The roughness is only apparent when accelerating from a standing stop, The 2016 RX 350 model has only been available for around 6 to 7 weeks.

Do any of the respondants currently own a 2016 model or actually driven one?

Also, another owner has posted similar concerns on another website.

Jim

 

No, he said its not as refined as his BMW.

I don't see the problem here. He doesn't want to start a debate about refined or unrefined. He just wants to be happy with his purchase - that too his first lexus. I would be bummed too if my first Lexus had vibration. As they say "first impression is the last impression".

OP, take it to dealer - see what they say. I don't think there are enough 2016s on the road to see whats going on. I remember Honda CRV threads. 2015 CRV had significant vibration issues but the person who started the thread in Nov 2014 - didn't get much response. Later as CRVs started selling in huge numbers, thread mushroomed and now its the biggest headache for Honda. I skipped buying CRV and got NX200t. Not saying RXs have similar issue but it would be interesting to see if dealer agrees about abnormal vibration. All these fuel conservation antics are destroying the experience of owning a car.

 

The 2016 RX 350 has been on the market for only give or take 7 weeks. I would appreciate comments from owners of that specific model or individuals who have test drove the vehicle.

The 2016 is a complete redesign.

I have noticed similar comments to miy experience from a new owner on another website.
He had taken the vehicle back to the dealership and complained as well. He actually drove another vehicle on the lot and had the same experience.

 

My 2016 RX 350 is smoother than the Cayenne or ML350 owned prior. The ML might have been slightly more quiet on acceleration but not as smooth as the RX to me.

I am most impressed with the smoothness at highway speeds. Silky smooth that make me feel the Eucopia(?) tires are not that bad and that is a lot coming from a Michelin man!

 

Below is a fascinating piece from Road & Track regarding the troubles BMW has had with its N63 turbocharged V-8 engines. (adding to chandlervt's comment)

"As part of its EfficientDynamics push, BMW's cars are loaded with expensive systems to save fuel wherever possible. One of them, the smart-charging system, operates on the premise that you can increase fuel economy slightly by charging the battery only when coasting. Unfortunately, American drivers aren't coasters, we're cruisers, so the system was murdering batteries. BMW's solution was to throw money at the problem, replacing the batteries with Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) units that can cope with deeper and more frequent discharge cycles." - Jason Cammisa

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ns-bmw-n63-v8/

 

Thanks for the feedback. Do not get me wrong. I like the truck overall. It is just the accelration issue from a standing start.
I hope it is an issue the service department can address and not a design issue. I plan to make an appointmnet with the dealer in the near future (100 miles away).

 

Which model are we talking btw? The F sport has a different intake so sounds throatier.

Also, maybe the RX has more wind noise but point blank I won't accept it has more road noise than the 5 series. I know as my colleague has a brand new one and obviously I have an older RX and I have less road noise.

 

My only complaint is sometimes the transmission does not know what gear to go to when accelerating. If I accelerate slowly the transmission will shift up to the point I have to press a little harder on the gas to get it to shift back down a gear. I chalk this off to having eight gears and it trying to save gas.

The RX, in the normal mode, tries to keep the RPM on the low side to save on gas. It goes even farther when in the ECO mode and keeps the RPM quite low.

 

Mine does this too, and there is a drone noise, a low muted noise like the car is using too high of a gear. The car likes to stay around 1200 RPM, if I'm on driving above 60 the RPM is high enough that the drone goes away but driving around town it is very noticeable. Do any of you notice this?

 

I do not notice the drone but the RX's wanting to keep the RPM in the 1200 rpm range is persistent.

I wish there was a setting between "normal" and "sport" that would move this up to the 1500-1600 rpm range. I think this is all to get the EPA numbers where they are.

 

Your description of a drone sound at low RPMs is right on and it does go away as the vehicle accelerates.

 

I agree with one of the posters here that noise is highly subjective with each person's individual tastes. I hear these things brought up in this thread on my 4RX, however, only if I specifically listen for them. My first response when reading was that my vehicle doesn't make these sounds, but only after specific listening can I then hear them. So, I guess what I'm saying is that to me these are suttle and not a problem. My general feeling when I drive my 4RX is that I'm constantly amazed at how smooth of a driving experience it is. My wife's car is a Mazda CX5 and there is absolutely no comparison.

 

It could be this "perceived" drowning sound is regular engine noise while under load at low rpm.

 

That's what it sounds like in mine if I am listening to what people are pointing out. To me it's nothing to be concerned with.

 

The vibration is normal I believe. Of course the sedan feels better than SUV. I have drove BMW X5 and the vibration of X5 even worse than 4th RX.