dalezjc

Okay, I wanted to wait until the "honeymoon phase" is over with before I gave a review of our RX-350. We traded in our Infinit G-35 for a 2011 RX-350. We've had our RX-350 now for about 3 months and here's our first impressions:

PROs:

- Fantastic ride. For a large vehicle, I was expecting a more stiff ride, but this really rides nice.
- Engine performance: fantastic. Again, for a large vehicle, I didn't think it would be this responsive to the gas pedal. Wow, was I wrong. Very pleased with the way this drives in traffic, as well as on the Interstate.

Bluetooth: So the BT works well when paired with my smartphone; no issues.

CONs/Annoyances:

- NAV system: Where do I start. From a ergonomic/usability perspective, it leaves a lot to be desired. The voice command input is practically useless. We were looking for a street called Orion, and it kept trying to find street names of Hoylake or Holyoke. Yeah, I can see the confusion. We ended up using direct input to enter the street name. We decided to just use the real-time Map function one day, but what a pain that was. First, there's no real easy way to display just the Map (at least initially). We tried various functions and various combinations of buttons, and finally we got it to display. However, the 2nd day we used it, we noticed the little compass indicator had the NORTH pointer looking EAST! So even though we were actually going NORTH, it was indicating a direction of EAST. After we stopped the car and restarted it, the pointer reset itself. But it sure looks purdy...

Yes, we've looked through the manual/user guide for some of these issues, but a 200-page user guide just for the Nav system? Seriously? Again, this a reflection of the poor user interface design. We're still using our trusty smartphone with Google Maps for navigation and it works flawlessly, without a 200-page manual. Yeah, it can find restaurants and grocery stores too.

Seat Settings: When it works, it's nice. Though we have two Fobs, we only use one because my Wife drives the car most of the time, so I just use her Fob. Her Fob is set to her preferences and it works for me as well, but when we get in the car, sometimes it sets everything to her preferences and sometimes it doesn't. Who knows why.

(Sun)-glasses holder (lackthereof). This is just a nit, but it would be nice if there was in a holder for glasses in the upper console.

Audio System: Given the amount of speakers, I'd like to have a little more control of the sound, but the lack of even a rudimentary EQ control is baffling.

Bluetooth: So I also have a Cowon D3 MP3 player because sometimes I'd rather not listen to my Pandora stations. In any case, the MP3 player is Bluetooth-capable, but it only connects to the audio system, maybe two out of 10 times. Really annoying. I've sat in the driveway for hours trying to figure it out, but no luck.

USB/AUX: I figured that since the Bluetooth feature wasn't working, I'd use the USB/AUX feature. Alas, this only works about 6 out of 10 times. Oh yeah, once it's working, don't turn off the car because it won't work again without fiddling with it for 20 minutes or so. Now, before you assume that the MP3 player is the culprit, bear in mind that the MP3 player works flawlessly with my $90.00 cheapo stereo in my Subaru that has Bluetooth and USB/AUX features.

USB/AUX Connector: Wow. The location of the USB ports were definitely an afterthought. Who in their right mind would put the connector at the bottom of the center console and only accessible after you remove both trays? The engineer that designed this should be sent to work at the Kia factory.

Clock: Just a nit, but the digital clock also seemed to be an afterthought. Is it functional? Of course, but just not something that says "I'm a Lexus!".

Keyless Entry: Very cool just to be able to walk up and hold the door handle to unlock the door. But alas, it only unlocks the driver side. When my Wife is with me, I still have to get out the Fob to unlock her door. Yeah, I know, it's probably a safety feature. Please.

There's a guy I work with that has a 2011 Toyota Venza (the RX equivalent), and his Venza has rear seating ventilation/heating controls, yet mine doesn't. WTF? I would have thought the low-end Lexus (whatever model) would outshine its Toyota equivalent.

Bottom line: If we had to do it all over again, we'd probably get the Infiniti FX model.

markrivers

I agree with some of your "CONS" especially the absence of the sunglass holder, which used to be there in previous models until they put in Lexus Enform.
As with Navigation, they're all the same, even with the Germans, 2-3years behind your portable Garmin/ Tomtom that you can buy at Best Buy, cost less and have lifetime free map updates.
Have you used destination assist? E destination? I love them. Although it's paid subscription after the 1 yr trial.

Basically, you push a button, get connected to a live person, tell him/her where you want to go OR even ask her where's the nearest Italian place etc and everything gets loaded to the Navi.
I know most people don't renew their subscription after the trial, but it's really handy than doing the navigation manually.

As for the sound system, it's the 40 cubic feet of cargo that's killing the bass.
You need to upgrade to a 3rd party ( even the Mark Levinson is weak in this dept).
BUT based on the kind of music im listening to, it's ok.

As for the USB/ Aux connector inside the center console, did you get the extension cords for the 12v outlet and the USB? The 2011 comes with 2 extension cords. The 2013 didn't.

Re keyless entry
You can program it to open all doors OR
Just open the passenger door first, and all 4s will unlock. ( your wife/gf/bf will thAnk you for it!)

nmtomcat

I use the cup holder on the left side of the dash for my sunglasses. Works great!

sandy14

But if the sunglasses are $500 prescriptions there's the fear they will get scratched. I put mine in a soft glasses case and tuck it under the visor.
Not perfect but I would still choose the RX over anything else.

CapeDave

I believe there is a setting somewhere to make all 4 doors open when you approach the car. I am the only driver and that is what happens. Did it awhile ago and forget how. A very common occurrence at 62

nmtomcat

I put my $26 sunglasses in their case, in the cup holder.

sandy14

Now that's a good idea. I'll try that. Thanks

raylor4

Seat Settings: When it works, it's nice. Though we have two Fobs, we only use one because my Wife drives the car most of the time, so I just use her Fob. Her Fob is set to her preferences and it works for me as well, but when we get in the car, sometimes it sets everything to her preferences and sometimes it doesn't. Who knows why. dalezjc

Seats will go to the previous settings no matter which fob is used unless you program the seats to the fob, then the fob has to be pressed from outside the car, per another poster.
Anyway, to get two different seat settings, refer to your owner's manual on page 70, Driving Position Memory. My wife is #1 and I am #2 on the door.
I agree with all your cons, but we love the car anyway. We don't have nav. Like you, we find Google and Siri on the iPhone much better and easier. Caveat: data minutes get used up quickly.
Happy motoring.
Ray A.

JDR76

I'm not sure how much different the 2011 nav is versus that of our 2013 model, though I do know 2013 added Enform and I don't believe the 2011 has that. Not sure what other differences there are.

We really haven't experienced any of the nav frustrations that others write about on here. Voice commands work decently, for all but the very odd or complex street names. However, I usually just use eDestination or send the address from my phone.

We've used the nav both around town and on longer trips. It has done a fantastic job of giving us our route, diverting us around traffic, and has been remarkably accurate in estimating arrival times.