My wife's new RX 350 arrived a couple of weeks ago, and we just spent a week driving it approximately 900 miles on a Southern California vacation. For those interested in the specs, here's the build. We had the paint protection added, mounted the iPad in back for the kid, loaded up, and took off. Overall, a great car, and a nice improvement over her previous Lexuses, which included a 2005 RX 330, 2009 GX 470, and 2011 RX 350.

Likes include:

• The massive screen that is highly visible and provides lots of information.
• The DRC/LKA/LDA/etc. that are great after you get used to them. I look forward to the day when I can kick back on trips like this and let the car do the driving, and you can literally feel how that is possible.
• The styling, including the front-end, that seems "normal" now. I've always liked RXs, starting with the first gen my mother got in '98 or '99, and like the sharper-edged modern styling.
• The ML sound system, although it seems a bit "front-biased" at times. I would expect the center F-R setting to be "perfect" but had to add quite a bit of rear bias to allow me to hear those speakers. I don't know if there is some sort of surround setting I'm missing that might help.
• The thigh extension on the seats, which I don't believe her previous RX had. I've gotten used to this in BMWs, and hate the "short" thigh supports that so many manufacturers use to make it look like there is more legroom.
• The driving dynamics, less of a marshmallow than the previous RXs, and much less than the GX. It's not a harsh ride by any stretch, but it doesn't feel like it's about to go flying off the road in corners, and it doesn't get out of shape as easily.
• The 8 speed transmission, very smooth and quiet compared to previous vehicles.
• The engine note when accelerating, seems sportier, and the Sport mode with manual shift that makes for a decently fun RX.
• The handling on the twisty bits of Highways 1, 17, and 101. Chasing down a Q7 and running away from some sort of murdered-out Grand Cherokee who thought he had a sporty SUV was fun. I've driven in a pro race series, so that helps a bit, but having the car be capable of spirited driving is critical. Her previous RXs left me cold, and the GX made me want to scream at times.
• The HUD, although this wasn't as helpful it all but disappeared when I had my sunglasses on.
• The start button, which is about 2 inches lower than where it "feels" like it should be.
• The lack of an easy to use SCAN button on the radio.

Dislikes include:

• The "mouse" that can make selection difficult on a choppy road. I've tried adjusting it a bit, but it's just not quite as intuitive or smooth as I'd like.
• The inability to use many of the nav, etc. features when underway. The reason why we have mice, wheels, etc. is to allow for this, and only allowing voice entry is stupid.
• The lack of USB ports in the rear. 1-2 per passenger should be industry standard, IMHO, and in this day and age it's silly to not provide them.
• The restrictive visibility due to the "turret" style windows that are so popular today. Lexus isn't alone in this, but I'd love to have all windows be 2-3" taller.

We averaged 26 MPG on the way down in mostly highway driving, but a bit less on the way back as we were on the twisty 101, 17, and 1. I have a heavy foot at times, and suspect that we could have done better if we had tried, and the car had been more fully broken in. I tried Eco mode a bit, which seems to help, but it also makes using the radar cruise frustrating as the car doesn't want to accelerate quickly enough to get back up to speed. I'd leave it in Sport mode most of the time, but probably wouldn't shift much except on downhill stretches, etc.

For what it's worth, we cross-shopped the Macan, Cayenne, Q5/SQ5, X3/4, RR Evoque, and RR Sport. My wife drove my 2011 X5 35d for nearly a year after trading in her last RX, and really doesn't like BMW much. She loved the looks of some of the others, but various features such as not feeling luxurious enough, horrible nav systems, etc. took them out of the running. We briefly looked at the GLC and GLE, and considered waiting for the F-Pace, but in the end she went back to Lexus and narrowed it down to the GX and RX. I'm glad she went with the RX, as the GX has just too much Tacoma/etc. DNA (we have a 2012 Tacoma) and feels a bit too much like the old "lipstick on a pig" cliche.

In summary, a great car, and clearly an updated and improved RX.

 

Excellent balanced review! Just curious, why did you rule out the Macan? That was my top choice until I test drove the RX.

 

Nice review!

I hope to do one soon as I drive my car from Norcal to Socal

 

I think this is probably a defense against distracted driving.

Thanks for the well-considered review! We too just returned from a long (3,000-mile) trip, and I agree with all your conclusions. I was a little disappointed with LKA, as it caused the car to wander too much and spend too much time on the rumble strips. But the seating comfort, ACC, and BSM made it a very easy drive, much easier than it would have been in our previous car, a 2008 Honda Accord. Also, satellite radio was great as I didn't have to constantly search for stations.

 

My wife is the primary driver, and while she liked the looks of the Macan, she didn't like the lower seating position, and didn't feel it was luxurious enough. It's also a much smaller vehicle, more the size of the NX than the RX. Overall if was my favorite for the driving experience, but when it came to cargo carrying, rear passenger comfort, and the electronics and other features, it wasn't as nice as the RX.

 

Makes sense and makes me feel better about choosing the RX.

 

I agree they need usb ports in the back, but they do have a 12V for the back passengers which I bought a mini 2 port to USB 12V adapter that I use back there

 

Wish they would have used the touch pad like the RC instead of the mouse thing. It is my least liked feature in my 4RX

 

Great review, thanks for posting.

While I understand the reasoning behind not being able to use the Nav while driving, I too find it very annoying..

 

If you're breaking it in, be sure to not drive at a constant RPM and to vary the RPM's during your drive. I did this by switching the transmission to manual mode and i did a few "pulls" on the highway from let's say 3000 RPM up to 6000 RPM, etc...

 

Thanks for a great review... what model RX do you have please ? Ialso tried all the same models you have and just cant find anyting that comes close to the Lexus finish , comfort and refinement . Some of the others go quicker and handle a bit better but the trade off is ride comfort and for me its just not what I want .

 

It's an RX 350, fairly well optioned. Here's a link to a build that has the same colors and options. Only the Range Rover Sport seemed more luxurious, and that was at a much higher price point.