All,

I am able to get $2500 off MSRP on a RX330 with Premium Plus/Nav(PT, NV, HH, TO, FT, Wheel Looks, Cargo Mat) or $2500 off MSRP on a RX330 with Performance Package/NAV(VP, NV, HS, TO, FT, Wheel Locks, Cargo Mat). From my calculations the Premium Plus/Nav will cost me $41,488 and the Performance/Nav will cost me $43,163. Is the Permormance Package worth the extra $1675? My wife and I recently test drove a non-performance RX330, and I felt the suspension was adequite(just enough tightness, but not harsh). I test drove a performance RX330 several months ago, when the RX330's were just starting to arrive at the dealership, and from my re-collection, I can't tell the difference between the two vehicles. I also test drove an FX35 with Tech, and the differences between the the FX35 and RX330 was night and day. But, the FX35's ride was to harsh for my wife.

Also, what is the maximum/minimum ground clearnce I get with the air suspension? Will I get more ground clearnace from the performance package?

 

It depends on what you really want out of the car. I have the Perfm. Pkg. because some options in the midwest were only available with it (18" wheels, HID's, and heated seats). The adaptive headlights are cool looking, as is the air suspension, but they weren't the deciding factor in my purchase. I would have much rather had the Navigation. The air suspension is not really noticable (IMO). Even when set at the highest clearance, it automatically goes down at a certain speed (around 20 MPH??). Like others that have posted here, I don't even bother raising/lowering mine anymore. Hope this helps.
AP

PS I really do like the automatic wipers!!!

 

Thanks for the reply.

The only difference between the 2 option pacakges(Premium Plus/Nav; Perf/Nav) I'm looking at are air suspension and adaptive headlights. Otherwise, the options are identical.

 

Several reviews that I've read, including the new one at Edmunds, have said that the air suspension does improve the handling, particularly when set to "Low." This matched my experience when I was test driving both configurations. However in my case the regular suspension test vehicle had the smaller, 17 inch wheels and tires, which also came with a less aggressive all season tread, so this probably had as much if not more impact on the handling as the difference in the suspension.

Bottom line, I think, is that if you cannot tell the difference between the two, save yourself the money and get the regular suspension, especially if the wheels and tires are exactly the same (18 inch polished graphite with Michelins).

 

I chose the Perf Pckg because I was able to secure a better deal. Lexus regards these as a niche config and they're more willing to wiggle to move em. You should be able to get more off this package - if your dealer won't do it then maybe take a few extra days to "think about it" If you can deal without having the wood steering wheel then I say go for the Perf cause you'll get the E-shift too! along with the 18" rims, afl headlights, etc - I love mine

 

Thanks All,

I realized that the Perf Package doesn't come with the wood steering wheel and shifter. My wife LOVES the wood. I know that you can add it on aftermarket, but we're already pushing the limits on what we would like to spend on a vehicle. So, we've decided to just go with Prem Plus/Nav .

Thanks!

 

I had Preference Ordered a Performance/Nav vehicle and had asked for the wood. It arrived without the wood, but the dealer was able to add the wood steering wheel and shifter locally. Definitely worth the extra effort!

 

I was debating that too.

I was told by a local dealer here (NorCal) that Performance Package and Navi are a rare combo. Even more rare are the Lt. Gray interiors.

As of now, I'm looking into a FWD RX330 Premium Plus w/ Navi and 18's. I like the Adaptive Front Lighting. The air suspension is a plus, however someone told me to stay away from air suspensions because the airbags will leak and it's very costly to replace. I should note that the person who told me this has experienced it with a Lincoln Mark VIII. He also mentioned that Lexus reliability is probably top notch compared to Ford. HAHA. I'm just not sure if I want to give up the wood steering wheel and shift **** for the air suspension and AFL along with the extra $$.

 

What in the world would an air suspension system have to do with airbags?

 

Bige320,

The 2 dealerships I visited had several black/lt. grey and breakwater blue/lt. grey vehicles. But none had perf/nav .

Like what Big Behr mentioned, you can have the dealer install the factory wood steering wheel and shift shifter. Retail on these should be $380.

 

For a vehicle with air suspension, it would have airbags instead of coil springs. I don't know the extent of how the RX330 Perf. Package air suspension is setup, but the airbags maybe similar to those used to lower "Fast and Furious" style import cars all the way to the ground. Usually those "tuner" magazines have advertisements of it. If the RX330 Perf. Pack. doesn't have airbags it would then have air shocks, similar to regular shocks, but there's an inlet on each for an air hose to inflate/deflate, raising/lowering the car.

I don't mean airbags as the safety devices find inside the dash, steering wheel, seats, etc.

 

Oh, that's what I thought was meant - never heard the term "airbags" used in connection with an air suspension. My previous car, an Audi allroad, had an air suspension which allowed you to raise the ground clearance up to 8.3 inches - not bad for a "wagon." I never had any trouble with it, and of course these suspensions have been used in heavy trucks for years. I like the self-leveling aspect when towing. And of course the ability to lower it for a better look and sharper handling. We did go for it on our RX (Breakwater Blue/Light Gray, w/Nav) for all these reasons, plus the good experience with our Audi.

 

Nice... How do you like the Perf. Pack with the RX? I saw a Breakwater Blue on the dealer lot Saturday, very nice color. But my family's leaning towards a darker color though (Black or Flint). I haven't seen a Lt. Gray interior, but the sales rep says the contrast doesn't look as good as a Black on Black. I guess he doesn't want to special order or try to locate a Black/Lt. Gray one.

We have auto load leveling (ALL) on our Mazda MPV (it uses air shocks, no airbags). Our's hasn't failed yet, but I've read on the MPV forum people who have the ALL system replace the air shocks with regulars after they fail, because the air shocks cost $600 from the dealer.

 

On the few occasions when I've driven the RX (wife's car) I've set the suspension to "Low" and have used the manual shift gate. This makes it fun to drive, especially now that it's broken in and you can explore the upper reaches of the tach. So from my standpoint the Performance Pkg was worth it, although I strongly suspect that my wife really wouldn't have cared one way or the other if we skipped this option. As much as anything I wanted something a little unique, since the RX is so popular and over the next few years there will be many standard configurations on the road.

I do think if we had gone with either Black (not considered since my FX45 is black) or Flint Mica (same - our previous Audi allroad was this color) then we would have chosen the black interior. This is the sportiest look IMO especially the Black/Black combination.

 

Thanks JRB,

The main selling point of the Perf. Pack for me is the Access mode, making the RX a little more squat when parked. I also like AFL. I haven't compared it to see how much lower it is to a regular RX.