LexFather

Here is my recent 09 review to compare to
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...-rx-350-a.html

My wonderful girlfriend needed her 30k service done on her 2007 Altima 2.5. A few weeks ago I took her to (shameless plug) the greatest Lexus dealership of all dealerships and quite frankly car dealerships, Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett to meet the incredible service team as I was getting scheduled maintenance done on my car. We now consider each other "family" and its been a great relationship I cannot say enough about the polite staff there. Like a few other dealerships, they are trying to figure out ways to keep things busy in slower times like today so they now service "all makes, all models". We spoke about doing her upcoming 30k there and I was told prices would be comparable which was all I needed to know. She loved the dealership and everyone she met and we got to go on a "shop tour" to see the other cars getting serviced and she remarked how clean everything was. VVTi also showed us the brand new 50k alignment machine that was pretty damn cool. It does any car and is pretty much nearly all computerized.

However my G/F wasn't convinced she should take her "Nissan" to a "Lexus" dealership for service as her car is leased. She went to her Nissan dealer to get her pre-paid oil-change and was quoted a price for the 30k service at $400. Not bad and I asked what it included? Well basically nothing a bunch of checking things and replacement of air/oil filters and a couple other minor items. I called Hennessy and the Service Manager was nice enough to call my G/F to explain how things would work for her there. Basically the same service is done and it doesn't affect her lease.

Which quickly brings me to a sidebar. I went to her Nissan dealership (Team Nissan I believe) and holy throwback to 1994 Batman (my first car was a 1989 Sentra)!!! It was dark, it was old, it was small and the only thing that got me through was the new GT-R with "DO NOT TOUGH" on it inside. I could not believe the contrast to the Lexus (ANY) dealership. That 35k Maxima and 35k Murano seemed out of place.

So of course my G/F tells the Nissan dealer she can take it to Lexus. Well they now offer 10% off their service and they will get a loaner from Enterprise. Got to love competition. Finally my G/F agrees and plans her trip to the Lexus dealership. She goes there by herself and she is taken great care of. She did comment some people were looking quite odd an Altima was parked inside the service area. There are a few cars we are looking at possibly replacing her Altima next spring and Lexus has 3
-ES
-IS 350 (IS-F would be dreamy but too much)
-RX hybrid

All the ES/IS loaners were taken and she was told "we do have a new RX you can take". Which she has no idea what that is. She comes over and explains she got a new RX. When she said new she wasn't lying, 650 miles on the odometer. I never got one that new before. She can't stop commenting on it. She loves how it looks, she loves the interior, she loves how smooth it is, she loves how high she sits and she loves the gaugues. She even shows me the cool pass thru area under the console for her purse or umbrella. She also happens to love the color, its a "baby blue" which I am not too fond of. When told a hybrid model is made as well she approved as she loves my GSh. So her review is simple 10/10 she loves it. These loaners sell themselves I tell you!!!

Which now brings me to my review of the brand new RX 350. In an economy that is in a "recession" it continues to beat forecasts in regards to sales. As a matter of fact the new RX is outselling ENTIRE LUXURY BRANDS. That is just remarkable (only the 3 series does as well/better). In reviews it loses in areas its not meant to be driven and wins pretty much everywhere else. Its more stylish than ever, full of features, everyone loves it, everyone seemingly wants one.

Lexus said it best "Reinventing the vehicle that invented it all".

As most know the RX is a Lexus that won me over, it wasn't anything I liked or wanted when it debuted 10 years ago. Its the best most luxurious fungus ever.

First off the new exterior is very stylish. I am a big fan of the 2nd gen but after really going this over well damnit "its growing on me" . To me the least successful part is the front and I still am not sure what they were doing here. The headlights are very sharp and go towards the grill. The grill is of course bigger with the usual bigger emblem but the chrome "wings" at the top just lose me. It also kind of juts out and it seems like there is no lower front bumper. Without a doubt the LEDs and h front looks tidier and more aggressive to me. The hood line also kind of sticks out like the C/E class to me. Not a fan but far from a deal breaker. From the A-pillar on it gets better to me. The big sideview mirros are nice and sculpted and at night they have puddle lights. The chrome around the windows doesn't look "added" on like on some SUVs. It looks like it was meant to go there and when you touch it, its very sturdy. If you don't know by now the door handles lose the black buttons for the keyless, you simply touch the indention and it opens. Very classy and functional. My FAVORITE part is the crease in the lower part of the door that has the now usual Lexus chrome strip at the bottom. When you look at the chrome, it reflects into the crease, showing the depth of the paint. Its truly a stellar piece of design. To the rear you have the usual "Altezzas" the LEDs under the license plate and a sloping roof. It works. What helped was this loaner had the OPTIONAL 19" wheels. Funny but they make the 16" wheels on the 1RX look puny. They look great and the car still has more than enough sidewall.

Inside is my favorite part though. I can't get enough of this dash. The steering wheel tilt and telescops and there seems to be a thicker steering wheel. I also noticed less wood and more leather on the wheel. The gauges are simply artwork, they have a nice blue hue over it and they look like they truly "float". The gauges seem worth the price of the car, they are that good. This was a "Premium" spec car, no NAV so you get the AC and other items displaying where the NAV goes. Insted of the remote touch (which I have used before and its really easy to use) there is an indention in the dash the exact size of...
the iPhone
Perfect for our well, iPhones. Also in the console is an easy to figure out way to plug in your iPhone or MP3 player to the Aux port and to 2 charging stations.
I cannot get enough of these sweeping dash with all the curves. It reminds me of this in Spain..


The last RX interior in 2004 was nice but by 2009 it was well copied. You really REALLY have to want to blatantly copy this, I mean NOTHING is like it. Its superb!!! The lack of wood NEVER bugged me, it still felt classy and luxurious. Understand if you are using the cupholders, there is pretty much hardly any wood to look at. The glovebox had two huge sections, it had dual zone A/C of course and the car had cooled seats that worked VERY well. My favorite parts are the "floating" front portion of the steering wheel and the nice chrome rim around the CD entry. Its really classy.

The seats as I've commented before finally don't feel like Camry pieces with 10 way adjustments. THey feel sturdier, bigger and more expensive. I liked them a lot and for the first time in a RX I felt like I was in the the seat not on it. When you go in reverse, a nice small screen appears in the rearview mirror to show what the camera sees. Pretty cool if you don't have NAV.

The rear is nice as well, tons of legroom, even with my seat all the way back and I am 6'5. The doors don't have much wood either and the doors might seem "plain" to some but I was okay with it. Let me also mention the color of the wood was nice and DARK and contrasted well with the interior. A lot better than the awful wood in the 09 I had. LEDs are all over of course and you can recline the seats for a nice even more relaxing ride.

The rear cargo door is automatic of course and the trunk seems to have tons of space and slightly more than the 2RX. There are very useful handles in the rear now that you pull to drop the rear seats. No longer have to go up front to drop the seat. Tons of bins and two bright lights on each side. It really is more than enough room for most and I see CLEAR why no useless, cramped, tiny, never used 3rd row is not offered.

The RX now has start stop (again the RX feels much less CAmry based and more like a true Lexus) and everything works quietly and beautifully. The stock sound system has nice chrome rimmed tweeters and sounds better than the last stock RX system. Still IMO Mark Levinson is mandatory if you really like to pump and blast your music. With FWD and with VDIM, torque steer finally is pretty much squashed. I still much prefer AWD, in starting turns, you can feel the front wheels pull the car. However it is MUCH less pronounced than the 1/2RX. The 3.5 V-6 pulls with authority and when its floored it sounds like a RX. which means mechanical and not sexy. 0-60 clearly is in the 6 second range, it moves. The 6 speed tranny was great and I didn't feel any weirdness. It also was more apt to kick down when needed. 80 MPH gets there QUICK from a start or on the move. Its funny but I prefer and missed my CVT some as it responds right away.

You probably want to know "well did it get any sportier" and I took it the EXACT route I took the 2RX. I even used the manu-matic controls. I will say the car felt more confident and less "tipsy" no doubt helped by the meaty 19s but overall its still not confidence inspiring. Shifting with the manumatic in corners with one hand on the steering wheel got downright pretty yucky to me. I put it back in drive and I won't recommend it. Maybe AWD will help or the new RX sport tuned suspension which is optional. So yet it felt better than the 2RX but it still is not something that makes you grin in corners when you drive 2% of the time doing illegal speeds on back roads. Quite frankly if you do that in a SUV, you might need your head examined. Oh the windows up and the sunroof open creates such interior havoc DO NOT DO IT but all Lexus cars pretty much do this.

The joy of the RX is in the 98% of the driving and ownership. I was floored by how good this car felt and I feel it REALLY is a bargain at a LOWER starting price than the 2RX. The doors open quietly, the close solid. Little things like the 4 way auto up/down windows. The window goes up and the last 4 inches or so, the window SLOWS UP before it hits the top. It makes me think "damn they thought of everything". Driving around town at normal speeds, like normal people and parking it, it was superb.

Tested Car-RX 350 FWD Premium with leather, cooled seats, 19" wheels, $42000 MSRP with those options.


Oh, we dropped the RX off this morning. I did tip the loaner guy for being so nice to my G/F. We pick up the Altima and the car of course is nice and clean but what is just a big was the price. Comparable to the Nissan dealer.


Big thanks to Joe Gaunt, VVTi (Nuum) and CJ, I recommend Joe's service department without reservation at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett. Class acts, stand up guys and delivers as promised.

TripleL

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience, Really appreciate it.

I was in the dealership Thursday and looked one of these over. I will admit I like both the interior and exterior better on this new one than the previous versions. I thought the exterior had a much more sporty look (read lower and wider, although not sure if that's real or perception). And I agree with you the interior is so well done.

I haven't driven one yet but saw in your review that it doesn't drive with confidence inspiriting performance. I think their target market will be just fine with that especially since you mention it is an improvement over the previous versions. You summed it best when you said "Driving around town at normal speeds, like normal people and parking it, it was superb."

So my question to you is,, did you and your GF enjoy it enough to take a h for a test drive?

lucasb7

Excellent review! You really summarized the RX and all of the reasons why it is the best selling luxury ute. I was lucky enough to have an AWD + Nav loaner and it really was a dream for the time I had. I can honestly say that the RX450h would be in my drive way had they stepped up the towing capacity a bit and added a few extra cubic feet of cargo capacity.

I always found irony in the Audi commercials that made fun of the commonality of the RX. But it just goes to show that if the RX wasn't as good of a vehicle as it is, there wouldn't be as many of them.

Also, that is awesome that your Lexus dealer will service any car. That is one of my favorite parts of owning a Lexus.

lamar411

good review lex. But did your girlfriend buy the car?? And the lack of wood bothers me, one of my big pet peeves because my 1RX has more wood then that.

LexFather

We probably will sometime in the future but don't want to like it TOO much . She's driven the IS 250 but she likes the 350 F-sport so we need to drive that. She also likes the ES (and to me its a VERY good looking car) so she needs to drive that too. Also on the list are the Infiniti FX last gen and the new Nissan Maxima.

Yeah, the irony Audi is making fun of Lexus yet they are ten years LATE to this party. The audacity of dope The service sheet showed the 30k service as per the Nissan specs. Lexus and most all dealerships have access to either OEM parts or off brand but OEM spec parts to use in non Lexus vehicles.



Her lease is not up until next spring and to be honest a new 450h would not be what we want to do financially.

As for the wood I agree the 2RX had it and did it very well, I was particularly fond of the long strip on the doors. When I was younger I seemed to associate more wood with more luxury but that is no longer the case.

To be honest not sure where it would look appropriate in the new interior.

Which does bring me to a couple negatives I failed to mention.

1. Fit and finish for the most part on the exterior was superb. I did notice the front bumper passenger side didn't lineup under the headlight perfectly. I could "lift" the bumper slightly into the headlight. I believe I've read about this in the 3RX forum.

2. Fit and finish inside. For the most part things were good but since the interior has so many "curves" I noticed some curves had larger gaps than normal. Clearly this is due to design but I'm kinda **** about such things and I did notice it.

Blackraven

Comprehensive review you've got there. Nice job on that

Personally though IMHO
The design is less desirable than the previous version. Hence, when you use 7-spokes like that, it makes it extremely worse. Indeed, terrible than before

I guess with an exterior design like this, wheel/rim design plays a good role but those 7-spoke rims are indeed a culprit.

I say, if you want to make the exterior appeal better, then you need better wheels/rims like this one here:







With those wheels/rims, it's much better now IMHO

RXSF

wow, that post took all of my morning coffee. lol, very comprehensive. Im glad you liked the RX, seems like everyone wants one now adays, or secretly wants one

I cant wait to get my hands on one in the winter.

just a few questions and observations

do the cup holders have the cool blue lights (or some other type of cool light) on the inside like the 2RX to light up water bottles?

do the rear doors and trunk lid have the new smart access indentation so you dont have to walk to the front doors to lock?

you said there were bins in the trunk? I love the bins in the front bottom of the cargo area on my RX and i thought they removed them in the 3RX. If they are somewhere else, that is great news!

and lastly, your fwd RX did not have VDIM which only comes on the sport suspension option and the hybrid

LexFather

Answers in blue, thanks!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

well mike, if your gf gets an RX our parallel lives will keep aligned since 5 years ago my wife had an RX and i had a GS.

great review as always, i continue to believe the RX is simply the best overall 'home run' that Toyota or Lexus makes.

oh and tell your gf she has excellent taste.

encore888

Thx for the review 1SICKLEX, a very interesting read! And that was kinda interesting, servicing a Nissan Altima at a Lexus dealership, I wonder how many Lexus dealers do that?

I was only aware of one Hennessey Lexus, and looking now at this Gwinnett dealership's site, it seems very nice (Elite of Lexus too).

CDNROCKIES

Nice review Mike.

It really is a fantastic vehicle that clearly hits most of the targets for the desired demographic.

Nextourer

Thanks for the review! I still haven't driven one yet. I also haven't gotten over the look of the new one. I liked the old one quite a bit (and have driven the RX400h before).

I8ABMR

I have been thouroughly impressed by the 2010 RX loaners I have had the past couple of weeks while my dash fiasco was being worked out. I have had the pleasure to drive it in basic trim and full trim. The car is a very well built vehicle, with lots of attention to detail and great features. It also handled amazingly well for an SUV. I am impressed. I hated the last generation RX, but I never drove one. Now that I checked it out in te new generation I have to say Lexus has come a long way.

I also like the fact that the styling is a bit more masculine in this generation

LexFather

Thanks everyone, CDNRockies is correct, this is not an enthusiast vehicle but that doesn't make it any lesser of a vehicle. Its superb.

It had its grand re-opening last May after about 16 months of renovations. It is superb now. The ceremony was pretty cool, shame I never did a write-up on it. Lexus execs flew from Cali to honor Mr. Hennessy and they also honored Joe for the great job service did while renovations were completed. They were presented with Samurai swords from Japan, pretty cool!
I sure will and we owe you a trip down still.

dunnojack

I'm surprised lexus would even do work on a nissan.

most dealers have a window where you can see the cars being serviced.

people would probably go WTF if they see a nissan being serviced.