Pros/cons Of The Rx 400h Line?

[Tucson Jim]

I'm looking into buying from So California and flying out to pick it up as a viable option. Anyone had one shipped?

Not shipped, but SoCal is definitely worth looking at for a deal. I went on a search of dealers in Orange County and found that every one of those I contacted via their "Internet Sales" department offered a discount. I routinely got quoted $2,000 off sticker and finally managed $2,700 off from Irvine Lexus.

[Husker4theSpurs]

Problem was ... I was going to have to special order to get one w/o wood trim. They wouldn't discount at all for that ... had one dealer offer me just over $2000 off of one with wood trim though.

[SC1911]

I rented a Mustang convertible while I was in OC. It was either that or a Taurus. I had it for a week.

The Mustang had 3 thick spokes on the steering wheel, all in bright aluminum. Thought nothing of it, until driving it in daylight and the sun reflecting off that bright aluminum made seeing the instrument cluster difficult. The top was up. The chassis squeeked and creeked when I creeped over speed bumps.

On the second leg of my trip, I rented a Ford 500. Nicer. Engine not as noisy or unrefined as the 6cyl Mustang. But still not as refined as my 1997 BMW 528i. The Ford 500 also squeeked and creeked as I drove very slowly over speed bumps. At least it didnt have that aluminum clad 3 spoke steering wheel.

So, what does this have to do with Lexus'. Its only to give the poster who considered a Lincoln to be aware of these traits in other Fords if he test drives Lincoln's newest SUV.

Also, it appears the RX line is nearing its update cycle. For me, this means the factory has had plenty of time to learn how to assemble an RX without fasteners half backing out, or wiring harnesses getting crimped and cut on sharp sheetmetal, etc and the proper torque applied to all nuts and bolts so they dont back out or break/strip due to over torqueing. They know how to build this vehicle as well as they can by now.

[RXREY]

Another benefit is super low emissions. The RX400h has a 9.5 EPA pollution rating with 10.0 being the best. The MDX is a 6 or a 7 depending upon the model. Other comparisons: A 2007 Corolla is a 7, and a Mini Cooper is a 2. So the Lexus hybrids are significantly cleaner than even most small cars. In fact, looking at the EPA site for small cars, nothing rates better than a 9.5, so the 400h is rated as clean as the Prius, the Honda Insight, and the natural gas version of the Civic.

You can find the EPA ratings at http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicle/select.htm

Here's my take on the RX400h. I am driving a 4300 pound AWD SUV that has the power and acceleration of a V-8. I have almost every convenience and gadget that can be put into a vehicle (I don't care about Sirius radio and the Ipod connection, however). I'm getting 27 - 28 MPG. I'm driving the quietest vehicle I have ever been in. I love the electronic continuous variable transmission. I am producing significantly less pollution than most small compacts. To my way of thinking, the RX400h has it all. We test drove the 400h, then test drove the 350. After driving the 350, we immediately negotiated for the 400h. The drive is just so much better, to me, I had to have it.

In terms of the aluminum trim, why don't you see if you can find it at any other dealer on the Internet? Taking a trip to pick up what you want may be better than waiting for who knows how long to get it. I have the aluminum trim on a 2006 model and I like it much better than the wood trim also.

Only major con to me is that the 400h is not for use off road, if that is important to you.

Good luck on your decision. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

Unfortunately the pollution cost in manufacturing the batteries offsets any gain from the car. Also getting rid of the spent batteries is a major problem.

[RXREY]

I love my 400h. The two times that I had my RX400h in for the 5K and 10k service I had two loaner RXs,the 330 and the 350 respectively. The RX350 was noticeably more powerful initially than my 400h. When you start it up and pulled away,the RX350 really pulls you back in your seat but then...that's it. I found that on the freeway there was hesitation in passing and slower to accelerate once you were going at a good clip which I don't get with my 400h. The 400h is softer at the start,actually silent, but then I have amazing medium and higher speed acceleration and it's much smoother in doing so. It also seems to have tons more power after the initial relatively mild start. The silent start of the 400h is too cool to not have any longer as far as I'm concerned. The RX 330 and 350 are magnificent cars but now that I've had my hybrid, it's no contest. The low emmissions make me feel better and the fact that I can go 400 miles between fill-ups is great. I was going about 230 miles with the same amount of fuel in my '03 PT Cruiser! The 400h is 1000lbs heavier than my PT so that makes the technology even that much more amazing to me! The other thing that no one talks about but I will is that in L.A. traffic jams, for instance, I am not as stressed any longer in that my 400h "stops" running while the traffic is slow. Psychologically knowing that my car is electric during that time and not burning my gas puts me in a better frame of mind! I've never had a better car. I do like driving the 330 and 350 but I love when I get my 400h back and turn the ignition and hear...well, nothing! I also drove a Magnum...it felt really cheap and even though it looked cool it was not a good ride. The RX400h is overall an amazing vehicle. I hope this helps. Rey Bustos,very happy hybrid fan.

[RXREY]

I heard the batteries were made to be recycled - the nickol is valuable. Where did you get your information that they couldn't be. Also, what is your information source on the polution required to make the batteries verses savings?

They are recycled. The nickle IS valuable, and the polution to create them DOES NOT outweigh the setoff of less smog. Put another way, just because Stuart8181 says, "Unfortunately the pollution cost in manufacturing the batteries offsets any gain ...." doesn't make it any more or less true, than if you or I say, "I heard the batteries ARE recycled". But rather than look up and post links to that obvious fact, just use common reason. The industry wouldn't do something that lame. Stuart8181 may have heard some HumVee owner, or other anti-green person say it ... & took it as undisputed gospel.

The funny thing is that the same folks who make such statements, don't seem to worry much about the lead battery manufacturing in their "whatever" car ... or they don't care if there really is no "practical" rational for spending excess $$$ on their what-ever OTHER car. But a hybrid? Ohhhh ~ some will say, it MUST pencil out with a BIG profit before it's worthwhile. Let's face it, a bunch of us folks buy our cars for irrational reasons.

Yes, the battery is not a problem and Toyota will buy it back when the time comes ...in ten or fifteen years. You'll hear people trying to knock a great technology but...well, I have been extremely happy with my 400h and 400 miles between fill-ups in an amazing SUV is astonishing and the fact that I am not buring fuel during traffic is one of those things that you can't explain, you just have to own the car and feel that great sensation...dammit,that's my two cents. Toyota/Lexus think years ahead of anyone else. It's that great Japanese way of thinking and doing business. I like it! Rey in L.A.

[3sticks]

Just picked up our new 400H, took the dealer 2 weeks to find and deliver the car, Flint Mica w/ Grey leather, Nav, premium plus, wood interior trim, towing, etc. love the car. Had an '04 RX330 and never had any roof rack noise on the highway, none with the '07.

[IPman]

I have owned my 2006 RX 400H for a year now, and I have some comments:

PROS:

The car is quick when the gas engine and electric motors are all engaged!

I like the interior/exterior design

Solid Lexus build quality

CONS:

Goodyear tires were replaced after 17,000 miles even though I proactively rotated them. (for the price point of the car it is ridiculous)

When you are braking, if you hit a hole or bump, the brakes automatically ease off. The driver needs to press harder to get the same braking action that they had before the bump.

The rear seat cup holder rattles when it is vertically stowed. It is quiet if I lower it onto the seat.

I am frustrated that the Bluetooth interface has a limited amount of phones that support updating their numbers into the Lexus Phone Book. I have tried 3 phones that support bluetooth phone book downloading and could not get any to successfully update the Lexus Phone book.

I have the Mark Levinson Stereo 2 Cons:

1) No IPOD Aux jack... (our Toyota Sienna at half the cost has an aux jack)

2) The FM radio will display the station messages if I touch the MSG button, it would be nice to have the messages display without user intervention (Like Volvos)

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Problem was ... I was going to have to special order to get one w/o wood trim. They wouldn't discount at all for that ... had one dealer offer me just over $2000 off of one with wood trim though.

Pragmaticly, here's another good reason to buy the 400h over the regular "gas-guzzler" - - -

It's an article I just read, that contradicts the poo poo'ers that say hybrids are more expensive over the lifetime of the car, ie; creation to the grave. Many of us all ready knew that was bunk, but it always feels good to hear the experts say it. And in the case of Consumer Reports, it felt good when they re-visited the issue and had to do a retraction, finally admitting that the Prius was less expensive to run than a comparable sized car.

Hybrid autos save money in long run, study finds

By John O'Dell

Times Staff Writer

January 8, 2007

Hybrid vehicles are proof of the old saw that you've got to spend money to save it, a new study shows.

In recent years, studies by Consumer Reports and others have shown that most hybrids won't save owners enough money on fuel alone to make up for their higher initial prices.

But a new study by Los Angeles-based Intellichoice.com, which specializes in automotive cost-of-ownership data, says that hybrid buyers are still the winners when you factor in costs of financing, fuel, insurance, state taxes and license fees, repairs, maintenance and depreciation.

"Across the board, we found that all 22 hybrid vehicles have a better total cost of ownership over five years or 70,000 miles than the vehicles they directly compete against," said James Bell, Intellichoice.com's publisher.

"Hybrids are proving themselves to be an excellent alternative for car buyers," Bell said. "Even when factoring in the additional upfront costs for their purchase, the long-term savings hybrids generate makes them a sensible and attractive purchase."

There is no better example, the study says, than Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius. The study concludes that a Prius owner over five years will save $13,408 over a similar-size sedan that is not a hybrid.

Prius, the five-passenger mid-sized sedan, is the most popular of the 22 hybrid models on the market today. It accounted for about 43% of hybrid sales in the U.S. last year and for about 60% of all hybrid sales since its introduction in 2000.

On average, sedans of similar size to the Prius (non-hybrid cars such as Toyota's own Camry, Honda Motor Co.'s Accord and Ford Motor Co.'s Taurus) cost motorists an average of $33,305 over the first five years of ownership, Intellichoice found. Costs for the Prius averaged $19,897.

The difference, the study says, is that hybrids retain their value better than conventional vehicles, have moderate maintenance and repair costs and, of course, there are those lower fuel costs.

Hybrids also benefit from federal tax credits, which this year can range from $250 to $1,950 but were as high as $3,150 in 2006.

The study based its gasoline prices on last year's average national gas price of $2.26 a gallon. The average dollar savings may go up or down with the price of gasoline, the study pointed out, but the percentage difference in operating costs between the hybrids and non-hybrids would remain constant.

Because they carry both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, plus a lot of complex electronics and oversized banks of advanced technology batteries to make it all work, hybrid cars and trucks are more costly to buy than comparable non-hybrid vehicles.

The hybrid price difference — or premium — can be as little as $1,000 to as much as $5,000 for some luxury models. The higher purchase prices have kept many people from considering hybrids.

Demand for the vehicles peaked last summer, when regular gasoline prices topped $3.25 a gallon nationally, but has declined as gas prices have fallen.

The hybrids with the biggest five-year savings after the Prius were the new Honda Civic sedan hybrid, the Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle hybrid and the Ford Escape SUV hybrid, Bell said.

A quartet of "mild hybrid" pickup trucks from General Motors Corp. provided the least cost benefit over five years of ownership, with five-year savings ranging from $2,940 to $3,463.

A mild hybrid is one that doesn't have an electric drive system to augment the internal combustion engine. Instead, it uses its electric power to enable the conventional engine to shut down when the vehicle normally would be idling.

A "full hybrid" system such as in the Prius uses electric drive to boost gas engine performance and to enable the conventional engine to shut down at idle. Most also enable the car or truck to run on all-electric power for short periods at low speeds.

The Intellichoice study, to be released today in Detroit during a media preview of the North American International Auto Show, comes at a time that more automakers are adopting some sort of alternative fuel or power plant strategy to help meet increasingly strict environmental rules and to maintain competitiveness as fuel prices rise.

In addition to gasoline-electric hybrids, many automakers are adding diesel engines, which can offer as much as 40% more fuel economy than similar-size gasoline engines and are much cleaner than in the past.

Several major automakers also are working on development of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines or electric vehicles that use a drive system powered by electricity produced in an onboard fuel cell by combining hydrogen and oxygen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

Any who, what really surprised me from reading RX-400h posts, not many here are concerned with the fact the car is cheaper to run, but instead, 400h owners are happiest about the fact that it has more power than its gas guzzlin' cousin, the non-hybrid version.

[RX400h]

but instead, 400h owners are happiest about the fact that it has more power than its gas guzzlin' cousin, the non-hybrid version.

Actually, the Lexus RX350 has slightly more horsepower than the RX400h. The 400, however, has much more torque.

[RichK]

Still pondering a decision on the 400h ... whether to order or not. What are some things you've noticed about your 400h that you REALLY like ... others that you REALLY dislike. I'm going to list some just going from what I've read and noticed myself. I'm also going to compare it to the RX 350/330

PROS (things that draw me to purchase):

-- Sedan fuel economy in crossover SUV style

-- Smooth CVT transmission (especially vs my jerky RX 330 tranny)

-- Great insulation and quietness (relative to the RX 330)

-- Reliability of Lexus in general

-- V-8 power to go along with increased fuel economy

CONS (things that hold me back from making a deal):

-- Having to order to get the aluminum trim in the '07s

-- NO "miles till empty" function like on the RX 350/330

-- NO Sirius radio through the factory stereo

-- NO iPod auxillary jack (even the older GX 470 has one now, what gives?)

-- The fact that a new RX model will most likely arrive in 16-18 months

-- Compared to the Lincoln MKX it seems to lack some options (heated rear seats ... much better stereo ... more room at the same size -- for less money, but the Lexus would still easily win on fuel economy). Also the same with the Acura MDX as well (except the MDX is larger).

---------------------------------

Now don't get me wrong ... just b/c I have more cons doesn't mean the pros don't outweigh the cons ... it's just that I already know more of the pros b/c I have an RX 330 and haven't listed all of those. I am sort of hesitant b/c the Lexus is later in its model life than some of the competitors, but then again when you get real-world 26-27 mpg in this style, it's hard to compare it to any other cars.

Two things that are REALLY minor, but seem to really bother me are:

The Satellite Radio option ... even if you want XM right now, it's sort of an add-on through Lexus after the fact. Sirius doesn't seem to be available right now at all. Competitors don't seem to have that problem ...

The Aux line in for an iPod or the like ... this CANNOT be that hard! They managed to do it with the older GX 470, yet haven't done it with the RX line for some reason.

Again I think it comes down to the fact that the RX line is nearing the end of its life cycle. Then I see some of the newer cars coming out where it's not even a second thought to incorporate Satellite radio and the iPod jack. Part of it is ... EVERYONE ELSE has been playing catch up with Lexus in this line and they have to make it up somewhere (pricing, options, etc). Lexus has been and still is the top dog.

Please add as much info as you can possibly think of ... agree/disagree, etc.

THANKS!

I don't know about the 2007 RX400h but I take issue with the lack of TPS on these wheels. Lexus put expensive high performance tires on it and then didn't include TPS. I had to replace a tire because of this! This happened after the 'usual' (per dealer service manager) tire replacements at 20,000 which really bugged me. So with a new set of tires, my wife didn't realize she had a flat (nice low profile tires) and consequently ruined a new tire with less than 1,500 miles on it! The original tires probably would have been okay had the car been properly aligned at the start!

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

[Husker4theSpurs]

I think most people aren't getting more than 20,000 - 25,000 miles out of these tires for the most part ... another thing I don't care for about the RX line.

I should note that I ended up getting a 2007 Acura MDX ...

[skyfish400h]

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

Yes. Don't use 32 psi for your tire pressure.

Depending on your driving preferences and which tire you have, you should be runing between 36 and 40 psi. Otherwise you end up with premature wear on the outsides of the tire (classic cronic under inflation result).

See the thread about tire inflation.

[RX400h]

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

I just bought Bridgestone Alenzas from the Tirerack. All four were about $650. Michelin makes good tires, but they are generally overpriced.

[katzjamr]

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

Yes. Don't use 32 psi for your tire pressure.

Depending on your driving preferences and which tire you have, you should be runing between 36 and 40 psi. Otherwise you end up with premature wear on the outsides of the tire (classic cronic under inflation result).

See the thread about tire inflation.

By now im sure everyone here knows i support the 400h and i have enjoyed owning this vehicle. That being said, most of us have been running higher psi for fuel economy, and we still have premature wear, mine on the inside on the left front and rear of the car, this with strict 5K rotation, and the goodyears of course. Personally i dont think the tires can handle the torque of this vehicle or something beyond my comprehension is going on. What is clear, is that these tires were a poor choice for Lexus to put on the vehicle and we are left with the problem of premature replacement. I dont think my car was out of alignment, and in fact i have paid for a 4 wheel alignment at 15 K, and lexus did another one at 18K for free.

You can go to the two other lexus forums and the new more pedestrian yahoo lexus group and after fuel economy tires are the number two issue on every board aside from perhaps the common rattles in the RX design. I think it is time Toyota stepped up and helped with this issue during premature replacement time.

[RichK]

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

Yes. Don't use 32 psi for your tire pressure.

Depending on your driving preferences and which tire you have, you should be runing between 36 and 40 psi. Otherwise you end up with premature wear on the outsides of the tire (classic cronic under inflation result).

See the thread about tire inflation.

By now im sure everyone here knows i support the 400h and i have enjoyed owning this vehicle. That being said, most of us have been running higher psi for fuel economy, and we still have premature wear, mine on the inside on the left front and rear of the car, this with strict 5K rotation, and the goodyears of course. Personally i dont think the tires can handle the torque of this vehicle or something beyond my comprehension is going on. What is clear, is that these tires were a poor choice for Lexus to put on the vehicle and we are left with the problem of premature replacement. I dont think my car was out of alignment, and in fact i have paid for a 4 wheel alignment at 15 K, and lexus did another one at 18K for free.

You can go to the two other lexus forums and the new more pedestrian yahoo lexus group and after fuel economy tires are the number two issue on every board aside from perhaps the common rattles in the RX design. I think it is time Toyota stepped up and helped with this issue during premature replacement time.

Thanks, good info. I forgot to mention that the dealer did all of the 5,000 mile interval tire rotations on my vehicle also. I am going to bring yours and other similar comments with me tomorrow to the dealer when I attempt to negotiate that they pay for half of the four worn out tires. Has anyone had any luck taking complaints above the delaler level?

[RichK]

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

Yes. Don't use 32 psi for your tire pressure.

Depending on your driving preferences and which tire you have, you should be runing between 36 and 40 psi. Otherwise you end up with premature wear on the outsides of the tire (classic cronic under inflation result).

See the thread about tire inflation.

By now im sure everyone here knows i support the 400h and i have enjoyed owning this vehicle. That being said, most of us have been running higher psi for fuel economy, and we still have premature wear, mine on the inside on the left front and rear of the car, this with strict 5K rotation, and the goodyears of course. Personally i dont think the tires can handle the torque of this vehicle or something beyond my comprehension is going on. What is clear, is that these tires were a poor choice for Lexus to put on the vehicle and we are left with the problem of premature replacement. I dont think my car was out of alignment, and in fact i have paid for a 4 wheel alignment at 15 K, and lexus did another one at 18K for free.

You can go to the two other lexus forums and the new more pedestrian yahoo lexus group and after fuel economy tires are the number two issue on every board aside from perhaps the common rattles in the RX design. I think it is time Toyota stepped up and helped with this issue during premature replacement time.

Thanks, good info. I forgot to mention that the dealer did all of the 5,000 mile interval tire rotations on my vehicle also. I am going to bring yours and other similar comments with me tomorrow to the dealer when I attempt to negotiate that they pay for half of the four worn out tires. Has anyone had any luck taking complaints above the delaler level?

I discussed this further with the dealer Service Manager and she agreed to pay for two of the Michelin tires. I was satisfied with that. I think that Lexus is quite aware of this problem and as they say, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." It was a good strategy to go armed with info from this and other Lexus owners' sites about this problem. Thanks!

[retired00]

The Goodyear tires are only sidewall rated for a treadwear of 260, versus 400 on the Michelin MXV on my Toyota, so it's not all the car's fault, nor Goodyear's--it's really the choice they made in putting that lower wearing tire on the car in the first place. There are longer wearing Goodyears, as well as other brands. Those ratings do give pretty good relative wear ratings, although I'm not sure what the 100 wear "standard" is supposed to equal in miles.

[skyfish400h]

The Goodyear tires are only sidewall rated for a treadwear of 260, versus 400 on the Michelin MXV on my Toyota, so it's not all the car's fault, nor Goodyear's--it's really the choice they made in putting that lower wearing tire on the car in the first place. There are longer wearing Goodyears, as well as other brands. Those ratings do give pretty good relative wear ratings, although I'm not sure what the 100 wear "standard" is supposed to equal in miles.

Why would the wear ratings (if they can even be compared between mfgs) have anything to do with the evenness of the wear?

What we are talking about is not that the tires wear out but that they wear out on the edges first. This is a classic under inflation wear pattern, if it's not an alignment issue.

Could it be that the tires are just too small for weight of the vehicle? I notice all the other SUVs in this class (Mercedes, Infinity) all use a wider tire. Still low profile, just wider.

[Gryphon]

I suspect that the tires may be sized a bit on the small side to enhance fuel economy (at the expense of handling).

Tom

[retired00]

I suspect that the tires may be sized a bit on the small side to enhance fuel economy (at the expense of handling).

Tom

maximum load per tire, on the sidewall: 1709 lbs per tire, 6836 total. Edge wear is inflation related as well as driving style.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

but instead, 400h owners are happiest about the fact that it has more power than its gas guzzlin' cousin, the non-hybrid version.

Actually, the Lexus RX350 has slightly more horsepower than the RX400h. The 400, however, has much more torque.

I guess subconsciously, that's why I must have said "power" rather than horsepower ... because when you take the ICE power + electric motor power it equals more power, and skutes through the quarter mile in a quicker time than the strait ICE.

[3sticks]

Being a return customer I thought my dealership would at least offer me some kind of discount on the 400h, but they don't seem to want to deal at all.

Here is my question ... does Lexus even WANT to sell any 400hs? Do they think people will pay what works out to be $7000-$8000 more for a similarly equipped 400h (over the 350 due to discounting on the 350 and little to none for the most part on the 400h)?

I understand some people have gotten some decent discounts on the 400h, but overall you can't work as decent of a deal. I understand it's a supply and demand issue, but Lexus doesn't seem to produce AS many 400hs as they did last year just to keep the demand up ... I don't think it sold QUITE as well as they'd anticipated last year and that's part of the lower supply provided as well.

I'm all for paying the $3400-$4000 premium for the 400h and do a little part to help the environment, but it's ridiculous when it works out to be more like $7000-$9000.

Any opinions?

If you are looking for a deal and are a member of Costco go on line and request the name of a local Lexus dealer who works with Costco. We have a friend who leased an early 2007 RX 350 (Aug 06) for 39 mos and our lease on our comparably equipped RX400h was about $20/mo more but our lease is only 36mo. We only waited about 10 days from walking into the dealer to delivery. The RX400h is much quicker than our 2004 RX330 as well as our friend's RX350, very quiet on the highway, i.e. never heard any roof rack noise on the 400, '04 330 or '01 300; it's eerie sometimes driving around town and not hearing any motor.

The NAV system is much improved and voice recognition works great. I am still annoyed by the air recirculation "thinking" for me but will have that changed at the 1500 mile service. As noted in the link be sure to increase your TP to 37-38 for both better tire wear and gas mileage.

[ravlegend]

The NAV system is much improved and voice recognition works great. I am still annoyed by the air recirculation "thinking" for me but will have that changed at the 1500 mile service. As noted in the link be sure to increase your TP to 37-38 for both better tire wear and gas mileage.

3sticks-

Could you clarify the air recirculating problem mode a bit? And what do they do on a 1500 miles service? I thought the first 1 is at 5k?

[Robl45]

The NAV system is much improved and voice recognition works great. I am still annoyed by the air recirculation "thinking" for me but will have that changed at the 1500 mile service. As noted in the link be sure to increase your TP to 37-38 for both better tire wear and gas mileage.

3sticks-

Could you clarify the air recirculating problem mode a bit? And what do they do on a 1500 miles service? I thought the first 1 is at 5k?

is this only for the 2007? Mine doesn't act automatically and I wish it would.

I can't believe people say they dont' have the roof rack noise. I can hear it with no problem. From what I've seen, most of the cars have this issue as the roof rack slats are loose.