PatsSoxfan

rxets,

I was thinking about this myself, but my dealer would never do anything like this. Just to make sure, I am going to mention it to them.

rxets

I believe most of dealers would do their best when the new owners ask for this type of requests. I never thought this would be a problem until my colleague found someone was going to take his cousin's new AMG out of the lot for the "test-drive". His cousin specially ordered that car and wait for months. The sale rep was excited to inform his cousin the car will be there, and they scheduled to pick up 3 days afterwards. At that time he again mentioned the exclusive clauses they signed on the deal: no one can test-drive that vehicle; it won't be the demo car in the showroom. A day before the pick-up appointment they passed that dealer and saw the same color/model AMG was pulling out of the lot and ready to "test-drive". Due to its rareness, they turned around and stop by the dealership then found the GM's trying to show this car to one of their "prestige" customers... long story short. That guy and GM didn't get the chance of test-driving. That ***-GM said sorry and promised some free maintenance in next few visits. That guy said he would take his car and pay extra cash as compensation if my colleague's cousin was unhappy and didn't want it.

It's not the $$$ issues, but the whole thing just made you ****-ed.

buckse

I picked up my 2010 RX with Premium/Comfort/NAV back in April and I now have about 1900 miles. I traded out of a 2007 RX. This is my fourth RX (2000, 2004, 2007, 2010) so I may be a little biased, but overall I really enjoy this car. I've had a lot of cars over the years and I don't think any of them were perfect in every way--they all have their strengths, weaknesses, and their little quirks.

My RX's have always been very reliable and that is very important to me. I have also enjoyed the comfortable seating, excellent visibility, easy entry/exit, and the ride quality. I grew up with my folks driving Cadillacs and I am sometimes embarrassed to admit that I like that soft Cadillac ride over that "feel the road" bone jarring experience that some of the other SUV's call a "sport suspension". The RX will get you from point A to B in peace and comfort. I've had several recent passengers comment on how great the ride quality was compared to their vehicle (which were: BMW X5, MDX, Tahoe, G35, Acura TL, BMW 335i, Accord).

Here are my thoughts so far...
-the interior feels a lot more spacious than my 07 RX
-seat height is perfect for me and the way the seat scoots back and the steering wheel tilts up make makes entry/exit very easy
-the headrest sometimes feels like it is a little too far forward--sometimes when I stretch I try to lean back but the headrest sort of pushes your chin toward your chest; I have adjusted my seating position and OK with it now, its part of their safety features
-I really love the HID lights that look around corners and the new auto hi-beam feature
-I like the new auto air-recirculation mode--you get fresh air most of the time but if you are in traffic with a lot of exhaust fumes or if someone is mowing it seems to switch to re-circulate mode (which is great for my allergies)
-the air-conditioned seats are great
-I love the new keyless entry where you just walk up and grab the door handle and it unlocks (your keys are still in your pocket so you are "hands-free" which is nice)
-push button start is nice because you don't have to dig in your pockets for the keys and there are no keys rattling around and banging the dash
-I think the exterior push button lock is too slow, so I find myself walking away from the car and reaching into my pocket to lock doors
-the Lexus heated seats are some of the best I have ever used--they heat up quickly and warm the entire bottom cushion and back and remain comfortably warm without hot spots
-the steering and handling on this model is effortless and seems to have tighter turning radius than previous models?
-the new suspension really improves the driving experience--it was a little firm at first, but it has loosened up a little bit now and is now a good compromise between ride quality and handling--I do NOT want sport suspension, but I would like to be able to take corners without feeling like I am going to rollover--body roll in this model seems to be gone (at least for me at my cornering speeds) which is a major improvement over my 07 RX which had a LOT of body roll
-I like the looks of the car from the front
-I don't like the side line at the bottom of the back side doors--part of the new "L-finesse" design
-I didn't initially like the new brake lights because they look like they came from a Mazda, but I am getting use to them
-I miss the captain-chair armrest--the center console is just a little too far back and a little lower than the old armrest *sigh*
-I like the 12 speaker radio--the sound separation/stereo is very good in all seating positions--the radio seems to be tuned for jazz/classical; rock sounds OK but the bass is a little boomy
-the seats seem a little firmer than the ones in my 07--I also noticed when I went in the other day and they gave me a loaner car like mine but the tan colored leather seemed softer than my grey leather... maybe its the tanning process or dyes involved?
-I didn't initially like the diagonal line through the dash but I'm getting use to it; again that "L-finesse" crap (they should fire that guy)
-I thought I would miss my touch screen NAV, but the new system uses a mouse which makes it very intuitive and easy--compared to all of my buddy's vehicles, I really think this is the one of the best NAV systems around--I have people playing with the system all the time and they are amazed at how fast, easy, and intuitive the system is to use
-the cargo space seems much larger now due to changes in the rear suspension
-they moved the spare back inside which makes it easier to access but it is no longer a matching tire with the matching alloy wheel--its something they call full-size spare but it looks more like an inner tube the kids should be playing with in the pool
-this is kind of hard to describe, but it seems like there is more windnoise around the front mirrors, but overall it seems much quieter than my old RX
-the rear seats have a new lever that makes them very easy to fold down (compared to my 07)
-the engine seems to have more audible grunt up to about 40mph and then it seems pretty quite--at highway speeds you can't hear any engine noise; at highway speeds, the acceleration is VERY good
-this is also kind of hard to describe, but the car *feels* heavy and a little slow from start, but I have noticing lately that I always pull away from other cars at any intersection; so it doesn't *feel* fast, its more like peppy but smooth so it sneaks up on you how smooth and quick it is--I pulled away from a stop light the other day and I looked over and noticed a Mustang next to me who looked and sounded like he was pulling pretty hard which made me think I was going faster than I felt--we were both several car lengths in front of the other cars and pulling away quickly but it didn't *feel* like I was going fast
-because of that heavy feel, the brakes on this new one don't feel as strong as my 2007--they are good, just not as good as my 07
-I got my first RX back in 2000 and the rear cargo cover was absolutely silent, no rattles, no squeaks, nothing; every model since then has had problems with squeaks and rattles back there; I tried the new one for about a week and now it sitting in my garage.
-the center console is VERY deep and it hides all of the cigarette power plugs and the USB and AUX jack for your iPod/MP3 players--it was really hard to plug stuff into those outlets so you wouldn't want to do that every time you got into the car, but if you just plug it in once and leave the cables in your console then you just have to fish out one end of the cable to plug in which is a little easier, yet I have to admit, the console seems a little too far back for easy access based on my seating position, so sometimes I almost feel like I'm reaching back too far; also the console lid almost doesn't open far enough to remove the storage tray so its kind of tricky getting the storage tray in and out which goes back to my first point of its kind of hard to get to all the cable inputs.
-I am also disappointed that they messed with the auto open rear hatch--you can still use the clicker to auto open the rear door, but in my 07 you could tap a button over the license plate and it would auto open, but in this model the button over the license plate will only let you lock/unlock and you have to manually open door *sigh* (I asked the dealer and they said they did this because idiots were bashing the rear door into their garage doors so they decided to make it more of a manual process)
-I have always enjoyed how quiet the RX models are compared to some of my friends cars--every time I get in someone else's car I always hear and feel more wind noise, more road noise, and a bunch of rattles



There are a few things that took some getting use to, and a few of the things that I didn't initially like I am now warming up to, but overall, I am very happy with this vehicle. As picky and honest as I am about some of the issues described above, the thing is, out of all of the other new vehicles I test drove including X5, Q5, MDX, CX9, Venza, EX35 and out of all of my buddy's vehicles, I wouldn't have anything else but the RX at this point in time. I don't want to feel every crack in the road, I don't want every imperfection in the road to be translated through chassis into the steering wheel (and my arms), I don't think I should have to sacrifice reliability to get a little better performance, and I don't think a luxury SUV should have as many rattles and squeaks as a Ford Fiesta. There are other SUV's out there which might be a little faster and they will probably let you take a corner a little faster, but for me they sacrifice too much of the *luxury* ride and reliability that I enjoy so much with my RX.

sightdev

Buckse, you took the exact words out of my mouth. You and I must be in the same age bracket. Only other RX I had was 2005 but I had two other Lexus in forms of SC and LS. Looks like you went for new RX each time Lexus came out with revised model so you will be a perfect expert in RX and how they have progressed over two decades.

You are also absolutely right about the rear cargo cover being noisy. For current 2010 RX, I had to remove the extended cover that clips on the back of the rear seat as it was making really annoying rattling sound. few cents more, Lexus could have made the clip with soft rubber and rattling could have been avoided.

“"L-finesse" crap (they should fire that guy)” is exactly what I was thinking. To me front must be the worst design with angled-in corners. My favorite angle is the rear corner, side and rear of the gen3 RX has really nice “flow” without being too “round/circular” like gen1 and gen2. Gen3 RX has Jeep GC like rear, and “cut” side lines give muscular image. Gen3 feels larger inside because of designing but I don’t see much increase in useable space. From the front seat, it look/feel larger because the dashboard is no longer angled inward and a little window has been added to give little more “airy” feel. Only reason I always have “one-foot” inside Lexus is the service I get when I visit the dealer(s). Mercedes dealer service comes close but they make sure to “milk you dry.”

wrahn

buckse

Thanks for a wonderful and complete evaluation. What brand of tire do you have?

Thanks again,

Wes

buckse

My 2010 came with 19" Michelin's and I'm glad they did.

Over the years I have also had Goodyear a couple of times (some were OEM and some were replacement sets), but the I think the ride quality, tread wear, and road noise was worse with the Goodyear's. I think the Michelin's cost a little more to replace but I really think they have been a better tire for this vehicle in the past and I hope they will remain a good match for this model. So good so far.

Hal56

i have not been to the tire rack site recently but they had a great rating system for tires.

wrahn

buckse

I've requested Michelins for my FWD RX350 which I'll receive at the end of this month. When I ordered the RX, it came with the 19" wheel upgrade at $600 extra. When I looked at Tire Rack I noticed that the 18" had more options of brand and type of tires, while the 19" is more limited in choices.

The tires that normally come with the RX are M\S (mud and snow) tires which tend to be a little more noisy and rough riding than other types. I live in Florida and have no desire to be in snow or intend to drive off road. I would rather have a smooth riding tire, but it seems they are not made to fit the RX.

Thanks for the input,

Wes

buckse

My OEM tires on my RX10 are Michelin P235/55/R19 Latitude Tour HP

I read some other threads at this forum about 18" vs 19" tires. There were several folks who assumed that the 19" tires would provide a rougher ride, but someone who managed to drive both said there was no noticeable difference. I think someone else explained it by saying something like as long as the sidewalls are wide (from rim to edge of tire) then the 19's will soak up bumps pretty well.

As mentioned above, Tirerack has some excellent reviews. The sad thing is that is seems like for every person that likes a tire, there is someone else who hates the tire for the same reason. I guess it would be nice if you could get a couple different tire sets mounted and drive around on them for a while for comparison, but I don't think any of the tire shops will let you do that these days.

Hal56

I have run flats on another car and they are stiffer and in general noisy--goodyear back a decade ago were too noisy and stiff--better now.

On the 19 inch--if they are bigger and not lower profile as indicated above (the distance from rim to thread) the ride should not be too different.

But in low profile you feel every bump.

wrahn

buckse

I agree that there are conflicts provided by the information from Tire Rack. When I compared the data from the Customer Survey between the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 and the Latitude Tour HP the Latitude is far superior to the Pilot. On the most important question, "Would you buy the tire again," the Pilot owners indicated 3.4, probably not while the Latitude buyers indicated 7.8, probably. In all catagories the Latitude owners indicated a more positive response than the Pilot owners.

Now comes the conflict. When I went through the decision guide, the end results for the choice of tire was the Pilot rather than the Latitude. Also listed was the Hankook Optimo H725. In fact, before answering any of the questions in the decision guide, there were only three tire choices recommended, the two all ready mentioned and a snow tire, Pirelli Scorpion. which dropped out when I indicated I would not be driving in snow.

So much for trying to get information when making a tire decision, but I'll stay with the Latitude as the tire of choice. It might not be in the decision guide since it's a new tire for the RX.

Thanks for the inputs,

Wes

Wes

The G Man

The MXM are used on a lot cars as an oem tire, they aare below average in my opinion. The Latitude is a replacemnet for the cross terrain, the cross terrain was a great tire, the latitude is suppose to be a bit less aggressive and quieter.

wrahn

This afternoon I received a call from the Lexus salesman and he indicated my 2010 RX350 has the Michelin Latitude tires. I'll pick-up the car tororrow at 4 PM. Sure glad I got what I wanted. I post my experiences after I check it out.

Thanks for all the input on this thread and on this forum.

Wes

totally

So after a weekend of driving my new RX450h, I thought I'd relay some of my thoughts as well:

I love the new look. The stance seems more aggressive and modern. I wasn't fan of the earlier more bubbly models.

It is truly amazing how quiet a ride the car is. You get the sense your totally isolated from the outside world. And the acceleration is very smooth. The car seems to have tons of power.

The keyless entry is cool. But I agree, with an BuckSe that I tend to use the lock feature on the key fob rather than the indentations on the door handle. The whole point of keyless entry was that it also meant keyless exit. And standing by the door for a few more seconds just seems unnecessary. You can be nearly 100 feet away and this little fob still locks the car.

Remote touch is revolutionary. I've used systems in both BMW and Mercedes vehicles and they are no where near this new system. Although, the voice recognition is not so great. It may be that I haven't mastered it yet, but I find it doesn't work very well and takes forever. If you're trying to call someone and it takes more than 1 try, it seems like it would have been less distracting to just have used your phone to make the call.

I find the seats to be super plush and I was surprised at how much leg room rear passengers get. The reclining back seat is also very nice. On a longer trip, that could be a huge plus for a back seat passenger. You could easily fall asleep comfortably in the back when fully reclined.

The lights and automatic high beams are cool. A feature I didn't expect to like that much but one that I'm quite fond of now.

The sound system is great but the IPOD interface sucks. When you hook up your ipod, it basically gives you an option of perusing the Music Menu of your ipod (e.g. it lists your Songs, Artists, Genres, Albums, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Playlists, etc etc). But when you try to scroll Artists for example you start in the letter "A" range and you can only go down 5-6 artists at a time. There's no way to "jump" to "R" for example. So trying to find an artist or a song if it is in the middle of your library can take forever. Also, stereo related, I think the volume rocker on the steering wheel lowers and raises the volume too slowly. If you really want to reduce volume quickly your better just using the ****.

The automatic tail gate is huge and the backup camera is excellent. The side mirrors also tilt down too when you back up and that helps also. In fact, visibility as a whole is excellent. The small windows in the front and behind the rear side windows really add to the quality of the visibility and the side mirrors are huge and very helpful.

The only major flaw in the design I've found so far is the center console. It really doesn't open enough. It basically pulls up to about 65 degrees as oppose to 90. This makes it hard to get your hand all the way in there and even harder to plug in your ipod usb cable.

I also wish the seat heat and seat cooling were buttons as oppose to dials (and they turned off after you turned the car off). My wife likes to turn her heat on and then we forget to turn it off and when I'm driving alone it heats her seat unnecessarily unless i notice they're still one (which is not obvious because the switches are often covered up by the center console).

Oh, one other thing that seems kind of odd. The moon-roof is standard sized. Which in today's car market is tiny. Compared to that of X5 and X3 and the GLK, the moon roof is very small. Not sure why Lexus didn't opt for a more impressive moon/sun roof.

Overall, I love the new car. It's my first hybrid and so far I've really enjoyed the hybrid/electric components of the driving experience.

Cruiter

Ditto here. I was able to drive almost two miles coming into our neighborhood today on total batteries. The speeds were 40mph and less. I really had to crawl from the stop but was able to maintain about 25 going up a slight grade w/o cutting on the gas engine. I'm impressed at how fast the bars come up on the battery but I've yet to light up the top bar. Maybe it doesn't?

Sometimes the touch sensor works right off and sometimes it takes a few seconds. Like you, I've used the fob a lot.