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Guess there were about 10,200 Soccer Moms that bought RX330s in August. Or 7,000 more than popped for a FX35/45.
Guess they appreciated the better build quality, better interior materials, the higher residuals on leases, no need for premium fuel, better cargo capacity, top rating from new Consumer Reports, etc.
But you already knew all this. And, it must be said, the FX35/45 DOES offer two things that the RX330 can't touch -
1. Better handling & acceleration (not real high on the must-have-in-my-SUV wish list with us Soccer Moms)
2. Immediate delivery plus lots of colors to choose from at each dealer's overflowing lots.
My local Lexus dealer sold so much new inventory in August and early September that he borrowed H2 Hummers and Land Rovers from dealerships down the block to put on his new vehicle lot because all that was left was his used Lexus vehicles.
Ya pays yer money and...
You must be the guy with leather gloves, helmet, and goggles when you take that Monster out to cruise the mall...Note: that flame-retardant Nomex suit on your shopping list usually isn't available at the regular mall stores; try "nascarwannabe.com."
No envy - the FX is a good vehicle, just a niche choice for folks that don't use their SUVs in this market segment the way most of us do - space to carry stuff, luxury ride so the canines in the back don't die of concussions before they get to the park, etc.
Hey, Nissan/Infiniti realized that they couldn't go head-to-head with the RX as a high-quality, general purpose midsize SUV and I believe it was a good marketing decision. My particular favorite is that ugly bronze color with the 20" rims; looks like a Conestoga wagon on fire.
So try to enjoy the overly stiff ride in your 2003s (so much a prospective buyer turn-off that Infiniti supposedly has it fixed in the '04s), the higher gas cost for premium, the lousy emergency handling according to Consumers, etc.
Question for you - do you clean and oil that leather helmet every week or bi-weekly? Gotta get me one so I can be a Real Driver too. And some "R-Type" or "Turbo" decals.
ps still trying to decide b/t FX and RX :-((
The war on both boards is really helping tho :-)
Suggest taking this with a grain of salt.
Guess my FX weak points hit home - ouch!
I can accept Soccer Mom and Mobile Couch for RX owners - I'm at an age where the Soccer Mom thing is over with but I certainly appreciate a comfortable couch.
And, Chris, I do appreciate YOUR new acceptance of "Clown Car" for your FX. Can you please spread the word on the FX board that their vehicles have a new name? In advance, thanks.
Demographics, I guess I just don't fit, never have.
Unless you're into off-roading, SERIOUSLY, an SUV "comfortable couch" is likely the best fit.
I have a Dodge Ram truck for utility and a 911 for sport. The 911 is a "garage queen," and has 1,400 miles.
Like having a beautiful virgin wife...
I for one, am an RX300 owner and have questions about the 330. I have posted questions here, but no one bothers to answer them. I think some of you should get on a chat line someplace and leave the rest to communicate with those who want some help and information.
I'm sure WW has a better Home Depot solution.
Seriously now, if that wind noise bothers you, you can install an inexpensive after market plexi wind deflector; good ones are around $50 or so.
But, since your question of "Where's My Tow Package?" demands an in-depth response, why don't you simply ask the Lexus Service Manager when you drop-off the vehicle for its 1000 mile service?
And please post the results here for all the other Tow Package Owners that don't know what it is exactly that they bought.
And by the way, not that I don't appreciate unwarranted criticism as above, but....have YOU contributed any general or specific RX knowledge tidbits to this board?
RX330 Black Forest Pearl, now at 8k and doing great (except for the damn navi system)
I also have the DVD player, but rarely use it. I am always the driver. But you can watch the DVD on the navigation screen when the car is in park. The sound (ML) is incredible.
The backup camera only comes on when the car is in reverse.
If you need the receiver for something like a bike rack that requires no lights, etc you may be able to find a non-factory option that costs less.
The sales person also said that the manufacturing of RX330 in Canada started sooner than planned and there would be no more Japanese-made RX330's. That led me buying the RX330 with a lot more gadgets than I would have needed or wanted, my first Lexus. I have driven it only once -- from dealer back home. Since then I have been glancing through the 600+ pages of the manual so that I don't break anything with any stupid move. The car is very quiet as I expected. However, I did notice what I suspected to be wind noise when the speed reaches over 40 mph, which I don't remember hearing during the test drive. I have just moved the frontal cross bar backward a little and don't know the result yet.
Personally with modern day luxury vehicles climate controls being as they are I really don't see the need for a sunroof that opens. Seems to even defeat the purpose IMMHO.
Some of the wind noise can be reduced by simply removing the mostly useless (75 lb limit) crossbars.
Actually I would mostly op for cars without a sunroof if the manufacturers would supply them that way without losing other bundled or "package" options.
Have 300 but 2wd, and have moved to hilly area this summer and concerned about getting around.
Any input appreciated
The RX330 doesn't have the "shifting" option so you'd just be stuck!
rx4me: Thanks for your information. I agree that the noise was certainly bearable. The RX 330 is definitely more quiet than my Nissan and Honda. Perhaps my expectation is a bit too high.
And let's not forget a salesman might say something that isn't entirely accurate in order to expedite a sale off his lot. It's been know to happen. ("Yes... that's it... future orders will be built in Canada. If you want one from Japan, you better buy one off of our lot. Hurry!")
For those of you who are using this board as a research vehicle before purchasing an RX 330, I'd like to share my experience.
We've been proud owners of an '01 RX 300 and were excited when we saw the 330 had arrived. Our lease is up next June and we were excited to purchase the new model.
Our 300 is in for maintenance, so we were given a brand new 330 as a loaner. We've put on about 500 miles, both highway and city. Here's my opinion.
For those of you who are new to the RX, it will be a great car. Nice amenities, cool gadgets and people seem to like the look of it. But, if you are a previous RX owner, as my wife and I are, I think you'll be a little disappointed. I felt that the engine noise was unacceptable. It is well known that this is a problem, but it is REALLY unacceptable for a Lexus. The older model was EXTREMELY quiet and this is a major let down, seeing as that's what I'm looking for in a $40K automobile.
Also a big disappointment is how you can FEEL the engine and road vibrations through the steering wheel. When I was researching our purchase of the RX 300, I remember reading that it had an active dampening system which totally eliminated engine and road feel through the wheel. This plus the quiet engine noise made the OLDER MODEL a TRULY LUXURIOUS RIDING SUV.
The 330, on the other hand, feels like the engineers were looking to give it a more sporty feel. Either that or they were giving themselves room for improvement on future models.
My advice is for you to get a test drive for 24 hours. Drive it on the highway with the radio off, as if you just had a hard day at work and are looking for some peace-and-quiet on the ride home. Then drive it around town with varying degrees of acceleration. If you find the noise acceptable, then you'll be pleased with everything else.
The automatic hatch is a cool gadget, the driver side mirror that tilts down while in reverse is annoying and we just turn it off. Only the outside mirror really needs to tilt down. Unfortunately if you turn off this feature, neither mirror will tilt down. Radio features are a nice improvement over previous model, leather is softer, the map holders in the door fold out for easy access, but if you put something heavy in there like the lexus manuals, then whenever you close the car door, the map door flops open.
We are now waiting the arrival of the '04 MDX so we can compare the two. We just test drove an '03 and were impressed with the quiet and smooth ride the Acura had to offer.
Personally I think Lexus made some mistakes, but who am I? The sales numbers for next year will tell the truth.
Hope this helps,
Mike
But then it is Lexus so you may still get to experience both.
Choices are always made on personal preferences--I agree one must drive enough to decide for oneself
Overall, the 330 exhibits improvements in almost every aspect, and the engine noise is exceptable to me--still very quiet
The sales numbers are already telling the truth
Steve, Host
I also kind smelled sales talk when the sales rep told me there would be no more Japanese-made RX 330. However, I special-ordered my car back in June. The rep said he actually got the VIN from Canada and the car would be here in a month. I was first given the choice of getting my deposit back and walk away, and then, if I wanted, buying a Japanese-made RX330 with different (basically more) options and different color. I opted for the latter.
I posted earlier that I heard what seemed like wind noise when the speed picked up and then moved the frontal cross bar backward. Either the trick worked or I got used to it, I felt the noise is now acceptable. I have not driven RX300 and so can not compare. However, I test-drove RX330, MDX and ML450 a couple of times each at one of the Lexus events and found the RX330 quieter and absolutely superior in handling.
The power backdoor is pretty cool, but right now I have to disable it because I park the car in the garage. The thought scares me that accidental mishandling of the key might activate the backdoor and cause it to hit the garage door. I find the backup camera extremely useful but can not say the same for the mirror auto tilt. I guess it would be more useful for those who do a lot of parallel parking.
I have mixed feelings (perhaps a little more positive than negative) about the GPS Nav system. First, it is reasonably easy to operate, shows clear routes, its voice guidance accurate, and can lead the drive to anywhere one wants to go. However, there are several problems that I have not figured out how to solve:
- I wonder why I have to select “I Agree” every time before the navigation can be activated. I ‘d rather sign something and mail it to Lexus to save the trouble.
- The map database is not up to date. A 4-lane major road in my area has been in existence for at least 2 years but when I drove the RX330 on it, the Nav system showed the car was like “swimming in ocean” and kept asking me to “make a legal U turn.”
- I tried both the “quickest” and “shortest” options but neither would automatically select two-lane roads over single-lane roads for approximately the same distance. There may be other options that can override this but I could not find them.
- I haven’t figured out how to toggle between screens. For example, after I select the trip information under the category of “Info”, if I check the map/voice briefly, then I can not go back directly to the trip information screen. I have to push the “Info” button and touch the trip information on the screen. It is just one more touch but I wish I could toggle a little. Perhaps somebody can help?
I have driven the RX330 only about 200 miles (about 1/4 highway driving) and the average gas consumption is 18.5 MPG, within the lower end of my expectation.