Hello everyone!
I'm Wes from Bowling Green, Ky here. I am on here to collect some information from you current Lexus owners. I am looking at purchasing a new (used) SUV in the next 8 months. I am strongly considering a Lexus RX 350 model. I test drove a 2015 the other day. I liked it, thought it was quiet and rode well. I know Lexus' are made well. My main concern how small they are. Back seat leg room seemed like an issue. And the back storage area I don't even know if I could get my suitcase in there.

So I wanted to pick you all's brains about this vehicle. Also maybe how it compares to the newer generation.

Does anyone have any thoughts and experiences with their Lexus RX 350?

 

Hello everyone!
I'm Wes from Bowling Green, Ky here. I am on here to collect some information from you current Lexus owners. I am looking at purchasing a new (used) SUV in the next 8 months. I am strongly considering a Lexus RX 350 model. I test drove a 2015 the other day. I liked it, thought it was quiet and rode well. I know Lexus' are made well. My main concern how small they are. Back seat leg room seemed like an issue. And the back storage area I don't even know if I could get my suitcase in there.

I was curious how the 2015 stacked up to the newer generation of Lexus RX 350's?

 

I wish that lady had not turned her Volvo in front of me when I was going 40 mph. in my 2015 RX-350. If she hadn't, I would certainly still be driving it today. How's that for an answer?

 

Agreed, what I would give to take back my 3RX that was traded in for my '16 RX.

But anyways, the 4RX is quite different than the 3RX. Seating position is lower on the 4RX, drivability is much improved and dare I say sporty to an extent with the F-Sport, the AWD system is slightly better, it's considerably more quiet especially at highway speeds, there's good grunt if you put it in Sport mode (definitely try out the Sport S+ mode if you test drive an F-Sport model) and obviously, you get all the latest tech/driving aids.

Now here comes the downsides with the 4RX: cargo capacity is less than the 3RX, fewer storage cubbies (I still miss the left cupholder by the driver's side vent and the storage underneath the transmission), rear seats don't fold flat (they didn't fold flat either on the 3RXs, but were flatter compared to the 4RXs), the engine has both port and direct injection so there's going to be more vibrations coming into the cabin, watch out for transmission and droning issues which are considered "normal" and anecdotally, build quality is not as strong (could be just an issue with my particular RX, but avoid the '16 and look at newer 4RXs if you find you like this particular gen).

 

My wife enjoys her daily-driver 2015 RX350, now at 52,500 miles. It is the third RX she has had (previously a 2000 RX300 and a 2004 RX330). I find it a bit sluggish and prefer to drive my quicker / faster / more capable / more fun 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R. But the Lexus RX350 is indeed very well-engineered and given the proper maintenance should last a long time.

 

You must have one hell of a suitcase! Are you sure we are talking about the same car?

 

Look at post below "https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-4th-gen-2016-present/949777-lexus-rx-holds-much-more-luggage-than-you-might-think.html

 

HAHAHA......Well......slight exaggeration. But not much space there for sure, which is a concern.

 

After owning Acura products since the 1980s, I finally switched over to a 2020 Lexus RX350 in Feb. I am very happy with my purchase and love (almost) everything about the vehicle. While I generally do not carry passengers, I have had adults in the back and they were quite comfortable (2 passengers and not 3). Leg room was good. My 85 pound German Shepherd is the usual rear passenger and he has not issued any complaints.

The rear storage area may require that you go for a test drive and check it out. Ironically someone just made a thread about cargo space
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ght-think.html

I love the space in the back: I have put my lawn mower (push with folded handles) in the back with rear seats not folded down. I also do fold down rear seats and take my mountain bike to local trails. Great for hauling bags of lawn clippings to dump, and cardboard to the recycle center.

I find that the storage for me is great. I love the small storage to the left of the steering column for small items.

As far as ride and noise I am very happy. The 2020 seems to have solved the transmission and other earlier bugs....mine has been smooth as silk. The vehicle is very quiet and comfortable.

 

The back seat leg room is very adequate. There are several demo videos on YouTube regards the RX. Most of them show the back seat and comment on the good amount of leg room. The driver's seat on the RX L is listed to have 4 inches less leg room than the regular RX. The driver's seat on the regular RX has plenty of leg room.
The RX450h (Base $46,800) is $1250 more in base price than the RX350 4 wheel drive (Base $45,550). After owning several RX350s, I purchased a 2020 RX450h. It gets better gas mileage in city driving but Lexus suggests using only Premium gas. There is less wear on the brakes on the "h" due to the regenerative feature that recharges the batteries. The transmission on the RX450h is much smother than the 8 speed trans on the RX350. The 8 speed sometimes has hard shifts and seems confused at times as to which gear is the best. The Hybrid battery warranty is now 10 years or 150,000 miles, an increase from the 2019 models. A caution for the Hybrid is not to lay coats or blankets etc. on the floor back of the driver/passenger seats as the intake for Hybrid battery cooling is at floor level. The batteries are under the second row seats and vent into the luggage area.
Best Tutorial on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+350+tutorial+

 

I drive a 2018 Audi Q5 that I adore, my wife drives a 2019 RX350, and whenever we take long(ish) trips I always opt for the Lexus. The RX has awful technology as compared to my Q5, but you can't beat it for the ultra-comfy ride and and the inside space. My butt hurts after an hour or so driving the Q5 as the sport seats are a bit hard, and with the RX I feel like I'm piloting a cruise ship. They're both great vehicles for what we use them for. I took the RX to the golf course this week and I was shocked at how much room the trunk had as compared to my Q5.

 

I can't speak on the 2015 model RX. I had a 2016 RX350 & currently a 2020 both non-AWD. MPG are the same using 89 grade gas which is not required you can run 87 grade. I'm 6'3" 215lbs, and can sit comfortably in the back seat.
When traveling I fit my wife, daughter, and my luggage in rear without folding the seat. I admit that my daughter will have necessary travel items in her reach in the seat next to her. If packed correctly I can get everything to fit.
No difference in the ride & handling as far as I can tell which both equipped with 20in wheels. 2020 added carplay which is cheaper than having the oem Nav that cost about $300 to update the map after a couple of yrs. So I opted out of the extra cost of the Nav this time. The RX is rated one of the most reliable SUV's in it's class vs price and cost of ownership. I had no issues with the 2016 and so far the 2020 is following the same suit.

 

I appreciate the information so far. Good stuff to know.

Are there any none issues with these vehicles? Is the Transmission strong? I'm looking at either getting a 2015 or 2016. Maybe a 2017 if the price is good enough. I want to be able to put some high mileage on it cause it will probably have at least 60,000 miles on it when I get it.

Also what about the different packages on them? Are different packages you can get such as a luxury package or premium package?

 

Theirs enough room for our family. The 16 model year has 2in more legroom in the second row and the rear seats slide back and forth. The 2nd-row seat is almost flat. Depending on how tall you are(driving position) you should easily fit a suitcase in the 2nd row. I recommend driving it and testing it for your self. Prior to purchase I too contemplated going with the 15 model year as it was the last of the generation and more simple mechanically and electronically. From experience, that would yield better long term reliability than a 16 which was the first model year.

After driving both 3rd(MY15) and 4th(MY16) generations, the 6th was a no brainer. It was smoother, comfier, quieter, and overall more luxurious than the 15. As a result, we couldn't go back, even if it was cheaper. We ended up buying the midrange 16 used last year and never looked back. We were lucky we found one with warranty remaining, both bumper to bumper and power train. All in all, we were $30k in for an awd model with 40k miles - not bad for what you get. It's a year later with 10k miles. Other than oil changes and two technical service bulletins address by Lexus, we have not had any issues with the car.

My only concern is that both the 15 and 16 have "lifetime" transmission fluid. Having worked for BMW for a number of years, that didn't work out well. I'm hoping Lexus have it more thought since they are known for reliability and brand loyalty.

 

There's a thread titled "Hesitation problem at various speeds" down the forum a bit -- probably page 2. What they've done on Gen 4 is put an 8-speed transmission on the car, and programmed it to always use the slowest engine rpm that will pull the car along -- what used to be called "lugging" the engine. (It used to be a bad thing .....). It works great when you're accelerating briskly. But when you are trying to do a very mild acceleration at a lower speed, say 30 mph, it will "hunt" between two gears and give the impression of engine hesitation. Not a great design feature, IMHO, but once I understood what is going on with the car, I've adapted to it. Depending on your model and trim, the lugging may also cause the exhaust system to resonate, resulting in a droning sound while accelerating at lower speeds.

My dealer's service manager told me that, too. It's a lie. Evidence:

(1) If you read the maintenance section of your user manual, you will see that the ATF has a change interval recommended if you use for the car for towing. Think about that for a minute.

(2) There are many youtube videos that show and explain the "lifetime" ATF change procedure. It is not the easiest service procedure you've ever seen, but it exists, just as the user manual section indicates.

Here's one for an older model, but there's at least one for Gen 4 that shows a little more complicated procedure: