m1964

We are loooking for a replacment of my wife's Q5. Audi is a great driver, but where we live the roads are not very good, and it takes its tall on our backs. My wife is not very impressed by my RX350, and feels it has too much body roll and "bobbing". So far we elimitated X3 (too stiff), Evoque (too stiff, ride does not feel luxury), RDX ( steering lose, it "drifts" on the road comparing to Q5), Touareg ($50K and it does not ride very well).
She liked GLK350, but it is a little too low, and is on a "small" side - my wife gets in<->out of the car 12-20 times a day.
The vehicle has to go over some snow, so it has to be CUV/SUV/tall wagon w/ AWD.

We have not tested F-sport, but I wonder if anyone can post your impressions and possibly compare it to a "regular" RX.

Thanx a lot

corradoMR2

As an owner for almost 17 months now, I'll chime in.

In terms of ride comfort, the F-Sport is firmer than the regular RX with 19in wheels and the best way I can describe it is on your regular RX (19 in tires), set the tire pressure to 40 psi, compared to about 32 psi. You will feel the bumps a little more, but not nearly as stiff as the Germans. On smoother roads, the F-Sport is as smooth and quiet as the regular RX.

Body roll, the F-Sport is very tight with very little lean, less than the RX. In fact, I have just as much fun on the twisties with my RX as I do with my IS. As for overall handling, it is a little less nimble than the X3 and the Q5, mostly due to its 500 lbs+ weight over the Germans. The RX of course, is a longer, taller, and larger vehicle.

Highspeed stability and emergency lane changes is better than the regular RX thanks to the stiffer springs, shocks, and lateral performance dampers - which additionally smooth out small road imperfections. In fact, on these road conditions on a straight line, the F-Sport feels just as comfy as the regular RX, but more stable.

8-speed and paddle shifters adds to the pleasure of the drive. I drive with them everytime whether in "D" or "S". I upshift and downshift often - love it.

You'll also get a touch better fuel economy vs the regular 350 AWD thanks to the 8spd, about 1 mpg better overall city/hwy.

I believe you get the HUD like we do in Canada. Very nice feature you get used to and appreciate seeing your speed, directions, gear, radio station, etc at a glance on your windshield.

Of course, the only way for you to really know is test drive it yourself. One word of "caution". Lexus dealers love to overinflate tires. Everytime I service my cars, they set the PSI between 36-38. Before the test drive, ask for the tire pressure to be the same as what you normally drive with on your RX so you have a baseline to compare. Also, if the test vehicle has the Dunlop tires, they are a bit stiffer than the Michelins or Bridgestones so another thing to factor in.

Final comment, if you want to wait 8 months, the smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient, and expectedly more nimble NX 200t / 300h will be out for sale, similarly sized to the Q5 (maybe a touch smaller). Production model will be unveiled April 20 , Beijing auto show.

Good luck and keep us posted.

corradoMR2

Here are a couple of reviews that sum up the RX F-Sport nicely. NOTE: the first one has the Dunlop tires which make the ride firmer still and noisier than the Michelins I have.

dat dude

C pretty much summed it up for you.

kitlz

Excellent synopsis by corrado as usual. But I have to disagree about the Dunlops. I thought they were actually mushy. Tire wear (based on my experience) and noise (on the F-Sport I test drove) were both abysmal. There are much better tires out there like the Michelins.

m1964, based on your comment about the 350 taking a toll on your back and reviews on other SUVs, I'm not quite sure the F-Sport is the right choice. Sure, it has the tighter steering and less body roll. It absorbs railroad tracks and gaps in the road well. Even the black holes (aka potholes) are no problem. VDIM makes it stellar in the snow/slippery conditions. But you might find the ride stiff too, especially coming out of the 350. Sorry corrado.

Obviously you need to take an F-Sport out for a long test drive, preferably on the roads you travel, rather than listen to me. And definitely ask the dealer to check the tire pressure before you go. It makes a difference. Who knows, maybe the discomfort you experience in the 350 will be abated by the F-Sport's ride. It fits all your other requirements. I really hope it works because it's a fun car to drive. Good luck and I look forward to reading your impressions.

corradoMR2

^^Anita, I think the OP was referring to the Audi or the poor streets taking a toll on their backs, not specifically the 350. So if he's fine with the ride comfort of the 350, the F-Sport may still have a shot. Key thing for him as you mentioned as well is he test drives the F-Sport and not just around the block, but on the highway, curves, bumpy roads, etc.

kitlz

You're right corrado. It's way past my bedtime, LOL!

mjhdo1

I agree with Corrado's summation. I looked long and hard at the F-Sport but ultimately eliminated it for two personal reasons: only interior color choice is black (though may be able to get red in 2015), and I wanted the thigh support extensions only available with the luxury package, which cannot be had with the F-Sport package. I did test drive the F-Sport several times and it does handle better without being overly harsh. But I am coming from years of driving trucks and Jeeps, so that may give me a bias. I also looked hard at the Q5 3.0 gas and loved the way it handled, but found the RX to have significantly more useable space. Plus I don't have an Audi dealer within 300 miles.

m1964

Right, it is Q5's suspension and firm seats that are taking toll. I feel very "comfy" in my RX.
We already spent two weekends test driving, so in a couple of weeks we will test drive F-sport and GLK to finalize.

Thanks to everyone who replied and tried to help.

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

Just to give a differing opinion for the sake of giving one.

There is no 'real' difference between the two. The performance upgrades are minimal at best. You feel the road more in the RX350 because of the tighter suspension and larger wheels. But in actual perfomance, the f-sport is marginally better.

My key words are marginal and minimal. Any review of the F-Sport will contain one or both of these words. But because you 'feel' the road more, then it makes it a subjective argument where actual results are overlooked.

Would love to see some actual perfomance numbers of the two side by side but in my opinion, any professional driver on the track, skid plate or slalom test would get about the same numbers.

Based on your original post, it does sound like the F-Sport will fit your needs though. You want to feel like there is less body roll but still save your back from the harsh roads, the F-Sport will fit the bill. And will go over snow with AWD. Really depends on how much you want to feel the road you're driving on whether to go with the base 350 or F-sport.

rayaans

+1. My brother in law's wife has a Q7, used to have a Q5 before that but changed up due to having 4 small children. They handle well, but also have very stiff suspension. I came from a 2005 RX which was slightly scary to drive at 100+mph on the motorway. My F Sport definitely feels more stable and I have had no trouble driving with one hand at a steady 120mph cruise. Only when there's no traffic obviously.

m1964

Thanks a lot for you input. We will test drive at some point, of course.

TorontoRX

+1 on Corrado's write up.

Another possible difference......the 'regular' RX350 takes regular gas,not sure if the F-Sport takes premium? Someone pls confirm.

This has been a great source of happiness for me every time I pull into a gas station.

JDR76

Both the F Sport and non-F Sport use regular unleaded.

Sandi_k

When I was looking, I drove 18 cars/CUVs/SUVs. That included the Audi Q5/Q7 and BMW X5 (too harsh), and the Acura MDX/RDX (MDX I hated the interior, felt too enclosed, RDX too small).

I refused to test drive the VWs - reliability was #1 on my list of requirements.

I loved everything about the RX350, EXCEPT the body roll. So it sounds like your wife and I have similar tastes.

I find the regular RX350 to be "just right" in its sizing, interior design (I could actually reach all the panel controls without reaching over too much while driving); I liked its seats (they're long enough to support my legs properly on long drives); I liked the cargo space, etc. But I couldn't get past the handling and cornering. After much dithering, I ORDERED the RX350 with sport suspension, without ever test-driving one.

When I first drove it home, both DH and I were not pleased - it rode a lot harder than I expected. (Both of us have had spinal surgery, so ride quality was also important). I called up my salesman, and inquired about things to soften the ride. We were told springs, shocks, and tires. Probably $1500-$2k worth of changes.

I decided to live with it, and see how I adapted. At two years, I replaced the OEM Dunlops. That made a significant difference. I have found that: 1) it still rides hard on bad roads. Now that I'm living in a more rural area, I certainly feel the harshness on the bad roads. 2) However, the car is great for longer trips, since the highways are in much better repair.

Would I buy the sport suspension again? Honestly, probably not - because my daily commute (4 days per week) is now 110 miles RT, and having a softer ride would probably make more sense than it did when I was commuting 30 miles per day.

The RX F-Sport might be tuned differently than mine, especially since my car is now 4.5 years old. But I would highly recommend that you take it on an extended test drive (some dealers will allow overnight test drives, and if you could arrange such a thing and go on an overnight 3 hours away, I'd do it!).

Best of luck! And keep us posted!

Sandi