Our company is bidding on the new Audio Faceplate for the 09 RX's. It it were not for confidentiality, I would show you what they look like....at least we can see how the Audio Center stack will look like....we also quoted the 08 Acura TL Audio Center stack for Panasonic. Interesting new designs...

 

does it look good...i trust your taste. lol. if you bought an RX, your on my good list

 

Nice, good to hear...I wonder when we can expect the next RX to premiere. Possibly NAIAS 2008?

 

here is a link & video for 2009 RX from Edmunds

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=116536

 

Yeah, oh yeah! I am digging it now!

 

Now that seems will worth waiting for.

 

No fair teasing us.

I was wondering if the next model would be offered with a V8. Interesting news on the possibility of a long-wheelbase version too. I'd think that would eat into GX and LX sales, but what do I know? If it comes to life I could certainly see myself in a '10 model year V8 RX.

 

New RX will use the same 3.5 liter V-6 but gain direct injection to make 303 hp. It will REMAIN a 5 seater. Lexus did not like any of the designs with the 7 seats and research shows those 2 extra seats are useless. It will be an evolution, expect more luxury, features you see from the LS etc trickle down, possibly even advanced parking.

 

So no 7 seater crossover for Lexus then? Addition of direct injection makes sense to further differentiate it from the competition, as well as to differentiate Lexus models from Toyota models. I expect that to be the base engine, along with the rumoured V8 as an option. What about the platform, still Camry based or something new? 303HP going through the front wheels would mean some necessary mods to the Camry platform if it remains on that platform.

Btw, LMAO at your "vehicles"

 

Interesting rumors..."coupe on stilts" sounds funny but I hope the L-finesse interpretation will be good.

 

It's not the engine changes I am looking forward to, but rather what they are going to do about the tranny.

 

Can we assume that it will have keyless entry/ignition etc similar to the current IS series? Direct injection would be great, or better yet, the system that the IS 350 has which is a combination of direct and indirect injection, pulls a lot of power, with good low end and midrange torque, and nice top end. Would like to see something as mundane as turn signal mirrors, ipod port, nav system that you can operate while in motion, and TPMS for each tire.

We will sure be looking forward to the “new and improved” RX, but it will be hard to get rid of our Thundercloud – its been fun being a little different!

 

I am absolutely certain that the keyless entry/ignition (SmartAccess) will be added; it is on the new IS, GS, ES, LS now.

"perhaps advanced parking" -- that would be awesome! The question is whether Lexus will add LS 460 features to the rest of the lineup. The RX should get XM NavTraffic, a more upgraded ML system, the APGS, Lexus PCS, DRCC, etc...

...just a wishlist. That may not happen if they want to reserve the special options for the flagship. But if the #2 bestseller ES now gets an UL pkg, how about their #1 vehicle...also a HDD system perhaps?

 

One thing that I am affraid of is that the 2009 Short-WheelBased-RX will be as big as the 2008 Toyota Highlander. That is, IMHO, a bit too big for me. I just dont get it why Toyota make the rav4 bigger and the highlander bigger too. Why cant they stick with the size of previous generation? The current RX size is just perfect.

 

I dont think they should be a 7 seater...most families dont need it.

as for using the camry platform, i think i read somewhere that it will NOT share the same platform, and it doesnt make sense either.

i expect to see:
HDD nav with xm navtraffic
smart access
PCS/radar cruise
heating and cooled front seats, rear seats as package

please dont let it be made in Canada