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Cross Shopping 2020 Lexus RX350L with Highlander Platinum
Hello all, not a Lexus owner, but shopping for one! Currently coming from a MB GLE 350, and we were looking at a 2020 Lexus RX 350L, but after cross shopping it with a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD, have actually taken the Lexus out of contention.
We were feature comparing and test drove both a 2020 350L AWD with the Luxury pkg, Navigation Pkg., and following stand alone options (Heated & Ventilated Front Seats Power Rear door with kick sensor Parking Assist: PANORAMIC VIEW MONITOR BLIND SPOT MONITOR WITH REAR CROSS-TRAFFIC BRAKING PARKING ASSIST PANORAMA GLASS ROOF), and a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD in Blizzard Pearl with the new Caramel Interior. .
MSRP to MSRP was $57.5k to $50.6k, and honestly, the differences we found were minimal, and definitely not worth the $7k difference.
To be fair, the Lexus had a nicer interior - it was cleaner (if that makes sense), with more refined lines and real wood. And the cabin noise was slightly lower at highway speeds. And from a feature perspective, the lexus has a few nice additions that were not found on the highaldner; power folding mirrors, power steering wheel adjustment, redundant media controller (to supplement the touch screen) and power folding third row seats were a very nice and notable touch. But otherwise, we found the styling to be about on par with each other, the features lined up mostly 1:1 (with the exception of the afore mentioned items) , and compared to the new GLE and X5, the 4 year old RX 350 felt a little dated.
Just curious if anyone else cross shopped the new RX350 and the Highlander platinum and came to the same conclusion?
We were feature comparing and test drove both a 2020 350L AWD with the Luxury pkg, Navigation Pkg., and following stand alone options (Heated & Ventilated Front Seats Power Rear door with kick sensor Parking Assist: PANORAMIC VIEW MONITOR BLIND SPOT MONITOR WITH REAR CROSS-TRAFFIC BRAKING PARKING ASSIST PANORAMA GLASS ROOF), and a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD in Blizzard Pearl with the new Caramel Interior. .
Just curious if anyone else cross shopped the new RX350 and the Highlander platinum and came to the same conclusion?
To be fair, the new Highlander is a brand new design and platform. So the packaging is far more efficient. While I do like the RX, I do think the Highlander is the better purchase. I am not in love the with the caramel interior as I have always liked beige interiors. I will say the RX F sport seats are great looking. Highlander has a new more modern AWD system over the RX...
I like it and would most likely forget about the rear solid discs. Just that I like brakes and tires. A 60k RX also has solid discs. Let's face it, buy a Highlander and it's like see you later check in 5 years from now. Most likely nothing went wrong with the vehicle. That's worth a lot.
I like it and would most likely forget about the rear solid discs. Just that I like brakes and tires. A 60k RX also has solid discs. Let's face it, buy a Highlander and it's like see you later check in 5 years from now. Most likely nothing went wrong with the vehicle. That's worth a lot.
Yes, in my basement, if I had rear rotors for my wife's, front rotors for my BMW, I'd have a set of rotors front/rear for each car, and 2 sets of pads front/rear for each car (somehow the LS430 I stupidly have 3 sets of rear pads what's that 180k miles?). I'm ready for the braking armageddon!
The sad part is a) the above is true b) all our cars have brakes no older than 1 year old, so when would I realistically even need the above
why does a FWD vehicle need vented rears. The driven wheels need to be vented. Hence why RWD is typically vented rears
Interestingly on my 335i, from practice, the rear pads wear at a rate almost 2X the fronts. At first, I thought, this defies physics, we were always taught the fronts do all the work. But, interestingly, when the computer is reset, the fronts go to 90k left, and the rears 45k left.
Now, my fronts say like 90k left (driven about 5k), and the rears 36k. Then when I use a BMW reader, there is a shadow code stating implausible wear on the rears.
The rear tires also wear faster, and it's not from peeling out....
Hello all, not a Lexus owner, but shopping for one! Currently coming from a MB GLE 350, and we were looking at a 2020 Lexus RX 350L, but after cross shopping it with a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD, have actually taken the Lexus out of contention.
We were feature comparing and test drove both a 2020 350L AWD with the Luxury pkg, Navigation Pkg., and following stand alone options (Heated & Ventilated Front Seats Power Rear door with kick sensor Parking Assist: PANORAMIC VIEW MONITOR BLIND SPOT MONITOR WITH REAR CROSS-TRAFFIC BRAKING PARKING ASSIST PANORAMA GLASS ROOF), and a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD in Blizzard Pearl with the new Caramel Interior. .
MSRP to MSRP was $57.5k to $50.6k, and honestly, the differences we found were minimal, and definitely not worth the $7k difference.
To be fair, the Lexus had a nicer interior - it was cleaner (if that makes sense), with more refined lines and real wood. And the cabin noise was slightly lower at highway speeds. And from a feature perspective, the lexus has a few nice additions that were not found on the highaldner; power folding mirrors, power steering wheel adjustment, redundant media controller (to supplement the touch screen) and power folding third row seats were a very nice and notable touch. But otherwise, we found the styling to be about on par with each other, the features lined up mostly 1:1 (with the exception of the afore mentioned items) , and compared to the new GLE and X5, the 4 year old RX 350 felt a little dated.
Just curious if anyone else cross shopped the new RX350 and the Highlander platinum and came to the same conclusion?
For a $7k difference, there's no way I'd even consider moving up to a Lexus. I have to get value in that $7k, and the Lexus nameplate and a few minor features doesn't do it for me. Granted, you do get an extra year of warranty--but you could spend $2500 on the Toyota and get an extended warranty and still be ahead.
The only question I would have is whether the difference is really $7K? If you are comparing MSRPs, I'm assuming you will get a better negotiated discount on the Lexus than you will on the brand new HL.
Hello all, not a Lexus owner, but shopping for one! Currently coming from a MB GLE 350, and we were looking at a 2020 Lexus RX 350L, but after cross shopping it with a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD, have actually taken the Lexus out of contention.
We were feature comparing and test drove both a 2020 350L AWD with the Luxury pkg, Navigation Pkg., and following stand alone options (Heated & Ventilated Front Seats Power Rear door with kick sensor Parking Assist: PANORAMIC VIEW MONITOR BLIND SPOT MONITOR WITH REAR CROSS-TRAFFIC BRAKING PARKING ASSIST PANORAMA GLASS ROOF), and a 2020 Highlander Platinum AWD in Blizzard Pearl with the new Caramel Interior. .
MSRP to MSRP was $57.5k to $50.6k, and honestly, the differences we found were minimal, and definitely not worth the $7k difference.
To be fair, the Lexus had a nicer interior - it was cleaner (if that makes sense), with more refined lines and real wood. And the cabin noise was slightly lower at highway speeds. And from a feature perspective, the lexus has a few nice additions that were not found on the highaldner; power folding mirrors, power steering wheel adjustment, redundant media controller (to supplement the touch screen) and power folding third row seats were a very nice and notable touch. But otherwise, we found the styling to be about on par with each other, the features lined up mostly 1:1 (with the exception of the afore mentioned items) , and compared to the new GLE and X5, the 4 year old RX 350 felt a little dated.
Just curious if anyone else cross shopped the new RX350 and the Highlander platinum and came to the same conclusion?
Not sure how useful my input is, but I will try, just note that I am talking older models.
I had a 2013 RX350, which was the previous gen. We absolutely loved it and at times, I still miss it. But in 2016 we decided we wanted a 3rd row, and one wasn't offered on the 2016 RX, so we bought a 2016 Highlander. That Highlander was fabulous and we loved it. Just before that lease came up, I went and checked out the RX350L, and I just found that the interior volume was too much of a sacrifice. The Highlander's 3rd row isn't large, but it worked well for us and was quite usable. We also briefly considered waiting for the 2020 Highlander, but decided against it as we didn't want the 4 cylinder drivetrain in the hybrid version. So we purchased a 2019 Highlander and plan to keep it long term. We are, once again, very happy with it.
We have found good value in our Highlander. Discounts, even in the last year of the previous model, were very difficult to come by. We could have gotten more off of an RX than we did off the Highlander, but the Highlander was still cheaper. It had all the features we wanted, like surround view camera, 2nd row heated captain's chairs, radar cruise, etc. so I didn't feel like we gave up much over the RX, and the new Highlander is even better in this regard.
Long story short, I think they are both great but the 3rd row in the RX was too compromised for us. Good luck in your decision.
Not sure how useful my input is, but I will try, just note that I am talking older models.
I had a 2013 RX350, which was the previous gen. We absolutely loved it and at times, I still miss it. But in 2016 we decided we wanted a 3rd row, and one wasn't offered on the 2016 RX, so we bought a 2016 Highlander. That Highlander was fabulous and we loved it. Just before that lease came up, I went and checked out the RX350L, and I just found that the interior volume was too much of a sacrifice. The Highlander's 3rd row isn't large, but it worked well for us and was quite usable. We also briefly considered waiting for the 2020 Highlander, but decided against it as we didn't want the 4 cylinder drivetrain in the hybrid version. So we purchased a 2019 Highlander and plan to keep it long term. We are, once again, very happy with it.
We have found good value in our Highlander. Discounts, even in the last year of the previous model, were very difficult to come by. We could have gotten more off of an RX than we did off the Highlander, but the Highlander was still cheaper. It had all the features we wanted, like surround view camera, 2nd row heated captain's chairs, radar cruise, etc. so I didn't feel like we gave up much over the RX, and the new Highlander is even better in this regard.
Long story short, I think they are both great but the 3rd row in the RX was too compromised for us. Good luck in your decision.
It seemed from the video the steering in the Highlander is fine (he was tossing it around center). It was fine with the 2020 Camry that we rented last Christmas. To me with the Highlander the only thing you could possibly think of after buying it is could it have been cheaper, or could you have gotten something with more room? But in no way is it gonna be a bad decision. And obviously it's not a Range Rover Sport by any means or stretch.
Steering is not fine in an Altima. It is not fine in a RX-L whenever if first came out with the 3rd row (maybe it has since improved but it's the same generation vehicle). Not all EPS is equal. For example, a brand new Altima has zero feel, a brand new Maxima is fine. Same car co.
To get to soccer practice? The grocery store once social distancing has subsided? That's probably the perfect car.
Toyota has announced a recall for select 2020 Toyota Highlanders. On models with a 3.5.-liter V6 engine, the Engine Control Unit (ECU) might have an error that could cut off the fuel supply during start-stop. The recall, which affects up to 38,810 vehicles, is expected to start April 24, 2020.
Toyota filed an official Defect Information Report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on March 19, 2020, declaring an issue with the ECU on certain 2020 Highlanders. These Highlanders have a start-stop feature that shuts the engine down and restarts it while a vehicle is temporarily stopped. Due to a programming error in the ECU, the fuel system might malfunction during start-stop, and the gas might not make it to engine.
No fuel means no go, so Toyota issued a safety recall due to the risk of the vehicle stalling out while in use. Toyota states, "Whether the issue in each case will lead to a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds depends on the driving patterns and vehicle conditions." Should this occur, the Highlander will make an audible chime, and many warning indicators will show up on the dash.
Lucky for Toyota, the fix does not require any physical part replacement. Toyota will notify affected customers and will reflash the ECU to remove the error. For more information, visit NHTSA Campaign No. 20V162000.
02-27-20, 10:34 AM
