BarrettF77

Is it possible to get the F sport with the Mark Levinson sound system, the heads up display and the roof rails on the 2013 RX 350 In the United States?

CSSLDR

Up here in the NE every one has rails. However - no Mark levinson - can't even listen to compare.
For 50+K you only get to pick your color. Forget about HUD on an F-Sport - It's a myth.

You have to order the car.

I want an F Sport with no rails and a ML radio.

Good Luck........................to both of us.

shaolin

iTrader: (2)

I think in Canada it comes with ML but not sure if it has HUD. I do wouldl like to have ML just because it's 50k ish car.

corradoMR2

It puzzles me how the marketing gurus decide on packaging and options availability.

In Canada the major bummer is the F-Sport is $58K +freight + taxes = $70K comes as one model, and no possibility of getting BSM, pre-collision, or park assist. Not offered, not possible. You need to go for the 450h with the "Ultra Premium Package 2". We do get ML, HUD, heated/cooled seats, and NAV on the F-Sport and no roof-rails, though personally I'm happy about that and find the clean roof gives a sportier look.

BarrettF77

Thanks for the input guys! I'm considering ordering, but I think we have a car coming in that has everything but the HUD and the ML. Haven't seen a F Sport in with ML. So it may not even be possible in the US. So very odd how manuf. like to make regions not have the same options.

corradoMR2

The ML is nice but unless you're an audiophile, I'm sure the sound system just below will suffice. Also, it's nice to appreciate the quiet smooth ride of the RX with no music on once in a while. HUD is convenient but redundant to some degree and if you never had it, you'll be fine. If you sign on it and hope you do join the F-Sport family , please post in the F-Sport rollcall sticky thread and post pics!

BarrettF77

Will do. The plan is to buy both a RX 350 Fsport and a gs350 Fsport. We had been a German car household, but after Audi/VW had to be taken to court under lemon law we are down one car and trading the other we are making the switch. Certainly hoping for a much more luxury themed owner experience. Car companies have changed a lot over the last few years. And that has made cars that are still of interest very few. So I'm excited about getting into the brand. It's just a numbers game now and getting the cars right.

RGSW

You better drive both the RX 350 and the RX350 F Sport first before you decide. I did not like the black head liner and the write ups regarding the rough ride and no increase in performance. I purchased the RX350 with Sadle Leather Seats and black below the window level and gray headliner and the exterior in Sea Mica Blue. Blue was not my first choice, but I've grown to like it a lot. It's got 19" wheels and Nav.....

BarrettF77

I love the ride of the F Sport and I don't like the non F Sport front grille. To me it looks like a wagon the other way around. I love the seats, the firmness, and my wife who will be driving it loved it even more than I did. I'm ex-police and fast, firm, and stable are all things I value. The car while not fast, does handle well and the styling is fantastic out of the Lexus line.

But thanks for for heads up, always good to learn something new or see it from a different angle.

BlackVeil

I recently purchased the GS350 FSport w/ the ML stereo and love the car - however, if your musical tastes go beyound Jazz or Classical, the ML is a bit disappointing.

Dolphin

Just labored through all this myself... and it was a battle, hard to get information.... here is my findings and outcomes...

ML - must be special ordered, Lexus does NOT offer RX to dealers with ML... must be a custom order. I got it...and for $999, its a no brainer IMO...the sound quality is much improved...mainly because the stock stereo is mediocre at best... the volume is not overwhelming, but noticeable improvement in sound quality... I use the USB port with IPod connected, and with 256k files, their is still enough data in those files which the ML takes advantage of... glad I waited...

HUD - same, none on lots, only special order... IMO, again, well worth the extra money.... its very well done..the focus point appears as if the display is about 4ft in front of windshield... what I like most about it...as this is my first HUD... at night, you can turn off the Nav screen and and the dash lights, and simply use the HUD, as both Nav and speedometer is displayed very nicely.... the darkness of the interior on long night drives is a huge benefit as its much easier on the eyes not being distracted by lower lights. Otherwise, the HUD real benefit is keeping your eyes looking straight forward, a welcome safety feature IMO, even if you do not do much night driving. I am starting to value safety features more and more as I age :-)

Adaptive Radar Cruise - Again, special order ONLY, and forces a Japan build... 4-5 months. It can only be ordered on RX's with the horiz grille on the top, as the radar is behind the center "L" on the grille. So NO Fsports can have the adaptive radar cruise, as they have the upper honeycomb grille. But this option can be ordered with the F Sports appearance package, which is what I got, as it has the horiz grille on top and honeycomb below. It also can NOT be ordered with AWD, must be FWD....so that will be a deal breaker for some... I was OK with FWD, so had to move to FWD. So some limitations on which RX's can offer this option.

But in a nutshell, IMO, its the crown jewel of the RX....it performs flawlessly... 400 miles on the freeway, I never once put my foot on the gas or the brake, and traffic varied from 15mph to 75mph... just set it to your max. speed (digital set) and it takes over, just steer... u pre set how many car lengths you want in front of you , and it maintains that safety margin perfectly, while making it feel seamless. This combined with BSM are amazing stress reduces when in freeway traffic. This was well worth the wait for the custom order. Will never own a car without this option again. It also can reduce speeding tickets, as you won't mistakenly go to fast... as with reg. cruise, u constantly have it on and off. This feature IMO is so undersold by Lexus I just can't believe how well it performs.... I wasn't expecting much, but have been blown away.

When I asked the West Coast Lexus rep why these options are not avail. on cars on the lot...his response... its a budget minded car, and under 3% of buyers are willing to pay for these options, so they simply do NOT offer them for the dealer pickings...which Lexus determines, not the dealers. The good news, the destination charge on the rig did not increase, even though it was a Japan build. Kudos to Lexus on that one.... I think its the adaptive cruise and HUD that can only be installed in Japan....I know for sure the adaptive radar cruise, not positive about the HUD....

CSSLDR

Dolphin,

I compared the ML to the standard on two ES's today. Not enough difference. But the 12 speaker on the RX sounds too heavy on the base. I'm really upset that I cant listen to one (ML) in a RX to decide. Did you first listen to the 12 speaker or the 9?

BarrettF77

I wanted to update you guys. I ended up buying a FSport Starfire Pearl for the wife with everything but the hitch as a non build to order. No HUD or ML, which my GS 350 Fsport I just ordered WILL have on it. Wife didn't seem to care about these things and so we moved forward without. The other plus was the car already had Michellin tires on it which is a must in my household. Very pleased with the car so far and love the feel of it. Lexus has done a good job in the quality of the vehicle.

kitlz

Bass is actually weak in the RX, even with ML. Nothing a subwoofer or two couldn't fix. But I paid extra for ML so I wouldn't regret it. One member here (MEP7557) put dynamat/fatmat on the doors and in the cargo area. He said it made difference. I have yet to try it. And yes, ML was part of my special order along with HUD and pre-collision/dynamic laser cruise control.

Dolphin, interesting information you dug up there. I'll have to turn off the nav and dash lights sometime to see what it's like just relying on HUD.

Dolphin

I listened to the standard RX stereo.... not the ES....bad comparison IMO... RX struggles for speaker space. So the added 5 or 6 speakers on the ML is an improvement for sure. Just to be clear, the ML in the RX is not a killer stereo by any stretch....but for $999 upgrade, its well worth it... hell, a decent upgrade by 3rd party would be several thous. Sure, I would like it to be a bit louder and a stronger bass as others mentioned... a larger sub would provide the missing bass.. However, I would not be willing to give up any cargo space...

It appears ML system prevents volume from getting above the point where sound breaks up...so the volume with ML is not much greater than the factory, maybe the same...but sound quality is improved enough where i prob. will leave it alone.

Of course, not everyone cares about music..if you listen to talk, well, ML not worth it :-)