Daddy-O

Well said...It is a thing of beauty.

...But that aluminum dash...I'd like to see a wood kit for it.

Arty101

I just saw a new 4 Runner Sport Edition (03?) with the same aluminum bezel around the center console. I would also prefer to see wood to better distinguish it from the standard Toyota line. Isn't that what differentiates the luxury from the rest?

lexguynj

Maybe Aluminum and metals are the new luxury, since you see them in luxury items like phones, watches, computer lab tops, it gives off that hi-tech feel, such as with Titanium, etc......it makes things looks futuristic, where as wood trim is nice, but maybe it's so year 2000!

xsfo

I like the metallic look for those reasons. Hi-tech, modern, etc.
That look usually means brushed aluminum or stainless steel.
Unfortunately in the new RX, it's really plastic coated with a metallic
looking enamel. When you tap it, it feels and sounds like plastic.

And you will feel it because it's the front console is also the control
panel for the stereo and A/C. In fact, the console feels like the front
panel of an Emerson/GPX/Tozai/Coby/Yorx/Sampo bookshelf stereo.
In other words, it feels unsubstantial and cheap. If that's the case,
I'd prefer the oldfashion "wood" interior.

vicpai

When I test drove the RX the other day, I was shocked and surprised that the engine sounded so noisy!! Noisier than the old RX (my cousin drives a 2001 model). By comparison, my MDX engine sounds like it's buried under a 100 layers of goose down!! (same goes for the new 4Runner V8 - ultra quiet, but the 4Runner V6 engine is NOISY!! ....and BTW the GX470 engine is very quiet) .....I'm beginning to wonder (and seem to be comming to the conclusion) that Toyota/Lexus engines equipped with VVT-i are the ones that sound NOISY and COARSE!!

Surprisingly, just about an hour or so back I posted about this unacceptable engine noise in the MDX forum, and then I come here and see this post mirroring what I just felt .......At least I know I'm not imagining things!! .......see link below:


http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showt...threadid=10996

lb535

Lexus is quite upfront about going out of their way to avoid the soccer-mom kid-hauler look with the new RX 330. The sloped rear window and the small triangular rear-quarter window are there to make it obvious that there's no 3rd-row seating. Lexus is trying hard to market the RX to young singles and couples without kids. Although parents make up the bulk of SUV buyers, Lexus careful avoided using the words "kid", "child" or "children" anywhere in the RX 330 brochure (except to note the child-seat anchors in the specifications page and such). And with one exception, there are no pictures of kids either. Even references to childhood are avoided, like showing a cartoon character on the rear-seat DVD screen. Contrast that to the new brochure for the new Toyota Sienna van, which all but shouts from every page that if you don't have preschoolers in tow, this vehicle isn't for you. Never mind that something like the Sienna Limited AWD would be a dandy vehicle for a single childless guy like myself who needs to occasionally carry 4x8's, guitar amps, appliances, or furniture, but more often needs seating for friends, family, or adult carpoolers, and at all times wants a smooth-riding, quiet ride and car-like handling. Indeed, it drives much like a plus-size RX, not surprising since it shares the same platform, engine, transmission, AWD system, steering, nav/rear camera, and most mechanical components.

About that engine noise - the new Sienna with the same engine made the same noises, and my drive in an RX 330 confirmed that this is one of Toyota/Lexus's roughest engines of late. It's not so much the volume level, but the rough, unrefined sound quality that bothered me.

I was told that stubby antenna is for the Lexus Link (read: OnStar) telematics and/or communication with the nav system satellites, not for radio reception.

EGainer

the antenna is for gps/nav/lexus link. my dads 02ls430 has it and he also has the wired into the rear windshield radio antenna

SC300Es

To everyone who have negative feelings about any new car including this. Why don't you wait and purchase it next year? Many cars get many more improvements in their second year. If being the first one on your block to own a new model is important, then there is no way of avoiding the new car quirks..

just my .02..

YWW

My wife and I also went for a test drive and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to drive 3 new RX330 and 1 new RX300 as comparision. The 3 new RX330 include one with the standard 17-in wheels, another with optional 18-in wheels and one with Performance package that includes the 18-in wheel and air suspension. My wife will be the primary driver. Since my mom has a 2-yr old RX300, we are very familiar with the RX. Here are our observations:

Seat cushion: I believe LexusPia mentioned that his wife had problems with it. Well, my wife who is 5'5" has problems adjusting the driver seat cushion to a comfortable position. She has no problem in the old RX300 and dealer confirms the new seat is indeed deeper on the 330 than the 300. I think Lexus lengthened the cushion to accommodate tall drivers which of course creates a problem for shorter people. Not sure why they did that because the old seat was extremely comfortable and accommodating for short and tall people. Since the majority of the drivers are women, I believe Lexus is making a mistake for making this cushion longer.

18-in tires and air suspension: The RX330 with the larger tires (no air suspension) seems to ride firmer and noisier on the road than the standard 17-in wheels. The one with the Performance option that comes with the bigger tires and air suspension gives an even firmer ride. It reminds me of the BMW X5. My wife wanted the air suspension and I wanted the 18 tires but after our test drive both of us are now convinced not to get either because the typical Lexus ride is not there anymore. The dealer said higher tire noise and slightly firmer ride from the big tires is a common occurence on any vehicles. The dealer said also the larger tires will wear out much faster because of the softer compound. Those big tires are not cheap!

Visibility: Like some of you have mentioned the visibility out back and the side is very bad as compared to the old RX300. We didn't have problem with the old RX but had a hard time seeing out on the new RX. My dealer said the new slanted rear design contributed to this problem.

Engine noise: We too have noticed this higher engine noise during high acceleration as compared to the old RX300. The dealer agrees the noise is much higher than normal and thinks something is wrong with these early production models since all 3 we drove exhibited this high engine noise. Normal acceleration is fine.

Transmission: Before we even started the test drive, our dealer warned us somewhat of the gears tend to "hunt" a bit in the new 5-speed auto transmission. Yes, we definitely noticed that but it is tolerable. Not sure whether that has something to do the final gearing ratio.

Our conclusion after our test drive is to wait a bit to make sure some of the bugs are worked out. On the whole it is a much improved SUV over the old one but there are some areas that can possibly cause some problems with some drivers. Be sure to test drive it thoroughly and if possible drive an old RX300 for a good comparison.

lb535

FWIW, the RX 330 I drove (18" wheels, no air suspension) was slightly quieter than the RX 300 that was driven for comparison, especially during fast acceleration. It still wasn't as quiet as I'd expect a Lexus to be though. I'd expect 18" wheels to hurt the ride (but help handling) some, since the tire sidewall height is reduced to compensate and allow the overall tire diameter to remain about the same. But larger diameter wheels and tires don't necessarily lead to more noise. Although high-perfomance low-profile tires tend to be noisier than comfort-oriented higher profile tires, there are some hi-perf low-profile tires that are very quiet.

The rear-side visibility problem is due in part to a styling trick that Lexus is using. They want it to appear that the rear window is very sloped, as on a hatchback. But actually sloping the rear window that much reduces cargo area height and perhaps rear headroom. So the rear hatch door and windows aren't actually as severly sloped as it first appears, especially on light-colored RX 330s. The hatch door is not as sloped as the triangular rear-side window or the hatch door cutout, and they've painted the top of the hatch door black and wrapped the window around to disguise this. The black spoiler also helps disguise the longer roofline. But this results in a very thick pillar when viewed from the inside.

Arty101

Yeah, I can appreciate the high tech look too. But couldn't they use something else other than the same silver panel found on the 4Runner? Or even maybe carbon fiber? The silver plastic just looked a little too cheap and out of place with all the wood and leather in the car, particularly with the wood steering wheel.

Just my 2 cents.

Art

Cadd

I agree.

rogerh00

two thumbs up!

Well, I'm happy to hear Lexus has designed a seat for the more average driver. Being 6'-1" I'm interested in testing this new model now. Maybe Lexus is trying to shed the soccer mom image. It seems a lot of posts are from husbands letting us know what their wives think. I'd be interested in knowing what they thought as far as comfort is for larger prime drivers.
Maybe Lexus should should offer different size seats as an option?

j4ydubs

Our 330 is the wife's car (mine's a Durango), but I do drive it. I'm 6'4" and have no problems with seat size, leg room, or head room (with rear seatback reclined a bit). It feels at least as roomy as my Durango, if not a little better. Rear seat leg room is also better than the Durango (but the Durango has a 3rd row seat).

John

lexuslover

I did not notice the changes to the seat length as much as the seat back. I feel like the seat is more "fitted" that before. But then again, I'm 5'7". I find the seats to be very comfortable. My back just feels a lot more secure against the seat, and I don't really feel like I'm sliding around as much . . . But maybe that's also because of the reduced body sway/roll in the 330.

I liked the seats in the 300 very much, but they definitely didn't "hug" as nicely as the new 330. I can tell that the seat length is slightly longer by feeling where it reaches the back of my legs, so I can see why shorter women might be annoyed.

From a woman's perspective, I know that comfort is pretty much #1 when it comes to women buying luxury cars . . . which is why I've always chosen Lexus over BMW and MB. Although I love the styling on those cars, the ride is quite harsh for me . . . I prefer the soft, supple ride of Lexus. But I give Lexus credit this time around to making a small step towards "fitted" seats for sportier feel.