viperdoc

The big snow storm that rolled through the Rockies dumped quite a bit of snow on us here in Colorado. It was the first time I really got to test out my F sport's AWD system. I was interested to see how it handled 5-7 inches of powder, ice, and the hard packed stuff, given that there all kinds of videos out there showing how great the Acura MDX and BMW AWD systems are.

In short....very impressed. I have had to drive around quite a bit in the last 24 hours, through every type of snow/ice. I realize the tires have a lot to do with traction in snow, but the RX performed significantly better than any other car I have owned. Even at a stop light, on an incline, I didn't notice the first bit of slip when the light changed despite going through 2 inches of fresh snow on top of the hard packed stuff. I am obviously not going off road or doing anything really crazy, but the car definitely gives me a lot of confidence driving in these conditions

kitlz

Glad to hear, vipderdoc. I haven't been stuck in the 15 years of driving the RX. Freshly fallen, snow packed - it can tackle it all. Sometimes I go out during the bad storms when no one else is on the roads just for the fun of it. Even the piles left by plows are no problem. I can't count how many cars I've had to pass. Not to say I feel like I'm invincible. The RX does have its quirks on turns. Downshifting helps going down hills. So does having the right tires. Can't stress that enough.

Have fun and enjoy the snow. Colorado is beautiful when it snows. I definitely miss it.

Mors

I agree. I currently have a 2002 RX 300 and even way back then Lexus did something right with the ECT Snow button. I can definitely tell a difference when driving in that mode. Just seems much more solid and secure (not sure how to word that). I've read that it actually starts in 2nd gear and does some other things. It also appears that after you take the foot off the accelerator, it seems to slow down faster (as if the engine stays in a lower gear or something). At any rate, I feel more confident and relaxed while driving in that mode.