As I mentioned in post 13, there is so much difference with today’s new cars a good comprehensive test drive should be done to help you understand how the car will perform in various scenarios.

The hoods are higher at the front for new pedestrian protection standards. You’ll also notice the hood is double latched,this is for the same reason so the front of the hood edge doesn’t lift up in a collision.

I would honestly say it took me a good six months to get comfortable with all the new technology in these cars. I will turn off cruise control and lane keep assist when travelling through highway construction zones with pylons and newly painted shifted lanes. These wreak havoc on the car’s safety systems and result in you hanging onto the wheel with a death grip to keep your lane and your distance from other cars.

Same with the parking assist features. If somebody is walking towards you, even towards the back of the car, clearly out of sight, at times the car will hammer on the brakes as a cautionary measure to avoid hitting a pedestrian.

But after 2 long road trips down to Florida and back in the last 2 years, once you’re comfortable with these systems and know their shortcomings it makes for nice relaxed highway drive most of the time.

I know I drive an NX350h but all the same safety features exist in it as the RX.

 

Agreed, the longer the test drive the better. I have owned several Lexus over the years and in each case the dealer let me take a loaner car overnight before making a purchase if desired. But I never took them up on it simply because I would typically get a new Lexus model when my older Lexus was in for service, essentially achieving the long test drive for a day or two each time.

 

I concur with your thoughts. I have the es350 v6 and the rx350h both 2023's. I absolutely dislike the RX's drive and feel. Its ok as my wife drives it. The only thing the RX is good at is going over pot holes without getting damaged. The ES gets hurt easily due to the proximity to the ground. In my opinion, the rx350h sounds like a vacuum. If anyone may ask, what is the one thing I like about the RX, then it is the silent start. Gas economy is just a minor plus.

I may be trading the rx in soon

 

Thank you for those who have provided their feedback. To be perfectly clear, this was not an impulse buy. Much research was done and the dealer graciously lent me the 2024 model overnight for me to test drive. I didn't love it and that's on me for not wanting to go test drive a bunch of cars. I just kept saying I will learn to love it as I did my 2015 RX. Unfortunately, that has not happened. We will see if I end up keeping this model.

 

Had my 2024 RX Prem + for 12k miles so far with a 3400 mile road trip thru the USA. Averaged 27-28 MPG going 75-90 MPH. Before the road trip I was very concerned on how the 2.4 turbo would perform. I'm the type of person that likes passing power and engines that run effortlessly because they have the right torque and transmission.

After the road trip my whole perspective changed on the vehicle in general. It was quiet, powerful, very stable at speed, and all the lane changing and lane keeping featured worked awesome. Loved the heads up display.

It continues to impress me.

 

It sounds like it's just the turbo lag on the 350; I was doubtful about my hybrid originally, untill one day I had to take a back road around a lake between 2 states, it performed flawlessly, I'm very impressed with the handling.

 

This was a thorough, and timely, thread for me. I have owned my '17 RX350 Luxury for a wonderful 87k miles. What a "perfect" vehicle. Then two weeks ago I bought my wife a new BMW X3 and after sitting in the passenger seat for a few trips to Tucson, and taking it out for a drive by myself one Sunday morning before sunrise, I was smitten with the new tech. Looked/test drove an X5, Q5, XC60, etc, but none of them made me truly happy. So yesterday I headed to the L dealership determined to only look. They have a boatload of '25s coming in, but only have a few '24 models sitting there. One has it all for me: Prem+, HUD, Tech and Conv pkg. They offered me an overnight test drive, but I declined. Now I am really intrigued. Guess I'll head back this morning, look a little more closely, and listen to their sales pitch. Of course they promise a sweet deal for a prior customer and veteran to move a final '24! Yeah.

Michael

 

Just get. You'll love it
Thank you for your service.

 

I had to adjust my driving to accommodate the floaty smooth ride in my wife's RX.
No, it won't win any races against BMW & Audi especially in handling. I guess, like myself it depends on what you're replacing. After our 2016 RX & 2020, the RX got to be too small for us and traded for a TX350.
Definitely will come in last place in any race with this, but a very comfortable.

 

If you look at the gas 2.4 turbo version with the 8 speed - see if you can spend a few hours driving - the transmission will learn and adjust based on your driving habits. It's really a very sweet drive train - engine + transmission combination. it's always in the right gear. I don't really notice the turbo lag - but I rarely floor it from a stop light either. there's a sport mode too - try that..

 

Agree completely, we purchased a 2024 yesterday and I am surprised with the performance of the drivetrain. We had a NX200t with the 2.0 & 6-speed and a GS200t with the 2.0 & 8-speed, and the new 2.4 is a pleasant upgrade to both of those, even in the larger RX platform.

For the OPs issue of handling, I dont disagree, its limited by design as a FWD based crossover. There is a youtube review of it by SavageGeese, and they are one of the few that go under the car to look at the suspension components, and they noted that there are no specialty handling components separating it from other Toyotas or less expensive cars. It seems to do well for what we bought it for (my wife driving it calmly or family duty) and perhaps just from being a new car vs. the 2016 NX it replaced, its an improvement over that.

Adding thicker sway bars is the easiest and best way to reduce body roll and increase sharpness in handling, with the drawback that they can slightly reduce ride quality due to making the suspension less independent. I know its not in the realm for most to want to mod a new car but I did it on my daily driver, a Porsche Macan, and it took a great handling car to an absolute sports car-like experience.

If the OP is looking for smaller, better handling SUVs, I would absolutely recommend the Macan. Buy one that is 1-2 years old and CPO for 5 years of warranty and youll save a ton and be covered for any issues. Mine has been great through almost 40K miles and the handling performance is out of this world for an SUV.

 

When I got my 24 I fellt the same way, this is my 4th RX. I got used to it though, give it some time