vasylko

Hi everyone

I am a new member and owner (well..not quite...I lease). I have not still got a delivery of the new car, but wanted to get your impressions on the road as far as smoothness and quietness. I am freak about that because my current VW Jetta is so stiff that I want something very quiet and smooth. I have read that Lexus RX provides that from vearious reviews but wanted to get real life opinions from people here that actually drive these daily (work, vacation, etc)

Please let me know your impressions about this vehicle.

I was trying to find something similar on these forums, but did not have any luck, so if you can even point me to correct thread that would be fine

flipside909

Welcome to CL.

We've had 3 RX's in our family. An 04, an 05 and now an 08. The car is very livable as a daily driver. It's very easy to maneuver in tight parking lots, and at the same time it can cruise 80mph and pass effortlessly. Our previous two RX330's had Michelin tires which I think were great. We now have the Goodyears on the 08 and i'm not a big fan of them. I've always thought Michelin > Goodyear, but some others have had an opposite experience.

BTW, all 3 of our RX's were manufactured at the Kyushu Japan plant.

vasylko

Thanks for replying. Can you comment on riding quality and road noise when on the highway? Thanks

rcf8000

I have an '07 RX350 with 18 inch wheels and Goodyear tires. I'm not pleased with the road noise. Yesterday I was driving an ES350 loan car, and was struck by the lower noise levels, not only road noise but engine noise. I didn't look to see what brand of tires was on it. It seems to me that whatever techniques Lexus uses to quiet the ES350 could be applied to the RX. I keep reading in reviews that the RX is luxury car quiet. It's not, as far as I'm concerned.

On the other hand, most reviews include uncomplimentary comments about the RX's handling. I don't agree with that at all. I think the handling is quite good, for an SUV. If you do four wheel drifts on the way to work, you need something else.

I have no complaints about the riding quality.

flipside909

Ride quality is great even with a load of passengers. Road noise is very quiet. As these Goodyears get worn down, they tend to get louder. I've experienced these RS-A's on a friend's 05 RX330 and several RX330 and 350 loaners i've driven in the past. The RX is not as quiet as many new models are coming out. The RX has been used as a benchmark in the cross over sport utility market since the beginning. Since this body style has been around since 2003, it's not surprising that other vehicles out there are much quieter. But it's safe to say the RX is alot quieter than more than 80% of the cars on the road today.

I agree with the above in that the handling is very predictable and compliant on all types of road conditions. This is defintely not a vehicle to take to the twisties, but it does hold it's own surprisingly.

vasylko

Thank you very much for your comments. I test drove VW Touareg today, just to see the difference and for some reason I cant seem to adjust myself to noise that this car has. Engine noise is fine, but road noise is bit loud. I mean it is much better then VW Jetta I have right now, so that being said, I am sure I will be more than happy with RX quietness.

One more thing guys, I keep hearing that there is some rattle in the dashboard that RX are prone to develop - how true is that. I asked that question at the dealership and they said that this issues has been blown out out of proportions and that Lexus has never released a "bulletin" to address that issue. how true is that.

Since you guys own these, can you please comment on that as well.

And again, sorry for these silly questions, just want to make sure that I made the right choice (still have time to back out). I also considered VW Touareg, but could not really convince myself to get it considering all the repair issues and customer service I keep reading about on VW forums

flipside909

All 3 of our RX's we've had never had any dash rattle problems at all. Perhaps we were lucky that all 3 of the RX's we had were all made at the Kyushu Plant in Japan vs. the Cambridge Ontario Canada version.

vasylko

WOW...just simply WOW...

I got the car yesterday and ohh man what a driving experiance it is. Simly the best I have ever driven. Luxury feel and handling are superb. It is so quite inside. I have navigation as well and that is the best option yet. Anyone considering nav/or not I highly recomment go with Nav. Just for the bluetooth alone it is worth every single penny.

To be honest I am little afraid driving this car. I have never owned luxury car and I am afraid that someone will hit me or something. I am sure that will go away soon as I get used to it, but this is what I am currently experiancing.

My wife is just speechless. She already picked her preferrable passanger seat. In the back seat, with a seat lowered. She loves that.

Anyway - just wanted to let everyone know who is planning on getting this car. Get it and you will not regret. But then again..this is my first Lexus, so I have no idea how other lexus models drive, but this one exceeds all my expectations. I will be posting some other things as they come up with regards to my new car.

Thanks everyone for your replies

vasylko

forgot to mention...

When I was test-driving this car - navigation had "Accept" button

What I have in a car right now does not do that, it gives you a "caution" screen with some language and then turns the system on without any "accept" button to push.

I know it is small, but I have read some people were asking if they change that.

Crystal_RX

Congrats to you new RX. I am sure you will enjoy it for years to come. I own an 07 RX350 which I took delivered on August 06. I am satisfied with the RX and service level that Lexus provide. Just last Friday, I heard a rattling sound in the driver side door panel, I called Lexus and they took care of this yesterday. I have not experience with any rattling in the dash area.

mandyfig

Post pics! Congrats!

vasylko

Nice to hear that Lexus keeps us to its customer service as it does for car build.

If anyone has any questions as to new 2008 RX, please post them and I will try and answer them, considering I understand what you talking about.

flipside909

Your 2008 RX still has the v.6.1 Navigation disc. The latest version is v.7.1. which does not have the "I AGREE" startup.

Just curious, what was the build date of your RX and where was it built? You can find this info on the driver's side in the inner "B" pillar near the door latch striker. Top row of the black vin plate should tell you the plant it was manufactured at and the date of manufacture (MM/YY).

vasylko

When I get home from work, I will check that. Just to be clear, my current navigation system does not have "Accept" button. However, when I was test driving totally difference car (still RX350), it did have it. So my guess is - any 2008 RXs come with updated Nav (7.1)

What it does now is just shows you a "caution" screen which lasts about 2 sec and then automatically goes into Map mode. You can click on map mode as soon as you turn the car on and that caution screen will be canceled. But it does it so quickly that I dont even bother to make it even faster.

I will check the date today, but will post pictures over the weekend .By the time I get from work, it is already dark outside.

Seize

Congrats on the RX and welcome to Club Lexus