I agree tfischer. I've been looking at the RX for about 3 months now and never saw this mentioned at all.

 

Hill assist has been standard since the 3rd gen came out. I know some of us discussed the feature way back when. It's only when the mysterious beep happens that it comes to surface again. I'm not new to the RX by any stretch but sometimes there are things I didn't even know about.. Yes, I read the manual cover to cover, LOL! Some of those discoveries can be found in this thread Jim started a while back. Take a look and add your own.

JG45, I'm glad you actually found one of your annoyances was in fact a feature. Try testing Hill Assist out so you get a sense of how it works. I've used it a few times, like when I was stuck on a snowy hill waiting for a train to pass. Worked like a charm. And I hope you're more on the 'love your RX' side now.

 

Anita:
That's good info to know. I looked over the first post, and what jumps out at me now is that the Dealer was unaware of how the hill assist "feature" works. I love the secret features.
And finally, I'm definitely on the "love my RX" side - I have an '04 and am test driving the new ones. This is one great car and, as the economists say, the market has spoken.

 

If I remember correctly, Hill Assist was introduced in the last generation GX470 & 4Runner several years ago. I wouldn't call it a "stupid" feature. It's a useful feature for those who live in areas with lots of hills.

I do agree it's not an absolutely needed thing to have since your left foot could accomplish the same task. But then again the same can be said about the HUD and automatic high-beam features as they both provide functionality that are already available manually anyways - and yet many folks love these.

These features may not be a need but this is a luxury car, its all about the extras that sets it apart from the rest.

 

We probably know more about the RX than most sales people. It'll probably remain that way since they sell on their own. And Hill Assist really does serve a purpose for those in less than flat areas like myself. Someone came up behind me when I had to stop on that snowy hill for the train. Most cars can't make it up with a few inches on the ground. I engaged Hill Assist while I waited for the train to pass. I didn't have to worry about jumping from the brake to the gas pedal. Even though I don't use it often, I'm very glad Lexus added this feature.

 

I'm in that minority, I have two feet, just the left doesn't work very well. So hillside assist is my friend.

I haven't been able to duplicate the seat belt alarm by pushing on the back of the front seat. I'll try again next week. Seems odd to me. I thought the seat belt alarm was watching downward pressure on the seat bottom.

 

Thanks, Anita, I'll give it a try when I'm next on a hill. And yes, I've always been more on the love side.

 

I suspect that pushing on the back of the front seat might not be enough to duplicate the pressure from moving the front seat back really hard against a backward-facing child seat. That was done to give more leg room to a particularly tall front seat passenger. I didn't realize how hard until I got the false seatbelt alarm. But you're right that downward pressure on the seat is what you would expect to trigger a seatbelt alarm if the seatbelt isn't connected.

 

We are disappointed not to have an overhead compartment for our sunglasses in our '11 RX350. I'm using the cup holder. Our '04 Highlander has one as does our friends' Accord.

Also, regarding the Hill Assist feature. There may be local laws forbidding holding a hill with the transmission, probably written with standard transmission in mind. Think San Francisco.

 

Yep, pushed the emergency call button when we were test driving. I still reach up in that direction when I get in my wife's RX, have not found a permanent place for my sunglasses in her car yet.

In my car, a Kia Sportage, my sunglasses are in the compartment, I guess I will have to get my own RX to break the habit. :-)

 

Geez; you would think they did away with the steering wheel; adjust people!!! PLUS, you drive a KIA?????

 

It is an ANNOYANCE, It did not keep us from purchasing the car. Get a grip.

 

Oh my God!
It is not a legal violation to hold the car on a hill using only the transmission. Really bad or very new drivers might do that, but after replacing a clutch or two they will learn how to use a stick shift. Surely even dumb drivers can figure out that a clutch is subject to wear only during the process of engaging or disengaging; is it subject to no wear at all when fully engaged or disengaged. After all that friction I would think the smell alone would send a signal.
The penalty for not knowing how a clutch works on a hill is having to buy a new clutch for your own car or having to buy a new radiator for the car behind you. We have few repeat offenders in this category.
Finally, I am indeed thinking of San Francisco where all local drivers would be well aware of how to handle a car with a stick shift on a hill.
Doesn't anybody learn physics any more?

 

I agree that Hill Assist has no laws against it. Mfgrs couldn't make it available otherwise. The Lexus implementation if you put the RX in HOLD mode just before pressing the accelerator to prevent the car possibly going backward, only exists for 2 seconds max if you don't hit the accelerator, then it beeps and turns itself off.

FWIW, my 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLK goes a step further with their implementation of what in our Lexus world we call "Hill Assist" and allows me to place my SLK in HOLD any time that I'm stopped (flat surface or a hill -- does not matter) and it stays that way until I press on the accelerator. The idea being, if you're stopped in traffic for a long time, you can put the vehicle in HOLD, take your foot off the brake and when you eventually need to go, just accelerate, at which time the car releases HOLD. This is possible because the car has an electronic brake that is engaged and then disengaged automatically by the HOLD function. Also, perhaps of interest, is my SLK will automatically release the parking brake when I start the car and go forward or reverse -- never an issue if I forget to do it myself and ignore the Parking Brake idiot light.

 

I don't think that Ray was saying that the stupid "Hill Assist" was illegal, but rather that riding the clutch (instead of the brake) had been outlawed. What should be outlawed is giving a license to someone who thinks that's a good idea.