Dokker

My wife and I are looking at purchasing a pre-owned RX350 this winter. She'll be the main driver and obviously I want to make sure she gets a safe car. We've found a good deal on one, but it's not AWD. It does have traction and stability control.

Can anyone share their experience with how well the FWD handles in snow and rain? We live near Louisville, and we probably get 3 or 4 snows a year. She currently drives a FWD Corolla which does well in the snow.

Also, as a sidenote, how hard is it to turn the passenger airbag on and off? We may need one of our kids to ride up front occasionally.

Thanks for any opinions or thoughts...

Chris

lexus114

I wish I could help you here Chris,but I don`t now anyone with a FWD. Their mostly AWD up here.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

The air bag does not have a switch to turn on or off. The air bag has sensors in the seat to adjust deployment speed when a light person is sitting up front. I know that sometimes when I am by myself I put my lunch cooler on the front seat and it starts off with no airbag light and no seat belt warning, then the seat belt warning will go off till I move my cooler more on the side of the seat.
Front wheel drive works great in light snow, if you get much ice you might wait till a AWD 350 comes along.
Jeff

FisforFast

You will not need AWD in 90% of the situations you encounter on the road, but it is definitely an advantage to have. Keep in mind that AWD will only help you get off the line and sometimes even in cornering, but also bear in mind that it is not foolproof. If you're an idiot, you're still going to lose control and crash. Lastly, AWD is useless when stopping, so also not a reason to skimp on good tires for the winter.

As far as FWD goes, it is pretty good in the snow. You don't have to worry too much about your throttle application in turns, unlike in a RWD car. If you drive sensibly, you can drive any car in snow and on ice.

Dokker

Thanks for the replies. We don't have much ice, and it sounds like the FWD is pretty solid in snow. I'm hopeful that whichever car we find has some nice all-season tires already on it. As you guys noted, I know that can make all the difference in the snow.

Thanks for the info on the airbag too. Sounds like a nice feature with the best of both worlds.

mmlex1987

I agree with the other posters. The fwd with a good set of tires will suit you fine. FWD, AWD or a 4WD truck means nothing when it comes to stopping so it still remains within the driver. I have a fwd es lexus as well as an awd rx lexus and living in a snowy area, they both treat me very well as long as I have respect for the conditions. Good luck on your search for the right RX. They are great vehicles.

Dokker

Thanks Mike. Nice to have perspective from someone who owns both. We drove our first 350 today - a 2wd - and really liked it. Sounds like we'll just look for whichever provides the best deal (lowest miles).

I plan to call about the 2wd I mentioned in the OP tomorrow to request a carfax report. It's amazing how many of these cars had 1 owner but have been pushed through a couple auctions since their lease expired.