cwirth

That interior looks like a glorified Toyota Venza.

I have driven both the RX350 and 09 Murano. I bought the Murano and glad I did. The RX is old technology and Lexus (and Toyota) quality has really dropped. There are way too many problems with Lexus.

I recently purchase a 2009 Murano LE and am very pleased with it. The other vehicle I was considering was the RX350. I came very close to purchasing one until I decided to checkout the Murano. The interior is much nicer than the RX. As said before the Murano is much more technology advanced than the RX. One thing in particular that is much better is the navigation. Not only is the Murano a hard drive based nav but you can actually use many features of the nav and bluetooth while the vehicle is in motion. No need to get some aftermarket device to unlock the nav. I found the Murano to be very quiet and the ride is as good as the RX. I found that the RX's seats were hard and small. Also the gas mileage is very good. I don't have quiet 1000 miles on it yet but I am getting 20.5 mles per gallon in the city. I am sure that will get better. I highly recommend it Murano over the RX.

My 08 RX350 with 5K is PERFECT!

You better go back to Mercedes--I wouldnt get a GS because its another Lexus...

I agree, I think he should consider Mercedes. Lexus' quality is not what it used to be.

All the above is exactly why I decided not to purchase a Lexus RX350. There are other makes out there that offer at least what Lexus does at a lot less price. I have read on other sites that Lexus was as overprice Toyota and I never wanted to believe that but now I think I do.

I feel that the voice recognition system in my 2008 RX350 is terrible too. I could understand if the words sounded vaguely similar, but it is rediculous. I really wished I shopped further on this vehicle instead of relying heavily on the Lexus reputation. The back up lights don't light the road and I have also found it to be uncomfortable on much of a drive. There are much less expensive, more nicely equipped & up to date vehicles out there. The navigation system is more obsolete than my 2005 Chrysler 300 when it comes to road recognition and mapping. Names of roads are different that I have ever heard of in the 25 years of living in my area. I have also noticed quite a bit of wind noise around the mirrors at hwy. speeds. The Tampa Lexus dealership did not bother to even come in and ask me about any problems on my first service. I guess they felt that cookies and latte' would solve the problem.

I was seriously considering buying an RX350 but have since changed my mind. During my test drive the salesman tried to show me the voice recognition and it didn't work. I found the seats very small and uncomfortable. He stunded me when he said that an oil change costs $75. The RX is very dated and has old technology. I have since looked at the 2009 Nissan Murano. This vehicle is $5000 less in MSRP and has features that are option on an RX350 MSRP of $45000. Lexus doesn't even offer XM or Sirus radio as factory installed. I fouind the Murano's seats to be very nice as well as the entire interior. Lexus has fallen in quality and technology. Hopefully their 2010 model will address these issues.

The 2009s are here now. Just got an email from my dealer a few days ago. He said that there is no change except for the price. It went up $100.

I have a 2003 Acura MDX and I love this car. I bought a 2007 RX350 for my wife, because I wanted to get rid of her '97 Jeep--so far so good. Take a look at the new MDX, or even consider one a year or two old--you will not be dissapointed!

I did look at the MDX. I really didn't like the interior at all. Also don't care much for the exterior either. It was also a bit larger than I want. The RX is the perfect size.

I’m rambling…. The bottom line, we have a new RX350 waiting for us to pick-up Monday, and we are hoping for the best, but are a little skeptical.

So I hope to write here in six months, telling everyone how great my new RX350 has been.

Duffyone: Glad to hear that you will be getting a new RX on Monday. With only 100 miles on your current one that is the least that Lexus should do. I know that I would have demanded a new one too. Please let us know after you get it and check it over how it is.

I have never owned what I call an upscale vehicle and thought it was about time to have something nice before I hope to retire in 10 years or so. Keep us posted.

Don't become too negative because of the posts on this site. Happy people rarely post but angry or frustrated people post quite a bit. Out of the hundreds of thousands of Lexus cars there is going to be a design flaw or component failure occasionally. An issue is magnified herein due to the back-and-forth postings. Lexus just has far fewer problems than most other manufacturers.

Dumping the Lexus would likely result in getting a replacement. Before you do so, check forums for the anticipated car and see what they have to say. I'll bet you decide to stick with the Lexus.

You may want to check Consumer Report's auto section and read the reviews by owners. CR has no affiliation and freely posts owners' comments.

You are absolutely correct. There is way too much negativity on these message boards. It seems that in my quest to find an upscale vehicle every board that I go onto there is a rash of negative comments. I guess that only those that have problems with their vehicles post often and the satisfied owners just browse.

I have been looking for an upscale vehicle for the last couple of months. I pretty much decided on the Lexus RX350. It seems that on every owner's message board that I go onto there are people that love their vehicle and those that don't. It seems to me that those that don't are much more vocal on these type of boards. There is NO perfect car and even BMW and Acura have their issues, especially Acura, just go to their owner's message board and check out those comments. If you read those you will stay away from Acura.

I really like the message boards but they sure can get negative. I guess one just has to make his or her's decision on their own as to which vehicle is best for them.

The only reason we've had two RX vehicles (a 2000 RX300 AWD and a 2004 RX330 AWD) in our family is because it is what my wife has wanted to drive as her primary vehicle. Even though I had numerous objections to the RX series, it's her money and her choice so I lost the argument both times.

The 2000 RX300 was truly a dog, the worst vehicle I've ever owned in more than 38 years of driving. It suffered from all of the well-known early RX maladies including transmission failure at 48,000 miles even though I have always meticulously maintained all of our vehicles. We kept it until late January 2007 (about 130,000 miles) and finally unloaded it after my wife found her current RX330. The only positive experience that I had with it is that I was always successful in requiring our local Lexus dealership to repair whatever problems arose at no cost to me, both during the warranty period and afterwards. They recognized that this vehicle was well-kept and they stepped up to the plate upon every failure because they realized that I wasn't going to take no for an answer (and they quickly learned that I always did extensive due diligence on the problem before I contacted them to talk about it and get it resolved). This vehicle required more than $9,000 worth of repairs due to known component failures during the four years that we owned it. I'm certainly glad that I never had to pay for any of these repairs myself, otherwise we would have dumped the vehicle long before we did....

The 2004 RX330 is a better-engineered vehicle that seems to have the transmission issue resolved, but the drive-by-wire throttle hesitation can be a real drawback if you are accustomed to powerful engines and drivetrains as well as immediate acceleration response (as I am). It is not an issue with my wife since she has probably never driven over 75 mph in her life and doesn't attempt to treat this RX as a performance vehicle (which it is very far from being, believe me). The biggest complaint she has is due to the dashboard squeaks and rattles that seem to come standard in the RX330 series. She's had her vehicle in the Lexus shop on multiple occasions under warranty in various attempts for them to find and fix these annoying rattles. While she believes they've gradually been reduced, they are never quite eliminated. The vehicle goes into the Lexus shop tomorrow to have the radiator replaced under a Lexus recall, and she'll ask them to once again take a shot at reducing the dashboard rattles. I believe this will be the fourth or fifth attempt, and neither of us are convinced that the Lexus techs can ever get this issue completely and permanently resolved....

You need to develop a list of requirements that you expect your new SUV to have. If that list includes true all-wheel-drive that provides top performance and safety even in heavy snow, then Jeep and Subaru should be at the top of your list. If you're looking for pure power and torque, a Porsche Cayenne may lead your list but a Grand Cherokee Limited with the hemi engine will provide you with similar performance at half the cost and will also be far more reliable from a maintenance perspective. Of course, it will also consume gasoline like a blue whale consumes krill. The Infiniti FX series is also a great pick in the power and performance category. If I ever return to an SUV as my primary vehicle (which is unlikely since I'm a pick-up guy through-and-through), I would take a hard look at the FX45 (but at 6'7", I may not be able to get the legroom and headroom I need in it)....

Notice that I never recommended an RX in any of the criteria above. That's because after owning and maintaining two of them, I know that there are a number of other SUVs out there that deliver far more bang-for-the-buck than any RX can, especially if you want true all-wheel-drive. The RX AWD system is so front-biased that it really is a misnomer to call it all-wheel-drive. My wife BELIEVES she's significantly safer in her AWD RX330 as opposed to just FWD, but I know that in the RX series' case, it's just a marketing gimmick....

In conclusion, I believe that even though the RX series has been improved somewhat since its introduction into the U.S. during the 1999 model year, I still find it to be overpriced and overrated in just about any way you choose to look at it....

Good luck with your ongoing research. I hope you find the vehicle that best suits your needs....

Rx in NC, thank you very much for the thorough comments. I commend you for sticking to your beliefs regarding getting the repairs from the dealer at no charge. That is great. I do not expect nor require my next vehicle to be performance oriented. So if the RX is a bit soft in the suspension that is ok with me. I am like your wife in that I have probably never been over 75 mph. I have never had any problems with the Toyotas I have owned. My little Matrix was just a cheap little gas saver and it does it well but I knew when I bought it three years ago that I wanted to get at least one upscale vehicle in my life. I just can't bring myself to go back to domestics like the Lincoln and honestly Toyota doesn't have anything that I really like. I don't need a true SUV just a crossover vehicle something with a rear door to haul stuff occasionally instead of a trunk. If I need to haul big items or a load of mulch the Tundra fits that bill fine. I agree that the Lexus line is a bit high but what upscale vehicle isn't. I certainly am not going with the MB or BMW equilivents. They are way to expensive. $40k is probably my top end. Thanks again and I will continue with the search.

I have been looking at a 2008 RX350. I currently am a dual Toyota owner, owning a 2000 Tundra and 2005 Matrix. Both bought new and never had a problem with either. I want to get a more upscale vehicle to replace the Matrix. I was looking at a Lincoln MKX but really don't want to go back to domestics. I am not sure that the quality is that much better than the last time I owned one many years ago. I found this forum and have been reading many posts. I chose Lexus since it has always received many glowing reviews but after reading the posts I am starting to question my decision.

I read the posts regarding the tranmission problems with the 99-00 RX300. I also saw some posts regarding the 08 RX350 and acceleration hesitation. I like the RX350 very much but wonder if maybe I should wait until the 2009 model is available for sale which I understand will be this March. I know there is no perfect automobile but I was a bit surprised by many of the issues that some people have had with the Lexus. The cost of the RX350 compares favorably with other upscale autos but I see that the cost of repair services are higher by Lexus dealers. I guess I should have figured this when I visited a dealer a few days ago and he showed me the service department and said that an oil change costs $75. I pay $30 at a local Toyota dealer just a few miles away.

I certainly would like to hear from RX owners on their opinions as to whether they feel the RX is a good purchase. Thanks.

Hello:

I am new to the forum. I do not have a Lexus as of yet but have been looking at a 2008 RX350. I have been to the dealer and was impressed by the professionalism that they exhibit. I am certain a Lexus will be in my near future. I have a question regarding backup sensors. I know that a backup camera comes with the navigation system but the sales person said that backup sensors are not offered. I would like a backup sensor but want it to look as factory as possible. Has anyone done such an installation or know of a product that I could check out? Thank you.