MellonC00

I thought I'd do a bit a compare and contrast between the original RX model which I still own to this day vs. a 2013 model. 01 is the AWD model with a real center shaft and 13 is the hybrid AWD which is, well, different. I drive in the crazy city of Los Angeles where there are Spider Man and Wonder Woman walking down the street every day, really there really are these characters on the street and people cut you off for having 1 car length between vehicles in traffic. And for some reason, some people don't stop when police flashes their sirens and get shot or get sent to jail. So, stop and go doesn't apply here. It's more like Brake Assist and ABS kicking in and go type of traffic. Oh, and the highway traffic is more like ride your brake-way traffic. And the road condition is worse than the roads in the movie Mad Max.

I don't evaluate cars like magazines do due to this crazy driving environment. so my review might be different from some of you living in a more hospitable environments:

Earlier models of Lexus was all about noise suppression and the 01 model didn't disappoint in that regard. In fact, all things were suppressed to the point that only thing I heard was wind noise. compared to the 13 model the engine noise is actually lower and sounds smoother with the 01 model. Yet, the wind noise on the older model is much louder. the 13 model, however, has infrequent bouts of wind noise irregularly hitting the car. Engine sound (due to hybrid weirdness) is somewhat, well, harsh (cacophony of ICE, MG1 and MG2, I guess)

room inside of the car. the 13 model is roomier. the trunk floor space is noticeable larger. The total volume seems larger too. Seat spaces seems a little tight on height for the rear passengers. but my golfing buddies will suffice just fine. My typical rule is the 4 large sweaty guys after 18 holes golf should not touch their thighs or shoulders. the 13 model meets this requirement as did the 01 model.

Floor mats suck on the 13 model. it doesn't cover the entire floor. this is probably due to the unintended acceleration fiasco. I'll get new ones from Lloyds.

Navigation system sucks on Lexus. doesn't matter what year. I use iphone and google maps. 'nuff said.

the Stereo sucks on the 13 model. (I don't have the ML system). the 01 model was much, much better. the 13 model has a huge push around 100 - 200 hz area and around 10K hz. then drops off rapidly after that. it also has weird profile around higher voice frequencies. female singers sound thin...... very thin and male voice sound like they got testosterone shots. I'll replace just the front speakers and see what happens.

The 01 model had a weird tint color in the back. no one liked it. well, the 13 model has a darkish, or charcoal grey or black color. Yet, this doesn't really match any after market 3M or Llumar flim color (when trying to match the front sides). Another Lexus uniqueness, I suppose.

the 13 model lacks a climate control button that turns the AC off while keeping the auto mode. Very odd engineering/design decision.

the 13 model that I have possesses 19 inch wheels vs the 16s on my 01 model. on the old model, there is the Lexus magic carpet ride where you don't really feel much of small little road imperfections. I expected the 19s too be much worse. but that is not the case. it still has a good isolation from small bumps. the only thing that bothers me is the side to side transitions on roads like Topanga Canyon (twisty canyon road in LA area) where weight gets shifted around. the darn hybrid battery weight posses a challenge on the new model. All in all, the 13 model handles better than I thought. I may also add that even with disastrous and horrible road conditions of LA, the suspension has yet to bottom out.

traction: the 01 RX was a champ. it handled snow, rain and mud with no problem. even when we went up to the high altitude mountain regions of sierra nevada where there were 6 inches of snow on the ground, it didn't need chains. no problems getting going and only a tiny problem stopping. handling was OK too. The 13 model, spins its wheels on starting with a wet pavement. I couldn't believe it. Mrs. MellonC's car, which is a front wheel drive, spins its wheels right at that spot too until its traction control kicks for a second, then, the car loses power for a second, and it eventually recovers. that whole episode takes about 2 seconds in that car - Infiniti - (don't buy). On the 13 RX, it spins just the like the Mrs. MellonC's car but it recovers quicker. I think this has something to do with my rear traction motor, perhaps not kicking in quickly enough or not having enough torque. In any case, my 01 RX AWD, doesn't even flinch. Any wheel-spin, if it took place wasn't long enough to be noticeable.

Torque. 13 wins this category easily with a caveat. The torque is not instantaneous. There is a literally a split second before the ICE takes over from MG1 and MG2. It's not that great for escaping an aggressive pan handlers wanting to wash your windshield. Once the ICE kicks in, though, it's got good acceleration making all that Hoover vacuum cleaner noise from power plant combo with hybrid.

Seat comfort: 01 model had better seats. it's not Benz or Volvo comfortable (two best seats in the business IMHO) but it was fine. The 13s lack padding. My butt bone hurts. In the process of getting sheepskin pads. also the 01 RX had much better headrests that tilted back and forth. the 13s don't do that.

on the 13s, the darn SOS button takes the whole ares where sunglasses need to go. I'm sure Lexus made some marketing money with the company that provides the service. Reminds me of facebook and MS Windows 10 where everything is filled with third party products.

01 RX didn't have rear view screen when backing out. the 13 rx has one. not much to say but it's useful. but it should really have a 360 view monitor like that of Mrs. MellonC's (Infiniti - don't buy that brand).

the side mirrors on the 13s shake when going over bumps. a silicone mount inside should prevent mirrors from shaking. the 01 RX is rock steady. what gives???

the part wood steering wheel on the 13s have multi function capability. Yet, the wood or plasti wood, sucks when actually using it in your hands. I nearly got blisters trying to parallel park the car on a busy street. the 01 RX had a nice wheel that was all leather wrapped (Silversport version) and felt great. I'm going to get perforated leather covers from wheelskins.

Paint quality: 01 RX had really awesome thick paint. You could polish again and again and it looked good. Can't recall how many times I buffed out small scratches without damaging the paint. I don't have great data on the 13 RX except to say that I couldn't buff out a small blemish using a medium harsh compound. More data points needed. In any case, I'm covering the bumper, hood, fender, mirrors and lights with Xpel film.

the brakes feel different on the 13 RX due to the hybrid system. I will test this out more and report back to the hybrid section of the forum. it's not fair to say anything now. needs more time.

same with MPG. on the 01 RX, the max I ever achieved was 22 mpg. Mostly I got anywhere between 19 to 19.5 mpg until my car got about 200K miles. Now it gets around 18.5 or so. The 13 RX just got 19.3 on the first tank. again I'll reserve my comments and report back to the hybrid forums after 2 to 3 refueling.

JDR76

Thanks for the extensive write-up. I enjoyed reading it.

What stereo system does your 13 have? There were three systems available - base, premium, and Mark Levinson.

For traction, I do think the first gen was a great setup and quite capable, but the 13 should do well. If you're spinning a wheel in the rain, I would look no further than the tires. Are they comparable between your 2001 and your 2013? My 13 RX350 never had that issue, and nor does my current Highlander Hybrid.

Agree with you on the steering wheel. I was lucky in finding an RX with the full leather steering wheel, which I greatly preferred.

Enjoy your two RXs!

MellonC00

My neighbor said, "after 15 years you bought the same car with same color both inside and out? You have issues......."

I don't know what stereo system I have for the 13 model. I think there are 11 speakers..... is that regular or premium???. I was searching for ML system but they were asking too much for it.

As for the traction issue, I'll report back after my first dealer visit. There is something going on with my rear MG. Putting it simply, I don't think it's doing what it is supposed to be doing. My mpg is pretty bad too. Sort of explains why my battery is never full even after straight coasting from 2000 ft altitude. However, this is all speculation for now. I'll report back with its own thread after my first visit.

The steering wheel I'm trying model is the http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-e36-e31-...BXeA-J&vxp=mtr it was either 4 1/2 or 4 3/8 inch rim circumference. The 13 RX uses 4 1/8 diameter which is OK but not what I consider beefy.... I am hoping that the leather wrapped steering wheel with this - http://www.autoanything.com/steering...A3792A0A0.aspx would come out pretty nice. If not, it's a small amount of money for a weekend project. (you have to sew this yourself and you need strong hands to pull the strings through......Mrs. MellonC will not do this). I'll take a pic and post later (either good outcome or bad outcome).

jdlierle

I'm looking for a used (likely Lexus RX), any suggestions appreciated. Looking for something comfortable, from why reading, many have commented on the harder seats. I NOTICED that greatly on 2014 gs 300, they did not feel good at all, where as the es300 and rx 350 felt good, well really good after riding in gs 300

MellonC00

This is an RX thread but you should consider 2011 and 2012 LS. A higher mileage car with perhaps 65k or so should only set you back 30k to 35k without all the bells and whistles. 2012 model was the last year for the LS without the new ugly grille. It's a rock solid car with reasonable maintenance costs. MellonC Sr. Had that car. One time I drove it for a week with city and highway traffic and got 20.2mpg. I paid absolutely no attention to the mpg or my driving style. It's actually not as big as the 7 series and S class. Thus, more manageable.