i recently picked up my 2012 RX 350 after trading in my 2005 RX 330. I notice that the road feel on the steering wheel is more " european" and the suspension feels tighter and less cushy. Does anyone share this observation and has it been deliberately changed by Lexus? I peraonally liked the cushier old ride. Thanks. Al

 

Pretty much every owner of the 3rd gen RX have notice this. I for one hated the boat like handling of the old RX. The only reason I bought the 3rd gen was the improved handling. Even with the stiffer suspension, the 3rd gen RX is still one of the softer SUV on the market.

 

Agree with G Man here on this point - it is all a matter of perspective.

If you were coming from an X5, an MDX, or a CX-9 GT with the 20" OEM wheels you would likely be indicating that the ride is "soft" given your frame of reference.

 

Lexus did make the change deliberately. The final result is a topic open for debate.

Here are some comments that I just made in another thread on this topic:

I have the 19" wheels on my 450h. In general the ride quality is good ... but, I would not say it is great. It really pains me to make that comment; I don't want to be unfair to Lexus. I think Lexus made a trade off to increase the sportiness and handling of the car while sacrificing some of the potential ride quality. Some would say the balance is a good trade-off.

I guess what I would add to the above comment is that I have read a number of reviews of the car where the reviewer came to the conclusion that Lexus slightly missed the mark with the RX's ride. I personally feel it could be better and hope that Lexus finds a way to improve ride quality and further tune handling/sportiness. On the positive side, I do feel pretty confident in the the RX's handling (given its size/weight). In the pursuit of a sporty driving experience, Lexus has created some real turkeys lately ... the HS is right on the top of that list. It has almost no luxury ride.

 

Thats every engineer's dream, a suspension that handles well and ride soft. As of now, the only two technology that can provide that combination is an air suspension and active suspension, both systems are complex and expensive to maintain. Lexus, as a company have only recently started to design sport suspensions and I am sure they have a lot to learn, but like you said, the RX handles and rides pretty good for a SUV this size.