I think the 6 speed in my 06 Ls430 is better than the 6 speed in my 10' rx350, the 8 speed in my 11' LS460 is even a little bit better.

 

>>If the OP lives in southern climates where roads are generally smoother and potholess its a decent buy.

Matter of fact... I live in the North. six months of snow typically. The 2007 RX handles the snow here very well. Would the RX-F be much different? Would the different wheel and tire size of the F be a benefit or detriment?

 

Yes the keyword is "sporty-looking".

Too me it looks 'goofy-bearded-goldfishy' instead of 'sporty'. I cringe whenever I see one in the street.

 

I'm shopping for the 2015 RX and what I'm seeing is a $2,000 markup for the RX-F option over RX.

 

and the really stupid part of the f-sport is they didnt even bother to make them perform better? meaning they have the same horsepower/torque as the non f-sport? which to me makes no sense at all. at least give it a bump in hp to make it more appealing. ok, the 8 speed is like a second faster than the 6 speed is (supposedly) big deal.

 

If both cars have the same options other than the F package, I probably probably wouldn't pay $2k more. As I said earlier, Fsports only come one way -- fully loaded. So what options do the others have?

The slightly lower profile tires on the 19" wheels are theoretically not as good in snow but who knows if you could tell.

My wife is a speedy car shopper. We drove a Lexus GS, our RX-F and a Q5. No regular RX. And we got the RXF. So I can't compare. Have you driven any 2015s (F or non F) yet?

 

There is a reason Mercedes and BMW dealers know their customers by first name...The owners bring their cars in for repairs waaaay too often. For the money of the vehicle, the reliability/repair ratings are unsatisfactory. But, that is just my opinion...

Toyota/Lexus is a brand that has been "most reliable", or near the very top, for several decades. Yes, they have had a few less than stellar models, but the RX is splendidly reliable.

 

I have driven both the 2015 RX and the 2015 RX-F in short test drive situations. I couldn't tell much difference between them on a dry, mostly highway environment. From that short drive I'm not understanding the F $2K extra.

 

Are you talking about a 3RX or a 4RX?

 

OMG, this is so true and our exact experience with MB.. While everyone in service was great, you know it's bad when the receptionist, the loaner car specialist, the valets, techs, shop foreman etc know you by name..

Our 2011 ML350 was in for service 18 times over a 12-14 month period, took us approx 3 to 4 months to finally get MBUSA to agree to a buyback. They call it a substitute of collateral and take all money paid up to that time and apply it to a new lease and keep your payment the same.

I wanted a total buyout, but after getting legal advice a buyout or Lemon Law would have dragged on a lot longer and we just wanted out of the ML at that point..

 

If your dealer is serious about selling cars and realizes you are serious about buying, they should let you take both cars for a couple of hours at least. I drove our RX about 2 hours to be sure the seats didn't bother my back.

 

Oh they would if I could set aside the few hours. Just trying to coming up with a meaningful test course to compare the two suspension types. Winter is a question mark as well.... do I really want that type of wheel and tire combination for winter? Not gonna buy another set for winter.

 

Besides the suspension, 8 speed transmission and visual differences (seats, headliner, rims), the F-Sport has VDIM which is also on the RX450h. That'll come in handy in the winter by taking away power from any wheel that's slipping. It works seamlessly without driver input and makes the correction before you even know it happened. Maybe you catch the flashing light on the dash. It helps eliminate the need for dedicated winter tires. But like vfr700f2 says, you really need to take both for extended drives. F-Sport will have the advantage on turns but maybe not on regular roads as much. But also keep in mind tire brand and even the pressure can make a difference. So that may mean some more experimenting. Good luck.

 

Huh, OK so there might actually be an advantage to the RX-F in a cold climate environment.

 

base rx`s have this option as well.