titanskj10

hey im AJ and i heard on one of the Toyota Commericals and I went to the Charlotte Internation Auto Show Saturday and Sunday and I saw that the Toyota Highlander had an optional 3rd row seating. Just wondering how come that the RX is now larger and probably the same size of the Highlander and still doesnt have the option of the 7 passenger seating? I was just curious. By the way, the 04 LS is very nice. BMW 7 series is UGLY! to much goin on. Infinti FX saddle looking leather is like dirty. Infinti I35 has alot of cheap looking accents in the inside. just wanted yall to know


AJ Looper

w4rjd

Maybe the same reason you can not get 3 rows in a 4-Runner, but you can in a GX? It is logical to someone.

TRD328

i'd say the sloping roof line at the back would make it a pain in the neck for 3rd row

jcg

I read somewhere that the 3ed row seat in the Highlander is only available with front wheel drive.

You can't get it in AWD.

Take with a grain of salt.

pbm317

They added 3rd row seating to the 4Runner for 2004 as well. so now all the Toyota SUV's except the RAV4 come with a 3rd row available.

I'd say it's mostly that sloping rear roofline, along with lower roofline in general of the RX compared to the highlander.

JRB

I was curious so I checked the interior space of the two vehicles, and was somewhat surprised to see that even with the sloping roofline the RX330 actually has more maximum cargo capacity (space with the second row folded) than the Highlander - 85 to 81 cubic feet. So there would be the room back there if Lexus wanted to squeeze a small 3rd row for kids. I think I recall reading somewhere however that most RX330 owners have either no kids or just one or two, and I suspect that their marketing wants to target a different segment of the population than the Highlander, Pilot, etc. And they do have the GX and LX that have 3rd rows for larger families that want and can afford more luxury than the Highlander. The RX seems to be moving in a direction that emphasizes sporty luxury, filling a niche between the Highlander and its larger, more expensive stablemates - which is fine with me.

BOWTIE 3

Would YOU like to ride back there on a trip to Wash DC from North Carolina ?

titanskj10

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NeverSatisfied

3rd row seat: Don't want, don't need it!

Manuel RX

J.A.T. Design has been offering these for several SUVs now...

http://www.jatdesign.net/Vehicles/LexusRX300/

Anyone have any experience with these (or other) third-row seat fitments for the RX ??

dreday68

Third Row SCREAMS soccer mom

LexRX

jcg, Toyota's website statest that the third row is 4-cylinder 2WD and V6 2WD models but standard on V6 4WD models.

The more perplexing question for me is why they put a third row in the Highlander. I didn't think it would fit! It must be small back there.

YWW

The 3rd seat can only handle 2 young kids. Normal size adults will have difficulty. Definitely not recommended for long trips for adults, short trips will be OK. Actually the seat cushion is fairly comfortable except there's hardly any leg room unless you are under 4 ft tall. There's about 14" of storage space behind the 3rd row seat. I personally don't think the RX330 can fit a 3rd seat in due to the sloping back window.

People will have to weigh how important it is to have a 3rd seat. It is convenient if you have extra passengers. If you have extra people all the time, you should really look at a mini van or larger SUV. Don't forget 3rd seat adds weight to the vehicle and it penalizes your gas mileage for carrying that extra weight around all the time. Just my opinion.

Rx900

there won't be enough space for a third row seat in the back of the 330. besides, it's uncomfortable in the back, even in a gx.