Only have 600 miles on our new 350h so far but does anyone else notice heavy or what my wife calls tight steering? Is it inherent to RFT’s or just the NX in general. The great thing my Mustang GT had, other than the hp was the ability to set the steering to comfort or sport mode when desired. Since we don’t have that option I’m just wondering if this is normal for the 350h. My wife’s RX is much more comfortable, steering wise.

 

You do have that option with sport mode. Steering is supposed to be a little more heavy in sport mode. That said, if it feels heavy in normal or eco modes, try to test drive another off the lot or if a member is nearby with the same vehicle. It doesn't surprise me if the RX has lighter steering feel, as it is a more lux vehicle.

 

Resistance from crossing road markings without using signal indicators?

 

Yes the car has what's called lane keep assist. And what this will do is try to 'keep' the car in your lane by tugging at the steering wheel to steer it back to centre of your lane. Plus you should get a 'beep' sound too when it's doing this and a visual; alert on the dash. As mentioned above, it has electric steering and when you choose 'sport' it will add some heft to steering weight too. And yes, the run flat tires have a little stiffer sidewall and will 'quicken' steering inputs because of that.

 

I have seen this same thing in the RXs. The steering in my RX450h was heavier than in my RX350 in all modes. Both were top end models with AWD. I just assumed the 450h had heavier steering because the car was 500lbs heavier than the 350. It was more noticeable at slow "parking lot" speeds. At highways speeds it didn't seem that much different.

 

nope. Just a plain heavy feeling while driving. The front end doesn’t appear to be out of alignment and tire pressure is at same level in both tires. It just feels like you have to exert more pressure one would think to keep it in its lane! Every road is tilted one way or another to provide a rain runoff so we aren’t hydroplaning everywhere. This just takes a firmer touch and is going to be ugly,for us at least, on long trips.

 

this is not what’s causing my problems on the NX. I am aware of how lane assist works. I have it on our 450h also. This is a constant pulling like when your front end feels when out of alignment except this pulls both ways all the time even while staying in the correct lane. I also keep lane assist turned off except during road trips, not around town.

Surprised to hear about your 450h. We also purchased our 22 new with every option available, I think. But, it drives like a dream. Lousy mpg compared to NX but I would gladly give the NX up for a decent ride. Unfortunately we are probably buried in it for the time being. Not an equity problem, I’m just not willing to take the loss this soon. I’m hoping it will grow on me but I really don’t have much hope of that happening. Probably should have went with the GLC or X3 but the boss wanted to stick with Lexus.

 

The RX does ride nicer than my NX for sure. The NX is stiffer and a little noisier. I’m not sold on the run flat tires and believe that’s part of the issue. The RXs were designed to be softer and quieter from the start. But I think that’s what you get when you pay thousands more for a high end RX. As far as mileage goes, I’m averaging about 25mpg in the RX450 hybrid and around 28 in my NX350. My previous RX350 non-hybrid only averaged 19. Lexus is not known for being an MPG champion. They tune more on the performance end. Your RX will grow on you especially when it’s not in the shop like a Mercedes or a BMW.

 

I guess I will deal with trips to the shop then. Lexus definitely is known for their comfort and dependability. Personally I think something is wrong in the front end of my ex-NX. Took it back to the dealer and they offered to take a look at it and when I parked and turned the wheels back and forth for him the front end actually went up when the wheel was turned. Anyway, between the steering, noise, rough ride from the RFT’s I just went two doors down to the BMW dealer and purchased this X3. Traded my NX350h Luxury with 850 miles on it. Was not the Lexus of old. This was our 5th Lexus and the first one that didn’t live up to its expectations. Better sound deadening, much better ride without the RFT’s, better entertainment center. Better vehicle for less money.

 

WOW love that color! Boy does it POP! Reminds me of the red Mazda uses. Glad you found something that makes you happy too. In the end that's what counts. You just can't do anything about trying to 'save' with a new car, they all lose their equity, no way getting around it.

'Smiles per miles' I believe is the saying.