Buying An Rx, Need Input

[Pote]

Hi gang,

New member here. By way of intro my wife has an 03 ES300 and I'm currently driving an 06 Outback Turbo. I'm not loving my subaru and the wife keeps saying, why dont you get an RX? We have absolutely loved the trouble free ES. I was wondering if some RX 330 and 350 owners can tell me about there cars. Here is what I think are my "must haves" and a couple of wanna haves.

Must:

Heated seats

Aux audio input for pods, mp3s, XM and Garmin

dual climate

seat memory

auto down and up window

always on 12 volt outlets in the front

ample storage for sunglasses and small stuff within reach of driver

interior color that doesnt show dirt. Wife's interior is tan and shows dirty foot prints!

Wanna:

Heated/cooled drink holders

auto wipers

sunroof that closes with 1 button push not 4 like on the friggin outback!

remote open windows on the key fob

Some of my items are in different packages on the new models and I'd love to hear what you got and didnt get. Pleus I'd like to hear about the things that were nice surprises for you and things I should make a dealer addresss before I get the ride.

Thanks a million!

[riccjard]

I am sure there are others thatmight have more complete answers on availablility of some of these, but I'll tell you about mine. I have a 2008 with nav, nicely equipped. In response to your items:

Must:

Heated seats - yes

Aux audio input for pods, mp3s, XM and Garmin - no

dual climate - yes

seat memory - yes

auto down and up window - yes

always on 12 volt outlets in the front - the lighter and accessory plug appear to be switched by the key (short answer - no)

ample storage for sunglasses and small stuff within reach of driver - limited. We had a Ford Escape that had tons of accessible storage places - the RX is much more limited

interior color that doesnt show dirt. Wife's interior is tan and shows dirty foot prints! - ours is ivory....

Wanna:

Heated/cooled drink holders - no

auto wipers - yes

sunroof that closes with 1 button push not 4 like on the friggin outback! - yes

remote open windows on the key fob - yes

[Free Tibet]

I have a 2000 RX300 and was given an '08 350 as a loaner a couple weeks ago.

Must:

Heated seats - yes on both.

Aux audio input for pods, mp3s, XM and Garmin - no on '00. '08 had it listed, but I couldn't find it. It may be at the CD changer. I don't think I looked there.

dual climate - 00 has it listed, but I haven't figured it out yet. '08 yes.

seat memory - yes on both.

auto down and up window - yes on both.

always on 12 volt outlets in the front - no on 00. didn't check on '08, but had front, mid & rear outlets.

ample storage for sunglasses and small stuff within reach of driver. - "ample" is relative. '00 is great compared to any sedan i've ever owned, but seems like an SUV could have more. i do like the lower storage tray in the console a lot, as opposed to the traditional single top-loader.

interior color that doesnt show dirt. Wife's interior is tan and shows dirty foot prints! - '00 (cream) yes. didn't have the '08 (grey) long enough.

Wanna:

Heated/cooled drink holders - no on both.

auto wipers - no on '00. don't know about the '08

sunroof that closes with 1 button push not 4 like on the friggin outback! - yes on both.

remote open windows on the key fob - '00 has the "lower 2 inches" feature, but not full open. don't know about the '08.

I did notice a few changes for the worse on the new model:

1. The old body style has excellent sight lines all around, while the rear triangle of the side windows you see on the outside of the new body style isn't actually a window and leaves a substantial blind spot on each side when backing up.

2. The rear compartment on the new body has less storage. The slope of the rear cuts into what used to be more storage space in the old 300. We have a couple jogging strollers that wouldn't fit standing up in the new model but slide right into our 300.

3. The older models have visor extensions to block the sun from the gap between the visor and the center mirror. For some reason, these were dropped on newer models.

Of course, these are outweighed by countless upgrades, not the least of which is the increased power.

[wwest]

Hi gang,

New member here. By way of intro my wife has an 03 ES300 and I'm currently driving an 06 Outback Turbo. I'm not loving my subaru and the wife keeps saying, why dont you get an RX? We have absolutely loved the trouble free ES. I was wondering if some RX 330 and 350 owners can tell me about there cars. Here is what I think are my "must haves" and a couple of wanna haves.

Must:

Heated seats

Aux audio input for pods, mp3s, XM and Garmin

dual climate

seat memory

auto down and up window

always on 12 volt outlets in the front

ample storage for sunglasses and small stuff within reach of driver

interior color that doesnt show dirt. Wife's interior is tan and shows dirty foot prints!

Wanna:

Heated/cooled drink holders

auto wipers

sunroof that closes with 1 button push not 4 like on the friggin outback!

remote open windows on the key fob

Some of my items are in different packages on the new models and I'd love to hear what you got and didnt get. Pleus I'd like to hear about the things that were nice surprises for you and things I should make a dealer addresss before I get the ride.

Thanks a million!

I have a 2001 AWD RX300 with ALL the bells and whistles.

Were I in the market at the moment the RX series, or ANY Toyota or Lexus FWD or F/AWD vehicle would be at the VERY BOTTOM of my list. Beginning in about 98, with the new RX, symptoms of a serious design flaw in the transaxles of these vehicle began showing up and continue to this very day.

Google for:

Toyota transmission (transaxle??) flare

or:

Toyota transmission (transaxle??) hesitation

If AWD, TRUE AWD capability is high on your list then look at the Acura RDX's SH-AWD system for absolutely STELLAR AWD capability in, from, a base FWD vehicle.

PS: I might pop the RX up higher on my list once the Lexus IS & GS's DFI, Direct Fuel Injection, system is adopted, I expect certainly by 2010.

[jonnyheroes]

Most of your list is addressed in earlier replies. The '08 RX does not have an aux audio input so we use an adapter that fits into the cassette deck so we can connect our ipod. You can get a black interior with most of the exterior colors if you're concerned about dirt.

It's always a compromise when it comes to must haves, and I don't see anything on your list that would be a deal breaker. The RX is a great car. It is well built and beautifully fitted out. In my opinion, the NAV/Bluetooth is the Achilles Heel of the vehicle. Unfortunately I learned these things after signing on the line.

My NAV/Bluetooth issues (in no particular order):

The NAV locks out many of the functions while the car is in motion.

The voice recognition often does not interpret clearly spoken words properly.

The voice system is slow and kludgy; the software is poorly designed.

If these are not issues for you, then you will love this car. If they are important, then I would recommend the Acura MDX, which has the best NAV/Bluetooth of any car manufacturer today.

Good luck.

Jonny

[Pote]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Johnnyheros, the nav on my current 06 Subaru Outbak is also an achilles. I was able to find the hack for the hand brake indicator ground that "unlocks" the menus and inputs while driving. If the Lexus uses a Kenwood based system, poke around on the subaru Outback forums for details on this hack. It works like a charm. Other things I hate about the OB Nav is that with the sunroof open the glare from the open sky makes it unreadable, updating the DVD costs $700 and you can't input or output your own POI's and trip tracks. that is why I want the external jack for the stereo - so I can plug in my Garmin Streetpilot - it comes w/ a mp3 player, XM radio and traffic info, Audiable books, and a bunch of other great features. And the updated DVD is $70.

I'm also looking at the RDX but the engine is a 2.3 litre turbo and it gets the same MPG as the 3.5 6 in the RX. Why did they put that tiny mill in there if there was no MPG gain? Makes me think the Honda motor is having to work extra hard while the Toyota is loafing along.

But I cant dispute the quality of the Japan made Lexus. The RDX is made by UAW goons so we'll just have to drive one and see.

[wwest]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Johnnyheros, the nav on my current 06 Subaru Outbak is also an achilles. I was able to find the hack for the hand brake indicator ground that "unlocks" the menus and inputs while driving. If the Lexus uses a Kenwood based system, poke around on the subaru Outback forums for details on this hack. It works like a charm. Other things I hate about the OB Nav is that with the sunroof open the glare from the open sky makes it unreadable, updating the DVD costs $700 and you can't input or output your own POI's and trip tracks. that is why I want the external jack for the stereo - so I can plug in my Garmin Streetpilot - it comes w/ a mp3 player, XM radio and traffic info, Audiable books, and a bunch of other great features. And the updated DVD is $70.

I'm also looking at the RDX but the engine is a 2.3 litre turbo and it gets the same MPG as the 3.5 6 in the RX. Why did they put that tiny mill in there if there was no MPG gain? Makes me think the Honda motor is having to work extra hard while the Toyota is loafing along.

But I cant dispute the quality of the Japan made Lexus. The RDX is made by UAW goons so we'll just have to drive one and see.

I suspect that if you could keep your "foot" out of the turbo(***) then the "tiny mill" might more than suffice.

*** Most US buyers cannot, which is likely why the EPA mileage calculation requires use of the turbo mode by default. I have always wondered if one could (reverse) "chip" the RDX such that the turbo wastegate remains open longer, turbo "mode" coming on later in the "power band".