FlintRX

I've been reading through some of the old posts before I bought the 330, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into. I was well aware of transmission issues and random rattles, but the price-vs.-features of the RX beat my other choices (BMW X3, Acura MDX). The RX replaces my '02 GMC Yukon, so my opinions are based on a comparison with the Yukon, previous cars I've owned, and others that I have test drove.

Specs: AWD, Premium Plus, Nav, chrome 18's - Flint Mica w/ Lt. Gray interior

Appearance: While my girlfriend thinks it's the most feminine looking SUV of the bunch, it's certainly a nice design overall. It sits just high enough to see over other cars, but low enough so that I don't need to buy running boards for it. For factory rims, the 18's look very nice. Interior is way beyond the BMW and Acura.

Performance: At times it feels like it has plenty of power, other times it feels like a dog. Air Conditioning cycling affects the performance big time, but I haven't been able to drive it w/o the AC on (it's been hot in Southern California). As I understand it, the AC compressor keeps running even when the AC is turned off? Very smooth engine, though I'm annoyed too at how loud it can be during higher revs. I personally hate drive-by-wire systems, I think Toyota has a little more work to do in this area. The delay in acceleration when mashing the pedal is annoying (part of the problem is also the transmission downshifting too far). My biggest complaint with the performance is the transmission - more on that later.

Comfort: This is the area that almost caused me not to buy the RX. The suspension feels good and solid, it's not bouncy or too stiff. The layout of the guages and controls is really nice and easy to find/read. The quality of the interior is beyond any of the other SUV's I've looked at. The driver seat, however, needs to be tossed in a lake. I realize that I'm not in the target market for these cars (6'4", 240lbs), but it's not that difficult to make a driver seat comfortable for taller drivers. The lumbar support is completely useless, I had to buy a back support pad to use when driving the RX. Another "what were they thinking" issue is the emergency brake pedal. How do they expect you to use the dummy pedal with the e-brake pedal in the way? Having that pedal there actually takes away some valuable leg/foot room, and for someone as tall as me, I need every inch I can get.

Transmission: I've read complaint after complaint about the RX tranny, and I though it was a little odd that I didn't experience any of those problems in the FWD demo car I drove. However, I now see what a lot of people are complaining about. I don't know if it's because of AWD, or because the car is still learning my driving habits, or because there is a genuine design flaw, but this is the craziest transmission I've seen. During city driving, it acts like it doesn't know which gear it wants to be in and has trouble committing to a gear. It's annoying. It shifts a little hard (more firm than a typical car of this size), but I can live with it. I haven't had any problems with noises.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Lexus, but I wouldn't say that I love this car. It has it's fair share of cons. When compared to the Acura and BMW, the Lexus looks like the clear winner, but I'm picky and if I'm buying a $45k car, I deserve to be picky. For the price, it's a nice car for me, but that's about it. I'm not necessarily disappointed in Lexus, I'm generally disappointed with all of the offerings in the 'luxury SUV' category, but I think I picked the best of the bunch for the price. I know I sound a little harsh, so I need to say that I am very impressed with RX fit-and-finish, NAV and audio systems, overall interior and exterior quality, ride quality, and it has quite a bit of storage room (including the bins in the floor and console).

I bought it from Tustin Lexus in Tustin, CA and I can wholeheartedly recommend them. It took a while to get this particular car, but in the end, they did a good job of getting me exactly what I wanted, and they were very friendly before and after the sale. I only dealt with their internet sales staff, the other salespeople looked like typical lot leaches (IMO).

d2gs3

iTrader: (4)

That similar of what I find in Lexus. I never feel comfortable in my GS300 or my RX300. The seat seem to be very flat.

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

Jeez, you guys need to check out the Infiniti and Nissan seats, they are flatter and not as good as Lexus chairs. the LExus have the best chairs for comfort in my opinion as compared to my nissan and infiniti and acura seats. I have to admit that i have owned Acuras, Lexus, and Infinitis, and Nissans and I have to choose Lexus for best comfort and thigh supports. The Infinitis tend to have a harder chairs and that is good for performance feel.
As a side note, i noticed that my friend cannot stand his BMW X5 seats, they are hard as liking to a rock. The Mercedes chairs are aight, not very long at the bottom to support your thighs. My Dad has refused to buy a Merc because of this and due to the fact he does long distance driving to work every day. He plans to get an Audi A8L because the chairs are the best in class and it has got AWD for the snow.
Thus, everyone I know including me have NEVER complained about Lexus seats, ever.

Tej

d2gs3

iTrader: (4)

To be honest, the best seat so far I have seat in is my 91 Acura Legend Coupe. The Lexus seat (both 93 GS300 and 99 RX300) seem to be too flat make me feel I am sliding toward the steering. I try to adjust the angle of the seat to the minimum point but in order to meet the angle of comfortable, I need to raise the seat and my foot now a little far from the gas and brake pedal. I am not ague the softness, but the angle is what lexus should lower a bit (especially the rear section of the driver seat). RX300 does had a cost cutting thing that I don't like is the steering wheel does not retrac (only tilt) as the GS300. Out of that those 2 things, I can not complain anything else.

FlintRX

While I was out looking for a new SUV, I test drove the Acura MDX, BMW X3 and X5, Volvo XC90, and sat in the Infiniti FX35 and a BMW 330Ci coupe (just for the hell of it). My Yukon had great lower back support, with power lumbar and side bolster supports - a really comfortable seat. I wasn't impressed with the MDX or the X3, neither felt real comfortable and I hate manual lumbar controls. The X5 seats were really odd, they make the driver sit in a position that's not comfortable but not uncomfortable either. The Volvo's seats were real nice and comfortable, but it didn't make up for the bland looking interior. The FX35 seats were very flat and had almost no side support. The best seats I sat in were in the BMW 330, those seats could be put in just about any position you can think of, and the leg/thigh extension is a nice thing to have.

The Lexus seats are probably pretty comfortable for most people. They just don't do much for me, but I can live with it.

davezaristo

Do you mind sharing the price you paid? i am currently comtemplating between the fx35 and the rx330 and how much discount i can get off msrp is gonna play a role...thanks!

steevr

Flint,

I kinda know what you mean about the seats. I'm 6'4", 220 lbs. I have an '02 RX300. When I first got my RX300, I had come from a '97 Expedition Eddie Bauer with the high back leather bucket seats. I just couldn't get comfortable in my RX. The most annoying thing was that Lexus decided to put a seam right in the middle of the seatback. Believe it or not, I got really used to it after a few months and it got to the point where the seats became comfortable. We still have the '97 Expo (my wife drives it now) and now the seats in the Expo feel uncomfortable. When I drive it, I can't wait to get back into my RX seats. I guess it all comes down to what you get used to.

BrickHead

I agree with alot of what flintRX said about the tranny and the seat. I once had a RX330 as a loaner for a week. It seemed as if the tranny couldn't make up its mind which gear to be in. It shifted back and forth trying to find the right gear. The seat felt flat and small. My biggest complaint was the loud engine noise. It seemed to be louder than the previous RX300. In fact, my impression was the RX330 seemed less refined than the RX300 based on my week-long experience IMHO. I still think the RX330 is the best suv on the market for the price and features. But I was glad to have my LS back.

FlintRX

I think the total MSRP (including the dealer upcharge for the chrome rims) was around $46,500. I paid close to $41,700. A word of advice - I found that most dealers have dedicated internet sales people (fancy name for their "fleet" department), and they seem to make pretty good deals upfront with no haggling. So try talking to them no matter which car you choose.

I also briefly looked at the FX(45), and I wasn't too impressed with the interior of the Infiniti. It seemed that after I sat in the Lexus, no other SUV I looked at could touch it in terms of interior quality and overall appearance.

Steevr - I think I'm starting to get used to the seats as well. Whether or not I'll end up with bad posture is another story