2010 Lexus RX 350

md_outback

maximafan,
I have been very happy with the Bridgestones Dueler Alenzas. I bought them mainly because the Michelin Energy MXV4-S8's that came with the RX were pretty bad on wet roads. Not only are the Bridgestone's great in the wet, they really changed the dry-road handling for the better too. They have much stiffer sidewalls so cornering is stronger and steering feel improved as well. The trade off is a firmer ride, maybe a bit noisier too, but worth it, imo. Let's face it, the RX is no sports car, but these tires actually provide some fun on curves and on/off-ramps. The tread looks more aggressive than the Michelins and that may make them appear a bit wider, but they are the same 235/55x18 size. My Alenzas currently have about 30k miles and look good for at least another 20k. The tirerack currently lists the Alenzas for $159 each and you also get a $100 visa card if you buy 4 (no, I don't work for tirerack.com, but I've been a happy customer for more than 20 years).

tyler70

Hi MD Outback: your input is very helpful and very informative. thanks very much

tkv_01

The wind noise so bad at highway speed. Does anybody have this problem?

md_outback

tyler70,
You are welcome.
MD

chunhuali

I was told that I could buy a RX 2010 first, and then add these features in the future at the dealership anytime. Did anyone have the the post-accessory-installation experience? Thanks.

bmlexus

The wind noise so bad at highway speed. Does anybody have this problem?

You just purchased this 4 days back, and wind noise problem? Didn't you notice on the first day?

mickey34

Hi rparis: I bought the new 2010 Rx 350AWD 3 26 09 and now have alittle over 600 miles.Previously had a 2000RX 300, 2002RX 300 and a 2005 RX 330AWD. This new one is much improved in many ways. Less wind noise, car handles better with new suspension, GPS is improved, voice recognition is much better, no more touch screen for GPS as it is handled by the joystick which is much more user friendly. The back up camera and side view cameras are great. Back up camera views a larger area. We got this one as loaded as was possible at this time with the premium packages, luxury package and comfort package. The new middle grade radio seems to be better than the old Levinson in the 2005. Suggest getting the chrome wheels as it really adds to the look with all the new chrome on the car. No key needed to enter or start car-still can use the remote if you want to. They added a third memory seat position as well. New easier access to lower back seats from back or seat area. More cargo space as wheel wells are not as high. Gas mileage averaged 24.5 on highway with AWD when the car had only 400 miles on it. Exceptionally pleased with this new model and suggest you go try one. In Southern California we found the best deal at Lexus Santa Monica. Can give a referral if anyone wants one to a very special sales person there. mickey34

mickey34

Could not get the Zune to work so bought a new ipod.

la4mead

Congrats on the new car, Mickey. Thanks for the report.

rparis

Thank you.

I use reg unleaded (87 octane) gas for my 2001 RX.

What octane gas are you using for the 2010?

What are mpg in city?

Thanks

mickey34

Hi Md outback. regarding your gas millage. You will improve the gas millage somewhat by using Premium. I prefer Chevron. Mike

md_outback

mickey34,
I have tried all three grades of fuel, measuring mileage at fill-ups each time (I don't use the on-board computer). For the first year or two I was really obsessive-compulsive about it. Overall there was no discernible difference in mileage or performance. I even compared different brands and saw no difference. Maybe it's my routine driving that is always about 2/3 highway and 1/3 local. Only real difference was 1 mpg lower with winter gas.

MD

wwest

The closer you can get to diesel octane levels and still not incur knock/ping the more energy will be available for each unit measure of fuel. The new wide band non-resonant knock sensors along with EFI provide that capability.

mickey34

Hi rparis Premium is required per the dealer to get the best gas millage. the car is designed to use Premium. As far as city gas millage I have not really tested yet. Overall the millage is around 19 Mpg.

rparis

Have you tried regular unleaded?

Me ES runs great on regular although a higher octane is indicated in the owner's guide. I hear no pinging and the car has great pick up and great mpg.

wwest

"..the car is designed to use premium..."

No modern day engine is designed to use premium exclusively.

It's likely the best FE might be obtained with Premium but regular can be used and just might be more economical overall.

rparis

From what I understand, using a higher grade of gas is a waste of money if a vehicle runs well on regular, I wonder why the manufacturer would suggest premium if regular works without any problems??

wwest

HP....SELLS...!!

Especially to the "boy-racer", 0-60MPH mentality "set".

As a general rule the advertised HP rating is only with the recommended premium fuel.

"...waste of money.."

Depends on the price spread and mpg attainable between the two octane levels.

mickey34

I was told by my friend who is a great mechanic that I could use the 89 octane and be ok. I may try that after the car has a few thousand miles. I only have arround 700 miles and already notice more pickup. I really love the new RX. Mike

rparis

According to a sales person at Lexus, next year Lexus will recommend 89 octane as a result of 3 years of research.

Did you ask your mechanic his thoughts on 87 octane-does he think mpg would not be as good which is what I was told by a mile or so per gallon?

maximafan

Mickey, my service department guy told me from the very beginning when I got my '07 RX350 back in August of 2006 that running regular unleaded would be perfectly fine with this vehicle. I would imagine since the 2010 RX has the same 3.5 liter engine with a little horsepower increase that it should be no different as far as handling the regular unleaded gas.

mickey34

I will be bringing my car in for the 1000 mile checkup next monday. I know the service person for a long time, I will ask him about the gas question. I will post sometime next week. Mike

wwest

When we picked up our '01 911 C4 at the factory in Gernany I was told that I would not always be able to find the recommended premium fuel during our suceeding travels throughout europe and fueling with regular would be fine. I was cautioned that I should NEVER use leaded fuel since they would then have to replace the catalysts ($1000) prior to shipment to the US.

When I inquired of the details I was told that the engine used the more sensitive new non-resonant knock sensors and if even any small level of knock/ping was detected for which timing adjustment could not be done EFI would be used to enrich the mixture.

Apparently with EFI and the new knock sensors a high compression engine that would normally require premium only can run safely on regular provided the mixture is enriched beyond the point of dieseling due to compression.

md_outback

A better question to ask is why does Lexus recommend premium fuel when Toyota recommends regular fuel for what is basically the same engine. The only difference I can see is that the Lexus RX350 (prior to 2010 model) was rated at 270 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque using premium, whereas most of the Toyota applications of the same engine in Venza, Camry, Avalon and RAV4 are rated at 268 hp and 248 lb-ft using regular (actually RAV4 has 269 hp). Maybe the Lexus has better airflow or some other improved technological advantage. OR, maybe the premium fuel designation allows Lexus to claim the extra few hp and maybe even inches it into one more mpg based on the EPA rules to give it a competitive edge. All I can personally report is that based upon 34,000 miles and 1700 gallons and about 120 fill-ups, I did not see any real difference, so I continue to use regular grade in my '07 RX350. These days that works out to about $4.50 a week, or $234 per year - and that's like getting several free rounds of golf!

wwest

Lexus, UPSCALE, can recommend premium with impunity, pretty much. Whereas Toyota....

sideways3

Just picked up my new 2010 RX...was told regular is perfectly ok and will have no impact on performance.

rparis

Thanks -let us know and let us know your thoughts on the vehicle in a few days. I am planning on buying one after driving a 2001 with over 100k miles.

mickey34

Hi Sideways3. I bought my 2010 last month and went in for the 1000 mile checkup and asked my service advisor whom I know very well about the gas to use, He suggests using the premium for the first 5000 miiles then maybe using the 89 octane. From what I got out of it the engine has some changes. I know it is only five more hp but if you read up about it the torque is at a lower Rpm! By the way the tires had 36 psi I lowered to 32 psi and made a noticeable ride difference I do have AWD so it feels a little heavier, I think I got lucky as I got all the major packages and color I wanted I had to wait and extra three weeks as it was on the way from Japan. It was worth the wait. Mickey

la4mead

When the engine management system adjusts for lower octane (87 instead of 91) the difference may or may not be noticeable to you, depending on how you drive, weather, terrain, etc. Like many modern vehicles designed to run on premium (but those not requiring it) the RX is able to adjust (via knock sensor) to avoid "ping" so get by with what you can.

So if you're driving in hot weather (when higher octane is most usable), climbing steep grades, full load, etc. you may want to use premium to avoid the resulting retarded engine timing, which ultimately will affect performance and fuel economy to some (possibly not noticeable) degree.

It shouldn't hurt the RX to run on 87 octane, though. Just performance. Especially if you drive moderately on flat terrain in cool weather.

P.S. Lowering the tire pressure will make the ride softer and more dampened, definately at the expense of handling sharpness (on pavement) and fuel economy. I run at or near the max suggested on tire sidewall to maximize handling, fuel economy and tire life. But the ride does get "stiffer" which I don't mind.

wwest

"..use premium to avoid the resulting retarded engine timing..."

Probably not....

In modern day vehicles, at least for the last 5-8 years, spark knock is often NOT the problem, so retarding the ignition is rarely the solution. The engine/transaxle ECU is capable, using the crank position sensor, to tell if the detected knock/ping ocurring prior to ignition is due to low octane fuel. For low octane fuel the solution is slight enrichment of the mixture under knock/ping conditions, high throttle openings.

For knock/ping due to engine lugging a simple downshift is used. If there is no downshift available then DBW will be used to dethrottle the engine and prevent damage.

mickey34

Thanks for your helpfull information. Maybe I will split the difference on the tire preasure Mickey.

mickey34

Thanks for the Info

mickey34

I don't notice much air flow when using the vented seats even in the highest setting # 3 any comments?? Thanks Mike

cameron41

I am ready to purchase a 2010 RX with the Mark Levinson stereo system and Park Assist features. I am being told that they are not building them with these two options right now. Has anyone purchased/ordered a car with either of these features??

rparis

Maybe call Lexus Corp and ask if these options are available at this time.

cameron41

I tried that. They said they were but the dealers are giving me a different story. Just wondering if anyone took delivery of any cars with either option??

rcf8000

I ordered a car two months ago that included park assist. I have not been informed that it is not available.

hal56

as I understand the process you really do not order a car from Lexus--you place an order and the dealer will tell you when one with options close to what you want is on the water.

I would presume eventually you would get what you want but it might take a while. I had 2 dealers tell me Lexus tells them what they are shipping.

I "ordered" the new hybrid and there are certain options I do not want (heads up, rear seat entertainment, park assist, accident avoidance) and certain I do, (sport package, levenson and the full lux and comfort pkg)

We will see--but I have time other than just wanting the car.

psu77

Hal56,

I have not found a dealer able to order me a hybrid yet. They are telling me I might not be able to order until July and may not receive the car until 2-3 months later. What were you told by your dealer?

cameron41

Any thoughts on the Mark Levinson compared to the upgraded stereo system. Has anyone heard both?? Is it worth the extra $$.

rcf8000

I was told that the dealer is "preferencing" the car, whatever that means, but it will have exactly what I ordered with minor additions like mats and wheel locks, and that it will take 3 months to get it. It sure didn't sound like the dealer gets a car when one close to what he wants happens to show up.

mickey34

Hi cameron41. I can only say that the new upgraded stereo sounds a lot better than the 2005 Levinson. I really notice a big difference. Mike

mickey34

I have the vented seats and not much air flow if any. I am going to the dealer saturday to have checked out. Any comments Thanks Mike

mickey34

Although I bought the 2010 RX 350, the Sales Mgr. just informed me that he drove a 2010 Hybrid this week. Seems it was the only one in town. Didn't go into detail as to wheather they are available other than he had driven one. When I ordered mine, I was told the Hybrid wouldn't be available for at least 2 months and that was at the beginning of Feb. I don't put too many miles on so I opted for the gas version.

mickey34

I was told that due to the economy most of the 2010 RXs coming in do not have all the features. I saw a few of the lists and took one with the Luxury and Comfort packages but could not get the options you want at this time. Also we noticed that the Heads Up Display was coming in with the cars with just the Premium packs but not the Luxury or Comfort packages yet. They say it is because they want to keep the price down. I am happy with mine but it is missing a few of the advertised neat features. I do like the side mirror camera.

tyler70

hi Mickey34. can you comment something on the hybrid vs non hybrid. Is it worth the extra 5-6k dollars? I figure it will at least 6-7 years (assuming about 15k miles /year) to break even the extra money. is it worith it? and what about the maintenance cost for a hybrid vs non ? I put on apprx 14k/ year and lives in so cal. thanks

hal56

if gas prices go up (which I think they wil within 2-3 years) significantly the hybrid wil pay for itself--also there is a what if we have shortages in addition to hi prices.

The environment is an add on--so its hard to justify hte 5k more unless you are a believer in the above

anybody have an idea of when the hybrid is going to land here in the states?

mickey34

Hi Tyler you have to weigh out how long you really plan on keeping the car and how many miles you will put on the car in that time and try to figure out the price cost difference between the hybrid vs non hybrid. Then take under consideration that after you have higher milage and want to sell the vehicle buyers may shy away because the batteries are very expensive to replace and you also have the extra elcetric engine. I chose not to wait for the hybrid as we put appx 12,000 miles per year. We bought the Rx 350 with the Premium pack, comfort pack, luxury and nav packs with the 350 gas engine and are very happy with it. I feel they need to really better the mileage of the hybrid for it to be worth the extra money for me.

rparis

What do you think of the 2010? Did you own an earlier model-can you compare?

What kind of gas do you use-have you tried regular?

Also, what was MSRP and price you actually paid before taxes, etc?. When did you purchase? Maybe comment under pricing forum.

Thanks

mickey34

We owned a 2000 RX 300, 2002 RX 300 with the 1st generation Nav, & 2005 RX 330 Limited Edition before buying the 2010. Many improvements: much quieter ride, more power & I did get the AWD. The handling of the car is a big improvement over previous ones. The seats are more comfortable it feels more solid and larger inside, and I did get the extended front seat option. Also I got the Comfort Package, the Luxury Package and the Navigation Package. I also got the 19 inch Chrome wheels. Also the Tow prep package - Cross Bars for roof rack wheel locks cargo mat cargo mat and more. MSRP came to $ 49,104.00 before adding chrome wheels and Lojack and the Xzilon Paint protection and Plus Tax and Lic.Our total discount was $2,600. I put a deposit on it when it was still 3 weeks away coming from Japan. There were no others with all 3 packages arround at that time. Normaly I buy at 600 over Invoice and I could have waited to buy at a later time for less but I wanted the car now before our sales tax and registration rates went up which saved me another at least 750.00 in California. Also most of the cars coming in per the regional reps, were less equipped at this time due to the economy and I wanted at least the equip I got. I could not find one with the all I got plus the heads up and special cruise control so I opted for what I got. Mike