I've seen the feature on other Lexus vehicles but haven't found anything on the web for the 4RX. This morning while driving I had the recirc/fresh air on auto and the car quickly switched to re-circulation when I passed a lawn mower crew. I got the mildest sniff of grass and that was it. I drove about another 1/4 mile and it was on fresh air again. It could have been a coincidence however.

Can anyone confirm if the RX has a "smog or odor detector"? If so, how does it work?

 

Mine seems to always default to recirc on auto in the warm weather.

 

When I see dust or something nasty ahead, I reach down and turn the system off.

 

I don't think "off" actually locks out outside air.

 

 

Might not but the fan is no longer pushing air though the cabin. No air out of the vents and fan say OFF.

 

Air still flows through the vents even on OFF. Safety feature.

 

No doubt, but in the off position the vehicle is not helping the air go through.

I never said it locks the air out, it was YOU

 

I'm pretty sure the smog sensor is not really anything we hope it would be... All I know when I'm surrounded by trucks in traffic it goes to outside air so I can enjoy the exhaust aroma.. mmm mmmm mmmmmm

 

I am wondering what type of sensor is used to detect this smog.

 

According to another thread on clublexus: hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX)

 

Here's an interesting article i read in Motor Trend Magazine regarding the Recirculation function in many cars:

"However, today’s cars do permit full recirc in order to earn off-cycle EPA credits, so cabin CO2 concentration is becoming a concern—especially in environments where extreme outdoor temperatures or pollution encourage prolonged use of the recirc mode."


http://www.motortrend.com/news/recir...n-technologue/

 

This is great - theyll meet their CAFE targets and we will be poisoned.

 

Hey who doesn't like a cabin full of sweet diesel exhaust?

 

^^^ I get lots of headache. I've experienced many air filtration and sensing with different auto brands and so far Inifniti's (fully loaded) Q70 and I think QX80 comes with the tech that truly feels like you are in a forest all day, and I have never smelled exhaust. I think it's their filter, they are like $50 a pop.

Lexus cares more about outside temperature vs how clean the air is to let fresh air in. On this note, are there better in-cabin filters out there than the oem? Something with charcoal and other fun stuff to truly clean the air?