Todd

Ok, my wife has a 99 RX300. From day one there were all kinds of issues I had to pressure the dealership to fix. The wind noise, the rattles, the seat belts that didn't retract properly, the banging struts, windows that wouldn't go up or down properly, failing door seals and crappy service to boot all. Get the picture. None of this should be any surprise, it is all listed in this forum under other owners as well.

The ride sucks just as bad. You nose dive when you hit the brakes, you feel like you are going to roll over when taking a turn and the feeling of instability and buffeting around at high speeds also provides a nerve racking ride. Everyones answer is to get the Michelin Cross Terrains. Well that is why I am letting it all hang out today. Week before last got a new set of the Cross Terrains before leaving on vacation so I could get some seat time to see how they performed. Now I drive my wife's car two or three times a week so I have enough windshield time to make a good comparison. Plus, being somewhat of a automotive buff I pay particular attention to ride quality, especially in a car that was designed apparently without "ride quality" being a criteria. Anyway, the Cross Terrains are fine. Did they fix all the handling problems, NO. They do help with the lean or roll problem in negotiating turns but the vehicle still seems to oversteer in some situations and oversteer in others. They are quiet if on a smooth surfaced road however if the road has a rough surface they roar. Just my two cents worth.

Lets continue analyizing this vehicle may we. The steering, Lexus's answer to variable assist rack and pinion. It is loose and unprecise. It feels like it is resisting your input at higher speeds and like it is sloppy loose at slow speeds. Not my idea of a quality system. As I mentioned earlier, noise, wind and otherwise is a MAJOR issue with this vehicle. Check out the mirrors, what little sawed off idiot decided to hang the hugh flat rear view paddles off the sides. They don't look and don't function in an aerodynamic manner. They are very good bug swatters though, I will give them that and do each time I am struggling to remove the dead little bastards. While on pet peaves, have any of you ever detailed your car very well? Ever tried to get to the dead space behind the rear seat where all the junk the kids drop goes. It 's fun.

Next to the very poor ride quality and the noise issues would have to come the layout of the controls and their functionality. What junior newbie engineer laid this one out? They must not have been old enough to drive because they sure haven't a clue as to what constitutes common sense much less the safety issues of having to look and think about where things are. Now I know I don't drive this vehicle everyday and I am sure I would get more use to the positions but back up a minute and tell me what is the purpose of things like the following. Why would you have two different buttons, not even similar in look or feel, to turn on the climate control system and to turn it off, two different buttons!!!! How about changing the radio stations, a row of buttons right below the display for presets and then manual buttons located on a different panel below. Same with the CD selector buttons, located on the display panel but then having to hit a different set of controls to change tracks. Lets look at headlight control. An entire steering column stalk dedicated to this function which is automatic. I don't think I have ever messed with this control as they come on and go off automatically. It is a good thing though because its placement along with the windsheild wiper control stalk, yes another complete stalk for this function as well, are hidden behind the steering wheel whichin my seating position I can not see. Also why do you pull lever down to activate wipers and not up like most other vehicles. Minor point, I may just be looking for things now. I will mention one other though, how about the goofy emergency brake operation, push once to activate another to release. How many valets have scratched their heads over this one?

I'll tell you boys what you need to do. Get yourselves over to your local BMW dealer and take the X5 for a ride. No, on second thought you may not want to do this as you will be astounded, yes not surprised but totally and completly astounded, at the difference. WIth the BMW you will find a sports car feel and handling packaged in the popular SUV look with all functionality you want in a SUV. If the price is a little higher opt for a low mileage CPO one. I honestly don't see how after driving both vehicles you would ever choose the RX over the X5 unless it was strictly price. The RX was and from posts here still is apparently a POS. How did Lexus ever get where it is? By building brand recognition and name and selling luxury for less than the competition. Do you think they cut corners somewhere to get the price thing right? Sure did, they slap together a POS in a package that looks good. Do they go the extra mile in engineering, of course not. They get by with as little as they can to keep their vehicle in the competitive catagory they price them at. Dona't mean to bust anyones bubble, I am sure many are proud of their RX but it ain't what it should be and it sure ain't close to the X5. Go test drive one and post your comparison.

Captain Bone

Comparing an X5 to a RX300 is like comparing apples to oranges. It sounds like you did a search, found some common complaints, wrote them down, and then decided to plug BMW. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't from the Bimmer forums. Have yourself a good day.

-Anthony

pbm317

A lot of your minor complaints could be from the fact that it's one of the first model year RX300's. While some complaints may be widespread, I think Lexus does a great job of service and is willing to go to great lengths to keep their customers happy. Maybe you need to switch dealers or something. Also, your complaints about the two stalks (headlights and windshield wipers) that could go for almost any car out there today. And the emergency brake control, also widely used throughout the industry. If you have that many problems with the car, go trade it. Buy the X5, and tell us after 4 years of ownership if it's really as "perfect" as you believe it is.

JRB

This begs the question, why did YOU choose the RX? If you now regret your decision, sell the vehicle and move on. For some strange reason, X5 sales are WAY down this year, and you should be able to pick one up real cheap.

Gojirra99

It's not and appropiate comparison. RX is built for a different purpose.

A better comparison is the Infiniti FX with the BMW X5, and I favour the FX.

Dollar for dollar, the FX blows the BMW X5 away in performance and handling.

gs400998

I wish you luck on your next purchase. I asked my friend who bought a CLK430 recently why he didn't buy a M3 or M5 because his previous car was a BMW. He said the BMW was in the shop too many times. Enjoy your X5.

EGainer

hey todd, don't be an ***. you don't come to a lexus forum to talk bad about a lexus like that. find something better to do, like get your bmw fixed. oh, and stop driving your wife's car. and i'd think an "automotive buff" would know that you can't compare an RX300 to an X5.

and i think you might have just got a lemon, they still do exist ya know. so now its not apples to oranges, its lemons to oranges

330wannabe

Todd..did you even test drive it before you bought it???

jeffknet

X5 Trouble Spots

Alarm system: Some hoods do not contact the alarm switch enough, causing false alarms. The company was replacing the switches on an as-needed basis. (2001)

Audio system: Alternator whine on certain radios after a cell phone is installed requires a filtering condenser; a weak battery causes a delay in the audio and display on vehicles that also have the navigation system; and lack of power to the antenna amp causes no AM reception and poor FM reception. (2000)

Dashboard lights: The CHECK OIL light may come on when the engine is turned off despite the dipstick reading full requiring the control module to be reprogrammed. (2000)

Fuel gauge: The fuel gauge may not read full despite a full tank on models built prior to Aug. 2000, requiring replacement of the sending unit. (2000-01)

Steering problems: Steering-wheel vibrations on early production models with automatic transmission and 3.0L engine can be corrected with a countermeasure vibration damper. (2001)

Transmission leak: The manual transmission may leak from the drain plug requiring installation of a countermeasure plug. (2000)

Vehicle noise: Early production models made a clicking noise when the windows were opened and closed while those built after May 2000 do not because a plastic coated regulator was used. It can be retrofitted into earlier models. (2000)

Windows: Water leaking into the A-pillar corrodes a connector for the power locks, windows, and mirrors rendering them inoperative, requiring replacement connectors and sealing the leak. (2000)

The X5 Value for the Money

All told, the X5 is the sporty "driving machine" of SUVs, but not a serious offroader. It's short on cargo space and costlier than rivals of similar size, power, and equipment. An RX 300 or MDX could be a better economic choice, partly because the BMW retains its value so well, making secondhand prices hefty.

JohnsRX

Of course, compared to the X5, nobody is gonna argue with u that the RX is a POS. Especially compared to an 4.4 X5 i drove one time. But comparing the X5 to the RX is just not right. They are differently priced!!

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Same here. I couldn't trade in my BMW fast enough. Sure, they are great performing cars but I couldn't stand the reliability problems especially all the electrical problems. I had ABS and SRS problems. The OBC (On Board Diagnostic) often would send faulty errors which every BMW owner seems to experience every once in a while. Either way, Lexus gave my a good trade in value for my POS BMW so I bought the RX330 for my wife. Besides, if I wanted to actaully drive fast and have precise handling I wouldn't do it in an SUV. I'd rather take my NSX.

But in all fairness, the X5 does drive really nice, almost car like. However, until BMW can get their reliability to where the Japanese cars are I will not be going back to BMW. Once my cowoerker pays off his loan on his X5 he said he will be getting something else.

LexFather

So let me get this straight. Cause YOUR RX 300 is not the usual Lexus perfect, it's a POS. The same RX 300 that started the car based SUV thread. The best selling luxury SUV, is somehow, a POS. The X5 is nice but they are selling slow as syrup now. Quite frankly, your small on the I.Q. side if you want a sporty feel in a SUV. That is what sport wagons are for. A sports sedan ride with the extra needed space. NOTHING with a high center of gravity can truly feel sporty. The X-5 is fast though. Oh, and the X-5 is built by kissing cousins in South Carolina. Did you forget the X-5 had engines catching on fire??

Your allowed to vent on your purchase, cool but I am re-naming your thread cause OBVIOUSLY, the best-selling luxury SUV that many a car-maker has imitated cannot be a POS.

NewLexer

I suspect that Todd's post owes more to a BMW marketing effort--or a rabid BMW fan--than it reflects the actual ownership experience of a 300 driver. The generalizations, exaggerations, and rather silly comparison of a '99 300 with a new X5 reveal a hidden agenda, rather than an unhappy owner.

Also, the timing of his post is quite interesting--just at the point when the X5 finds itself in an even tougher fight against the 330.

I happen to like BMWs, in general, and have been happily driving a 540i for the last six years. I had intended to buy an X5 this Spring. After test drives at different dealers and a bit of research, I had to change direction. It drives like a BMW, but the X5 has too many serious drawbacks in terms of reliability, cargo space, rear seat comfort, lean while cornering, among others.

The clear disappointing experience of owners--see Consumer Reports and any X5 forum--doesn't engender confidence.

The 330's superiority over the X5 was clear--not in every aspect, but in the most significant ones. I would also say that it is fair to make a head-to-head comparison of an X5 with a 330 that has the performance package. Pricing is similar.


One second thought, a rabid fan would probably not be as a good a marketing writer. Todd's piece was very well done.

Chuckieb

Whenver someone starts ranting about BMW vs Lexus service, I like to tell the story about a friend who bought a new 7-series sedan (can't quote the model, but he paid over twice what our RX was worth), and on his first visit to the BMW dealer for service, when he asked for a lift to his office, the service manager pointed to the direct-line taxi phone on the wall.

End of story.

Lil4X

Now that you mention it, I’m very disappointed in the performance of my RX 330. Compared to the Aston Martin Vanquish (Vanish) my RX 330 is slow and clumsy – particularly when executing snap rolls. Its adaptive camouflage seems to be stuck on “Savannah Metallic”, and the ejection seat only moves an inch or two, and that slowly. And don't get me started on the ordinance package I ordered and did not receive... Now the FBI has a van parked in front of my house. To top it all off, my Lexus dealer seems to be ignoring my complaints.