Edit: If you have an active subscription, you can use the key fob to remotely start the car using the lock button, with a tap, tap, hold. And the AWD system is constantly shifting the torque split between front and rear, so not technically a full-time AWD system with a standard torque split, but not a primarily FWD system either. Would you pick the RX 500h or the MDX Type S?
Well I'm Lexus fanatic, most of the dealers know me, this is my 5th Lexus. And I don't have any issues with the add safety. I do not use the paddle shift. And any of. My Lexus, I have my own is over one year. The cruise control I just try just a few days ago, and it works very well, I drove greyhound For 20 years, and never used, the cruise control, I used my spot mode a lot., and the 2012 , and 2017 F. Spot , also have the rear Wipers fold, and head lights Wipers. The 500h also has it.
Actually, if you want to use the key for remote start, hit the "Lock" button twice and on the THIRD press, hold it down for 3-5 seconds. The vehicle will start remotely.
Just curious, are there any remarks about the reliability of the Lexus now switching to a turbo inline 4? I'm curious about the refinement against the inline 6's they have been notorious for in terms of reliability and smoothness.
I'm definitely not the expert on long-term reliability since I'm only seeing these cars new, but Lexus has been using turbos for a number of years at this point and they're still at the top of the reliability list. I think if you keep on top of the maintenance, you should be good, but I would defer to the forums for owner experiences and some of the long-term tests that the major publications do for better information. In terms of smoothness and refinement, it's not going to give you the same kind of smooth build as an NA motor, but drive by wire allows for automakers to smooth things out on the acceleration front and it does ease you up to speed pretty well in the lower modes, and then cruising is still super comfy so no issues there. Then you have the option of sport mode if you want something a little punchier.
Nice review here very well done appreciate it. Bottom line is I just don’t know if it’s worth the extra money to buy this car or just stick with the regular 350 and be done with it. Replacing tires here are more money. Re sale will hold good. Have to test both to see but for 70k+ I’m just questioning if going w an x5 makes More sense if power and performance is what you want. No sure.
And so do I like the matter-of-fact low-key evaluation. Yours is an actual world approach to driving the new 'RX Performance, ..., Sport'. My wish is for a six cylinder motor. Ever since 2023, I was looking at the design (front grill not withstanding), but the four cylinder dual turbo engine and the 21-inch wheels (not enough sidewall) dissuaded me. After owning three luxury RX vehicles since 2006, this iteration is for someone else. I think that a dealer would swap out the wheels to 19" or 20", but the in-line four is still there. Maybe next year.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words! I do wish they would've used a six-cylinder as well. It seems a bit strange to put a four-cylinder in something with a 500 on it. It would've been interesting to see something similar to the LS powertrain. It will definitely be interesting to see how it evolves through the rest of the lifecycle. But I will say it is still plenty quick. Lexus vehicles always feel more oriented toward comfort, so this is comfort-first plus a little bit of "sport," whereas if I wanted something with more "sport" I'd probably look elsewhere. Unless I'm missing your reasoning for wanting the six over the four.
@@GearboxCarReviews Ah, yes. So I went through a 2006, a 2010 and a 2018RX, all hybrids. I was quite satisfied, but I was looking for that 'next' generation and hoping for a big surprise. Well, that was late 2019. Anyway, a 2018 LS500h (RWD) was on the dealer's lot for nearly 18 months, and I heard it calling. No one wanted it, so it seemed. And Tony wanted to move it. My wife beat him up a bit during negotiations. Got a good deal. The only thing I miss is the room, but the LS is a sweet ride and extremely quiet. Guess I will stick with it for a bit longer. I am not a fan of four cylinders and a twin turbo on the newer crossover Toyotas, because the four banger seems to work against the weight. I do appreciate the real six speed transmission on the 'RX500 Performance, ..., Sport'. As for the LS, it is like Hans Solo's space ship through the corners, but always quick and nimble for a heavy car. Maybe too much info here.
Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the LS. It's definitely a comfy place to be. Hopefully we'll see some more interesting powertrains as things evolve here over the next few years and you can get back that extra space you're missing.
@@TerSuz1 I would recommend you test driving the RX or TX 500h set up to get a feel for it. I traded in my 2022 RX 450h, and that V6 is extremely slow and sluggish with some of the worst torque I've experienced driving. Don't shoot down that 4 cylinder turbo hybrid set up, its extremely smooth and so much more enjoyable/faster than the previous gen V6 hybrids, I'd never want to go back to those.
@@iloveanime1313 Well, from a good looking luxury ride, great comfort on long drives, sportiness (if desired), and reasonable gas mileage (as high as 34mpg+ @ 75mph, manually calculated between fill-ups w/ 354 total HP), I will stick with my 2018 LS500h for now. I did indeed test drive the 2023 RX500h Performance yada-yada last year, and I found it to be rather torquey and not something I would be interested in. Toyota, for some reason, has gone to large diameter wheels, which do not have enough sidewall to my liking - 20 inch+ wheels make for a rougher ride. I think I explained this before in a previous post. Re: TX version of the RX family includes three rows of seating - not interested.
the lesser the shifts eliminates constant shifting provided the engine has the bandwidth of the power needed to propel the car mind you now most electric cars are one speed
Hey, thanks for the comment! I just double-checked with my Lexus contact. It's not full-time AWD in the sense that it doesn't have a standard torque split, but it's also not necessarily FWD with rear kicking in as needed. It's a constantly shifting torque split, that can technically go up to 100% either front or rear. I appreciate you pointing that out! I'll add it to the pinned comment!
@@GearboxCarReviews Thanks for the reply. I am trying to learn more about the model because we are considering to get for for our aging GLC. My understanding so far from my reading is that the Direct 4 system on the 500h is by default AWD. That means the rear electric motor will be driving the rear axle. What may vary is the front-rear power ratio. It technically could go up to 100% as you said that ratio is not the default driving mode......at least that is how I understand it.
Yeah, it's typically going to be some level of all-wheel-drive, but not necessarily in all situations, and there's not any standard torque-split ratio. It's constantly adjusting for the situation.
Great review thanks. One important question for me is if you turn off those 2 annoying safety features, driver monitoring and brake assist, do they turn themselves back on every time you restart the car of do they stay off. I would be both surprised and very pleased if they stay off. Those might be a deal breaker for me along with the mostly front wheel drive for our long snowy winters here. Thanks
Thanks! Actually the settings do stay off! I was glad to not have to keep shutting those off every time I got in. That would've been quite annoying. Most all-wheel-drive systems are biased to the front or rear for normal driving, so I wouldn't necessarily count that as a bad thing. The system is smart enough to figure out when you need the back wheels involved, but the most important thing for the long snowy winters is going to be good winter tires.
Does the cover for the panoramic moonroof block out the sun completely? I get sunburn easily and I normally use the moonroof in the early mornings or late evenings. Thanks!
Edit: If you have an active subscription, you can use the key fob to remotely start the car using the lock button, with a tap, tap, hold. And the AWD system is constantly shifting the torque split between front and rear, so not technically a full-time AWD system with a standard torque split, but not a primarily FWD system either.
Would you pick the RX 500h or the MDX Type S?
Rx-500h, just picked one last week. So good.
I can't drive another car, but the Lexus, not even a flat tire.
Not a brake down.
Well I'm Lexus fanatic, most of the dealers know me, this is my 5th Lexus. And I don't have any issues with the add safety.
I do not use the paddle shift. And any of.
My Lexus, I have my own is over one year.
The cruise control I just try just a few days ago, and it works very well, I drove greyhound
For 20 years, and never used, the cruise control, I used my spot mode a lot., and the
2012 , and 2017 F. Spot , also have the rear
Wipers fold, and head lights Wipers.
The 500h also has it.
Actually, if you want to use the key for remote start, hit the "Lock" button twice and on the THIRD press, hold it down for 3-5 seconds. The vehicle will start remotely.
Yep, I put it in a pinned comment :) much appreciated! Wish I'd caught it earlier.
not new at all my 2021 can do that.
I love that copper paint!
I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really grew on me a lot! It photographs pretty nicely too!
the RZ looks great in it too, with the black 2 tone paint@@GearboxCarReviews
Just curious, are there any remarks about the reliability of the Lexus now switching to a turbo inline 4? I'm curious about the refinement against the inline 6's they have been notorious for in terms of reliability and smoothness.
I'm definitely not the expert on long-term reliability since I'm only seeing these cars new, but Lexus has been using turbos for a number of years at this point and they're still at the top of the reliability list. I think if you keep on top of the maintenance, you should be good, but I would defer to the forums for owner experiences and some of the long-term tests that the major publications do for better information. In terms of smoothness and refinement, it's not going to give you the same kind of smooth build as an NA motor, but drive by wire allows for automakers to smooth things out on the acceleration front and it does ease you up to speed pretty well in the lower modes, and then cruising is still super comfy so no issues there. Then you have the option of sport mode if you want something a little punchier.
Nice review here very well done appreciate it. Bottom line is I just don’t know if it’s worth the extra money to buy this car or just stick with the regular 350 and be done with it. Replacing tires here are more money. Re sale will hold good. Have to test both to see but for 70k+ I’m just questioning if going w an x5 makes
More sense if power and performance is what you want. No sure.
Thank you!
And so do I like the matter-of-fact low-key evaluation. Yours is an actual world approach to driving the new 'RX Performance, ..., Sport'. My wish is for a six cylinder motor. Ever since 2023, I was looking at the design (front grill not withstanding), but the four cylinder dual turbo engine and the 21-inch wheels (not enough sidewall) dissuaded me. After owning three luxury RX vehicles since 2006, this iteration is for someone else. I think that a dealer would swap out the wheels to 19" or 20", but the in-line four is still there. Maybe next year.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words! I do wish they would've used a six-cylinder as well. It seems a bit strange to put a four-cylinder in something with a 500 on it. It would've been interesting to see something similar to the LS powertrain. It will definitely be interesting to see how it evolves through the rest of the lifecycle. But I will say it is still plenty quick. Lexus vehicles always feel more oriented toward comfort, so this is comfort-first plus a little bit of "sport," whereas if I wanted something with more "sport" I'd probably look elsewhere. Unless I'm missing your reasoning for wanting the six over the four.
@@GearboxCarReviews Ah, yes. So I went through a 2006, a 2010 and a 2018RX, all hybrids. I was quite satisfied, but I was looking for that 'next' generation and hoping for a big surprise. Well, that was late 2019. Anyway, a 2018 LS500h (RWD) was on the dealer's lot for nearly 18 months, and I heard it calling. No one wanted it, so it seemed. And Tony wanted to move it. My wife beat him up a bit during negotiations. Got a good deal. The only thing I miss is the room, but the LS is a sweet ride and extremely quiet. Guess I will stick with it for a bit longer. I am not a fan of four cylinders and a twin turbo on the newer crossover Toyotas, because the four banger seems to work against the weight. I do appreciate the real six speed transmission on the 'RX500 Performance, ..., Sport'. As for the LS, it is like Hans Solo's space ship through the corners, but always quick and nimble for a heavy car. Maybe too much info here.
Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the LS. It's definitely a comfy place to be. Hopefully we'll see some more interesting powertrains as things evolve here over the next few years and you can get back that extra space you're missing.
@@TerSuz1 I would recommend you test driving the RX or TX 500h set up to get a feel for it. I traded in my 2022 RX 450h, and that V6 is extremely slow and sluggish with some of the worst torque I've experienced driving. Don't shoot down that 4 cylinder turbo hybrid set up, its extremely smooth and so much more enjoyable/faster than the previous gen V6 hybrids, I'd never want to go back to those.
@@iloveanime1313 Well, from a good looking luxury ride, great comfort on long drives, sportiness (if desired), and reasonable gas mileage (as high as 34mpg+ @ 75mph, manually calculated between fill-ups w/ 354 total HP), I will stick with my 2018 LS500h for now. I did indeed test drive the 2023 RX500h Performance yada-yada last year, and I found it to be rather torquey and not something I would be interested in. Toyota, for some reason, has gone to large diameter wheels, which do not have enough sidewall to my liking - 20 inch+ wheels make for a rougher ride. I think I explained this before in a previous post. Re: TX version of the RX family includes three rows of seating - not interested.
the lesser the shifts eliminates constant shifting provided the engine has the bandwidth of the power needed to propel the car
mind you now most electric cars are one speed
For sure, but this one feels like there's some room for improvement in the area of efficiency.
I believe this model the 4WD is constant. The 450h+ I think is FWD with RWD kicking in when needed.
Hey, thanks for the comment! I just double-checked with my Lexus contact. It's not full-time AWD in the sense that it doesn't have a standard torque split, but it's also not necessarily FWD with rear kicking in as needed. It's a constantly shifting torque split, that can technically go up to 100% either front or rear. I appreciate you pointing that out! I'll add it to the pinned comment!
@@GearboxCarReviews Thanks for the reply. I am trying to learn more about the model because we are considering to get for for our aging GLC.
My understanding so far from my reading is that the Direct 4 system on the 500h is by default AWD. That means the rear electric motor will be driving the rear axle. What may vary is the front-rear power ratio. It technically could go up to 100% as you said that ratio is not the default driving mode......at least that is how I understand it.
Yeah, it's typically going to be some level of all-wheel-drive, but not necessarily in all situations, and there's not any standard torque-split ratio. It's constantly adjusting for the situation.
the exterior design puts me off - will stay with my 2021 for now.
Great review thanks. One important question for me is if you turn off those 2 annoying safety features, driver monitoring and brake assist, do they turn themselves back on every time you restart the car of do they stay off. I would be both surprised and very pleased if they stay off. Those might be a deal breaker for me along with the mostly front wheel drive for our long snowy winters here. Thanks
Thanks! Actually the settings do stay off! I was glad to not have to keep shutting those off every time I got in. That would've been quite annoying. Most all-wheel-drive systems are biased to the front or rear for normal driving, so I wouldn't necessarily count that as a bad thing. The system is smart enough to figure out when you need the back wheels involved, but the most important thing for the long snowy winters is going to be good winter tires.
@@GearboxCarReviews Great. That is good news. Thanks
Any time! Good luck with the car search!
This has an “ all terrain mode”. , that I am sure it help is some situations. And it is also capable of a 50/50. You should be good!
You look like Bill Goldberg
You look like a Bitcoin
you can remote start the car with the keyfob
Good catch! Thank you! Yes, with a subscription you can use the lock button to remote start it. I'll add a pinned comment!
Does the cover for the panoramic moonroof block out the sun completely? I get sunburn easily and I normally use the moonroof in the early mornings or late evenings. Thanks!
Hey, there is a cover for it, and the moonroof does have some level of UV protection as well.
you can start it with the key, press the lock button twice then hold it
Yeah I pinned a comment about it. I wish TH-cam would let me add a text overlay or something