Turning Radius

[Rocco B.]

I own a 1999 RX 300 and the turning radius is horrendous. I can hardly do a full circle going around the circle at the top of my street! Just wondering why it had to be that small. I know it is an SUV and that it could flip if you turn it too fast but I think the turning radius is quite too big. Comments?

[jgr7]

The 350s turn much better.

[mrchinky714]

no, i don't think being an SUV has anything to do with it. Its how the suspension on the RX300/330 is set up. It's very horrible indeed. My 4runner almost as good as my Honda Accord Coupe. The RX300 has problems doing a U turn which sucks. The 2004-2007 maxima's also has a very bad turning radius same as the RX300 requiring some where around 40.x ft.

[Rocco B.]

I own a 1999 RX 300 and the turning radius is horrendous. I can hardly do a full circle going around the circle at the top of my street! Just wondering why it had to be that small. I know it is an SUV and that it could flip if you turn it too fast but I think the turning radius is quite too big. Comments?

Wow... the turning radius on my wife's IS250 is incredible!!! I've never driven a car with sharper turning radius. I'm surprised at your RX300?

I own an IS 250 AWD and yes the turning radius is great, it is so easy to park. But when I drive the RX 300 I can't even pull into my garage without having to go back and forth at least twice.

[pauljcl]

I own a 1999 RX 300 and the turning radius is horrendous. I can hardly do a full circle going around the circle at the top of my street! Just wondering why it had to be that small. I know it is an SUV and that it could flip if you turn it too fast but I think the turning radius is quite too big. Comments?

Yes, the turning radius is terrible. It is a 'known defect' and adds to the other 'known defects' of the RX300: transmission failure on the AWD, rear motor seal, exhaust manifold, sludge..... All in all, a documented 'miss' in the Pursuit of Perfection. But I have a (the worst model) 1999 RX300AWD, and nonetheless I really like it. I just got a new RX350, and I still like the RX300, which I have left in Michigan and where it coped with the snow remarkably well.

[denslexusgx470]

Design mistake... The turning radius was greatly improved once the 2nd Gen RX came out (Rx330-RX350)

Imagine those 4-6 inches make a big difference huh? hehe.

Also add to the list of imperfections the mischievous glove box rattle.

[peteanello]

Design mistake... The turning radius was greatly improved once the 2nd Gen RX came out (Rx330-RX350)

Imagine those 4-6 inches make a big difference huh? hehe.

Also add to the list of imperfections the mischievous glove box rattle.

The RX330 has a 4' tighter turning radius than the RX300. (37.4' vs 41.3') ...4 ft is a little tighter turning radius than 4-6 inches. The ES350 knocks another 7" off that 37.4 ft turning radius of the RX 330, even though it is a longer vehicle.

And our RX330 had what I thought was a glove box rattle, but the dealer fixed it by inserting a rubber molding between the dash and the windshield (nothing visible). Not too expensive to fix, from what I remember. But I could have sworn it came from the glove box but it was the dash rubbing against the windshield. Too bad I didn't catch it while we were still under warranty.

[BillyShaft]

It does bring the suck.

After the 2 RX300s with their sorry turn radius, the RX400h is a dream and I can actually U-turn in an intersection. On paper it may not seem like much, but the difference is remarkable.

[raymsixsix]

no, i don't think being an SUV has anything to do with it. Its how the suspension on the RX300/330 is set up. It's very horrible indeed. My 4runner almost as good as my Honda Accord Coupe. The RX300 has problems doing a U turn which sucks. The 2004-2007 maxima's also has a very bad turning radius same as the RX300 requiring some where around 40.x ft.

LOL, yes that model year Maxima was horrendous! I sold Nissans '03-'05 and the Armada did a better job doing a U-turn. I never understood why the Maxima's was so horrible because the Maxima, Altima and Murano virutually shared the same chassis. The Murano and Altima do a pretty good job, but that Maxima's turning radius was awful. Needless to say I never took my customers on a route where they would have to make a "U-ey." :P

[BillyShaft]

Some of the most entertaining stories are from people who sell/sold cars. Got to get you to relate some of the better ones someday, Ray

[Rocco B.]

Design mistake... The turning radius was greatly improved once the 2nd Gen RX came out (Rx330-RX350)

Imagine those 4-6 inches make a big difference huh? hehe.

Also add to the list of imperfections the mischievous glove box rattle.

The RX330 has a 4' tighter turning radius than the RX300. (37.4' vs 41.3') ...4 ft is a little tighter turning radius than 4-6 inches. The ES350 knocks another 7" off that 37.4 ft turning radius of the RX 330, even though it is a longer vehicle.

And our RX330 had what I thought was a glove box rattle, but the dealer fixed it by inserting a rubber molding between the dash and the windshield (nothing visible). Not too expensive to fix, from what I remember. But I could have sworn it came from the glove box but it was the dash rubbing against the windshield. Too bad I didn't catch it while we were still under warranty.

Never heard of that. I think my RX 300 may have the same problem then. I could swear it is coming from the glove box though. Next time I drive it I will push on the glove box when I hear to see if it stops.

[raymsixsix]

Some of the most entertaining stories are from people who sell/sold cars. Got to get you to relate some of the better ones someday, Ray

LOL, yeah Bill this is very true. With emotions running high such as purchasing a car, you're bound to run in to all kinds of interesting situations. But on a more uplifting note, it was great to be able to get someone approved credit-wise and get them out of a deathtrap of a car and put them in to something very comfortable. I remember when I was working in upstate NY doing subprime financing sales for car dealerships, one of my customers pulled up in an old, beat up hooptie (Dodge Neon). I have no idea how she was able to get it to pass inspection as the car was not very roadworthy, all the dash lights were lit up, and not to mention you had to drive it with the windows down so you could breathe because the exhaust fumes inside the cabin were quite strong.

The girl was, to put it mildly, very rubenesque, and to top it all off, stuffed in there with her, were her two of four children. One of them was in car seat, and the other was big enough to ride without one.

After talking with her she later informed me that she takes care of her elderly mother and they all ride in the car together, 7 people in a Neon! I don't know how they did it. Just the girl alone took up 1/3 of the car hehe. Of course she had very little money to put down, as they usually do in these cases, but we were lucky enough to have a barebones Dodge Caravan with some spread in it. Of course she wasn't impressed with the Caravan as it had crank windows and manual locks, but like I told her neither does your Neon. After all of her objections I would meet the objection and finish with, "but in this car everybody can fit." At this point I wasn't sure she understood that I had her approved on this Caravan, because she told me that she was looking for a car a few months back and after other dealerships saw her credit no one would/could help her.

After her drooling over the other cars that had the leather seats, Infinity sound systems, and entertainment centers, I explained to her, I have her approved on that "entry level" Caravan and she's not able to afford any other car. It was the truth, the base Caravan had been on the lot for too long so it was time for it to go bye-bye and we had spread in it, so after stripping the deal of most of the profit, we had a car deal.

After some more talking and taking the base Caravan out of the company of the nicer cars, and explaining to her that this car she is approved on, with her down money and no cosigner, she looked at it closer, and after I heard her start repeating the phrase "everybody can fit," I knew she was sold.

So in closing, I was very happy to get the girl out of a car that was clearly not safe for her and her family, to get her in a car that could carry them all comfortably, and most importantly seeing her very happy that she had just bought a much newer car without the help of her "baby daddies."