vicpai

Dear Lexus,
Why not take your BEAUTIFUL, OUTSTANDING Toyota RAV4 whose styling I just can't get over (It's soooo beautiful) and whose COMPACT SIZE is a dream-come-true in this day and age of BIGGER IS BETTER ,...... and add a Lexus version of this vehicle (lets call it the Lexus RAV4 for now).
The Lexus RAV4 would be compact - that is IDENTICAL IN EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS to the RAV4 and come with a powerful V6 (2.7 to 3.0 liters producing around 210-220hp), with features and options such as Leather and wood trim, DVD Navigation system, Mark-Levinson, Traction control, VSC, HIDs, climate control, etc. etc. as in other lexus models, with a substantially quieter and smoother ride than the RAV4. The Lexus RAV4 would cost in the neighborhood of 35-37 Grand or so when fully loaded to the gills! If Lexus made such a vehicle I would be the first to GRAB ONE...and I'm sure there are many other single people like me who do not want to drive ill-proportioned, unwieldy buses (to put it mildly) that are a pain in the a** to drive, park and navigate the congested city streets of urban metros like the L.A. area where I live, but at the same time want Luxurious, rugged vehicles with spritely performance and a quiet ride BUT in a SMALL & COMPACT package


..........I think Acura is coming out soon with a vehicle that fits the above profile. Its called the Acura RD-X. If lexus does not come out with a similar vehicle, for me, it will have to be a choice of either the RD-X or Next-generation RX-300 (provided it does not GROW any bigger in exterior dimensions -and has the turning circle flaw corrected and Mark-Levinson added - the last 2 points I'm sure Lexus will take care of given their reputation!!)

Richie

Hmmmmmmm, I also like the look of the new RAV4!!

vicpai

......looks like more and more people are coming out of the woodwork!!! . I'm sure there are a lot more people out there than we think that like smaller vehicles because they are nimble, A LOT MORE fun to drive, easier to park and live with on a daily basis than some of those SUVs that are sorry excuses for BUSES!!

billyboy

Yes, I agree that the new RAV4 is "cute" , much better looking then the previous model. It, however is a small compact SUV which is fine for it's catagory.
In order for the RX300 to retain is posistion as the "best" mid-sized SUV it will have to grow to stay up with the competition. It had the market to itself for a few years but that has changed. Acura's MDX is stealing customers, even that "Buick thing" is starting to sell, I see lots on the road. I love my RX but sometimes wish it were a little wider. I personally don't need a third seat but that is a desired feature these days, and that would mean a longer SUV.
Hopefully the new RX will add the missing goodies and functional aspects everybody wants to make it the "perfect" SUV.

vicpai

I'm sorry, but I must somewhat disagree....Let me explain. There are countless models out there for people who desire humungous SUVs, but currently the ONLY LUXURY SUV that even comes close to serving SINGLE people like me who want a tidy, compact vehicle is the RX 300 and Toyota would be very foolish to eliminate that market - and remember, this market also consists of many young, single, women who I've seen driving around in RX 300s who wouldn't want to be driving around a BARGE......and that's exactly what the MDX is A BARGE, A FREIGHTER, SOCCER-MOM BUS..or whatever else you want to call it. In fact, I almost bought an MDX, because except for it's size it had ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I wanted, but it is 77 inches wide????? What were these people thinking - Now that's O.K. if you live in a small rural town somewhere in the midwest, but here in L.A. are you kidding?? (and the majority of people live in urban areas) THIS IS REALITY - compact parking spaces, congested streets, narrow lanes etc. etc..... I think I've made my point. Besides, I have confirmed from several reliable sources that the RX 300 WILL NOT GROW substantially (maybe an inch or so which is inevitable in design changes) That is the main reason Lexus is introducing the GX 470 with 7 or 8 seats to compete with the MDX and it's likes

satxrx

That I know of that markets a "luxury" compact SUV is Land Rover with their Freelander...

I don't agree that Toyota is ignoring this segment. Rather the opposite, Toyota has done/is doing a great job of catering to various tastes and wants in the SUV segment. Everything from the RAV4, ForeRunner, Highlander, Sequoia, Landcruiser and then to the Lexus line of the RX300, the soon-to-be GX470 and LX470. I believe they have one of the largest selections of SUVs from any one manufacturer.

Frankly, if Toyota marketers saw some way to implement a compact luxo-SUV, into the Lexus lineup they probably would've have already done so. It's all about profit margins and the bottom line for them as you probably know. And the RX300 still continues to be Lexus' best selling (read most profitable) vehicle by far. So, why would they want to shoot themselves in the foot? They don't. But this doesn't mean they won't change their minds either. If a bean-counter can convince the decision-makers that a compact luxo-SUV could make Lexus more profitable, then perhaps you'll see a rebadged RAV4...

In the meantime, go buy a RAV4 Limited with the works and then buy some Lexus badges off eBay and you'll have a "one-off".

Enjoy the ride!

vicpai

..........The RAV4 Limited (or L as it's called) does not have a DVD Navigation system as an option, one of the NEATEST, MOST USEFUL FEATURE to be introduced in an automobile (even though it's offered on the Camry - go figure??? ). Neither does it come with a V6, let alone Mark Levinson etc. etc. If only it came with the 2 above mentioned items, I would head on straight to buy one. ACTUALLY even if the V6 was not offered it would still be O.K and I'd buy one.......But no NAVI....noooooo waaaaay!!!!!!!!!
..........I really don't know what the people at Toyota are smoking......for cryin out loud they don't offer a Navigation System as an option on the $40,000 Sequoia but they offer it on the bread-and-butter Camry????????????? .........and now to make me EVEN MADDER I'm told a Navigation System will be offered as an option on the soon-to-arrive lowly Matrix!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!
...............I know there will be a few people who will suggest an aftermarket Navi system. Let me say that an aftermarket Navi is not one-tenth as good as the Factory units found in Lexus and Acura vehicles. How do I know this??? - I have an Alpine DVD unit installed on my 4 Runner for almost a year (see my signature line) and compared to my previous 3.2TL Navi I simply hate it. I've also used the Lexus version extensively!!

vicpai

........I'm sick of all the HYPE about the MDX and the hype about it's damn SEVEN seats. People talk of these seven seats as though it were the "invention of electricity" or something ......or maybe I should buy an MDX and start a school bus service....yeah those seven seats would come in very handy.....I could even make some money doing this

In fact, even though I would like the idea of a "Lexus RAV4", I pretty much know it's not going to happen and I would be satisfied with an RX 300 (Provided the redesigned model does not grow any larger) cause the dimensions of the RX 300's itself are pretty compact and tidy (3 inches shorter than my current 4 Runner!!!!), but a tad bit wider.....and that's acceptable.

Yes, I agree with you that the RX would not really need a complete redesign. However, there is at least ONE major flaw that MUST be fixed to keep the vehicle nice and manuverable - that is the turning circle is TOO WIDE - even my 4Runner's turning circle is 4 FEET less!! (they've corrected this on the Highlander so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't do it on next year's model)
...I can just imagine the frustration on an MDX owner's face as he or she tries to park that HUMUNGOUS thing (with, oh yeah, I forgot the seven seats ).....or tries to keep themselves IN a narrow city lane

RX300TC

I hate to break this to you Vic, but with regards to the size... looks like Lexus has decided to go toe-to-toe with the MDX (bad for the MDX because the RX300 is just plain more luxurious!)

http://www.autonews.com/files/rx300827.htm

mooretorque

Hmmmmm.........panache, eh?? Part of me does think the X5 is kinda neat, but the 5 series wagon is more functional, as far as carrying stuff.

Maybe the X5 is a backdoor approach to having a 540iX.

Anyone besides me miss the old Lamborghini LM002, with it's V12 plus hardpoints to mount machine guns in the rear? That, by God, might discourage the tailgaters...........

Lil4X

Although I have hauled more than three passengers only four or five times in the past 25 years, in my last Suburbans I opted for the third seat.

Reason? Without that third seat, all the stuff you carefully loaded in the back is only one hard brake application from the front of the cargo hold - out of reach. Then you get to crawl in after it! A cargo net is a good solution for groceries, but the heavy stuff is unimpressed by a little net and a couple of screws... The alternative is to leave that third seat installed - as a barricade - and drive a 3-ton behemoth with the cargo space of an X-5.

Third seat comfort? Ask the 6' 5" Fortune 500 CEO who opted for my last Suburban's third-row seat - because he "thought it would be fun".... After peering out at the world from between his kneecaps for 60 miles, it was evidently less so....he selected an adult seat at our first stop.

Although any vehicle is a compromise, for me the RX is an excellent solution for comfortable, even luxurious long-distance travel, with good luggage/equipment capacity, reasonable handling, and some limited off-road capability. Sure I'd appreciate a little more width, a little more headroom, and a tighter turning circle; but the overall product fits my needs better than anything else out there - for now. At least until Ferrari builds an all-terrain luxury van....

Richie

The old Lamborghini LM002 was awesome.
Only once I have seen one in the wild.

mooretorque

Pronounced "La-Moo 2" (always got a kick out of that)!

Lil4x, comes now the Porsche Cayenne to tide you over till there's a Ferrari 4x4 Pastabus........

vicpai

Remember this is ONLY speculation. I have read in at least 3 other magazines.......I don't exactly remember, but I think it was Motor Trend future vehicle forecast, Edmunds and one other place that the RX 300 WILL NOT be bigger. That is exactly the reason Lexus is introducing the GX 470 - to compete with vehicles like the MDX. Think about it yourself - Why would Lexus have 3 different SUV models - all really large and all with 7 seats - Does that make any sense???????????????. Besides this, I also know a couple of people (whose names I'm not going to mention) at the Toyota/Lexus corporate center here in Torrance who indicated that they WERE NOT going to change the size of the RX, but they did say there was a possibility of it getting a slightly more powerful higher capacity motor (3.3 litres or so) AND they confirmed my guesses - Yes, the prime reason for introducing the GX 470 was to leave the RX 300 alone and not mess with it because "its a best-seller for Lexus and serves its clientele well, but at the same time, to compete against vehicles such as the MDX they have introduced the GX-470 which slots in between the RX 300 and the larger LX 470". Another point is all of these magazine article forecasts I've read including these 2 sources at Toyota/Lexus say that the Redesigned RX will come out in the fall of 2002 as a 2003 not 2004 model year.

So as you can see it's all speculation at this time however, if I were to make an educated guess, at this time the above explanation seems to make the most logical sense to me and I'm almost sure that's how it will turn out!! - Keep in mind the RX 300 has sold very well in it's particular market segment. Also I read somewhere that Lexus statistics show that over 60 percent of the RX 300 buyers were younger women who liked the RX 300s handling and manuverability - Lexus never messes with success - Remember the saying if it ain't broken, don't fix it

vicpai

............2 additional links from the TOYOTA website (straight from the horse's mouth) that pretty much indicates what I said in my above post (RX 300 will debut in 2003) and note what they say about the GX 470: "the GX 470 will slot between the "CAR BASED RX 300 AND THE HIGH END LX 470". They also refer to it as a "MIDSIZE" SUV - in other words, a competitor to the MDX. Another thing they say is "LEXUS WILL BE THE ONLY LUXURY SUV COMPANY TO OFFER 3 DIVERSE MODELS". Please note the word diverse!!!!!!!

http://www.toyota.com/html/about/new...217_lexsuv.jsp

http://www.toyota.com/html/about/new...0126_tmmwv.jsp