kidney

No problem, I didn't take personal

As far has my Audi goes, mine is a year 2000 model and they cames stock 150 HP, but after a few mods, it's now around 200HP, the biggest difference is the responsiveness of the Audi! When I'm in a position that I want pull a fast one on someone, I will pretty much always have enough torque and power to pull it off, when the same situation arise with the RX, I always wonder and end up not even trying!!!

BTW here is a pics of my A4
http://www.compoart.com/audi

JRB

Not to get too far off the subject, but my wife is driving a '98 A4 with the 2.8 V6 engine, which we are selling/trading in when the new RX330 arrives. The A4 has been a great car, with minimal repairs needed, and it still looks and runs like new. But the one complaint I've always had is the performance - it's sluggish off the line. Once moving the V6 is very smooth and the performance is much better, especially if driven in "Tip" mode which allows you to keep the RPM's in the power band, which means 2500-5000 RPM's. In my previous car, an Audi allroad with the 2.7 biturbo engine, which like your A4 was also chipped, the performance was really good. The chip raised the HP from 250 to 316, but most importantly the torque went from 258 to 360. Even at over 4000 lbs the car moved very well. The mileage was very SUV-like, however - about 15-17 around town.

My replacement vehicle is an FX45, which is VERY fast off the line, but compared to the chipped allroad can feel a bit sluggish once cruising at highway speeds and then you want to go (as in a passing situation). I think this is related to the transmission not always wanting to "kick down" like you think it should after stepping on the gas. But like the Audi, this can be easily remedied by switching over to "Tip" mode, and controlling the gear lever manually. WIth a manual transmission the FX45 would be very quick all of the time, but with the traffic around here these days I don't think I would want to deal with a stick any more.

Anyway I can appreciate what you are saying about your chipped 1.8 - with the turbo engine a chip can make a big difference on the performance, especially with a manual and the lighter weight that comes with the 4 cylinder motor. I'm sure my wife will be very happy with the performance of the RX330, as I expect it to be at least as responsive as the 2.8 in the A4, even with the weight penalty.

Lexterious

Wow, you guys are getting 50+ HP with a chip upgrade. I guess you turbo owners are different. Maybe the chip increases maximum boost, which can provide that level of increase. With a normally aspirated car, the chip could only fool around with fuel mixture, spark advance and (relatively) minor things like that and 50 HP would be unheard of.

I wonder if there will be a chip upgrade for the RX? As I just mentioned, I wouldn't be expecting a lot. But on the other hand, if it can help get the most out of the premium (92 Octane) gas that Lexus is recommending, that would be nice.

JRB

Lexterious, yes as you note the chips in non-turbo cars do not do much, and generally are not worth the extra cost. I would be very skeptical if any manufacturer came out with a chip for the RX and advertised a big performance boost.