Unhappy With Rx450h

[Eldor]

I’ve had my new RX450h for less than a month and I’m pretty unhappy with it and may end up getting rid of it faster than any other vehicle I’ve ever had. First some background…

I’m 57 years old and have had new cars since I was 18 and usually I keep a car only two years before changing it. I bought a 2001 RX300 in 2000, and it was the best car I’ve ever had. Never gave me any trouble and it was a pleasure to drive. It was so comfortable and easy to use… everything was well thought out and the ergonomics were superb. And the service I got from my dealer was the best I’d ever experienced. I ended up keeping the car until just a month ago, making it a longer “romance” than I’ve ever had with a car.

I’d been waiting and waiting for the new hybrid RX450h and was really excited to be one of the first customers to get one from my local dealer. I’d read all the specs, drooled and dreamed about the features, and simply couldn’t wait for it to arrive. Especially since I’m a real gadget nut. I hoped my love of Lexus RX would continue and get stronger. I took delivery of my new RX450h (with Ultra Premium package) less than a month ago. And I’m really unhappy with it.

First here is what I like:

The hybrid technology… the car is smooth, powerful and very quiet. (And now that I’ve had the chance to drive a 2010 RX350 for a week, I’m glad I got the hybrid.) Only thing is that the fuel economy isn’t (yet) as good as I hoped, in spite of driving the vehicle so slowly and gently that other drivers are on my bumper honking, but it’s still a lot better than the RX350.

The radar cruise control… is simply incredible! After you set a speed, if a car in front of you slows down, your car slows down. If it speeds up or turns off, your car speeds back up to the speed you’ve set. And if someone cuts you off not only does you car react as if you’d take your foot off the gas (which is kinda what I expected) but it actually hits the brakes. Someone sharply cut in front of me and my car hit the brakes and went “beep beep beep” to warn me. Wonderful.

Here’s what I hate (in no particular order):

The navigation system… in short is HORRIBLE! I’ve had various GPS systems for years and I don’t think anyone wanting to design a bad system could design one as bad as in this Lexus. Seriously. So after spending THOUSANDS of dollars extra for the Ultra Premium package, thinking that Lexus would at least give me close to state-of-the-art components, I find I want to stick my Garmin GPS onto the windshield with a suction cup mount. Can you believe it? Ok, where do I plug it in? No 12-volt plug anywhere in the front surfaces of the interior. You have to open the console compartment by the driver’s right elbow, remove a small tray and then use two hands to remove a second tray and under that are two 12-volt outlets. So you plug the GPS power into that and then stretch the wire up over the center console, up over the center controls and onto the dash. Only the manual says not to put anything there as it interferes with some new sensors. And of course the wire isn’t long enough to then extend the GPS to the driver’s side of the windshield. SIGH

What’s wrong with the Navigation system? It’s much easier to show than to write about but it’s simply not user friendly and is more often wrong than right. I have experience with Garmin, Magellan and Tomtom systems and I sort of expected that Lexus would check out what other systems offered before coming up with their own, and that when they did it would rival the best available. Wrong! The system has me turning left on streets where no left turn is allowed, making long detours when the main (and direct) route is right there (and has been for over 20 years!). Entering destinations is pretty brain-dead as well, and instead of entering a postal code or zip (as with Garmin) you simply enter the street you’re looking for. Then another screen come up with (depending on the street) maybe 20 entries for that street. You pick one and then enter the house number, only to find the system tell you that number doesn’t exist on that street. So you have to go back and pick the next (identical) street name on the list and try again. Very frustrating! And if you think you can use the map to scroll to where you want to go and click on a point as your destination you’ll be lucky if you can do that, as in most cases the map doesn’t show enough detail (no matter what the magnification) to find what you want.

And most things cannot be done while the car is moving. I understand this is by design for a safety point-of-view, but this also means that my passenger (my navigator) cannot make settings while I’m driving either. Or even make phone calls to numbers not in the Lexus phone directory. Let’s say you’re driving down the interstate and want to know where the next gas stations are. You actually have to stop the car before you can make the setting to show them. Brain dead!

The tilting (when in reverse) outside mirrors… COULD be great, if only the position they tilted to would be useful. For me backing into my parking spot, the position is NOT useful and while the regular position of the outside mirrors (and seat and steering wheel) can be memorized, the tilted reverse position of the mirrors cannot be. Making this feature pretty much worthless.

Coin box missing… My last Lexus had a coin box, and for someone who often needs change for parking meters and tolls that was pretty handy. It no longer exists!

Poor interior storage… The storage is horrible. The center console contains two cup holders and a storage compartment. That compartment is back at the driver’s right elbow and it’s just about impossible to use unless you twist way around in your seat and access it with your left arm. And it’s very badly designed, with a dinky little tray at the top and then a deep tray. Compared with the fantastic storage compartments I’d gotten used to with my last Lexus, this is awful and using it is like dumping everything into a deep bucket. No organization at all.

The horn… is just about impossible to reach while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. (But it’s easy to change radio modes.) I don’t often use my horn but when I do it’s usually while trying to avoid a sudden obstruction and I want to keep my hands on the wheel while doing so. Whoever designed this must not have spent much (if any) time behind the wheel actually uh, “driving” the car.

The sound system… I have the ultimate Mark Levinson sound system in my Ultra Premium package and it’s the most unfriendly system I can imagine. I usually listen to one FM and one AM radio station, flipping back and forth depending on my mood and if I want to listen to news or traffic reports or music. Using the SINGLE button on the dash for AM/FM, you end up cycling from FM1 to FM2 to FM3 to AM, and then back. And this is the FASTEST way! If you use the “Mode” button on the steering wheel, you have to also add SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, CD, AUX and USB. I think whoever designed this should be forced to actually USE IT! Geez!

The iPod implementation… falls far short of being actually useful. It’s better to just use the iPod with the AUX-in port than with the lousy implementation Lexus gave us. Once connected with the iPod implementation, the controls on the iPod are “dead” and you have to make all settings through the Lexus system. Well, I’m far from being the music collector that many are, but using the Artists search feature is just about impossible. To find an artist, you must scroll screen-by-screen, five artists at a time, until you find the artist you want. Complicating this is that you cannot speed-scroll by holding down the scroll button but it is literally one slow screen of five at a time, and get this, every time the screen changes the system starts playing the first artist on that screen. I have a 25-minute commute to work and I started looking for Joan Baez when I left. I gave up before I got to work but after 15 minutes of trying, I still hadn’t gotten to “J”. It’s going to be better to just plug the iPod into the Aux-In but then I have to get a cigarette lighter plug charger for it as once you connect the USB plug to the iPod all the controls are locked.

No Mute button… Still on the topic of the audio and navigation systems, there is no MUTE button on the sound system. And the volume control knob (either on the dash or the wheel) is slow. So you have to turn the system off if you need to mute it quickly and of course that causes the iPod to reset when you start up again. Don’t the designers ever use what they design?

400-watt AC outlet… the brochure talks about a 400-watt AC outlet with the Hybrid Ultra Premium package and as a gadget nut (and a photographer with various chargers I need to use) I was looking forward to that. Alas, it’s NOT 400 watts at all but only 100 watts. False advertising or a typo? I don’t know, but it bothers me.

Lots of dummy buttons… The console and the dash have several dummy buttons, which I’m told by my dealer are for non-hybrid models. Having paid thousands of dollars more for the hybrid AND for the Ultra Premium package, these dummy buttons really bug me. It’s like there’s an option I didn’t get, when in fact I’ve got a fully-loaded model with all the available options. For the price I’d expect Lexus to have an overlay or replacement cover or something to make the car look complete.

Space between seats… the design here of the center console and the seats is terrible. Already I’ve dropped my cell phone down there four times and it cannot be reached. It also cannot be reached from under the front of the front seat and even from under in the back you can barely reach it. I’ve had to bend a clothes hanger and wiggle it back and forth to move the phone to where I could reach it.

Besides all the above, I had my new RX450h for 3 weeks when the air conditioning died. It didn’t just stop blowing cold air, but it was blowing very HOT air. Just my luck that this happened on a Friday afternoon and I had to use the car for a longer trip on the weekend with closed windows (because of rain) and hot air blowing. I brought the car to my dealer on Monday and they told me there was no gas in the a/c system and that there must be a leak. It took them until Friday at 5:30pm to get my car back to me! It turned out to be a faulty evaporator (that’s the unit under the dash in the passenger compartment) and the whole dash had to be disassembled to get to it. I’m told Lexus is involved with this case to try to determine whether this was due to some manufacturing defect or bad design. I understand that with any car things could be defective and/or break down and this is not my biggest beef with this car. But I’m sure unhappy to have lost my brand new car for 5 days after only having it for 3 weeks. My biggest beefs are what I listed above and at this point I very much doubt I’ll be keeping the car long.

Buyer beware.

[thelazydogsback]

Well, I'm both sad and happy to hear this story.

I'm sad for you, but I'm happy for me as now I don't have the urge to go run out and lose money on trading in my 400h for the 450...

It's hard for me to beleive that they screwed the pooch on the Nav system again.

After all the complaints for years, and on a brand-new 2010 model...

The Nav my 400h is so bad, I've also had to use my external Garmin. This is really embarassing.

And not being able to do anything while the car is moving - have they ever heard of thing called a passenger??

Or how about seeing the bluetooth stack in the 400h doesn't support the dailing profile, I can't use the great voice-dialing on the blackberry, so I have to take my eyes and hands off the road to dial the phone? Can you use phone voice-dialing now with the 450h?

The built in voice control is worse than useless.

Seems like a great market opportunity so special order a 450h with no dash :) and have a decent 3rd-party control system put in...

[Eldor]

Well, I'm both sad and happy to hear this story.

I'm sad for you, but I'm happy for me as now I don't have the urge to go run out and lose money on trading in my 400h for the 450...

It's hard for me to beleive that they screwed the pooch on the Nav system again.

After all the complaints for years, and on a brand-new 2010 model...

The Nav my 400h is so bad, I've also had to use my external Garmin. This is really embarassing.

And not being able to do anything while the car is moving - have they ever heard of thing called a passenger??

Or how about seeing the bluetooth stack in the 400h doesn't support the dailing profile, I can't use the great voice-dialing on the blackberry, so I have to take my eyes and hands off the road to dial the phone? Can you use phone voice-dialing now with the 450h?

The built in voice control is worse than useless.

Seems like a great market opportunity so special order a 450h with no dash :) and have a decent 3rd-party control system put in...

There have been complaints about the navigation system for years? Gee, I should have researched this more before buying as the nav system (as a gadget nut) was a big deal for me and I'd hoped to be able to retire my windshield-mount Garmin. I hate having to use the Garmin (as good as it is) but more hate the fact that there's no place to plug it in, so I've got to charge it externally and use it only as long as the battery lasts.

And about them not having heard of the thing called a passenger, well the answer is yes and no. They talk about a feature of the new "Remote Touch" device as having "...buttons on either side to allow both the driver and front passenger to make selections". They just don't mention that the vehicle must be stopped first.

The voice-dialing does indeed work quite well (at least with my Motorola phone). Only problem is that you can only transfer phone directory entries one at a time (this may possibly be a limitation of my phone). And if you call an automated system where you've got to respond with numeric entries you're kinda stuck. You can't use the Lexus system (unless you're stopped) and have to pull the phone out from the storage compartment by the driver's right elbow to use the keypad on the phone. Again, not well thought-out.

I actually do like the voice controls (as far as they go) and it's really cool to be able to say "raise temperature by 2 degrees" and have it respond.

[LexRexBlue]

Sorry to read your report. I had looked at the new RX 350 when it arrived at the dealer and the first thing I disliked was the set up of the console. I know you don't have this problem, but there is no place for a handbag! Then there's that crazy hole underneath. What was that designed for--garbage? Then who would empty it--the poor Lexus valet when the car is serviced?

In my part of the US there are fewer and fewer uses for coins. EZPass takes care of tolls and most meters take credit cards. However, I do keep a prescription bottle filled with coins in my console. There wasn't a coinholder in the 2006 RX400h but they returned a coin holder in later models.

In short, I haven't had the urge for a newer RX yet. However, I haven't driven one yet.

[NicLX470]

In a way I'm sorry but then again...You need to test drive the car you want and try to use all the functions to make sure you like everything first. Do more research about it and then test drive it again. Seems as if you went into it to impulsively. The only thing I agree with you on is the navigation functions not available with in motion but you can use it if you want to by using the voice commands. I find it easier than actually inputting the info myself with the touch screen with my IS350. You should try it. But honestly I'm not trying to be rude but all of your other dislikes seem a little, how should I put it.....a little bit too picky. But everyone is different and certain things bother people differently. All of your dislikes to me I would not have a problem with. And also. I never buy a new car the first year they come out with a brand new total redesign, all the bugs are not worked out yet and those are the ones that usually have the most problems. I wanted the IS350 in 06 but waited until 09. But I'm very sorry you are unhappy with the car.

[lemon]

There have been complaints about the navigation system for years? Gee, I should have researched this more before buying as the nav system (as a gadget nut) was a big deal for me and I'd hoped to be able to retire my windshield-mount Garmin. I hate having to use the Garmin (as good as it is) but more hate the fact that there's no place to plug it in, so I've got to charge it externally and use it only as long as the battery lasts.

Yes. It's too bad you didn't see this website first - http://www.lexusoverride.com/

I agree my 4 year old Garmin does a better job and is easier to use than the GPS system in my 2006 400h. I don't know why Lexus didn't just pony up the cash and get Garmin to design a system for all Lexus vehicles.

The Mark Levinson system in the 400h suffers from a distinct lack of bass, but I 'think' a subwoofer of some sort has been added in the newer model.

I don't know what the NAV voice recognition is like in your 450, but in my car, saying "HOME" either turns on the radio, turns it off, selects AM, selects CD, or turns the climate control off. It has never recognized "HOME" but one time in my garage with the vehicle parked. I've completely given up on using any of the voice commands, NAV or climate. Lexus needs to find out how ACURA can get their voice recognition system bang on, and also find out who does their NAV system and use them. I test drove a 2008 RDX recently and it was like the vehicle was reading my mind.

That being said, I grin like a fool whenever I'm driving my 400h and see 0 litres per 100km on the display.

[RX400h]

I guess I'm just one of a few who prefer the Lexus NAV over Garmin. I've used a NUVI 760 and 260 to compare and I prefer the Lexus instructions. The voice recognition leaves much to be desired but how many Garmins have this feature? The ones I used did not.

But if we think about many OEM electronics and even ride and handling-related features, how often does the manufacturer use only the very best? Even the OEM Michelin tires are poor compared to the best General, Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc tires. Bilstein makes some of the best shock absorbers in the world, but how many high-end vehicles are equipped with them as factory equipment?

I can go on and on about factory equipment vs aftermarket but you get the idea - if you don't like OEM, you can always buy aftermarket. Very few OEM parts or subassemblies are the very best, but that's true of all vehicles, not just those made by Lexus.

[NicLX470]

I guess I'm just one of a few who prefer the Lexus NAV over Garmin. I've used a NUVI 760 and 260 to compare and I prefer the Lexus instructions. The voice recognition leaves much to be desired but how many Garmins have this feature? The ones I used did not.

But if we think about many OEM electronics and even ride and handling-related features, how often does the manufacturer use only the very best? Even the OEM Michelin tires are poor compared to the best General, Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc tires. Bilstein makes some of the best shock absorbers in the world, but how many high-end vehicles are equipped with them as factory equipment?

I can go on and on about factory equipment vs aftermarket but you get the idea - if you don't like OEM, you can always buy aftermarket. Very few OEM parts or subassemblies are the very best, but that's true of all vehicles, not just those made by Lexus.

Well said. Maybe it's my tone of voice but my IS350 never misinterprits what I say. I'd take the factory nav over my old Garmin Street Pilot anyday.

[SW03ES]

I do wonder where the thorough test drive comes in. By the time I buy a car I've driven them so many times that I don't even have to read the manuals...

[NicLX470]

I do wonder where the thorough test drive comes in. By the time I buy a car I've driven them so many times that I don't even have to read the manuals...

Exactally. You should never buy a car without test driving it at least 3 or 4 times at different dealers. My dealer even let me take a loaner home over the weekend so as to try everything out. Before I even knew I wanted to get the IS350.

[cduluk]

Pretty sure the 450h's haven't been in the showroom TO test drive. Most first 450h buyers have already payed months ago, no?

[JimsGX]

Eldor,

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed review of your car. I sold my 07 RX400h close to a year and a half ago after owning it just a year. I thought the car had some quality issues. I still continue to follow new threads here. I went back to a second GX470 which I'm very happy with. I sat in a 2010 RX350 in the showroom and thought that ergonomically the interior was an improvement, but you never know until you spend some time with it.

Jim

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

I guess I'm just one of a few who prefer the Lexus NAV over Garmin. I've used a NUVI 760 and 260 to compare and I prefer the Lexus instructions. The voice recognition leaves much to be desired but how many Garmins have this feature? The ones I used did not.

But if we think about many OEM electronics and even ride and handling-related features, how often does the manufacturer use only the very best? Even the OEM Michelin tires are poor compared to the best General, Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc tires. Bilstein makes some of the best shock absorbers in the world, but how many high-end vehicles are equipped with them as factory equipment?

I can go on and on about factory equipment vs aftermarket but you get the idea - if you don't like OEM, you can always buy aftermarket. Very few OEM parts or subassemblies are the very best, but that's true of all vehicles, not just those made by Lexus.

+1

Well I at least like the NAV equal to our Garmin, almost. I think it's just personal preferance ... like handling/ride. Put one person in & they hate it ... put another person in & they love it.

[SW03ES]

I also prefer the Lexus nav to the Garmin.

Pretty sure the 450h's haven't been in the showroom TO test drive. Most first 450h buyers have already payed months ago, no?

Plenty of RX350s to drive, similar enough to try out all the features and ergonomics. Not one available? Then wait. Its $55,000...a lot of money to spend on anything, I personally would be damn sure its the right car before I plunked it down...even if I had to wait. Its just going to get cheaper..."but I want it now!" is for kids...people have to be smart.

When we bought our Prius in 2004 there were 8 month waits here...and somehow we had already driven them enough to know exactly how everything worked when we went to WV to buy ours with no wait. Dealers have demos...

[08rx400h]

I had a chance to test drive a RX450h a month ago and got a RX350 loaner a week ago. They were not that impressive compared with RX400h and previous RX350. I will keep my RX400h for years to come!

[cduluk]

I had a chance to test drive a RX450h a month ago and got a RX350 loaner a week ago. They were not that impressive compared with RX400h and previous RX350. I will keep my RX400h for years to come!

I agree that the new style is a step back- at least compared to the 04-09's... I haven't driven in the 010 Rx, but i've sat in them and played with the electronics. I wasn't very impressed, and i found the placement and style of the controls quite displeasing.

And to top it off, the 06-08 400h's are faster than the 010 450h's- while only losing 2 mpg's compared to the 450h.

[SW03ES]

Everybody said the same thing about the styling of the '04 when it came out...actually the exact same thing about everything pertaining to the '04...

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Plenty of RX350s to drive, similar enough to try out all the features and ergonomics. Not one available? Then wait. Its $55,000...a lot of money to spend on anything, I personally would be damn sure its the right car before I plunked it down...even if I had to wait. Its just going to get cheaper..."but I want it now!" is for kids...people have to be smart.

When we bought our Prius in 2004 there were 8 month waits here...and somehow we had already driven them enough to know exactly how everything worked when we went to WV to buy ours with no wait. Dealers have demos...

I specifically asked the local Dealer to call me if/when he got a 450h in stock. so it get a call. First thing I notice after I get there? The so-called 'hybrid' demo ... No badges. (in so many words i said) This aint got no stinkin' (hybrid) badges! I know for a fact, it'll have a ton of 'em ... they LOVE to advertise that. I know for a fact that he said the HYBRID was in as well. The guy says oh yea, this is the straight ICE model ... but it's the same in all ways except for the electric motors. Already familiar with TONS of different things on the hybrid, I left .. since at that junction I knew he was a scammer, already has two lies deep. Is it any wonder that I try to do all the easy maintenance myself?

[cduluk]

Everybody said the same thing about the styling of the '04 when it came out...actually the exact same thing about everything pertaining to the '04...

not as bad as this one lol...

When the 07 ES pics came out we were disgusted by the interior- and it don't look any better now 2 years later.

[SW03ES]

Oh I beg to differ. The reaction of RX300 owners to the RX330 was just as bad as this. I still personally think the RX300 was a better looking vehicle than the RX330-350 but the 04-09 has grown on me.

I think "disgusted" by the interior of the ES350 is a little harsh. Dissapointed sure, but its not disgusting, its just not as luxurious looking as the previous interior.

[cduluk]

Oh I beg to differ. The reaction of RX300 owners to the RX330 was just as bad as this. I still personally think the RX300 was a better looking vehicle than the RX330-350 but the 04-09 has grown on me.

I think "disgusted" by the interior of the ES350 is a little harsh. Dissapointed sure, but its not disgusting, its just not as luxurious looking as the previous interior.

I guess new "styles" need time to grow on me. But i don't think the interior of the new Rx will EVER grown on me. The same reason the IS will never grow on me. It's just plain ugly.

[SW03ES]

Really? I love the interior of the new RX...its the exterior that I think is a little ungainly. I think that new interior is one of the best I've seen in a vehicle in some time...

The IS ugly?!?! I'm surprised you feel that way too...I don't see how someone could think the IS is ugly...

[cduluk]

Really? I love the interior of the new RX...its the exterior that I think is a little ungainly. I think that new interior is one of the best I've seen in a vehicle in some time...

The IS ugly?!?! I'm surprised you feel that way too...I don't see how someone could think the IS is ugly...

It's the half-circle silver dash in the new RX that just makes me feel... not happy. It reminds me of the late 90's ford taurus dash a little. And the lack of so many buttons is also odd, i can see why the OP complained about having to toggle the single radio button over and over to switch between modes. The center dash just seems... lacking.

And the shifter location- reminds me of a minivan. And the center nav screen "cubby"- it's like a second gauge cluster. Reminds me of the BMW 7 and 5 series interiors, i just think it's awkward... I wouldn't be able to switch to that "mouse" control over the touch-screen. When i first saw the new interior pics, i said to myself "that thing is a pain in the bum", and the OP just confirmed it :) lol. I just don't understand the gain using that "mouse" over touch screen. I don't see the logic, i don't see how it's any easier or how it gives you more attention to the road.

I do however like the fact that the gauge cluster uses the optitron tech; how it's black when off then lights up when on- i think that's Lexus' best interior feature. you can't get that same effect on a standard gauge...

And as far as the exterior, the front nose is the only thing i find awkward. When i first saw one in person that's the first thing i noticed. I don't like the new grille styling or the 6" inch diameter lexus emblem, or the headlight styling, actually i don't like anything about the front. They look boring- no character. The back and sides however i think are ok, at least they look more 'up to date", more consistent with the rest of the 010 lexus lineup.

But you're right, i remember when the 04 Rx came out, i thought it was a bit 'odd', but i never thought it was as bad as this new one is... Just doesn't spell class to me.

It's like the 07+ ES. When inside one, you can just tell it's not as "tightly" made as the previous versions were. It's a 'feeling'. I get the same negative feeling in the new RX...

And as far as the IS, i just will never like them. I don't know why, i just can't get myself to respect them. They seem too small to be a Lexus, they seem to 'cheep". I don't like the fact that a Lexus the size of a Corolla has the power of a GS. When i see people driving around IS's, i just get confused. Why spend $30k on one? I feel like $30k shouldn't get yourself a new Lexus...

I really respect the ES and the rest of the lineup, but i can't get myself to respect the IS. I really don't know why... I just don't think a Lexus should be so small...

[SW03ES]

And as far as the IS, i just will never like them. I don't know why, i just can't get myself to respect them. They seem too small to be a Lexus, they seem to 'cheep". I don't like the fact that a Lexus the size of a Corolla has the power of a GS. When i see people driving around IS's, i just get confused. Why spend $30k on one? I feel like $30k shouldn't get yourself a new Lexus...

What about the BMW 3 series? The Mercedes S Class? The Audi A4? The Cadillac CTS? The list goes on. That entry model is the cornerstone of every brand, its the model that gets the young affluent consumer into the brand so that they can trade up to a GS, buy their wives an RX, and trade up again to an LS and a GX, etc.

$30k has always gotten you a new Lexus...ever since the beginning. And a new BMW...and a new Mercedes...$30,000 is not a small amount of money to 99% of working people. As I've said before...not everybody has someone else to buy them for them. People work for a long time to be able to afford a $30,000 car.

You should drive an IS. Its a great little sport sedan, and now convertible.

I wouldn't be able to switch to that "mouse" control over the touch-screen.

Have you used it? Its actually very easy to use.

As vehicles get more and more functions there won't physically be room for buttons anymore.

Anwyays...I think the new RX won some sort of interior design award recently...

You're awful young to be so closed minded.

[cduluk]

haha yeah, i feel the same way about the little BMW 3 series too, the same feeling i get when i see the IS, and i supposed the little mercedes C classes too (not the new ones though...)

I just can't comprehend spending $30,000 for a tiny BMW or Mercedes when you could get a loaded Camry, Maxima or something a little bigger... I know it's all about the "name", i personally just think it's a bad move to spend it on something so small. It doesn't seem economical for a starting family or whatever. I know i haven't "personally" spent my own money to buy a car, but i just can't imagine spending so much for so little... If i was young (which i am) or would be starting a family in the next few years, i would look at size and versatility before....whatever the IS seems to provide for people.

In some weird way, i just look down to the IS and little "nice" cars like that. I don't know why. I know it's ignorance and confusing, but i just feel that way :( Really can't explain it.

I just think there are more economical ways to spend $30,000 than on a little Lexus. You could get so many more features and more room out of a new camry or something like that...

And about the new Rx, yeah i played with one for a few hours when i had the 400h in for warranty work. It's "easy" to use, but it still requires you to look at the screen to see what you're doing. I just think it's easier to point to it with your finger! It's no more of a distraction to touch the screen on the 04-09 version than it is to have your hand on the center console. I just didn't like it- just my opinion after toying with it for a while...

It is better than the BMW and Infiniti way of playing with the "arrow switch" on the dash to control the screen.. THAT is annoying...