al777

Yep. It's the same vehicle, I doubt they will change anything more than cosmetic (chrome-plated vs body-color-painted etc). Grille is different - put two pics together and you'll see - the shape of vertical bars is different and it's less of them (15 vs 17) while the chrome frame got slightly bolder look.

32kcolors

I'm aware the grill is different, but it's not noticeable enough to stand out. The Thundercould grill, on the other hand, stands out more, especially to RX owners.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The new wheels look tacky IMO. 5Spokes still look clean and sporty.

rob22909

I agree. I was actually thinking about paying my dealer extra to get those '08 tires swapped onto my soon to arrive '07. Now I'm definitely second guessing that plan.

I hoping the '08 wheels would look more like the ones on the RX400's (see below). I originally asked my dealer (when I first looked into getting my new RX350) if I could get the 400 tires instead of the ones that were standard on the 350. He said it is not possible, and I might as well just buy the 400.

Does anyone else out there know if getting RX350 tires swapped RX400's is possible? The 400's have just that subtle extra sparkle to them that the 350's are missing.

norush

Looks like rear spoiler might be body color on the MY08

jruhi4

Lexus USA just released these official pictures of the '08 RX350:

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Yes they have the same specs so they are interchangeable.

RXSF

im not liking the new grill. its not masculine enough

rob22909

But do dealers typically carry extra RX400 tires that can be swapped with the RX350's? The dealer I went to originally made it seem like the only way he could do it would be to take the tires off an existing RX400... which obviously he wouldn't do.

If it's not possible to get those tires swapped at a dealer, are there aftermarket shops where I could get those?

...and yeah, I'm glad I'm getting the '07 RX350 (picking it up tomorrow). Not much of a fan with the changes they made for '08.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I don't think dealers carry extra sets of RX400H rims and tires, nor will they swap them off an existing one for you. However, like any Lexus part, you can simply order a set of RX400H rims from the dealer if you are willing to pay the price for them. For the cost of those Lexus rims though I'd just look toward the after market and get a similar looking set or any other style you like. OEM rims are generally quite pricey.

1970marc

Some people are saying that this is just a refresh until the MY09. When has Toy/Lex ever done a refresh with one year left? And where does this leave the 400h? It might make sense to not offer an 08 if the whole line is being updated in 09, bit as I mentioned, I dont see how that will happen. Anybody have clear info on this?

RXSF

i do think its foolish to update the car so close to the new model. However, its just a way to attract more customers because of the new competition (MDX, Q7 and a few american cars).

Also, look at the mercedes C class. THe new one is coming in april/summer when they just changed the rims and stuff on the 2007 version.

lexuslover

i think your dealer is just making it hard for you so he doesn't have to swap wheels for you. the wheels and tires are the same size between 350 and 400h. you can take off your current wheels and put the same tires on the new wheels. there is no reason you have to buy a new tire size when the wheel sizes are the same! FYI, the tire size is 235-55-18 on both models


p.s. i like the 5 spoke better as well. i prefer chunkier wheels on SUVs rather than thin spoked wheels (otherwise it seems like the body is too big/heavy for the "feet"; just my personal preference). i also like color coded handles better than chrome handles.

jjbodean

why would a dealer want to take 400h wheels and tires and swap them for 350 wheels and tires? part of buying the 400h is the different wheels, so i dont know why he would want a 400h on his lot to sell with 350 wheels on it...

the dealer i am sure is willing to order the customer 400h wheels through the parts dept, but not swap them of an in stock unit, which makes perfect sense to me, or am i missing something here?

rob22909

It does make sense for the dealer not to swap the wheels off an existing 400h (basically deminishing the value of an existing car on the lot). But I wasn't expecting the dealer to do this. I was assuming (or better yet hoping) that the dealer would have some extra 400h tires back in their servicing area, available in case someone with a 400h needed a tire replaced (from how they kept trying to pitch the wheels and tire servicing package, one would think they have extra wheels/tires in back for immidiate repairs).

Well, either way, I do feel that this could have been made possible (even if it came down to them ordering the wheels direct from the factory). It just seemed that they didn;t want to go through the trouble..