74ventura

Im in the market for a used rx350, 2013-2015 and i have found one locally. It has nav , the interior i want and has 47k miles. They want 32000 obo. It has AWD and i dont know if that is something that ads significant value to the car later for resale. From what I can tell the fwd and awd are going for the same price. The car is for my wife, so she doesnt care if it has awd, but I think it would be nice to have.

F250

If it adds value for resale, you're going to experience the negative side of that equation as you make your purchase, obviously. You're also going to pay a slight mileage penalty every mile it's driven. That said, if you don't need it for winter driving, i would suggest that it's not worth the extra money.

tus

In TX I'm not sure if it adds any value, let's face it, a RX is not an off road vehicle where AWD/4WD is needed.

In the land of ice and snow where I live, it is something that many people will insist on, and pay extra for. When I started looking for a RX 450h, AWD was a must have option. I went through one winter in IL/WI without a 4WD/AWD vehicle and I decided I would never do it again. Although I only really need it a few times a year, it's something I will insist on having on my winter vehicles.

JT4

Since I live in NY I would only purchase an RX with AWD, so to me it's worth the extra money. But thinking about, even if I lived in a warmer climate (TX, CA etc) I would still purchase the AWD. Because even in the rain I would feel better knowing that my wife is driving an AWD vehicle.

F250

I had the exact same thought, JT4, when I was looking for what has become our 2010 RX450h a couple months ago. I ended up with FWD, though, because of my not being willing to wait any longer to secure a vehicle. I had been searching for 2-3 months, and it was simply time to do it. I barely missed an '11 AWD the two nights before I bought the '10 FWD. We do get some minor ice and snow every once in a while here in upper-mid Alabama, and due ot the inherent warm-thaw cycles and never frozen ground temps, even a slushy light snow fall can turn into a thinly veiled icy slick the next morning. Just imagine that scenario with a bunch of warm-natured Southerners who generally have NO CLUE about dealing with those kinds of road conditions!! Regardless, my wife will not venture out into that scenario, so I settled for the FWD. I would have made the same choice when I lived in SE Texas... preferring the AWD because of the extra drive contact on the road, but willing to settle for FWD if the other didn't fit my time and/or money goals.

lexus114

awd is great when it first starts to rain

5gears-IS

iTrader: (5)

Its is always better to have it than not to have it when you run into a situation that it would help you. Think of bad weather, off road, sand, mud, rain, snow, traction, handling, safety etc.....AWD is always superior so ask yourself why not have it for peace of mind?

I am sure your family's safety is priority no. 1 and AWD may be that extra layer of protection.

Also the added value is nice to have when its time to let go....

Just my two cents.

vlad_a

One thing to mention, though, AWD in RX350 is only used for starting and slow-speed driving. Once the RX gets going, it is FWD-only.

raylor4

I agree with you JT4. We live in CA and when it rains, the AWD Highlander is markedly more sure-footed than the FWD Lexus. But, the Lexus is my wife's car, her baby. She drives VERY conservatively, so nothing spins, pulls, wanders or jerks. She could drive to the moon on one set of brakes. Me, not so much.
Ray A.

raylor4

FWIW, in the rain, our FWD RX wheels spin on crosswalk paint when starting from a green light. After they regain traction, the front wheels tend to go amuck until they've settled down and decided to give both wheels equal time, so to speak. There's a word for this drivability phenomenon, but I forget. Maybe "sqirreley start" "pulling left and right" or something like that. BTW, this never happens when wife is driving, only when Mr. lead-foot drives.
Ray A.

Htony

We live in Alberta, 3 car family. All are AWD types(Lexus RX, Subaru, BMW). Today we had first snow of the season. Yesterday we all put on winter tires. We have separate rims/tires set. My car has Goodyear Ultra Ice, son has Nokian Akapellita, wife has Toyo. Summer tires are all Michelin. Living in snow and ice country, not having AWD and winter tires are foolish no matter how good driver you are. Initial price is also ~$2K higher with AWD option. Only thing I don't like on Lexus RX is TPMS. Every time switching tires, I have to register the TPMS id. back and forth to ECU. For this I useToyota TIS software loaded on my laptop with USB-OBD II cable.

Htony

In sudden emergency maneuvering situation AWD + good set of high quality tires win. Never skimp on tires.

Htony

On any car brand AWD costs more, ~$2K. Because added weight etc. loses some on MPG . It is useful in rain too.

Htony

Not really, in any speed AWD reacts when any wheel spin is detected. Minds you not all AWD is created equal. IMO, Subaru system is the best. Audi Quattro is pretty good, BMW X-drive is pretty slow. Honda one is bit laggy too. For best thing to have when really stuck is real 4x4 and winch, LOL!

JDR76

I believe you're referring to torque steer.