woof

Hello,

We are trading in our Denali for a luxury SUV (long story, but my GM days are over).

We are looking at the RX350, RX400h, MDX, Porsche and the X5 3.0. I like the mileage and performance of the 400h, however, have read some posts here about problems with tires, alignments and surges at certain speeds/rpms (both the 350 and 400h).

Any help with advice about the above vehicles would be greatly appreciated. My wife is heavily in favor of the Lexus and this will be her vehicle. Enough said with that one, lol.... Thank you in advance....

Lil4X

Welcome to CL, woof! We invite you to look around the RX forums, and visit Car Chat to get an idea of what owners are saying about their RX and a look at a few good comparisons with the MDX and other products. You can use the "advanced" search feature to locate specific topics. Take all information you see here with a grain of salt. Remember, problems you see reported here represent a tiny minority of Lexus owners. People who are happy and satisfied with their RX seldom post. It's all about the squeaky wheel getting the grease.

It all depends on the type of service you expect from your new SUV. If she will be doing a lot of urban driving, then the 400h of her choice is a good one. The 350 AWD or the MDX would be perhaps a better choice for a long-distance runner where the advantages of the hybrid are minimized.

The Porsche is so fraught with problems I don't believe it is a serious contender in this class - unless she won't have to depend on it as a daily driver. Of course both it and the X5 will probably be frequent visitors to the dealership for service - but if you have a good dealer who is well known to you, does fair warranty service, performs competent work, and offers a free loaner, that might not be an insurmountable problem.

I don't believe the 400h's few technical glitches are serious, but you should be aware it has some quirks associated with any hybrid that both you and she will have to either love or learn to live with. Again, the service you receive from your dealer will be a major factor in your enjoyment of the product. Try to get an extended test drive of whatever cars you narrow the field to. It may take a full day of regular driving service to point up the best candidate for your needs.

For my money, both the Acura and Lexus products should be on that short list. Good luck, and welcome aboard!

oldcajun

My 400h has just turned 20,000 mi and I love this car. It is smooth riding, relatively quiet, very fast on acceleration and gets overall about 26 mpg. I did have an alignment problem early, and Lexus not only fixed it, they put on a new set of tires at no cost. Surging? Maybe but it is less intrusive on the freeway than an ordinary air conditioner compressor coming on or going off. I really like the CVT. No delayed kickdowns for passing, just plenty of power. Really nice in traffic - you are always in the right gear.

Negatives? Not enough to bother me but there is torque steer under hard acceleration. About the same as the RX350 FWD but it is there even in the AWD 400h. If you are going to store the car for a long time, there are issues. For short term - 2 months or less - no problem.

BMW X5 has about the hardest ride you will experience in an SUV. Over rough pavement, it hurts. It also has relative poor reliability and you have to deal with BMW dealers and salesmen who are the world's worst. Tiny cargo area and high price complete the X5's good points.

MDX is OK, but the new grill is so ugly I could not seriously consider it.

Steve

sdbrandon

BMW is too expensive for what you get.

The Lexus RX was a good buy 5 years ago. I can't imagine plunking down $45k on a car without an aux jack, no iPOD input standard, keyless access, real time traffic, locked out Nav system, etc.

The MDX is a nightmare. I test drove one again today. The steering is looser than a hooker on broadway. Handling to Acura means up and down, not side to side. Also, I counted no less than 63, that's right, 63 buttons on the center console plus the iDrive looking controller for the Nav. Another dozen or so buttons are on the steering wheel. The nav screen looked like a child colored it with crayons and it looked washed out. How did it drive? OK, did not feel like 300HP.

Although some will disagree, BMW's iDrive makes a lot more sense than some of the nonsense going into cars these days.

So to answer the OP's question. Which one to buy? When you find out, let me know as they all have major tradeoffs. If money were not an object, nothing is more attractive than an X5. It handles well (translation=rides like crap).

If money is an object, buy the all inclusive vacation package from Lexus or Acura. However, the selection and configuation options from all of them really sucks right now.

I think I might just get a Honda CRV or Toyota highlander. The luxury segment for small SUV's is very lacking. The values are in the real low end or real high end but not the middle.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Mdx.................

silvervett

I love my RX400H but I really hate the fact that most of the NAV features will not work while the car is moving

woof

Thank you everyone! We are still a go for the 400h. In our test driving, the 400h did have a much better ride than the MDX, although the MDX was very nice....

MadloR

Oh, and don't forget the "adjustment period" as you get out the squeeks, rattles and such from the various interior compartment panels and such.

After that, it's smooth sailing. I have no personal experience with the X5 or Cayenne, but from clients and friends they are reliable (the X5 more so, probably due to a better dealer network). With Porsche you better get along with the dealer because in most cities there will not be the same number of dealers to choose from. The only Cayenne I would consider is the Turbo, but then again I would never blow 100K plus on any SUV I don't care if it comes from Struttgart or Marinello. The Cayenne, Cayenne S are lethargic and drive as such, but there distinctively styled if not unique. Porsche have in fact even cut back on production so as to keep the "value" of there overpriced SUV variant.

The X5 I have driven has never been my cup of tea. I don't know if it's because of the previous history (I have an M5, had 3 series and 7 series) but when I drive a BMW you do just that DRIVE. The X5 drives like a SUV and perhaps that's what irks me, I'm expecting more from it. No fault to the X5 it's built for what's intended for but to me I cannot except anything less from BMW. Call it my quirk.

You cannot go wrong with the RDX or MDX. I personally do not like the exterior styling. Awesome Interiors and excellent drive. Probably best value of the SUV offerings.

Back to the RX400h. It's a choice that you make. The Rx350 is probably a better short and long term vehicle. But there is nothing out there like the 400h, so if you take the plunge you do so for all of the reasons others on this board have made (where fuel economy is not the 1st and formost criteria.).

Cheers,

MadloR

sdbrandon

That is because one is a truck and one is a based on a camry with a facelift. Two different animals hence the smoother ride.

JimsGX

I consider a "truck" SUV to be a chasis on frame design and have more off road attributes such as 4 Wheel Drive as opposed to All Wheel Drive. Plus a transfer case. Neither the Acura MDX or Lexus RX fall into this class of vehicle. They are both unit-body chasis. The MDX or RX are toys off road compared to the Lexus GX470 or Toyota Land Cruiser. Honda/Acura don't offer vehicles in the same class as these. At least not in the US...

josephdoc

If you are looking for a SUV that will last longer and give you less trouble, try the RX350. I always feel the RX400 require extra precaution during its operation, and not many people understand the point of paying extra $10k+ for it.

About Cayenne and the X5... they are nice but to me they are just another kind of Denali in euro-version with much prettier wrapping. I know there are more room offer in these vehicles.

The MDX is also very nice and with reasonable price tag and also has a lot of improvement.

RX-Hybrid is the only hybrid vehicle in your shopping list. I would suggest you to find a good Lex dealer, and ask the salesman for a solo test drive, so you can have clear mind to feel it. If you like to modify cars, I am sorry to let you know there are not much you can play around with a hybrid.

My opinions only, and wish you best luck with the shopping.

spamcop

Well, I think you already settled on the 400h, but you may also consider the Infinity FX. Handling is spot on and the NAV is a dream. The stereo packages have usable features like MP3 player inputs and an RDS that automatically displays without having to touch a "Text" button while driving (gawd, I hate that about my RX!).

The Lexus RX has been very nice. Seeing 22-28 MPG depending on how *I* drive out of an SUV is really nice too. If you get one, make sure it doesn't come with Goodyear tires...insist on the Michelins. That or budget $99 every 5000 miles for alignments and $700 every 10,000 - 15,000 for new Goodyears. (Yes, still bitter over that, but the Michelins I have now are top notch!).

silvervett

Here is one thing I love. I was in one of the worst gas MPG situations the other day. I was stuck on the LIE during rush hour and all of the cars were stopped for a minute then crawl a few feet only to stop again and repeat the stop and go thing over and over. Before I got the "H" I like everyone else would sit in traffic while the engine ran and burned gas. It was real nice to see the engine off while I was stopped. And when I did crawl a few feet it was usually done with the engine off and the battery providing propulsion power. I think the greatest thing about the "H" is that in stop and go bumper to bumper traffic when cars get their worst MPG the "H" is doing what it does best. If you do a lot of city driving during rush hour stop and go traffic the hybrid has the biggest advantage over regular ICEs.

oldcajun

Now that hot weather is here (101 in Tucson today) I remember how good the RX400 air conditioner is. In heavy stop and go traffic, most air conditioners don't work very well with the engine at idle and the compressor running slowly. Not only is the 400h not burning fuel, the A/C is still running at design speed.
Steve

silvervett

I haven't run mine yet in hot weather yet but the fact that it is not engine driven has to be a big plus. The compressor always spins at the correct speed reguardless of how fast the gasoline engine is running.