mrx80

Hi

I'm in search of a new car. I've been lurking (and searching) the forums for some weeks now. I'm posting for advice in general, and a few questions in particular.

tl;dr: I like the RX450h hybrid. How good or bad is the lane centering? What other cars should I be cross shopping in the 40-50k price range?

Usage:
Single person commuting 40 miles each way every day in the SF Bay Area, multiple trips to LA every month

Criteria:
Price under $60k, preferably under 50k out the door
Must: Quiet cabin, comfortable ride on highways and bumpy city streets
Must: Adaptive all speed cruise control
Really really want: lane CENTERING assist (as opposed to lane departure correction)
Want: Long Term Reliability - We own our cars for many years, and run them into the ground
Kind of want: hybrid, but not at all essential
Kind of want: to buy soon, but can wait a month or two tops
Don't really care - power, handling
Don't care at all - sedan, coupe, SUV form factor, badge
Don't care at all - new vs CPO, but do want at least 30k remaining warranty miles

History:
I've had the "other RX" - a Mazda RX-8 for the last 10 years. I love it to death, and am keeping it for when I want to have fun, but the ride and noise is just. killing. me.

Other cars I'm considering with the above criteria in mind (but please please feel free to correct me)
Lexus ES - NO, lane centering is not available
Lexus GS - NO, probably a harsher ride than ES/RX, and more expensive than RX Hybrid
BMW 5 series, Audi A6, Audi Q5 - test drove all - noise was about the same or more but ride was way harsher than the RX
Volvo XC60, Honda CR-V - have the lane centering, will test drive, but Consumer Reports thinks they're noisier and harsher, so not optimistic
Mercedes C-class, GLC-class - haven't tried them out yet, seriously considering them - do they ride even close to as good as a Lexus?
Tesla Model S, Cadillac CT6 - too expensive
Tesla Model 3 - on the waiting list already but still at least 6 months out, don't wanna wait that long. Plus, Consumer Reports didn't like the wind noise
Audi Q7, and any other 3 row SUV - too big, there's only 2 of us, BUT I'm a bit flexible on this point
Test Drive Notes:
Good: Car was so smooth, quiet, and pretty powerful up the hills
Less good: Lane centering performance wasn't great - it gave up after a few seconds, on a super gentle curve. I have no idea whether I had turned it on right
Bad: The sales guy wasn't really knowledgeable or cooperative in turning on or discussing lane centering - mumbled something about "we don't recommend that"

So, questions:
1. What other cars should I be considering?
2. For those who have done a long highway trip with lane centering, how much of the time do you have to intervene? How does it compare to Infiniti/Volvo/BMW/Mercedes??? I know it's not Cadillac's Super Cruise or Tesla's Autopilot, but how good is it?

Thanks,
Madhu

oldcajun

Since you can wait a bit, the new ES will be introduced soon and should meet all your critical needs and wants. With your long commute and traffic, an ES300h might be just the ticket. Another option is the Genesis G80. Very smooth ride and very quiet.

I drive a 2016 RX350 and find it very good in ride comfort and interior quiet. I find the Lane Keeping Assist to work pretty well. It does not permit hands off driving (nor was it designed to) but it does help keep the car centered in the lane on the freeway. I turn it off in town as it is not needed.

Freds430

Have a 2015 RX450h and a 2017 ESh and love both of them. If you are new to Lexus you can not not beat their reliability and cost of maintenance. In May, Acura will be coming out with a new RDX that in my opinion will crush the NX sales and some of the RX. Go to YouTube and check it out. A hybrid will follow in three months. We were waiting for the redesigned 2018 NX hybrid which was suppose to have a panoramic roof and heads up display. These are only available on the overseas models. Lexus lost a customer on this decision. We will be getting actually going back to Acura for our SUV purchase.

worldcat

Porche Macan amazing!

guxu

Before I bought my RX, the only other model I considered seriously was GLC. But on that day, our local MB dealer sold their last GLC. I even saw the lady driving that GLC out of the dealer's lot. Did not want to wait, so I bought the RX next door.

ravenuer

I don't mean any disrespect to anyone, but I'm not getting the fanaticism over having to have a computer keep your car within the lane you're driving in. I have NEVER had a problem staying in my lane. Are they perhaps more concerned with their cell phones?
Sorry, just my opinion.

mikemu30

Absurd I agree. OP is considering a CRV alongside the RX???

kg11

You mentioned the lane centering was weak; for me the full lane centering happens only when adaptive cruise is on and lane marking is detected. The Small icon turns green. In this mode it's strong enough to center the vehicle on curves found on major highways. On two lane roads where curves are often tighter than 4 lane,the lane centering does not respond fast enough.

roblim

Test drive both the RX350 and the RX450h. I think there is a big difference between the two vehicles. The transmission on the 350 is very jerky whereas the 450h is smooth as silk. I found the ride quality better on the 450h due to the extra 500 pounds i suspect.

mrx80

Agree, I'm looking at the GLC as well, but MB's reliability is a concern, from multiple sources, including in this thread. Should I bother test driving it if long term reliability is important to me?

That sounds really promising, thanks. I'll do another test drive at a different dealer, and see how it goes.

And to the lane assist naysayers, it's all about stress reduction, not about looking at one's cellphone. The theory is that the less mundane repetitive stuff you have to do, the more refreshed you arrive at your destination.

reposado2

The current lane centering tech(LKA) on Lexus is pretty much garbage.

HOWEVER, by this time next year many toyota/lexus models will have Lane Tracing Assist(LTA) which should be vastly superior. LTA is currently only avail on the new LS.... but have been announced for upcoming corolla, rav4, UX.

guxu

Exactly! That feature is there to "assist", not to take over the control. I never had a problem to apply brake. But I still want lexus safety system+.

mrx80

Test drove a friend's CRV (Touring spec). Ride was harsher, wind noise was higher. Definitely a step down from the RX, but that's no surprise to you guys . It did convince me that I was shopping in the right price range though.

Also test drove a Mercedes GLC. That handled really well, ride was better than the Audi Q5 and BMW 5 series. In my opinion, it was the closest to the RX in ride, but not quite. Pretty much the same in terms of noise.

I'm almost done - I'm toying with trying out a Ford Edge or its Mercury cousin (MK something or the other) - I have family who can get me a discount, but again, it's probably a fool's errand to find a Ford/Mercury with the same ride/refinement AND a Hybrid engine. But that's about it.

guxu

I don't think you can get a lower trim of GLC with ACC and Lane Keeping, while all of those are standard on RX (and all Toyota?).

ravenuer

By the way, Lincoln is the new Mercury.