Hello All -

I'm testing the waters on getting a 2012 RX350 AWD. Had the original 1999 and 2002 models and just loved both - traded in the 2002 when my transmission went wonky.

Am hoping to get:

Nav
Heated front seats
park assist
premium package


How is everyone finding the seat comfort of the 2012's? I'm on the petite side.

Also, here in Northern CA, apparently it's just about impossible to find an AWD without the 19" tires. Any negative impact to the smoothness of the drive with the 19's?

All feedback appreciated!

 

Hi, Lisa. Welcome. I have the 18's on mine, however, did take a 2012 w/ 19's out for a drive. The ride was not noticeably harsher than the 18's but it still did have a bit more feedback over the pavement than the 18 inch wheels. Again, not huge, but when you increase wheel size while the rolling diameter remains the same you increase the firmness of the sidewall so you don't bend the wheel when hitting a pothole.

In all, I like the appearance of the 19 inch wheels (as well as my 18's), however, didn't look forward to the replacement costs down the road.

 

I am also in N. CA (Pleasanton). 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, you should evaluate this aspect of the car yourself and form a conclusion. Whether the 18" or 19" wheels perform the same when the car is initially delivered is something that I do not know. But, one thing is for sure, you have a lot more high quality tire options with the 18" wheels that can probably positively impact ride quality down the road when you swap out your tires. The very highest rated tires on tirerack.com (in terms of ride quality) are not available in the 19" size. Tire options for the 19" wheels are a little limited. But, there are a couple of viable options so this is a workable option. I really like the style/look of the 19" wheels; Lexus did a nice job here. Three tires are used by Lexus on the 19" wheels. You can read some tire threads to see the strengths and weaknesses of each tire and possibly get the preferred tire on your car.

Seating comfort is another area where you should be careful. I had a passenger in my car last week that was 5'2" and they complained that the seats were very uncomfortable because the headrest was causing them problems. I tried to adjust her seat and did my best to solve the problems. I don't think I was completely successful. Definitely a big disappointment for me and a cloud over the car. Actually, a total failure for the car from my perspective. When I was test driving the car, I felt the seats were very comfortable. But, after a year with the car my very positive initial view has diminished a little. I feel that they could be more comfortable. There is room for improvement here. I am slimmer and more athletic than most owners ... so this may be working against me because the seats may be designed to handle more weight. I don't want to complain to much ... just don't expect perfection here.

I elected to not get AWD and went with FWD. I don't think that AWD is needed here in N. CA. (unless you are using the car for trips to the Sierra's in the winter). A good friend of mine, purchased a car that is identical to mine except that his is AWD. In fact, he purchased his first and I liked it and decided to get one also. After about six months, he commented that he did not think he had gotten any use out of the AWD function and it was just a few hundred extra pounds of weight on the car. I average about 2 MPG better with the FWD.

 

Thank you so much for the info.

I traded in my 2002 RX for a 2010 Infiniti EX35, which is wicked fun to drive but just doesn't have enough storage for me to keep the car long-term.

With the Infiniti, I've become used to a sportier, less floaty ride, more road feel, so I'm hoping the 19" wheels will feel okay as the Lexus will be cushier than my little EX.

The seat thing is tough when you're on the small size, especially with the more forward-tilting headrests these days. On the plus side, the headrests in the Lexus can be adjusted up a tad. But I will pay careful attention to that, so thank you for the heads up on your passenger's experience.

Also considering a Volvo XC70, seats are divine, but Volvo headrests are fixed. Makes me nervous to not be able to adjust those up a bit if need be, plus Lexus reliability has a much better track record.

Many thanks again!