This is my 10 month experience with my 2024 Lexus RX 350H Premium and my recent decision to sell it and buy the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve III Hybrid. The RX 350H has been very reliable but I can't tolerate it anymore.

Here are my issues:

· In electric mode it's supremely quiet but anything more than 10 or 15% throttle brings the loud groan of the engine and CVT transmission. I tried hard to ignore it but after a while you start thinking wait a minute, I just spent $60,000 on this vehicle and I have to put up with this noise?

· The Lane Keeping Assist or LKA overreacts and it doesn't matter what kind of road you're on - straight, gradual turn or more severe turn. On a straight road, it’s always fidgeting and making miniscule corrections constantly. I want to tell it to take some Xanax and calm down for God's sakes. This is true even if there are clear lines on both sides of the road. Oh, and if the white line on the right side of a road suddenly disappears such as for a driveway, road or parking lot, the car will lurch to the right to try to find and follow the missing line forcing me to abruptly take control and steer it back to the center of the road.

· The bottom driver seat cushion is hard and not very comfortable. The bottom bolsters are also hard and narrow and makes me wonder who are they making these side bolsters for? 14 year old skinny kids? I'm 5 feet 9 inches, 167 lbs and I am not by any means wide in the hips and these bolsters dig into my thighs making it uncomfortable after 20 miles. I even paid an upholstery shop $500 to cut out the bolsters from the driver seat bottom and replace them with softer foam. Why should I have to do this on a luxury SUV?

· This car has so many alarms and alerts that it beeps at me constantly like a nagging wife (I’m divorced ). It's crazy, it beeps at me for everything all the time!

· I didn't realize when I went for the premium trim instead of premium plus (to avoid the larger tire size and harder ride) that I would not get any exterior lighting when I approached the vehicle with my key fob. My garage is dark and when I walk up to this car it's completely dark - no lights come on until I open the door. I've called Lexus support and the dealership and apparently this is a premium plus only option. You got to be kidding me!

· Speaking of the ride, I feel every crack, bump or hole in the pavement, this car rides horribly. Every imperfection in the road is felt and it hops over swells or any pavement that isn't level. I even spent $1400 on what I thought would be better, softer riding tires and reduced the tire pressure to 28 lbs instead of 33 to no avail.

· The LCD screen is marginal. Trying to make a choice by tapping with my finger on the screen misses the target unless I am supporting my hand with my other fingers on the horizontal bottom frame below the LCD. Many times it does not react to my initial tap.

· I'm an Android user and when Android Auto connects it works fine but that's hit or miss. When it doesn’t connect, I have to stop the car, turn it off, open the door, close it and then restart the car to see if Android Auto will connect properly.

· Speaking of opening the door, every time a new person comes into the car I have to give them a tutorial on how to get out. This is a real pain in the neck with valet parking. It's just stupid the way they designed it and is unnecessary. People struggle with trying to find a handle or latch to pull on and are confused when I tell them they have to push the handle to get out. Nobody likes it the first time and it takes getting used to.

· The auto temperature setting for heat, steering wheel and ventilation overreacts to the point where I have to turn it off to avoid burning my butt or overheating in the cabin.

· Changing the cabin temperature via the smooth rotating dial can be very frustrating. There's no feedback sensation such as a click or a resistant thump for each degree of temperature change so when you're driving, you have no idea if you rotated it correctly and have to constantly take your eye off the road to look at the rotating dial to see if the temperature changed. I should be able to turn it with feedback for each degree of temperature. A soft click, a silent thump – something to know that each incremental feedback is 1° change in temperature without looking down at the dial to confirm the temperature change. I've tried rotating it quickly, slowly, tiny turns, larger turns, etc. but I can't seem to come up with a way to trust the dial rotation to know that it's changed the temperature and by how much without taking my eyes off the road and looking at the dial.

· Remote starting the car is a joke. I've read in a forum (not the manual) that you can click the lock button on the fob twice and then a long third time and the car will start. This works once out of five tries and you must be within 10 feet of it to be effective. Trying to start the car from the app is tiring. I have to press the start button icon just right with absolutely no jiggle or movement in your finger. This usually fails after several tries but when I am lucky enough to hit it correctly, I then have to hold my finger on the starting icon but the problem is while you hold down the icon, your finger is blocking the view of the starting status line so you can't tell if it's started or not. Why can't I just click twice on a key fob like Ford or GM and have the car start? Nice and simple!



2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve III Hybrid

· I just put a deposit on this car after driving two different trims over three days. This car answers every single one of the problems above. The ride of the adaptive suspension is amazing even with beautiful, 21 inch rims. The ride is supple, comfortable and without excessive roll or body movement. Road imperfections are barely felt.

· The massaging seats with power adjustable thigh extenders are like pillows yet very supportive. Every time I sit in them, I'm amazed at how comfortable they are.

· The 24 speaker Revel audio system is the best I have ever heard.

· The hybrid engine Is unbelievable. It’s almost as quiet as my 2004 LS 430 which for me, is the benchmark for engine quietness. No matter how hard I stomp on it, I barely hear the engine revving and the acceleration is WAY better than the Lexus hybrid engine.

· The cruise control with lane keeping assist is perfect. You barely notice it and any changes or corrections it makes are gradual with no overreactions. It predicts the road much better than the Lexus LKA system and handles every turn in the road flawlessly unlike the Lexus where you constantly have to babysit it. And when the painted line on the right side of the road disappears for an entrance to a driveway, it makes a tiny little correction toward that side of the road but then quickly understands that it needs to stay with the left side line and go straight unlike the Lexus that jerks and overreacts to the right looking for the line. I don't worry about it like the Lexus LKA system.

· Oh, and let's not forget hands free Blue Cruise! This is simply life changing! I put the car on cruise on an expressway (it automatically knows it's on an expressway) and hands free, Blue Cruise driving takes over. It's 99% flawless in its execution and greatly reduces tension from traffic. It’s so relaxing to drive in rush hour now!!

· There are very few notifications or alarms. When the vehicle starts to veer toward the painted lines on the road (very rare), I get a soft seat vibration instead of those damn nagging beeps.

· The large panoramic LCD screen just below the windshield in addition to the more standard LCD screen down in the center middle dash area work very well together. I originally thought the large panoramic LCD screen was overkill but now I love it. It's fully adjustable with what you want to display and you can pick different backgrounds and colors.

· The car is fully Google integrated (not sure about Apple) and I can use Google Assistant to change temperature, make calls, and a host of other voice commands that are not integrated into the Lexus system.

· Remote start is a breeze via the key fob.

· The Q charger works flawlessly even with my phone case. No more hunting around for just the right position or trying to see if the phone slipped out of position or trying to figure out charging errors like Lexus Q charger. The phone drops on it's side into a little bin in the center console and it charges, no need to keep checking on it and NO MORE CHARGING CABLE!!

· There is a real spare tire, same as the RX.

· The heated steering wheel warms the entire wheel at the top and bottom unlike the Lexus which only warms the top and bottom back of the wheel that is wrapped in leather.

· The only negatives I can find so far is that the hybrid system when parked needs more frequent recharging by the engine when accessories are running. I have sat in my Lexus in the heat of summer with the air conditioning running and I don't think the engine turned on sooner than every 8-10 minutes whereas the Lincoln will cycle the engine on and off every 3 to 5 minutes in the winter without the AC running. I'm guessing the hybrid battery in the Lincoln is smaller than the Lexus battery but this is a small price to pay for all the positives this vehicle is bringing to my ownership experience. Also, the gas mileage is not as good and am estimating 30 MPG vs 34-36 with the RX.

I bought the RX thinking this would be an incredibly dependable vehicle that I could keep for years and while this is true, I am unwilling to put up with all its shortcomings. Lincoln moved production of the Nautilus to China for the 2024 model year and my son who works in Ford Quality told me the Chinese plant was ranked #1 globally for quality in 2024. I spent a lot of time reading the Lincoln forums and there were some complaints from owners with various issues during the initial production run in late 2023 and early 2024 but many, if not all, were resolved in mid-2024 when revised parts were manufactured and issued to dealers along with corrections to the vehicle software. I have a friend who works in the service department at my local Lincoln dealer and he confirms the first ½ of the production year had issues but he hasn't seen anything yet on the 2025 model. I owned a 2021 Nautilus, put 54,000 miles on it in three years and didn't go to the dealer once for anything other than oil changes. The new Nautilus was not out at the time my lease expired and I returned to Lexus which was a big mistake. I had a 2017 RX that was good but the 2021 Nautilus rode a lot better with more horsepower and features.

I still own a 2013 LS 460 Ultra Luxury and a 2004 LS 430 so I'm still a fan of Lexus sedans but unfortunately, not their SUV's. I know many in this forum are diehard RX owners and are very happy their purchase but I am hopeful that anyone is who is on the fence will read this post and at the very least, take the Lincoln Nautilus for a test drive before making their final decision.

Regarding pricing, MSRP is $69,000 but after discounts and A Plan I'm at $60-$61,000 + tax. Oh, and no ceramic paint protection, processing fees or other BS profit making dealer add ons like the Lexus dealer. The Lexus dealer only removed the $1500 paint protection after I threatened to walk. It was awful. The Lincoln purchasing experience was stress free with no fighting.

I know the resale value of the RX will be better than the Nautilus as well as its ability to go 200,000 miles trouble free but I'm not going to keep a car that long. I've never been able to go beyond 3-4 years of ownership before getting the urge for a new car and I can afford the difference in depreciation. Regarding tariffs, my dealer said they have not changed their pricing (which I verified) and have been told they don't expect to be affected by them (not sure why).

In closing, I want a relaxing, comfortable driving experience and the Lincoln provides that.

Thanks to all and good luck!

 

Thank you.

 

 

Thank you for your in-depth review of your 2024 RX 350H and the Nautilus Hybrid. I am new to the Lexus market. I'm looking at the 2025 RX 350 and RX 350H. Your review has provided more points for me to pay attention to. Good luck with your Nautilus.

 

I agree with most of your issues about your RX, but most of them you should know when you do the test drive. The new Nautilus is nice! Enjoy your new ride.

 

I had one of the Nautilus parked kinda near me yesterday, it was a two tone, with red and glossy black on the top. It was pretty nice. Have seen a lot of videos for them since I like the tech in the car, that pano dash is probably going to be a next trend which I think BMW is even doing on their next gen cars. But thanks for sharing your thoughts, you gotta be happy with your purchase, so completely understand! I actually recommended a Nautilus to a friend of mine based on their needs, not sure if they ever sprang for it though. Hopefully the new Nautilus meets all of your expectations, and enjoy it!

 

I just went out to my garage to make sure I had a RX 350h. Not one point I agree. Android Auto once every hundred connections it might not connect. I press in and hold the volume button for two seconds with resets the system and 100% of the time it reconnects. The touchscreen tapping a field and having a problem don't even know what to say on that one. Vehicle is super quiet and seats couldn't be more comfortable. The temperature ***** great grib and you rotate to desire temperature. Again don't even know what to say. Oh almost forgot LOL with the beeping all the time. All the time my RX beeps only when someone is in my blindspot and if I attempt to drive without any door completely shut. Thank goodness. Your post reminds me why I would never own a business dealing with the retail public.

 

please please please don't make a major financial decision based on one person's review. Go test drive both and then come back and tell us which one you like. There's a reason the Lexus RX every single year is the number one best-selling luxury ICE SUV by far.

 

@1Mystic, agree with @Freds430 100%, it helps to have a list of your priorities so you can take a look at overall big picture. Do you want technology, do you want specific features, do you have other needs in terms of cargo, accessibility, etc. Also most don't even mention about dealer network / maintenance experience. That was also important to me especially going for this tier of vehicle, and the relationship that I have with my dealer is really exceptional. I'm always able to get a loaner of whatever I want per my request. Driven ES, RX, NX, IS, but that's because I love cars and they know me very well. The dealership garage here which I was able to take a tour of, was so clean I could eat off the floor. Was introduced to the Master Tech too, and loved talking to him, plus the general manager knows us. These types of relationship you can't put a price on, but obviously can be a hit or miss, and it's a factor. Granted this is based on location and time of day, but the entire experience/treatment/respect is also something to factor too if you're already looking at this price bracket.

 

Lexus customer service is always #1 among luxury vehicles.

 

This is what makes the world go round. Opinions are somewhat subjective. I'm with you Fred - couldn't be happier with the 350h. The Nautilus looks nice but I wouldn't trust Ford reliability with all that tech and a turbo but honestly, for me, that pillar to pillar screen would be a huge distraction..

 

Let's hope the Lincoln service department has good snacks...

 

Prestige Lexus where I service the new one not so great with the snacks lately🫣

 

my TX spent 6 weeks at the dealership this last summer.

3rd row seat malfunction.

drove a 2024 RX for free that entire time. (2000 miles)

I love the loaner car program.

 

it's a Ford, after all. They make pretty decent vehicles any more - but the JD Powers report on reliability tells the story.