rxonmymind

Well said.
I'd gladly spend $7k for my sanity and my wife's vs years of daily misery and hatred for something I do not want. This was the case with the Mazda 6 which I bought for my wife and from that day forward the little things started to aggravate us. Me having to crane my neck sideways often times hitting my head to get into the car from her driving height as she's only 5'4 to the black seats. I have big legs (cycle a lot)and the steering wheel would be at her height which I couldn't even get in. It was a miracle to find a car that with a press if a button would remember your driving position and not hit my head getting I to the car. We paid substantially more to upgrade but worth it.

TechNut

I have been watching this thread with some interest, but have refrained from saying anything since I already commented in a similar/previous thread. I would like to share a couple of my thoughts however. First and foremost, we think the ride is terrific in our 2013 RX 350. It has an excellent balance of not being too cushy and not being too harsh - based on our expectations for an SUV. For the record, we have the 19" rims and the Michelin tires. I think we all bring different expectations to the table and my expectations are an based on what I expect from an SUV, not a large luxury sedan. We also owned a 2004 RX 330 and after really thinking about it, I do believe the ride in this 2013 RX may be slightly firmer than the MY 04, but not so much that we even really noticed. So my point is simply that we think the RX offers an excellent SUV ride - from our perspective.

The second point is that my wife and I carpool in a Prius. So keeping in mind that our daily driver is a Prius, that naturally becomes the main vehicle we use for comparison when we take the RX out on weekends. With that comparison, the RX has a fabulous ride and is extremely quiet. Again, our perceptions depend on what we are comparing it to, and what our expectations are based on.

My third and final point is simply this: If you don't like it, I would strongly encourage you to trade it in for a vehicle that you do like. Make sure you give it a good thorough test drive and go for it. As someone else here already stated, life is too short to live with those kinds of regrets.

It sounds like others have offered advice as to things you should look at and test to make sure your vehicle is optimized for the best ride quality and I have nothing new to offer there. If none of those ideas pan out for you, it sounds like it is time to go shopping for a vehicle that meets your ride requirements. I know you may have some regrets over the loss of equity, but the longer you delay the greater that loss so I would encourage you to move quickly.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Doug

pamiboy

When I was searching for a new car in the beginning of this year, I test drove an RX 350 (presumably a 2013 model) along with an ES 350, and I thought the ride was too rough and harsh for my expectations (was expecting the buttery silky ride Lexus was known for). I don't know if the issue was with that particular car only or not. I didn't try any further with Lexus and looked elsewhere. I ended up getting a Mercedes E class and love it so far.
Like someone suggested, life is too short not to enjoy a new car ....so get the new RX you wanted and keep us posted. Thanks.

CapeDave

Sweet ride, congrats. Choosing a car is anything but easy.

pamiboy

Absolutely correct. During the search several different cars may end up on top of the list and you may end up buying what you didn't imagine in the beginning. I understood the advantage of lateral thinking only recently.
Back to our thread. Any story that ends with "....and he drove away in a brand new car" brings a smile to all of us. ( In the past it used to be ..and they lived happily ever after) .

Park 10 ...we are awaiting the end of this thread.

bkett27027

You deserve a better ride than you're getting....Lexus is a great product and you should indeed be rewarded for making the purchase. That you also have a Highlander says that you know what to expect from an SUV but you paid a premium for Lexus. There is something wrong. If the dealer won't talk to you, take it to the district manager or above. There's no excuse for a rough, tight ride in an RX350. I just bought a 2010 and I love the ride and responsiveness. It's a step above anything I've driven before. Stick with it and get it worked out.

garygve

You can have a hard ride because of the tire brand and pressure. I tried a 2015 RX350 that had a hard rough ride with 19" Dunlop tires, I stopped and checked the pressure and it was at 42# after lowering them down to the recommended 32# it rode much better. I bought that car and still thought it should ride better. I ended up trading the tires in for Bridgestones and now it rides like a luxury SUV should. So you need to make sure its not the tires or the pressure giving you a harsh ride.

CapeDave

Which Bridgestones?

garygve

The Bridgestone Dueler 422 Ecopia. Here is a review from Tire Rack.

Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia (Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season) Reviewer's Overall Rating: Not Rated


2010 Lexus RX 350 FWD More Tire Reviews for This Vehicle
No Photo Available Buy/More Info
Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia
Miles driven on tires: 100
Location: BOCA RATON, FL
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2014

2010 RX350 Bumpy Ride Suspension Issues Finally Solved with Bridgstone Ecopia 422's

Compared to original Bridgestone 400's, these tire are a big improvement in ride comfort, quality and performance.

Tire PSI is extremely important on the 2010 RX350 - This is the new SUV's 1st model year - and Lexus did not get the suspension tuning right at all.
(A new 2014 has a much more forgiving suspension, by a mile).

I run at 32 PSI Front and 36 PSI Rear and the car handles nicely - for a FWD
SUV. Still not anywhere close to my old 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee - RWD Only
- maybe that's why I like the higher PSI in the rear tires.)

Also - The Lexus Dealer always sets Tire PSI to 37lbs - since this eliminates
a Lexus known bug (no recall yet) for a low tire pressure warning indicator.
(Funny, when the Lexus engineers originally ran this car on the test track - they ended up stamping 32PSI Front and 32PSI Rear on the inside door jam??

**** 37 PSI on the 2010 RX 350 (FWD) simply does not work with this car.
All you get is a jittery, twitchy and choppy ride.

I am very happy to report, that on my particular 2010 RX 350, withthe 422 Ecopias, and my own PSI settings, the car does handle very nicely.

Expect double the comfort as compared to the original Bridgestone 400's.

I would certainly buy these tires again since they helped ride quality, but also I look forward to some day owing a 2014+ RX350, where the tires don't have so much impact on ride quality.

steverhode

I have a new GS350 with 2,500 miles it now. My wife is considering an RX 350 but a harsh ride is the number one show stopper for us. She likes the extra room and the riding a little higher up but she won't tolerate not being comfortable when driving.

So, worried after reading this thread, I went to the dealer to drive an RX to see if it was even worth recommending to my wife that she should try it. I told the dealer the only purpose of my visit was simply a test drive and I wasn't interested in anything else to discuss.

He took me over to an RX on the lot that has no plates on it other than the paper temporary plates so I assume I drove a new car but for all I know it was a demo with several thousand miles on it. I have no idea about the tires and the tire pressure.

What I do know is that after a few blocks, I told the dealer I found the ride so smooth and the seat so comfortable, I didn't need to drive it anymore for now. It sure passed my test.

And, while I love my GS, I found the RX even had a smoother and more comfortable drive.

As an aside, I had a new 2008 RX hybrid for all of three days and hated it since the seat and the ride were so harsh. I had the dealer swap it for a new 2008 GS so I went into the test drive yesterday very skeptical but left impressed and pleased.

jer

Comparing my 2 RX's I can say the 2004 with the 18" wheels has a softer, more 'luxurious' ride. The 2014 with the 19" tires seems to have sharper handling but you feel imperfections on city roads much more than the '04. Maybe the 3rd gen with the standard wheels/18" has a softer ride but I like the sharper handling on the '14.

KeithPI

Hey park10, I sure would like to know what happened with your situation. Did they resolve your issue? Do you make a trade? Still dealing with the dealership? Please update us. I fell like I am missing the last page of a book!

Keith

raylor4

Hello park10, I need closure on this.

sandy14

I second that.

relax221

DID THEY IMPROVE THE SUSPENSION TO BE SMOOTHER IN THE 2015 RX...I'M DISATISFIED WITH THE 2013 RX AND THE 2014...SEEMS TOO STIFF..RIDE SEEMS ROUGH COMPARED TO MY OLD RX'S