Rocket55

I'm new here and new to the Lexus brand.

I tested and really liked the 2015 RX 350 F Sport.

The reviews I found are positive overall. They also say that there is not much to the driving experience.

What are your thoughts?

What type of crowd buys the 350 and the F sport?

I did notice the F Sport roll call thread, so I know it's a popular car with some of the members here.


I think the car is nice and the F Sport is really cool looking.

I apologize in advance if this question has come up before or if I'm being redundant with this post.

viperdoc

I looked at all the main competitors to the RX F sport before buying- the acura MDX, the audi Q5 (the Q7 was too big), and the BMW X3 (again, the X5 seemed too big to be a good competitor). I liked the F sport the best (obviously which is why I bought it). But what I noticed was that the fit/finish was typical lexus, as was the quietness of the cabin. Then there was the reliability, which beats Audi, Acura and BMW hands down. The ride was better too. While the F sport does have a firmer suspension than the base RX, it wasn't as a firm as the Audi or BMW. The MDX's was softer but it handled much worse IMO, more on that in a second. But you could get the reliability, fit/finish and quietness benefits in a regular RX, so why the F sport?

Well, compared to the base RX, the F sports transmission made the car much more responsive in the lower gears. Even my wife felt the difference when she drove both variants of the RX. And while the suspension was firmer, we both felt the ride was better than the base model- much less vibration in the F sport when going over road imperfections (apparently due to the dampers that are specific to the F sport). I will also say that after owning it over the past year, the F sport feels very planted when driven aggressively. In fact, I think it rides better the faster it goes. I am not carving corners or taking it to the track, but the car maintains its superb ride even at highway speeds and off/on ramps.

I also bought a 2014 MDX a few months ago to replace our minivan, and I can say that the MDX is very nice, but the F sport is nicer car. The interior quality is significantly better- 14 months in the F sport and no squeaks/rattles, etc. 3 months in the MDX and those are already showing up. The lexus is quieter, even though the MDX uses active noise cancellation technology to quiet the cabin. THe seating position in the Lexus is much better as well. The ride is better in the Lexus too, principally when it comes to handling and road vibration/harshness. The MDX has a softer suspension, but that just makes it feel like it lumbers around corners and gives much more body sway around turns. The F sport drives much more nimbly, and feels like a signficantly lighter car....but I looked it up and the MDX is actually 300lbs LIGHTER than the F sport! I was very surprised because the MDX drives more like a minivan. I don't have as detailed a comparison to the Audi and BMW, since I only drove those once, but my overall impression was that those two cars weren't as enjoyable to drive.

My only complaint of the F sport is one that is easily fixed, I have found. That is the electronic mapping of the transmission. When slowing down, like coming to a stop sign or taking a turn, I have found that the tranny remains in a gear that is one too high for the speed I am going. So that after a rolling stop (i make sure it's safe) or a slow turn, when you push on the gas pedal, the car needs to downshift to feel like you are in the correct gear. I have fixed this by simply flipping the paddle shifter on the left to downshift when starting the my turn. Some would be annoyed at having to do this, but for me, i don't mind and it makes the car a bit more engaging to drive. It isn't necessary, as the car will still go just fine, I just prefer for it to feel more responsive coming out of a turn or after a stop stop sign when I don't completely come to dead stop. If you come to a dead stop, the car will be first gear, and I don't notice an issue. But I would drive the car again with this in mind and see if you mind it.

RGSW

The black interior, including the headliner was a turnoff for me. My last two RX350s have "Saddle" interior with grey headliner.. I did not care for the 'firmer" "F" ride v.v. the regular RX. I specified Michlein tires and they switched them out at no charge.

kitlz

Rocket55, welcome to CL. It sounds like you have your mind made up on the F-Sport already. I'm not sure what else we can tell you other than test drive a regular RX if you haven't already for comparison. And if you still feel the same way about the F-Sport, go for it. It is a pretty cool looking RX. Best of luck.