Owner reviews/impressions please of 2021 (or 2020) RX-350
05-24-21, 04:27 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Owner reviews/impressions please of 2021 (or 2020) RX-350
Hi. First post here, frequent poster on the LC board and former owner of two SC430s.
We're awaiting delivery of a new 2021 RX-350 with the luxury package and many other upgrades. We (my wife) had an opportunity to briefly test drive a base RX-350 and we liked it just fine, but some posts on this board have me a little concerned.
I'm well aware that more people post dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction - and virtually all of the posts in question refer to older samples of the fourth generation and may not take into account recent refinements. In addition, we live several hours away from the nearest Lexus dealer, so we don't have the ability to easily return for another test, look and feel.
So, if I may, a couple of questions for owners of 2021 or 2020 models:
- Road feel. We prefer firm, responsive steering. On a 1 ('82 Caddy land boat) to 10 (LC-like sports car), how would you rate the road feel/driveability? Soft? Hard? Just right? Does switching into Sport mode make a real difference? If so, how?
- Closely related to that, maneuverability. My wife is coming out of a BMX X4, which is fairly sporty and somewhat smaller than the LX. She's a little concerned about feeling comfortable with the RX in parking lots and such. Should she be? (We actually did test it in a parking lot and she seemed OK with it, but, again, our ability to test this sort of thing was limited.)
- That's really it. I'm not worried about the embedded technology. I like bells and whistles, I've pretty much mastered the new Lexus environment through the LC I just bought, and I'm old enough (way old enough) to know that, in the end, you learn, master and use only the technological aspects that blend into your life and style. So, an open ended question: Anything else we should know before we take delivery in a week or three?
Many thanks.
We're awaiting delivery of a new 2021 RX-350 with the luxury package and many other upgrades. We (my wife) had an opportunity to briefly test drive a base RX-350 and we liked it just fine, but some posts on this board have me a little concerned.
I'm well aware that more people post dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction - and virtually all of the posts in question refer to older samples of the fourth generation and may not take into account recent refinements. In addition, we live several hours away from the nearest Lexus dealer, so we don't have the ability to easily return for another test, look and feel.
So, if I may, a couple of questions for owners of 2021 or 2020 models:
- Road feel. We prefer firm, responsive steering. On a 1 ('82 Caddy land boat) to 10 (LC-like sports car), how would you rate the road feel/driveability? Soft? Hard? Just right? Does switching into Sport mode make a real difference? If so, how?
- Closely related to that, maneuverability. My wife is coming out of a BMX X4, which is fairly sporty and somewhat smaller than the LX. She's a little concerned about feeling comfortable with the RX in parking lots and such. Should she be? (We actually did test it in a parking lot and she seemed OK with it, but, again, our ability to test this sort of thing was limited.)
- That's really it. I'm not worried about the embedded technology. I like bells and whistles, I've pretty much mastered the new Lexus environment through the LC I just bought, and I'm old enough (way old enough) to know that, in the end, you learn, master and use only the technological aspects that blend into your life and style. So, an open ended question: Anything else we should know before we take delivery in a week or three?
Many thanks.
Last edited by redhot47fl; 05-24-21 at 05:07 PM.
05-24-21, 05:03 PM
#2
I purchased a 2020 last Feb and have been very happy with my purchase. My RX has had no problems and is exactly what I expected based upon my research and multiple test drives.
The ride is very relaxed and smooth but not a sofa on wheels (as I once heard an ES described). More land boat than sports car it actually firms up pretty nicely in Sport mode. Eco and Normal are for highway cruising. I would say 4 in eco or normal and maybe a 6 or 7 in Sport. If you want to feel the gears hold longer and the steering get (somewhat more firm) then Sport mode is good. I would not call the RX sporty, but that is not really its target. I think that it does what it is supposed to do very well. I have never felt denied or wanting for more maneuverability....it does all of this very well.
My 2020 has had no issues with the hesitant or rough shifting....buttery smooth. CarPlay works perfectly and the touchscreen is soooo much better than the trackpad.
So overall I am very happy with my RX. I am at 20,000 miles and I have had no problems and the vehicle handles my 100 mile (mostly highway) commute extremely well. I look forward to driving it which I guess is the best thing that anyone can say about a vehicle.
Good luck.....don't focus on the negative. As far as I can tell some of the early Gen 4 issues have been resolved.
The ride is very relaxed and smooth but not a sofa on wheels (as I once heard an ES described). More land boat than sports car it actually firms up pretty nicely in Sport mode. Eco and Normal are for highway cruising. I would say 4 in eco or normal and maybe a 6 or 7 in Sport. If you want to feel the gears hold longer and the steering get (somewhat more firm) then Sport mode is good. I would not call the RX sporty, but that is not really its target. I think that it does what it is supposed to do very well. I have never felt denied or wanting for more maneuverability....it does all of this very well.
My 2020 has had no issues with the hesitant or rough shifting....buttery smooth. CarPlay works perfectly and the touchscreen is soooo much better than the trackpad.
So overall I am very happy with my RX. I am at 20,000 miles and I have had no problems and the vehicle handles my 100 mile (mostly highway) commute extremely well. I look forward to driving it which I guess is the best thing that anyone can say about a vehicle.
Good luck.....don't focus on the negative. As far as I can tell some of the early Gen 4 issues have been resolved.
The following 2 users liked this post by Quantum501:
Boxerdad (03-10-24),
redhot47fl (05-24-21)
05-24-21, 05:40 PM
#3
Driver School Candidate
A month into the ownership of a brand new 2021 - extremely happy. Running extra errands every day just so that I can get more time behind the wheel 
Can't comment on the "sportiness" of the ride as I don't have much to compare to - in last 20 years I only owned Camrys and ESs. Overall, the ride is exactly what I was looking for - amazingly smooth. I don't feel boat'iness, but I could see how somebody coming from sporty cars may describe it that way.
Some tech is useless while some I really enjoy -
+ having proximity sensors for parking is awesome
+ emergency break already saved me from scratching one of the wheels
+ surround view (composed from multiple cameras) - amazing for a first time SUV owner
+ very smooth adaptive cruise control (it was terrible on my last Camry, very "jumpy")
+ smart AC (not blowing to the passenger or back of the car when no one is there - saves gas)
+ even Navi (which was 100% sure I'll never use ) - ended up to be very conveninet on a recent trip: just pushing a button and speaking into it was easier than setting up car play. At some point we did use car play google maps - half way to the destination the phone lost signal, or had bad reception - basically started lagging badly. We quickly switched to Navi which worked flawlessly and that was the last time I used car play.
+ touch screen is awesome
+ auto switch between external air and internal circulation is an under appreciated feature I feel
+ love the wireless phone charger
+ love adjustable cup holder(s) [ not really electronic, but still ]
The only really "con" of the car, which of course I was prepared for (or so I thought) is the fuel efficiency, so I'm always in Eco - embarrassed to admit, but I haven't even tried Sport yet...
Can't comment on the "sportiness" of the ride as I don't have much to compare to - in last 20 years I only owned Camrys and ESs. Overall, the ride is exactly what I was looking for - amazingly smooth. I don't feel boat'iness, but I could see how somebody coming from sporty cars may describe it that way.
Some tech is useless while some I really enjoy -
+ having proximity sensors for parking is awesome
+ emergency break already saved me from scratching one of the wheels
+ surround view (composed from multiple cameras) - amazing for a first time SUV owner
+ very smooth adaptive cruise control (it was terrible on my last Camry, very "jumpy")
+ smart AC (not blowing to the passenger or back of the car when no one is there - saves gas)
+ even Navi (which was 100% sure I'll never use ) - ended up to be very conveninet on a recent trip: just pushing a button and speaking into it was easier than setting up car play. At some point we did use car play google maps - half way to the destination the phone lost signal, or had bad reception - basically started lagging badly. We quickly switched to Navi which worked flawlessly and that was the last time I used car play.
+ touch screen is awesome
+ auto switch between external air and internal circulation is an under appreciated feature I feel
+ love the wireless phone charger
+ love adjustable cup holder(s) [ not really electronic, but still ]
The only really "con" of the car, which of course I was prepared for (or so I thought) is the fuel efficiency, so I'm always in Eco - embarrassed to admit, but I haven't even tried Sport yet...
The following users liked this post:
redhot47fl (05-24-21)
05-25-21, 05:19 AM
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
@Quantum501 @053xr, many thanks for your responses. We certainly weren't expecting sports-car performance from this (or really any) SUV, but your comments are reassuring, especially regarding road feel and maneuverability. "Running extra errands every day just so that I can get more time behind the wheel." That really resonates. I've been there, done that with other vehicles. Looking forward to doing it with RX, when it arrives. (The shortage of chips and other components is creating a deepening shortage of RXs and many other new vehicles. We were lucky to lock this one down after it was manifested but before it was built.)
05-25-21, 05:46 AM
#5
Pole Position
- Closely related to that, maneuverability. My wife is coming out of a BMX X4, which is fairly sporty and somewhat smaller than the LX. She's a little concerned about feeling comfortable with the RX in parking lots and such. Should she be? (We actually did test it in a parking lot and she seemed OK with it, but, again, our ability to test this sort of thing was limited.)
05-25-21, 08:18 AM
#6
We leased an '18 RX450h and turned it in for a '21 RX450h F Sport Handling.
The '18 was very nice, but I put it in Sport to deal with the squishiness.
Of course I am used to a '13 GS350 F Sport and a Tesla Model 3.
I would definitely buy the F Sport, but that's just my 2 cents.
The '18 was very nice, but I put it in Sport to deal with the squishiness.
Of course I am used to a '13 GS350 F Sport and a Tesla Model 3.
I would definitely buy the F Sport, but that's just my 2 cents.
The following users liked this post:
redhot47fl (05-25-21)
05-25-21, 10:52 AM
#7
New owner as I took ownership of my 2021 RX350 F-Sport in February of this year. I am very pleased with this vehicle and will have to rate it very high in the driving experience as it is very quiet and smooth. Not sure how much this makes a difference but I have the F-Sport and I believe the suspension maybe a little stiffer--? no experience with other models. That being said I would say it has a ever so slightly sense of sportiness probably is just way the car makes you feel sitting in the drivers seat as I really like it! for an SUV it feels quite nice. Now not everything is perfect as my only issue which is not a big deal is that if I close my door a little too hard you will get a hollow sound coming from the door, by no means a deal breaker just surprised as it kind of gives you a sense of cheapness. Others on here have reported the same experience if anyone has a fix please let me know. With all the cars/trucks that I have owned this would probably slide into the #1 spot based on the overall driving experience. Is it the fastest? no (I have my corvette for speed!) Is it the slowest? no (I had a 1988 Chevy S10 for that) I can honestly say that for an everyday driver it just about checks off all my boxes for comfort, noise or lack of, just an overall great SUV that I enjoy driving! absolutely love it!
The following users liked this post:
redhot47fl (05-25-21)
Trending Topics
05-26-21, 09:50 PM
#8
You can read my full one year review of my 2020 RX350 here: 2020 RX350 – One year, 12.6K miles review - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion.
Some other comments specific to your questions:
Road feel: The RX is no canyon carver, and I did not expect it to be. I drive a lot in the WV mountains and prefer the RX to my wife's Pilot. Still, an Acura RDX would likely be a much more fun vehicle to drive. It fits my needs well enough wrt handling. (Mine is a base, not an F Sport. Sport mode makes very little difference, other than holding shift points a little longer.)
Maneuverability: After reading your longer question, visibility is probably as important as raw maneuverability. Like lots of sleeker SUVs, the RX's rearward sight lines are not good. The cameras, especially the panoramic camera, are very helpful, though. I don't find the RX difficult to navigate in tight spaces.
Some other comments specific to your questions:
Road feel: The RX is no canyon carver, and I did not expect it to be. I drive a lot in the WV mountains and prefer the RX to my wife's Pilot. Still, an Acura RDX would likely be a much more fun vehicle to drive. It fits my needs well enough wrt handling. (Mine is a base, not an F Sport. Sport mode makes very little difference, other than holding shift points a little longer.)
Maneuverability: After reading your longer question, visibility is probably as important as raw maneuverability. Like lots of sleeker SUVs, the RX's rearward sight lines are not good. The cameras, especially the panoramic camera, are very helpful, though. I don't find the RX difficult to navigate in tight spaces.
The following users liked this post:
redhot47fl (05-27-21)
05-27-21, 05:02 AM
#9
Intermediate
Thread Starter
You can read my full one year review of my 2020 RX350 here: 2020 RX350 – One year, 12.6K miles review - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion.
Some other comments specific to your questions:
Road feel: The RX is no canyon carver, and I did not expect it to be. I drive a lot in the WV mountains and prefer the RX to my wife's Pilot. Still, an Acura RDX would likely be a much more fun vehicle to drive. It fits my needs well enough wrt handling. (Mine is a base, not an F Sport. Sport mode makes very little difference, other than holding shift points a little longer.)
Maneuverability: After reading your longer question, visibility is probably as important as raw maneuverability. Like lots of sleeker SUVs, the RX's rearward sight lines are not good. The cameras, especially the panoramic camera, are very helpful, though. I don't find the RX difficult to navigate in tight spaces.
Some other comments specific to your questions:
Road feel: The RX is no canyon carver, and I did not expect it to be. I drive a lot in the WV mountains and prefer the RX to my wife's Pilot. Still, an Acura RDX would likely be a much more fun vehicle to drive. It fits my needs well enough wrt handling. (Mine is a base, not an F Sport. Sport mode makes very little difference, other than holding shift points a little longer.)
Maneuverability: After reading your longer question, visibility is probably as important as raw maneuverability. Like lots of sleeker SUVs, the RX's rearward sight lines are not good. The cameras, especially the panoramic camera, are very helpful, though. I don't find the RX difficult to navigate in tight spaces.
The following users liked this post:
bamalam (05-29-21)
05-27-21, 11:46 AM
#10
Instructor
We purchased our 2021 RX350 premium with lots of extras in November of 2020. My wife and I love the car for it's overall comfort and drivability.
It isn't often one looks forward to driving a car, but that's the case for us. We paid too much for this car, but we feel it was worth it. We're retired,
so we don't drive much, but when we do we still comment on how nice the car is. Hope this answers your question. Ray & Lorna A.
It isn't often one looks forward to driving a car, but that's the case for us. We paid too much for this car, but we feel it was worth it. We're retired,
so we don't drive much, but when we do we still comment on how nice the car is. Hope this answers your question. Ray & Lorna A.
05-27-21, 12:34 PM
#11
Intermediate
Thread Starter
It helps. Thanks very much.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
gambit32
RX - 3rd Gen (2010-2015)
50
06-06-12 03:51 PM