malba2366

Congrats on the new LX...I am a first time Lexus owner and love mine too. To all the Audi haters on here modern Audis are very reliable...I personally have a 2010 S4 that has not had one issue in its 90k miles. Consumer reports also rates Audi reliability highly...its not as reliable as a LX which can easily go 15 years and 200k miles, but you can do much worse than Audi if you're looking for a reliable ride

ERC4

They get posted because normal people do not consider them to be overly personal questions. I would gladly answer questions about prices paid or received that any member posted and I have done so in the past. I'm assuming we're all adults here, so if someone is overly sensitive to the question they can decline to answer it

ragabnh

I think you should have bought the LX450, as you would be the only person in the world with such vehicle. Collectors item for sure.

caha14

LOL, can you believe these guys? Personally, I have been blown away by the degree to which lots of these "business development" and sales folks mess up the most basic stuff. It's a huge turn-off (in a process that's inherently unpleasant and flawed to begin with).

Thank you, sir! First "official" day today commuting with it and all (interior is all child-proof ), and it was a very enjoyable (albeit short) drive.

Thank you! It is a very special combo, for sure. I will definitely be posting more. Some initial observations, though:

(1) The truck feels unquestionably smoother (I posted this earlier), and I suspect the shifting of the 8-speed tranny is behind much of it. Along these lines, I must also say the Dunlops, which everyone loved to hate in the previous LX570 (and the GX470, and the 4Runner... you get the idea), seem reasonably smooth and quiet. We'll see how they evolve as they wear.

(2) There seems to be some additional sound insulation. I need to further test on the highway with wind, etc., but engine noise does seem slightly reduced.

(3) Engine exhaust note is slightly different (and I like it!). It is, of course, the same motor, and I have not read anything on this specific aspect, but even my wife (who is not as attentive to this stuff) agreed with me.

(4) So far, I am a fan of the 8-speed tranny. At cruising speeds, it does arguably upshift a bit far (maybe 5th or 6th - haven't paid close-enough attention), so RPMs drop significantly, and there is a slight shudder, but more broadly, I like how it shifts and have not experienced the slightest issues with gear hunting. The truck has a whole 130 miles, mind you, so we are still gathering data.

(5) Technology - Lots to say here... Much more to uncover, and little time to write about what I have played with thus far, so I will follow-up on this (and much, much more!).

caha14

Thank you! For what it's worth, reliability was a factor for us, but not a major concern. In essence, we gave Lexus the edge (augmented by my relationship with the Service department and the whole notion of switching) but we were not specifically worried about the Audi (precisely in light of their evolution on this front).

We were ultimately not sold on the size and feel of the Q7 and also on other little things like having to special order to get rear side airbags (come the heck on!). Also, the dealership experience was, as I shared earlier, lackluster at best (plenty of that too in Lexus sales departments, I will say), and this added another dimension to our brand-switching considerations.

Bottom line: driving the new LX now has underscored that we made the right choice for us.

If the information is going to help an active buyer with their research and purchase, I am absolutely always happy to help and share details, but definitely via PM.