We rented a car for a 10 day road trip up the FL gulf coast and then to Mobile, AL, Memphis, TN and ending up in Atlanta GA. We asked for a Rav4 and ended up with a Dodge Durango (long story).

I liked a lot of the technology of the Durango speedometer display, a screen that is very configurable and very easy to read and use. The info screen was also done pretty well with no Nav but a good job of displaying the music being played from my phone and the satellite. Anyway, lots of neat technology stuff that I liked. The cruise control indicated the set speed (a BMW we rented a while ago did also). The outside temperature and direction were displayed in both the speedometer area as well as the display area.

The backup camera was pretty good with sensors on the back end of the SUV but not the front. No BSM.

The biggest difference was in the comfort and ride. The Durango was much more truck like with seats that were no where near as comfortable as the RX350.

It is interesting to get a chance to try something else out for a long enough period of time to get a pretty good feel. As noted here in many threads the RX seems to lag in many technology areas but boy the ride and comfort are hard to beat.

No reliability experience of course but my expectations are that the Lexus would have significantly less issues than the Dodge.

 

Did that Durango have a traditional lever for shifting or a weird rotating **** I've heard about?

 

This is the last year for the Durango.

 

Yes, "weird rotating ****". 10 days was not enough time to get use to it. The **** is about where the joystick is on our RXs and rotates from left to right through P R N D.

 

Probably a good thing.

 

Interesting comparison, I bet the Durango used a decent amount more gas than a Rav4 would have!

Does your RX not show the cruise speed setting? My 2015 does, maybe something that was added recently?

 

Where does it show this?

 

If your RX has Dynamic Cruise Control, which is part of the PCS (Pre-Collision System) Option that not a lot of people seem to have (I do, and l-o-v-e it),
it will display the preset speed on the multi-information display between the guages. An example how it looks is on p22 of the Quick Info Guide.

 

Yep, that is what mine looks like, when I set the cruise control it shows that graphic with the speed. I guess only if you have the radar cruise control.

 

I rented a Chrysler 300S for the past 8 days and drove it 35 hours over 1500 miles. Compared to the RX it was actually an amazing value.

Pros:
-EPA estimates were much higher than expected and much higher than RX even though the car is only 300lbs less AND more powerful
-panoramic sunroof not an option in RX
-trip computer (drive time, etc.)
-20" rims were baller and ride quality was equivalent to RX
-quiet even when compared to RX
-faster than RX
-cruise control system allows precise setting and control of speed
-smooth transmission that knew when to downshift
-remote start implementation better

Cons:
-side mirrors don't 'look' down in reverse
-no dimming side mirrors
-leatherette
-garmin in-built nav was not as good as lexus nav
-beats audio was worse than RX premium speakers
-no song information with bluetooth pairing (iphone6S)
-no steering wheel controls when paired in bluetooth
-no volume control on steering wheel
-no HIDs - what a huge miss
-polarized sunglasses interfered with screen
-no rain sensing wipers

For a car that costs $34K, this was a surprisingly close in terms of comfort and features when compared to my RX Premium Package. Not sure how Lexus can justify price increases when premium car makers are quickly encroaching on their territory.