tgdaman

Hi all..........I'm a new member and this is my first post. I have been reading your forum and its been extremely helpful.
I have been comparing the Caddy and the Lexus for upcoming purchase. Have any of you compared these 2 cars recently? What do you think, what are the pluses and minuses of both. Any Thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Kan-O-Z

Welcome! Sorry the response seems a bit slow here. We bought an RX350 about two months ago and have been very happy. We had shopped between the RX350, ML350, X5 and possibly the SRX(although we weren't very interested). I think we made the right decision. I think the RX350 does exactly what an SUV or crossover SUV should do and it does it well. I think this vehicle is very focused on things that are desirable in a crossover SUV unlike some of the competition. I also think that's what makes the RX the best selling because Lexus hit the nail on the head with this one whereas some of the competitors missed the point.

Here are the pros and cons of the RX350 in my opinion.

RX350 Pros:
-Luxury - Best In Class
-Quality / Fit and Finish - Best In Class
-Reliability - Best In Class
-Comfort and Ride - Best In Class
-Fuel Economy - Best In Class
-Features / Technology - Very Good
-Power / Acceleration - Very Good
-Handling - Good
-Safety - Best In Class
-Interior Room - Very Good
-No 3rd Row (Can be good or bad)

RX350 Cons:
-Too many of them on the road?
-Styling: Some like it, others don't
-Handling: Perhaps not as good as SRX or X5
-No 3rd row (Can be good or bad)

As you can see, there are a LOT of good things about the RX350. It focuses on all the good stuff and not things like incredible handling. The SRX probably will handle better than the RX350 but let me tell you the RX350 handles very well. Anyone pushing beyond the limits of the RX350 handling should not be buying an SUV! I really don't like how so many SUVs are overly concerned with extreme handling. I think an SUV should handle well enough to be safe, avoid accidents and be confident. Beyond that is just a waste in my opinion because you sacrifice ride comfort (which is the case with the X5 and SRX) and 99% of people will never use it.

The acceleration on the V8 SRX might be a little bit better but once again you pay for that in terms of fuel economy. The RX350 has been clocked at 0-60 of 6.8 sec! Now that is pretty fast and probably almost as fast as the V8 SRX. The RX350 gets 20 city and 25 highway which no other SUV can match. I guess I am biased towards the Lexus but you can't go wrong with it.

Now if you absolutely need a 3rd row, you need to look somewhere else. I have a problem with the 3rd row because it eats up space even though you dont think so. It adds weight to the car and takes up precious 2nd row leg room and cargo space. All for what? Some tiny little seats that are no good for adults? No thanks! If you really need a car with 3 rows, get a minivan. It'll be better than an Expedition or an Escalade!

I don't think you can go wrong with the RX350. It's the SUV that invented the category "crossover SUV" and it's the class leader.

Kan-O-Z

cheap_deal

0-60 is around 7.2secs right for the FWD rx350??
anyone tested their rx350 for acceleration times?

tfischer

"Too many of them on the road" is not so much a negative as an indicator of great success. Sometimes you want to keep a low profile.

Anyway, factor in resale value. My brother bought a Cadillac sedan two years ago, and when he traded it in for an Infinity, the Caddy was worth only 50% of its original value. I just checked the resale value on my SC430, and after almost 7 years, its value is down about 20%. There is some serious money involved in resale value, and you should keep this in mind. From what I understand, and from my own experience with 3 Lexus cars, Lexus has one of the highest resale value factors in the business.

Kan-O-Z

RX350 AWD 0-60 6.8sec
http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroa...xus-rx350.html

I agree with the resale value. The Lexus is one of the best out there! Caddy on the other hand is not good. Another reason to go with the Lexus.

Kan-O-Z

rcf8000

I chose an RX350 over an SRX because it offers many features that the SRX doesn't, like a rear view camera, Bluetooth, front wheel drive (meaning less weight), power tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, and better outward visibility,to name a few. You also can get height-adjustable suspension and laser cruise control in the RX350, which are not available on the SRX, but you'll probably have to custom order a car to get either of these options. I have no doubt that the depreciation on the RX350 is better. I bought an RX300 when they first came out in 1998, and 4 1/2 years later I sold it for 60% of what I paid for it. No other car I've ever owned had this low depreciation. The SC430 has been out for a little less than 6 years, not 7 as stated above, and you may be able to get 50% of new cost for one, which is much better than the depreciation of most luxury cars. (I'm trying to sell one right now; whether I can do this well remains to be seen!)

tfischer

Math has never been my strong suit.

RCF observes "The SC430 has been out for a little less than 6 years, not 7 as stated above." The problem with the age of the 2002 SC models is that it first went on sale in April of 2001 as a 2002 model, so the "2002 SC430" was sold for almost 2 years before a change to the 2003, which involved almost no change anyway.

I bought my 2002 SC in April of 2001, so by April of 2007 I will have owned it for 6 years, not 7, but not 5 either, which the model year number would suggest. Anyway, since I only have 24,000 miles on it, the resale value is a little higher than normal. I am a little skeptical about the car only being down 20%, but I really don't care since I have no interest in trading it in. The point is, and most of my stories don't have any point, as my friends will tell you, that Lexus cars retain their value better than almost any other car being sold today, and that's money in the bank.

Especially if your alternatives include, say, Cadillac or, say Land Rover . . . .

. . . from what I hear.

rcf8000

One other advantage of the RX350 over the SRX, imo, is much better seat comfort. This alone was an SRX deal breaker for me. (I have to concede that the SRX has a few advantages over the RX, in my mind, like the availability of a V8 engine and more attractive styling.)

MARINE

Couldnt have said it better. I had 2005 Base ES-330 that had only 18,000 miles on it in 18 months on a 4 yr lease. I traded it in for a 2007 ES-350 loaded four months ago. The 330 had a huge dent on roof, thanks to Wilma and I still walked away with it payed off completely and lost $750.00 TRY that with any other car and see that you would lose thousands.... Im happy It also pays to know what the invoice value of the car your buyig. Lexus or no lexu, you still can get a great deal if you research.

tgdaman

Kan-O Z,
I was beginning to think no one had ever even considered the Caddy, since my note was out there a week without any replys!
Thanks for your detailed and in depth response. Things I liked about the SRX were the styling, new interior, and the handling.(SRX drives like its on rails)
Like what was referenced by others, I live in southern NV and you see RX's about every block. Yes, the Lexus is by far the better deal, getting much more for the money and you would have to have a pretty good reason for buying a competitor. Maybe the new grill, colors, etc. of the '08 model will make a big difference, I'm gonna wait and see.

jfelbab

I just returned minutes ago from looking at a black SRX. It had the worst orange Peel I've seen in quite a while. The fit and finish was lacking. The big V8 was a plus but the ride was not as luxurious as the RX. I just don't think Gm has any designers who cater to my taste. I also didn't feel as comfortable in the seat as I do in the RX. I really didn't like it much.

tfischer

I don't know anybody who considers buying a Caddy as an alternative to a Lexus. That's like pondering the menu and being undecided whether to order the fillet (with Bearnaise) or the grilled cheese (on white bread, with the crusts not even cut off).

. . . more or less.

anulex

actually according to money magazine is best Suv at retaining value is the MDX.

Kan-O-Z

Don't let the fact that there are a lot of RXs out there stop you from buying one. What you have to do is get an RX and change out the wheels/tires and maybe the springs. Trust me, it'll stand out after that and you won't be able to say the SRX looks nicer. The one thing I can't get over on the SRX is that it really looks like a station wagon that's jacked up. Everytime I see one, all I see is station wagon and I can't seem to get over the looks.

One of the biggest mistakes people can make is let their initial impressions judge how good a car will be for them. For instance handling. Yes maybe it's nice the SRX handles great but you know what....it's not something that one would use on a regular basis ESPECIALLY in an SUV! Case in point, I bought springs for our RX350 (which I haven't installed yet) and have really started to love the buttery smooth luxurious ride of the RX. I don't know if I will install the springs because quite honestly it is so nice to cruise with a ride like that. I don't know if I want to give that up! Honestly the RX handles very well and if you are going beyond it's limits, you don't need to be driving an SUV! So what you like on the test drive may not be what you love on a daily basis.

Bad Analogy but I thought I would post this: You may find a hot stripper and may want to have a one night stand but that's not the girl you want to have a long term relationship with

The RX is one of those vehicles that you love more and more the longer you have it. The SRX is that initial lust that dies off quick and then you have to deal with all it's bad attributes on a daily basis (rough ride, poor fuel economy, bad reliability fit and finish, etc).

By the way, the RX350 V6 is almost as fast as the SRX V8 (0-60 6.8 vs. 0-60 6.4) but what you get is a whole lot better fuel economy with the RX. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The RX does everything a crossover SUV should do and it does it extremely well. The competition often gets lost focusing on the wrong areas for a crossover SUV.

Kan-O-Z

hyiu

well... I guess he come to a lexus forum and ask us to compare a lexus and a caddi... he should know better what to expect.



good luck on your purchase...