beam LED elements in a uniquely shaped lens available.) From a structural standpoint, the body-in-white makes extensive use of hot-stamped and other high- tensile strength steels. The ridge line of the cowl between the front suspension towers is straightened, thereby providing increased lateral rigidity; the cross member behind the cowl is extended, joining with the front pillars via the front pillar gussets, helping assure high joint rigidity. The side member outer reinforcement is joined with an annular frame construction process, helping improve body joint rigidity. Lexus began using adhesive bonding on the 2013 LS sedan, and this is continued on the 2016 RX. Not only is the number of conventional spot welds increased (particularly around the rear hatch opening), but laser screw welding (a scanning-type processes that allows the generation of one- sided spots to be generated and provides the ability to weld mixed materials, as well as multiple sheets) is used to supplement the traditional spot welds to minimize cross sectional deformation. While the vehicle is essentially steel, there are an aluminum hood and an aluminum hatch. As for the driving experience, there is a MacPherson strut front suspension. They've increased the diameter of the front stabilizer bar from 26 mm to 28.6 mm to improve front roll rigidity; so as not to have a signifcant mass penalty, the new bar is hollow, with a 7.5-mm wall thickness, not solid like the previous generation. There is a double-wishbone rear suspension. AD&P; > December 2015 > FEATURE > 2016 Lexus RX: Creating the Fourth Generation > Gary S. Vasilash 64