Just a note: very few of the initial models included the HUD. I'm still hoping to bribe a mechanic into adding it at some point ;p

 

2 weeks in, and I'm still loving it. I've been driving every day instead of taking the train, simply because I really enjoy driving it.

The iPhone control doesn't mess up anymore, and neither do the volume controls; I try to be very consistent with how and when I plug it in, and it seems fine of late.

Mileage update:
"real commute" mileage for me seems to be just around 22; a bit under if I'm doing mostly 75-80, a bit over if I'm staying around 65 mph.

The back seat is pretty comfortable, although a bit bumpier than the front, depending on the road surface (you can get some odd bounciness back there at times with lots of small rapid surface transitions like some slightly uneven concrete surfaces have).

 

I took it back to the dealer today so they could re-do the front protector application (the vendor did a really amateurish job of it, and after having my last one done by Premier, I have high expectations) -- it was also time for the 1000 mile service. They gave me a 400h loaner. It's my first time in one of the previous versions as a driver, and this is a strikingly convincing example of the improvements they have made in the new model.

My gut feeling is that if you want a nice Lexus, choose one that is also sold in Japan as a Lexus. This was an obvious indicator for the 2006 IS series, which was notably nicer than every other Lexus I looked at at the time in design and construction; the same can be said for the 2010 compared to the loaner 400h. There's just very little resemblance aside from the general form factor heritage.

- the interior design and construction quality are greatly improved in the 2010
- the interior feels much larger in the 2010
- the suspension feel of the 400h doesn't even seem like it's part of the same family
- the rear suspension in particular in the older model feels like something off of a minivan in comparison
- the overall interior feeling of the 2nd gen is also a bit like a minivan in comparison

Other points of difference, some of which is hybrid-related:
- the brake feel
- the throttle responsiveness
- the exhaust sound
- the outward visibility
- the structural integrity

After driving it home, I have very little interest in driving this 400h again (except to take it back). I've been spoiled!

 

Not much to update on. I love this RX

The new iPhone 3.0 developer-release software finally supports Bluetooth Stereo -- I'll be trying that out this week! I've come to realize when the USB-to-iPhone connection is behaving poorly, it usually means the iPhone needs a restart. I blame the phone...

Mixed driving has me at about 19 MPG per tankful. YMMV.

I really enjoy washing it. Shiny...

The 12 speaker stereo is definitely better than my '06 IS. It might be a mixture of vehicle geometry and the quietness of the interior. The direct USB connection probably helps as well.

I won't buy another car without live traffic built into the nav. This feature rocks.

I'm dying to take a road trip.

 

ciparis, do you have to pay a monthly fee for the live traffic report?

 

I looked into the live NAV updates (I am considering a '10 model), and I think it's part of your XM Radio subscription. You get 6 or 12 months free when you buy the car (just like the dope dealers: "the first one is free"), and then you have to pay for your subscription. If you hunt around on the XM web pages, and if you look long enough and hard enough, you will get to the place where they actually tell you what XM will cost when you subscribe. Expect to spend about 10 to 15/month, depending on the number of channels you get, once your free period expires.

 

It's either 30 or 90 days free (90 I think). After that I expect it'll be around $15 to keep traffic, but I'm not positive -- still no mail from them.

Something more about the iPhone: activating the iPod screen before connecting makes it much more likely to just work when you plug it in. And when it repeatedly fails to connect and you forgot to do this before connecting, switching it there helps also (although the car might have to be restarted if it has failed once; if it can't load data despite being connected, that'll usually fix it).

Ah, the bleeding edge...

 

ciparis, does the $15 a month covers just the traffic or both the traffic and the sat. radio?

 

You should check the XM pages yourself to see how the pricing works, but my recollection is that Traffic info has to be tacked onto at least some kind of basic group of radio stations. Given the selection, there is surely something you would select; I think I recall an all Elvis station. All Elvis, all the time. Or showtunes.

 

Roughly $15 per month gets you a "zillion" stations along with live traffic updates. I have had this in my LS for about 15 months now. The new RX will also have the capability to get live weather and radar updates as well. I am not sure if that involves an extra fee on top of the live traffic updates. I'll find out when our RX450h arrives if not sooner.

 

So, after 15 months of XM, do you think XM is $200.00 better than free radio?
I must admit that live traffic info sounds good, but it is only for major metropolitan areas, and does not include, as far as I know, information regarding expressway conditions between cities, so it's not much good for the road trip.
As for the weather, the color map is nice, but weather is free every 10 minutes on the regular radio, so I am wondering if XM is just too expensive. After all, if you can plug in your iPod, you have constant, static free, commercial free music, talk, books, etc, which is what XM says are its advantages.

 

I have a free trial of XM on my other car and I hardly use it, I do not plan to subscript when the time comes, I use my IPOD a lot more often. XM is like cable TV, 200 channel but nothing to watch, or in this case listen to. If I had live traffic with that package, I might reconsider it. Weather report is useless, I can just look out the window and see what the weather is like

 

I've been using the XM radio, traffic, and weather for about 3 weeks now in calif. XM traffic is very consistent and useful in metro LA. I think its linked to the sigalert system. Trip up to fresno area you dont get flow, but you do get traffic and construction alerts on the main hwys. XM radio isnt as good sound as CD or FM, but its not bad. I found that each audio tab retains its own equalizer settings (ie CD, FM, SAT, USB, etc), so you can adjust uniquely for sat. XM weather is not really that useful. you need to go into the info page, then select the local area each time for forecast. no default to the last one. weather alerts pop up out of nowhere. I got a tornado warning in LA, but the weather showed no storms. go figure. XM weather needs a little work.

 

XM radio sound is not as good as FM because it is compressed for transmission. So you trade high audio quality for a steady signal from city to city (road trip) and for unlimited stations.
I prefer the iPod as a source of music, books and podcasts, because I can pick the content and have more than enough on my little Nano than I could ever listen to in a week of driving.

 

I'm wondering how the Bluetooth audio works/sounds, it's an interesting idea but most of the time I'd think to use (and am more familiar with) an mp3 player via the RX's USB port.