I am considering purchasing my first Lexus RX and would like opinions on what color combination to go with. For the exterior color, I am leaning towards Tungsten Pearl, Smoky Granite, or Obsidian. Has anyone ever wondered why Lexus doesn't offer metallic black? Thanks.
When I test drive a new car the first thing the salesperson does is turn on the radio to show me how good it is, I, in turn, switch it off and leave it OFF throughout the test drive.
Like portable/handheld GPS/Nav systems, aftermarket automotive sound systems are simply too inexpensive and typically much better than factory systems. That being said the only way to appreciate, truly appreciate, a high fidelity automotive sound system is while parked in a quiet sub-terrainian garage space with the engine and HVAC system off and the windows rolled up tightly.
Think about it, the average "underway" sound level, "white noise" sound level, in the LS4X0 series is ~70DB.
Is it just me or does the 2010 RX350 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick? No wonder they only show it in dark colors. I think the redesign team was inspired by the Pontiac Aztec. Looks like its the end of the production cycle on this model. Quick....run to your newest daler before the 2009's are sold out. :P
You can now go to www.lexus.com and configure the 2010 RX (using the Build Your Lexus links). This will give you local option package pricing. I just used the tool and the pricing came out about the same as my current 2007 RX350, AWD with Nav. The Lexus configurator is not yet setup for the 2010 RX Hybrid.
2010 RX350 Configurator came online on 02/12 but the 2010 RX450h will be in late spring. Also, have you guys noticed "Remote Engine Starter" as accessory with Smart Key, interesting......
So I went to a lexus dealership in New Jersey today to lease the new 2010 RX 350 with nav system and was quoted a price of $599 per month $4000 down and 12k per year, for 48months. It sounds ridiculously high.. Can someone please tell me the deals they have been hearing or received from the new model. thanks richard
Well, I guess I'm the first one to dive in. The water is great!
I purchased a 2010 in Smoky Gray Mica with the pale gray interior. It has Nav, the luxury and premium packages, and a little more. I LOVE IT!
My lease was up tomorrow on a 2007 RX330. I was originally going to buy the Acura MDX. I had seen photos of the new RX and thought it looked ugly. I also didn't like the remote control device. I decided I should see it in person just to feel more confident about buying the MDX. Glad I did. It looks so much better in person. The photos don't do it justice.
The 2010 drives completely differently than the previous model. It has a much more solid feel, a smooth ride due to the greatly improved suspension, and is easy to use. My phone and address book were linked and syned in about 45 seconds. My iPod was hooked up in 2 minutes. The remote control is simple to use and easy to navigate. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about the vehicle.
In regards to pricing, don't expect any big negotiations. Dealers are only getting a few at a time and still need to clear out the 2009s. I agree with previous posters that the lease is expensive. As a result, we just went ahead and bought it. It's such a wonderful car that I think I'll be happy to drive it for a while!
Despite the high price with limited wiggle room, I will buy once I get a quote of $1500 off. I now want the AWD version. Drove it again and quite a nice car overall. Anyone see a downside to the AWD version?
I got to see a 2010 RX350 this past Sunday. First, I thought the interior was nicer than the pics have been showing. I'm still on the fence on the exterior styling. I mean, it still looks a lot like the previous gen. model, but some of the angles are a little weird to me. I thought Lexus would add the split tailpipes like they've done with all the newer sedans, but they've stuck with the single tailpipe, and it's not even with the chrome tip like the 2004-2009 models. I wish they would have switched to the split tailpipes. I think it would have looked really nice! I'm not quite ready to give up my '07 RX just yet!! :shades:
The only real shortcoming of the new F/awd ssystem is if you buy it and never have need for it. The new system is less complex and lighter in weight than the previous system and is most DEFINITLY FRONT TORQUE BIASED, only providing part time coupling to the rear driveline.
If you have experience with F/awd in a later model Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, Mazda Tribute or even the new CX-7 the new RX and Venza are EXACTLY the same.
A look at www.lexus.com shows the Heads-Up Display as a separate option for $1200, not included in any package. So we'll have to see how the new RXs start arriving at dealers to see how many will have HUD. I'm guessing that it will only come on models already equipped with a Navigation package, since part of the HUD includes turn instructions as well as vehicle speed. So that would put any model with HUD in the $48K and higher price range.
Still not as good as would be a R/awd or maybe even just a plain RWD but a most definite improvement over the previous version with a non-functional(***) VC, simple open center diff'l with TC as "backup".
*** Non-existent VC for the RX330 and more likely than otherwise also the RX350. Lexus will despute that for the RX350 but their own factory documentation puts the lie to that. And even if the RX350 does have a VC it will likely be just as non-functional as the ones in the '01 and up RX300's.
Insofar as F/awd is concerned the '99 and '00 are fairly decent, but the lack of TC and VSC puts you on the short end. The 2010 will be a definite improvement overall.
I waited to see and buy one of 2010 RX350. I went to Canadian National Autoshow in Toronto this week and disappointed with the car door design. All door ground clearance is only about 11.5 inche while 2009 model has 16 inch. The door will be a problem for me since the door will hit snow bank and my driveway curves unless I park the car a good distance away from it. Furthermore, a good part of the rear doors is part of rear wheel fender. Dirt will be there all the time unless you keep wash them off. Because of this, I decided to buy 2009 and found a last car in one of dealership inventory, so I bought 2009 RX350 Pebble Beach Edition.
Well, congratulation. Do you have any concern on the door design? I looked at the 2010 RX350 at autoshow and found the door to ground clearance is very small compare to previous year model - almost 5 inch lower. Because of this, I bought 2009 since the door likely hit snow bank or curves etc more often. Furthermore, the rear door is a part of rear wheel fender, no protection from dirt from rear wheels. Otherwise 2010 looks great. I hope you enjoy with the new RX.
I sat in a 2010 RX with and without Nav. Very nice improvement. The NAV controller was a bit odd, but i can see getting used to it. 2 questions
1. The NAV is hard drive based, but i didn't see a way to save music files on it. Can it rip CD's to the hard drive? if not, i think Lexus goofed big time on this one - all the competitors have this as an option. 2. Is the NAV system still crippled when driving?
I saw the RX at the Chicago Auto Show and did not like the new interior. Everybody seems to want to copy the BMW I-Drive concept that I find user-unfriendly. I currently own a 2004 with 107K and will plan to keep another 4-5 years based on what I saw coming. My 2nd Gen model was a great improvement from the 1st Gen. series. I feel lexus pushed the innovation thing too far. I have a HUD on my 06 Vette and find it more distracting than helpful so this feature is worthless to me.
I know that the ipod will interface nicely with the 2010 RX350. Does anyone know if the Microsoft Zune will work the same, or will I be stuck with simply using the audio input function? Thanks,.... (Picking up my new RX350AWD next Saturday)
1. You can rip a CD to the HDD. It even has a gracenote CDDB database that identifies your CD's. Only pressed Audio discs are recognized by the CDDB. No Homemade discs since they don't have the special metadata. Gracenote CDDB updates are free under warranty so get them done. They update them a few times a year. Only takes about 5 to 10 minutes but you have to get them done at the dealer.
Same with Map updates. The Gen5/Gen6 HDD navigation systems have to be updated at the dealer since they require special equipment and software that you can't buy. Map Updates of course you have to pay for them and they take about 30 minutes to an hour. Shouldn't take no more than 45 minutes.
2. Yes but there is an override kit from Prestigious Society. That kit is based on a Japanese kit and I'm sure they're willing to test it on a 2010 RX with nav. It does a lot of cool stuff. It does require a dashboard mounted controller. It's expensive but worth it.
any 2010 RX 350 owners out there can tell me what they think about mileage on this new model. I love the car but I am still a little concerned about the price and mileage. I am going to wait a few more months hopefully the price will drop. also, I had a toy 4 runner and the mileage on that car is horrible. I am afraid that this lexus is the same. any comments?
we seem to be forgetting a lot of other issues with the '10RX--safety features for example--the upscale luxury.
pound for pound its probably not worth it all (the margins on the RX have to be far better than margins on Venza, 4runner, highland, etc) but it is nice.
thanks very much everyone for the inputs and suggestions. I agree (to some degree) with all of you. the Venza has almost all the options that the RX has and more (i.e. you can play your DVD with your Nav screen when parked) and the price and mileage are better on the Venza HOWEVER, I looked at both in person (and test drove only the RX) and the RX is by far a more solid vehicle. I might be impartial but the RX looks much more luxurious than the Venza. I now have an ES and once you have a Lexus, I think it is very hard for me to step away from it. I also test drove the IS 250. It was powerful, the interiour is awesome and luxurious, however, it is noisy and bumpy (which makes sense for a sport veh). I am waiting until at least the summer or the end of this year for the newness to fade away before I buy it.
I feel the same way, Tyler70. I think it would be hard to part with my '07 RX350. I'm thinking about buying it at the end of my lease. What I would like to do is buy the RX, and then maybe a year down the road, purchase a second car, something real sporty like a used Infiniti G35 coupe. That way I can have both my sport and my luxury/utility(LOL!) I prefer the G35 coupe over the G37 coupe at this point, but I don't want to give up my Lexus either! :shades:
I am looking to lease. I could not find an exact topic for the 2010 so am posting here. Sorry if this is inappropiate. The bank fee is 995 and similar disposition fee at end of lease. This would be a deal breaker. Apparently is through a credit union. Are these abnormally high or is this the way of the bank world. We just leased another car and the bank fee was 650 with a low disposition fee. Is this a negotiable item on the 2010?
I went to the leasing topics and there is nothing on this. I am in the same position as you are and was shocked at the 995 bank fee. I was told that the disposition fee was about 400, but nothing in writing. I was also told that the credit union was much more flexible about small dents and dings at the end of the lease. This is for the 2010 also. The claim is that the Lexus financial rates are much higher. Would be a deal breaker for me also. We have to keep the thread going here because the leasing thread is all about 2009. Would like to get a straight answer also.
I am on my third tank of gas and the mpg is not what I hoped for. It is significantly lower than EPA estimates of 18/24, even though I have been driving it for maximum mpg. Does anyone have a similar experience? I chose this car over others based upon the comparatively good mpg estimates, and now I feel somewhat disappointed that I didn't hold out for the hybrid.
I have the indicator set to show how many miles on remaining gas (range). However, when I set the cruise control on this indication disappears. Is this normal?
Hi Maximafan: can you please tell me what kind of mileage you get on your 2007 RX 350 ? with the gas price keeps going up, I am a little concerned about getting another SUV like RX 350. I currently have an ES 330 and I am comfortable with the mileage I get on my ES 330. thanks for your answer.
Hello, Tyler70. I'm very happy with the gas mileage/consumption on my '07 RX. Most of my driving is back and forth to work, which is downtown, and I'm only about six miles from downtown. So there's a lot of stop and start. According to my mpg readout, I've averaged anywhere from 17 to 19 mpg when driving mostly in town, and when I've gone on trips, the mpg readout has gone up as high as 30 mpg, particularly when I'm driving in the Florida Keys(you generally can't go more than 55 mph on U.S. 1, and with it being a mostly single-lane road, sometimes I end up driving at around 45 to 50 miles per hour. But, overall, I'd say as far as highway mileage goes, when I've taken trips, I'm probably averaging 24-25 mpg's.
Getting back to driving around my home town, I also always reset the trip computer when I fill up with gas, and it seems when I go to fill up with gas, the trip computer usually gets up to 260 to 269 miles driven.(at this point, the mpg readout usually says I have anywhere from 30 to 50 miles left to empty.) So, consequently, I'm usually not filling up at the pump but every 7 to 10 days.
I also have a tendency to forget or keep track that I'm getting low on gas even though I have the miles to empty readout, because I get busy and just keep driving my RX. I've had that readout go as low as 20 miles or more before I remember to stop and put gas in! Anyway, I still enjoy driving this car after two-and-a-half years.
My '07 FWD gets around 20mpg around town and 24mpg on the highway, driving about 70mph. At 80mph this drops to about 22.5mpg. I have a '10 on order. If it gets less than this I am going to be very disappointed.
I've had my '07 RX350 a little longer than maximafan, and in 34,000 miles I have averaged 19.5 mpg in winter and 20.5 mpg in summer. These are real numbers, calculated at each fill-up (not using on-board computer). My driving is about 2/3 highway (typically 70-75 mph) and 1/3 local roads and I use regular 87 oct fuel. Last summer when gas was over $4/gal, I slowed down to near the speed limit and my mileage "improved" about 1 mpg overall. Also affecting mileage - I replaced the oem Michelins with Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas soon after I got the RX and this probably hurt my mileage slightly (I'm guessing better traction means more rolling resistance).
md, how have you liked the Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas? I have a little more mileage on my RX than you. I believe I have a little over 36,000 miles on it. So I may need new tires within the next four or five months. I've noticed a couple of RX's around town that probably just had new tires installed and some of the tires appear to look wider and have more tread on them than the Goodyear Eagles. For example, I saw an RX330 with what looked like brand new Cooper Sport (ASV's??) that looked nice, and they were the same size tires, 235/55 18's. I also saw an RX with the Bridgestones that appeared to look a little wider than the Eagles on another RX330. I'm not sure if they were Alenzas.
For some reason, to me, on the 2009 RX350's, I believe they are all carrying some type of Michelins, but they don't seem to have the low profile appearance of the Goodyear Eagles that were sold on most of the previous model RX's.
Comments
Since the initial 2010 RX350s are built in Japan, there will be
a shortage if the demand is high.
Like portable/handheld GPS/Nav systems, aftermarket automotive sound systems are simply too inexpensive and typically much better than factory systems. That being said the only way to appreciate, truly appreciate, a high fidelity automotive sound system is while parked in a quiet sub-terrainian garage space with the engine and HVAC system off and the windows rolled up tightly.
Think about it, the average "underway" sound level, "white noise" sound level, in the LS4X0 series is ~70DB.
thanks
richard
I purchased a 2010 in Smoky Gray Mica with the pale gray interior. It has Nav, the luxury and premium packages, and a little more. I LOVE IT!
My lease was up tomorrow on a 2007 RX330. I was originally going to buy the Acura MDX. I had seen photos of the new RX and thought it looked ugly. I also didn't like the remote control device. I decided I should see it in person just to feel more confident about buying the MDX. Glad I did. It looks so much better in person. The photos don't do it justice.
The 2010 drives completely differently than the previous model. It has a much more solid feel, a smooth ride due to the greatly improved suspension, and is easy to use. My phone and address book were linked and syned in about 45 seconds. My iPod was hooked up in 2 minutes. The remote control is simple to use and easy to navigate. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about the vehicle.
In regards to pricing, don't expect any big negotiations. Dealers are only getting a few at a time and still need to clear out the 2009s. I agree with previous posters that the lease is expensive. As a result, we just went ahead and bought it. It's such a wonderful car that I think I'll be happy to drive it for a while!
Can some of you new owners please set up your CarSpace pages and post a few photos in an album there? Thanks!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Anyone see a downside to the AWD version?
Some say you take a bit of a gas mileage hit with AWD due to the extra weight. Does anyone have experience with that?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
interior was nicer than the pics have been showing. I'm still on
the fence on the exterior styling. I mean, it still looks a lot like the
previous gen. model, but some of the angles are a little weird to me. I thought Lexus would add the split tailpipes like they've done
with all the newer sedans, but they've stuck with the single tailpipe, and it's not even with the chrome tip like the 2004-2009 models. I wish they would have switched to the split tailpipes. I think it would have looked really nice! I'm not quite ready to give
up my '07 RX just yet!! :shades:
If you have experience with F/awd in a later model Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, Mazda Tribute or even the new CX-7 the new RX and Venza are EXACTLY the same.
Still not as good as would be a R/awd or maybe even just a plain RWD but a most definite improvement over the previous version with a non-functional(***) VC, simple open center diff'l with TC as "backup".
*** Non-existent VC for the RX330 and more likely than otherwise also the RX350. Lexus will despute that for the RX350 but their own factory documentation puts the lie to that. And even if the RX350 does have a VC it will likely be just as non-functional as the ones in the '01 and up RX300's.
Do you have any concern on the door design?
I looked at the 2010 RX350 at autoshow and found the door to ground clearance is very small compare to previous year model - almost 5 inch lower. Because of this, I bought 2009 since the door likely hit snow bank or curves etc more often. Furthermore, the rear door is a part of rear wheel fender, no protection from dirt from rear wheels. Otherwise 2010 looks great. I hope you enjoy with the new RX.
1. The NAV is hard drive based, but i didn't see a way to save music files on it. Can it rip CD's to the hard drive? if not, i think Lexus goofed big time on this one - all the competitors have this as an option.
2. Is the NAV system still crippled when driving?
Thanks,....
(Picking up my new RX350AWD next Saturday)
PLEASE, do remember to share your full driving experience.
Same with Map updates. The Gen5/Gen6 HDD navigation systems have to be updated at the dealer since they require special equipment and software that you can't buy. Map Updates of course you have to pay for them and they take about 30 minutes to an hour. Shouldn't take no more than 45 minutes.
2. Yes but there is an override kit from Prestigious Society. That kit is based on a Japanese kit and I'm sure they're willing to test it on a 2010 RX with nav. It does a lot of cool stuff. It does require a dashboard mounted controller. It's expensive but worth it.
I think I'm going to stretch the life of my '01 F/awd RX300 until there is a HYBRID Venza using the new engine but with DFI and Atkinson mode.
pound for pound its probably not worth it all (the margins on the RX have to be far better than margins on Venza, 4runner, highland, etc) but it is nice.
What safety features exist on the 2010 RX that the Venza does not have..??
my '07 RX350. I'm thinking about buying it at the end of my lease.
What I would like to do is buy the RX, and then maybe a year down the road, purchase a second car, something real sporty like a used Infiniti G35 coupe. That way I can have both my sport and my luxury/utility(LOL!) I prefer the G35 coupe over the G37 coupe at this point, but I don't want to give up my Lexus either! :shades:
Lexus RX 350 / RX 400h Lease Questions
Don't expect better than 20-22MPG with careful/strict/sole highway cruising/driving and 14-16 for city driving, even less for NYC.
on my '07 RX. Most of my driving is back and forth to work, which is downtown, and I'm only about six miles from downtown.
So there's a lot of stop and start. According to my mpg readout,
I've averaged anywhere from 17 to 19 mpg when driving mostly in town, and when I've gone on trips, the mpg readout has gone up as high as 30 mpg, particularly when I'm driving in the Florida
Keys(you generally can't go more than 55 mph on U.S. 1, and with it being a mostly single-lane road, sometimes I end up driving at around 45 to 50 miles per hour. But, overall, I'd say as far as highway mileage goes, when I've taken trips, I'm probably averaging 24-25 mpg's.
Getting back to driving around my home town, I also always reset the trip computer when I fill up with gas, and it seems when I go to fill up with gas, the trip computer usually gets up to 260 to 269 miles driven.(at this point, the mpg readout usually says I have anywhere from 30 to 50 miles left to empty.) So, consequently, I'm usually not filling up at the pump but every 7 to 10 days.
I also have a tendency to forget or keep track that I'm getting low on gas even though I have the miles to empty readout, because I get busy and just keep driving my RX. I've had that readout go as low as 20 miles or more before I remember to stop and put gas in! Anyway, I still enjoy driving this car after two-and-a-half years.
MD
and they were the same size tires, 235/55 18's. I also saw an RX
with the Bridgestones that appeared to look a little wider than the Eagles on another RX330. I'm not sure if they were Alenzas.
For some reason, to me, on the 2009 RX350's, I believe they are all carrying some type of Michelins, but they don't seem to have the low profile appearance of the Goodyear Eagles that were sold on most of the previous model RX's.