Well, I've had my RX400h about 9 months now and I have to say, I am unlikely to buy another Lexus (or Toyota). I guess I was spoiled by BMW's thoughtful engineering, and the Lexus just has too many stupid design decisions for me to overlook.
My list (not in any particular order):
- The GPS is a TRAINWRECK. I have had GPS since 1997 in most of my cars. Had I known how bad the GPS is on the Lexus, I would have bought a Ford Hybrid Escape. The list is long:- Can't Enter Address Use While Driving. This is just plain idiotic. But I think everyone agrees on this point. My BMW and Honda both work normally. But hey, I can POINT TO A LOCATION by scrolling the map while driving (oh, that's a good way to keep your eyes on the road!). Thanks, lawyers and lousy Lexus UI engineers.
- The Voice Recognition only works in the driveway. Well, maybe at speeds that cause no road noise. Above that, forget it. I end up screaming a string of obscenities at the car. And it can't recognize my home town at all ("San Jose"). No, I don't have a strange accent. But I have tried a Japanese accent...no luck. The Honda is MUCH better.
- Stupid restrictions on which screen you can use voice recognition commands. You want to "Go Home" but you're on the wrong screen? Well, the unit will recognize "Go Home" (after 2-3 tries) but then tells you "Not Available on this Screen". Seriously? Was it not clear what I wanted to do? Unbelievably stupid UI design. The same if I want to enter an address but I am on the Energy screen. So how is this safer? I need to push a bunch of buttons just to do what it ALREADY HAS RECOGNIZED that I want to do. My Honda doesn't do this. "Go Home" works everywhere.
- Really dumb algorithm for calculating arrival time. OK, so you FINALLY got the address in to the unit after pulling over on a dangerous shoulder to satisfy the lawyers. Now, the GPS blindly uses whatever speeds you've programmed into the unit for highway, local road, etc. Even my 10 year old BMW did a better job than this by looking at average speeds. And I am amazed at how well the Honda does (and I don't know how it does it, don't care.)
- No 3D View. OK, this is just jealousy of the Acura and BMW GPSes. But Lexus is in the same class of product, it should be just as good.
- The Overall Console Interface. By this I mean both the LCD screen and the small LCD on the radio. Want to see a song title or artist? Well, you're not allowed on the big screen while you are moving. But by pushing multiple buttons on the lower screen, you can! Does this make ANY sense? If the idea is to keep my eyes on the road, why allow it at all? This type of arbitrary design is EVERYWHERE (especially with the GPS, see below). My Honda let's me see the song name and title while driving. There are MULTIPLE examples of where actions are arbitrarily allowed while driving while others are forbidden. There appears to be little rhyme or reason. Get a clue Lexus, I am an adult and it is not your responsibility to prevent me from using what I paid for.
- I like the fact you can play MP3/WMA CDs, but why not MP3 DVDs? You have DVD read capability, this is just software. But as long as we're talking MP3s...
- No iPod interface or HDD based player? Really? It's 2008 guys! I long for the capabilities in those cheapo Fords I see in commercials ("play artist 'Strokes'"). It's just sad leading edge technology is not in this car.
- $500 to install XM? Really? It was FREE in my Honda (which was $20K less).
- The mileage isnot as high as the EPA mileage . If I drive perfectly I can get around 25. Usually it is around 22.5. Nothing like the 30+ you advertise for city driving. And pretty much everyone I have spoken to who has a RX400h agrees.
- The headlights are horrible in extremely dark conditions. I was on highway 80 west of Truckee California and was SHOCKED at how bad the lights are in pitch black conditions. The beams seem to die instantly about 150 feet out. No rolloff, they just die. I mentioned this to the dealer at the 5000 mile checkup and the service person said "yeah, customers have been complaining about that for years." Really? Lexus, are you listening?
I have more annoyances that are minor, like the dumb knee-bashing placement of the left cup holder near the door (though it was nice to find it, 3 months after I had the car :)). But I think I'll stop here.
I had high hopes for the RX400h when I first got it, but the annoyances are so many that I can honestly say I will never buy another Lexus. As soon as there is a hybrid (or hydrogen!) BMW small SUV, the RX is going away...
