I've seen that front grill around town and as much as I try to warm up to it that's not happening. I saw one in a parking lot and stared at it for awhile. Nothing.
But it goes beyond that for me. Lexus forever chasing stiffer & stiffer suspension is a turn off. For crying out load when a kid whonis usually oblivious to vehicle dynamics asks why it's so bumpy that's a red flag. Granted we are spoiled with the cushy 2009 RX ride & excellent suspension of the 2010 Vert but this boot licking to get the approval of the automotive press has me shaking my head. Peer pressure is a horrible thing. Luckily not everything is being stamped "F" sport. Perhaps extended miles will be kinder to these vehicles and soften things up. Hopefully they age well.

But I DO want the neat technology that's in the newer vehicles. Some snappy stuff coming down the pipe. That appeals to my wife & I.

 

Wasnt 2013 RX F-Sport bumpier than 2016?

 

Every review has noted that the new RX rides better and is quieter than the outgoing RX. Not sure where your statement about a stiffer suspension comes from.

With modern suspension technology a car can ride great and handle well. My GS was a great example of that.

You might be surprised to know that when your generation RX came out, people screamed about it having a poor, hard ride vs the outgoing RX330.

 

He has a 2009, which is still a second generation RX, i.e. same suspension as RX330. 2010 is the 3rd gen, and when people complained. Although If I recall correctly, people felt the same way with the RX300 vs RX330 "stiffer" ride, likely due to larger rims.

But agreed, the new RX does ride better and quieter from what I've read.

 

Ride is of course very subjective.

While your 2009 might be somewhat "cushy" it also crashes hard, gets unsettled quickly, and doesn't respond well. Don't even get started on the vague steering of that generation. My parents had a 2005, which my sister still drives today.

Luckily the new RX has a much stiffer STRUCTURE, and this can allow for softer spring rates, to allow for a smoother ride while also enhancing overall handling and responsiveness. It's also much easier to tune for noise/vibration/harshness when there is less activity coming from the body itself that the engineers also need to somehow suppress. The F-Sport, as mentioned earlier in the thread, goes one step further with the adjustable settings.

 

We saw a new white RX on the weekend, turning left into the street we were on. At first we thought it was an NX but to me it looked a bit different, leading me to think that perhaps it was the new RX (dealer plates helped).

Only after it drove past and I looked back to see the floating D-pillar and roof did I know -- and tell my wife and young son (who usually is the one to point out NXs). My wife thought it looks smaller than the current one.

From just the quick look, I thought it looked better on the street than in pictures.

 

The 3rd gen RX rides terribly choppy. Not sure what the heck Lexus engineers were thinking. They must have tested the 3RX on glass road and declared it acceptable.

 

I agree completely.

They must have been smoking the low quality stuff when they designed/tuned that suspension.

I put 50lb bags of sand over each rear wheel well. Helps a fair amount, but hardly an elegant solution.

 

What was interesting was that, on the 3Gen, the RX actually went to taller (60-series) profile tires than its 2Gen predecessor. All else equal, taller-profile tires usually ride smoother, but suspension-stiffness must have more than compensated for that.

 

That was only on the base 17" rims in the early models. Very few RXs actually ship with those as most people opt for the 19" which are packaged in almost any RX on the lot. Those had the same profile as the 2gen.



The 3gen RX was designed and built during what I call Lexus's dark ages. Also the same time the HS was incepted which failed miserably. The only reason why the RX was able to hold its sales crown is because of its legacy

 

Good call, didn't catch that.

 

Spot on with your analysis of the 2009 RX. The vague steering response was mitigated somewhat with the Continental's control contacts when I had them. Now with the Michelin's the ride is a lot smoother but the vague steering is back. All that aside I'm driving it 95% of the time on the freeway a straight shot so the ride is beautiful. I'd definitely choose something else if I were to be living in switchback country. Soon I'll be ordering some rear sway bars soon to help with the corners.

 

Have not seen the RX, but the NX styling has really grown on me and i like it a lot.

 

The infamous 'L-Finesse' era

Looks like a larger NX. IMO photos of new model Lexus's don't do the vehicles justice. They are better looking in person now.

 

Yes I agree, and they look even better when blended into traffic. The new styling is the way to go. I didn't like it at first. But I certainly do now.