Killrb

Have about 200miles on this new ride and gotta tellya the throttle delay is KILLING me. Probly the worse I have drivin. Thought on the test drive it wasn't an issue but now I have buyers remorse. Going to dealer tomorrow for remote starter that lexus forgot to install and will see if there is anything that can be done with the throttle lag.

Anyone else have this problem?

vlad_a

Unfortunately, throttle lag is a common occurrence on a modern vehicle. The BMWs I test-drove were horrible at it. I hear others are not better.
Neither of cars I own have throttle lag, but they are special cases.

Maybe the RX needs to learn your driving habits. I've been hearing this about a few cars. Is there a Sport mode in the RX350? Maybe that would help.

corradoMR2

vlad_a: no sport mode, just "Manual - M" mode .

Killrb, welcome to the forum.

It's unfortunately a normal behavior of the F-Sport's throttle response where under moderate to heavy initial input, there's a second lag before it lunges forward. I've adjusted to it by pressing lightly then applying more input and I'm fine with the launch behavior now.

As this seems to seriously tarnish your experience with an otherwise great vehicle, consider this aftermarket throttle controller one of our members installed and loves it.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...er-review.html

Hope this helps and good luck!

Killrb

Thanks for the info, this throttle issue does take away from the overall quality of this ride, but should not be ignored, imo. Will look into this throttle controller.
I gotta say this, I'm A mechanic at a independent repair shop and drive many different brands of vehicles everyday and this by far has to have the most throttle delay I can remember and I own 2 other cars with drive by wire and none of them have this issue , Saad really. I'm going to dealer today for this remote starter, think i'm gonna drive something else on the lot.

JT4

Yes there is a throttle lag but compared to the past two ML350's we had I find that this one is nowhere near as bad. The ML's a 2011 and 2012 would literally hesitate and buck, it was ridiculous and something that even after a total of 5 years driving them I could never get used to.

I agree the lag is annoying, and you're right it shouldn't be ignored. But unfortunately it's normal behavior of the F-Sport and many new vehicles on the market today. Doesn't make it right, but it is what it is.

However, I have found (IMO) that it is much easier to get used to, or to adjust to in the RX. I use the method that corrado mentioned, I just press lightly then apply more throttle and found that it accelerates fine doing this.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you. And by some slim chance if the dealer tells you there is a software update etc to correct it, please let us know.

niklow

Just like most say, apply the gas and just hold it, you will get the smoothest shifting and pulls.

sc400

I do experience this lag as well and it annoys the heck out of me.

I've been experimenting why it's so and I think It's the transmission gearing that Lexus design in the name of getting the best fuel economy. Let me explain my.

When the car stopped and started moving, Lexus would immediately put the gear into the highest possible gear like 7. that's why when you want to accelerate faster the car hesitates and has to downshift.
I verified it many times with flipping the gear shifter to manual mode and see gear 7, even after starting from a red light and attain about 40 mph.
Worse, when I make a turn it feels so sluggish so I check and sure enough, it's in 7th gear. In manual mode it should be 4th or at most 5th gear to not get the sluggish response.

In short, the only way I can get it to drive like a normal car is to use manual mode. Trade-off is it would give me about 16 mpg or less.
I'd vote that we force Lexus to resolve this issue. I don't mind joining a class-action lawsuit to make this happen. It should not be like this for a $50K+ suv.

klwagoner

I too hate that delay! It's hardly noticeable in my RX350 though (thankfully!). Three of my previous vehicles had the drive by wire system too: 2006 Mustang GT (4.6L), 2010 (3.8L) and 2012 Genesis (4.6L), and it drove me crazy in each of them {it seemed downright unsafe in the 2012 Genesis because it was so bad}. I had hoped it would be better in the 2012 but sadly it was even worse. I also have a 2008 Mustang GT (4.6L) that is drive by wire but it's a standard shift so I don't notice it at all. That's one way to get around it, I guess.

vlad_a

I wouldn't blame it on the DBW system. Both of my vehicles are DBW and none have the lag. I've been also reading that a manual 328i has the lag as well, so manual in itself may not be a cure to poor ECU programming.

viperdoc

Not sure how much the drive by wire system plays a role, as many exotic cars have them, like most new ferraris. I do agree that the gear selection in the auto tranny is very poor. I realize they do this for the sake of gas mileage but when I take a turn and am going 20 mph and I flip it to manual and 5th gear (????), no wonder the car feels like it won't go! I knew this was slight issue when I bought the car, as even the car and driver review noted that the car chose gears very strangely. I am thankful that my f sport has the paddle shifters, because now when I enter a turn I just blip the left paddle once to downshift and the car behaves like it supposed to. But it is annoying that a $52k car has this issue.

vlad_a

Those of you with paddle-shifters (F-Sport), have you tried using AI-Shift? That's when you operate paddle shifters in D mode. That is the only use I found for the paddle shifters on the loaner IS250 I had on a few occasions. It's a good way to give hints to the transmission about upcoming driving events.
Sorry, the M just doesn't do anything for me.

viperdoc

Yes, that is the only time I use the paddle shifters..I actually like being able to use them while in drive mode.

wallykeys

Same for me, I only use the paddle's when I'm in D! A quick down shift when I find the need to down shift.

corradoMR2

VIperdoc, I posted your post above regarding the Apexi controller. Can you provide an update on how you like it after all this time?

viperdoc

Sure! I use it about half the time, particularly on this one part of my commute where there are two roundabouts one right after the other. Makes driving that section more fun with a more responsive throttle. I really only use three of the settings but I like that there is the option to use more if I want. The only drawback, if you can call it that, is that you have to really pay attention when using any mode that makes the throttle more sensitive. The distance the pedal needs to travel to give it gas and prompt a downshift is significantly reduced. But once you are accustomed to the new tendencies, it is a dream.