In a Nutshell: A superb all-weather, multi-use, daily driver (one of the best), and a personal favorite of mine.
A number of you have requested, and have been waiting for, the new, redesigned, 2010 RX350 review (which is not surprising, on a primarily Lexus forum), so here you are. They are just starting to come into D.C. area dealerships right now (I got to drive and review one of the first ones today). The RX, for a number of reasons, has always been one of my favorite AWD, SUV-type vehicles….I’ve had a high opinion of them since they were first introduced. That generally high opinion continues into the newest 2010 version. For the money, I find Subarus, and their tried-and- true AWD systems, in general, hard to beat, but the RX350 is one of the few AWD vehicles that I think may be worth the extra money over the typical Subaru…..for those who have the money in today’s economy, of course. The RX, of course, is not a sport-oriented vehicle, but that means little to me, as I tend to like comfort and refinement more than track-blistering performance. The sales figures over the last ten years shows that much of the public agrees as well….the RX has consistantly been one of the best-selling Lexus products, especially in bad-weather and suburban areas.
Lexus introduced the first RX300 in the late 1990s, as one of the first upmarket, car-based AWD, crossover SUVs. It was actually a somewhat more refined version of the Camry-based Toyota Highlander, with better trim inside, more luxury features, different (and more raked) body styling, and, of course, more sound insulation. Major updates, since then, have been engine upgrades to 3.3 and 3.5 liters for the V6, a couple of restylings, more gears for the automatic transmissions, and the addititon of a very complex Hybrid model with one V6 gas engine and 3 electric motors…..one on each rear wheel.
The RX series, in general, has been virtually bulletproof through the years, though it has suffered from one or two reliability problems. Like other Toyota/Lexus veicles with the same powerplant, the 3.0L V6 engines were prone to oil gelling and sludging if the oil and filter was not changed at regular intervals. This, in general, was due to the design of the narrow oil passages which made the oil run hot. There were no problems if you kept the oil and filter changed at reasonable intervals, but many people didn’t……and this engine just was not forgiving of neglect, as its sister in-line 3.0L six was. Eventually, Toyota/Lexus reached a factory agreement with affected owners….and a lot of engine repairs and replacements were done with extended warranties. There were also some minor issues with quirky automatic transmission-shifting characteristics and ECU computer updates, but, in general, the RX has had a stellar, consistantly above-average reliability rating from Consumer Reports.
For 2010, the new and redesigned RX350 comes in two versions…..an RX350 FWD and an RX350 AWD. Both use more or less the same 3.5L V6 engine as last year, with some minor tweaks, and a creamy-smooth 6-speed automatic transmission with manual Sport-shift. A new Hybrid version will debut in April. In this area (D.C. Metro), the AWD version far outsells the FWD…..most Lexus shops here don’t even order FWDs, unless the customer requests it. RX Hybrids have also been fairly popular here, but are pricey, and even the non-Hybrid models are not cheap. FWD models, however, sell better further south and in the huge Southern California market, where winter driving is not a factor.
The Lexus shop I was at today had 3 new RX350s….the first ones off the truck here. One, a beautiful White Pearl one with Ivory Leather, after PDI, was rolled into the showroom as a display; one was being sold to a customer as I walked in, and the third (the one I reviewed) was a dark gray one, with black leather, intended as the Demo one…..and, as you can see from the list below, rather heavily loaded with options.
So, out came my notebook…….and on with the review:
Discuss about this blog entry in LexusNet Forums – Blog Discussion
Read the rest of this entry »
