BarrettF77

I wouldn't put a hitch on it. Bad idea...

Lexspeed

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that replied. The informative comments, actual owner opinions and the links to other magazine articles were very helpful. I am still on the fence as to what to buy, but the F-Sport is still on my short list. I am not in any rush so I have plenty of time to sort out my decision.

Dolphin

Lots of good responses. I was not aware no F Hybrid in USA, interesting....

It makes sense to remove rear dampener, to allow a Lexus hitch installation. I doubt the factory will do this, so you gotta get a dealer to go along. Or, maybe a 3rd party hitch maker would provide such.... my other deal breaker was the radar cruise, not avail. on F....but is avail on F sport appearance package as it has the top horix grill, which Lexus calls spindles, why?

Interesting X5 and Cayne comparison. Obviously the needs of the driver varies so greatly, specially when you have other vehicles in the garage. Some like a sporty ride, others prefer plush. Now with F Sport, the RX offers a nice range. And the dampeners installed after the sale offer a nice mid feel.

Glad others noticed what I did with the F Sport trannie. I thought maybe the few I test drove were lemons. My 2WD is incredibly responsive and peppy..very impressed with the acceleration and trannie reaction, it's very finely tuned. Could be the simplicity of 2WD, who knows. I also really enjoy the parchment interior, it looks n feels more like a Lexus IMO. Glad I held out to get exactly the options I really wanted. Overall, very happy with the RX.

BertL

Pure supposition on my part, but I suspect it all has to do with insufficient demand for PCS (radar cruise). The vast majority of RX shipped don't have PCS, even before F-Sport introduced another permutation the radar system has to coexist with. As discussed in other threads, the PCS option generally requires a special order, and PCS must not have worked for some reason with the new F-Sport front-end. Lexus likely has to retrofit/redesign how the radar system is connected or operates with that new front-end and decided it wasn't worth it right now, or they didn't want to delay F-Sport introduction until they could make it function. Perhaps it will become available in the 2014 or gen4 F-Sport. We'll have to see.

...BTW, I agree with you, and love PCS on my RX450h.

Dolphin

Hi Bert, thx for all your informative posts and off list help in the past, you have helped me a lot....

As per the Lexus West Coast Rep, the reason Radar Cruise not avail on F Sport is due to the top Horiz grill....they can not fit the radar system behind the honeycomb grille (yet).... the radar sits behind the big "L".... my guess is, the honeycomb grill is not yet rigid enough, or the cables would be seen, or unprotected, vs. the horiz. grille, where the grille is more stable and can easily conceal and protect the cabling. As you suggest, I am sure in future years, this will be solved.... I agree, Lexus did not want to delay the release of the F for these minor issue.

Radar cruise, HUD and ML is NEVER offered on the "dealer choices" ..... I was surprised to learn how this process works. Lexus determines the RX production run, based on how they think the cars sell best. So it's a pre determine production run. Dealers have no say...they simply choose from the offering Lexus puts out....and these production RX's will NEVER will have the above 3 options, hence the "custom order" if you want these options. Lexus rep claims most RX buyers do NOT want to pay for these options. The process of a building a custom order is quite cumbersome to the factory, something I recently learned. It made perfect sense, as the RX relatively competitive pricing is a result of high volume manufacturing (for prem. car). Considering there is no up-charge for custom orders, it's actually impressive The RX is Lexus's high volume production vehicle, representing 50% of all Lexus N.A units sold. So base pricing is a result of high volume assembly line production.

vlad_a

There's nothing bad about having a hitch. I pull a mini trailer with mine whenever I need to haul something big. Have come in really handy. Anything from gardening soil to Christmas trees (ball) has no business inside of the vehicle, especially something as nice as the RX.
Bike rack also plugs into the hitch. Again very convenient and not bad by any means.

It is also nice to know if I need to move something really big, I can always stop by a local U-Haul and rent their trailer.

builderbob

really like ours , my only small issue is the roof racks, they stay silver. the rims are smoked, car is black and has ugly silver racks. they match the rims on lower models so ok. found a post and got kit to remove, might have them painted black and put on. other than that wife loves it.

corradoMR2

Interesting how the Canadian F-Sport seems to be the only one globally I've seen so far that DOESN't have the roof racks. I personally like it this way as it gives off a sportier sleeker look. Don't blame you for wanting them off on the F-Sport model, but agree, it suits the non F-Sport RX well.

rayaans

Mines japanese. Didnt come with roof rails!

corradoMR2

Ah yes, missed yours.

To be clear, the ones sold in Canada (built in Canada), don't have. The ones sold in the US have the the roof rails (which to my knowledge are still built in Canada) - go figure! Someone from the marketing dept in Lexus figured there's a need in the US and not in Canada for the F-Sport only since the regular RX has it in both markets!

armstronga

While on the market for a rx 350 fsport I have been reading reviews on all the car review sites, and they all have the same consensus. The rx 350 f sport ride is just too harsh, and not recommended.

So to everyone who actually owns a fsport, how has the ride been for you?

rayaans

Nothing wrong with the ride IMHO. Its not harsh at all, its just "harsher" compared to the other RX's. Obviously, the reviews compare the RX F SPORT to a normal RX350. In that case, there is a big step up in terms of a harsh ride but you also get better steering and less body roll around the corners.

The true comparison would be to compare an RX F SPORT to an Audi Q5 S LINE, OR BMW X5 M SPORT or even a Porsche Cayenne. Those vehicles have a much much stiffer ride compared to the RX F SPORT and the Audi WILL definitely knock your teeth out. Obviously, the best thing would be to take an extended test drive and go on all types of roads, especially back roads to get a true feel of the ride.

These are very accurate reviews in my opinion:
http://www.carprousa.com/2013-lexus-...car-pro-review
http://www.leftlanenews.com/lexus-rx...rt-review.html

BarrettF77

Just like rayaans said, it's fine. I had a Tiguan with lowering springs the dealer already put on before we looked at the car and found it very stiff and sporty. The VW Audi products are bad. The Lexus F sport doesn't roll like the German cars that need super stiff suspension. Now, the regular RX to me drove like a pillow floating on a cloud and I didn't care for the handling or styling. Test drive and get your own take. No amount of reading will satisfy your curiosity on certain things like this. I find it a happy medium with nice body roll control.

GoGiantsNJ

I tend not to believe everything I read from the so called car gurus. The RXF was a bit stiff,but not harsh. Those same skeptics wrote that the RX with the 19" wheels,tires gave it a bumpy ride. I disagreed with that so much that I own an RX with the 19" tires and wheels. I do have the Michelins though.

Cruiter

Fred, I agree with you on the Michelin's. Tires and proper pressure can make all the difference in the world from handling, to grip, to miles of tread wear, to gas mileage, and the quite ride of the Michelin's.