A write up of the 4RX

[rayaans]

So its been 2 days since I got my new RX and Im very pleased I chose to stay with the Lexus brand - 

Firstly, I'd like to cover how it compares to the 3RX but be warned, this is going to be a long one!

Exterior

The 3RX has aged well in my opinion and doesn't look old as such, however I think the new RX looks great and futuristic, especially in F-Sport guise. In terms of the exterior, the panel gaps are reduced on the 4RX whilst paint quality (in terms of orange peel and gloss) is the same. I love the dynamic indicators, especially on the rear. The lights, front and rear look much more sophisticated than those on the 3RX. The handles are a chunkier design and feel more substantial on the 4RX, and the door is heavier with a great thud when closing.

Having said that, found that the number plate holder on the front feels more flimsy as its attached to the grill and not very well supported unlike the 3RX one which is on the grill divider bar.

 

Interior

This is where the 4RX has stepped up its game. Everything is soft touch with leather covering the dashboard and intricate stitching. The lower portions of the interior There is less use of the silver coated plastic which covered the whole 3RX centre console and the switches are better damped. Its subjective but I feel the design is better as well being rather simplistic in comparison to the 3RX. The leather feels softer but I bet its much less durable than the 3RX.

On the downside, the 4RX is certainly less practical. The glovebox is smaller, there is no cupholder on the right of the steering wheel anymore, the airline style pockets behind the seats are smaller and the boot itself is smaller as well. Having said that, the interior legroom is greater but there is less headroom, especially with the added pan roof.

 

Gadgets

Another area where the 4RX is better but of course, this is down to it being a newer vehicle. Some things I miss from my old RX are the adaptive headlights which I found useful on country roads. The new headlights are good but the little cornering lights aren't as useful. 

Additionally, whilst most menus are the same in the 4RX as the 3RX, the remote touch interface feels clunkier to use despite being on the same feedback setting as my old car. I also find the "destination" menu annoying when first starting the car - it doesn't go away on its own and you need to press the back button to make it go.

Also, I used the Lane keep assist on the motorway - its very good and works well. However, I turned it off in town, its an absolute nightmare - keeps going off everytime I overtake parked vehicles!

I like the auto parking brake but still find myself reaching for the pedal! 

Furthermore, the tailgate seems to have taken a step backwards. Although it makes a cool (imo) transformer sort of noise upon opening and closing, its slower than the 3RX and can't be opened manually unless you switch it off.

Audio system - My 3RX had the ML system, the 4RX has the standard 12 speaker Pioneer system. TBH I can tell no difference whatsoever between the 3RX ML and the 4RX standard system. Basically that means the standard system is actually quite good.

 

Drive

Another area where the 4RX impresses. The 3RX was smooth but this is on another level. Furthermore, the noise insulation is better and the car is much quieter. There are also no rattles yet on the 4RX whereas my 3RX started suffering with a few rattles in the last 10k miles it covered in my hands. Obviously time will tell in this regard. 

In terms of the ride - the 4RX is definitely smoother. Even with 20" wheels, the 4RX rides better than my 3RX. I suspect thats to do with the adaptive dampers which do stiffen up considerably in Sport S+ mode.

Also, I used to drive the 3RX in Sport mode all the time. In the 4RX, normal seems to be the same in terms of response. I found Sport S to be too peaky in town but it feels better on the motorway. Don't think I'll be using Sport S+ mode much as its quite stiff.

The 4RX handles better than the 3RX despite being heavier and larger. Its not a Porsche Cayenne but its actually quite fun when you want it to be!

 

Feel free to ask any questions about the 4RX or even the 3RX! Im sure I've probably missed something - and dont worry, a write up of the competitors I tested is also coming soon!

[Spacewagon52]

Thanks for that - a good honest comparison. The RX3 still seems a great car to me. Looking forward to hearing updates on how you find living with the car. My experience is that a good car takes time to get into your blood. I have never gone "Wow!" when I first get another car, but after a period of ownership you really begin to understand its qualities - this is particularly the case with the LS 400. 

[Farqui]

Excellent, thanks for the feedback. I sharp styling is pretty cool and I like it.

It seems that Lexus have stepped up quality/etc a notch on their best selling model then 👍

A shame it's a bit less practical tho, why is the boot smaller on the 4RX?

[rayaans]

4 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Thanks for that - a good honest comparison. The RX3 still seems a great car to me. Looking forward to hearing updates on how you find living with the car. My experience is that a good car takes time to get into your blood. I have never gone "Wow!" when I first get another car, but after a period of ownership you really begin to understand its qualities - this is particularly the case with the LS 400. 

I agree, although I did say wow when I got in for the first time! 

4 hours ago, Farqui said:

Excellent, thanks for the feedback. I sharp styling is pretty cool and I like it.

 

It seems that Lexus have stepped up quality/etc a notch on their best selling model then 👍

 

A shame it's a bit less practical tho, why is the boot smaller on the 4RX?

The rear glass is raked quite heavily and so the boot is slightly smaller than the one in the 3RX. 

The 4RX seems slightly lower overall than the 3RX yet the boot lip is definitely higher 

[Guest]

Nice write up Rayaans and congrats on the New RX,we were lucky enough to have an extensive test drive in the new RX and found that the quality and comfort had stepped up a notch but we found the ride and feel very similar to our 2014 model.The styling has taken a bit of getting used to but i think i'm getting there.

[malcolmw]

I would be interested in your comments on typical mpg when you have done a few miles as a comparison to mine.

I find the Sport + suspension mode a bit firmer but the real issue with it is the skittishness on tighter corners. The more compliant standard mode is actually better on real roads.

The worse feature on mine is the navigation which actually gives incorrect directions at some junctions. See what you think.

[rayaans]

14 minutes ago, malcolmw said:

I would be interested in your comments on typical mpg when you have done a few miles as a comparison to mine.

I find the Sport + suspension mode a bit firmer but the real issue with it is the skittishness on tighter corners. The more compliant standard mode is actually better on real roads.

The worse feature on mine is the navigation which actually gives incorrect directions at some junctions. See what you think.

I find Sport+ much better on the motorway as they are generally smoother. Its too stiff for town driving and the engine comes on really quickly so the car almost lurches forward.

I don't mind Sport though as the suspension feels about the same as normal mode.

Not had any issues with the NAV yet (albeit only on 1 journey) - needed it to come back from Lexus Lincoln and it took the same route as Google Maps.

[dougie175]

Great feedback and comparison, seems like the 4th gen has pretty much improved in every key area, especially in the looks and interior for me, however the 3rd gen was far from a bad looking car. I would love to have a 3RX one day!

[steveledzep]

Congrats Rayaan.  I'll be watching this thread with interest as the RX4 will probably be my next step in a couple of years.

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, steveledzep said:

Congrats Rayaan.  I'll be watching this thread with interest as the RX4 will probably be my next step in a couple of years.

I always found that the 3RX got a few looks on the road but this is insane - the 4RX almost demands attention from everyone. Not great for if you want to blend in.

Found that the USB I had in the 3RX wasn't playing music when first starting the car. It went to FM and had to be pulled out and put back in. Sorted with another usb so far.

The parking sensors seem to respond to objects when they're closer despite being on the furthest setting. Either that or I still can't judge where the front end is - it rakes forward and it's longer than the 3RXs. 

I'm also worried about these wheels. They seem to stick out from the tyre much more than the 3RXs did. They almost stick out by 6-8mm compared t the tyre! 

[NemesisUK]

6 hours ago, rayaans said:

I always found that the 3RX got a few looks on the road but this is insane - the 4RX almost demands attention from everyone. Not great for if you want to blend in

Welcome to my world, the RC is the most attention grabbing car I've ever driven! Constantly being 'shadowed' by Beemers and Mercs, never mind the Police!

 

6 hours ago, rayaans said:

I'm also worried about these wheels. They seem to stick out from the tyre much more than the 3RXs did. They almost stick out by 6-8mm compared t the tyre!

Is it the design of the rim or, more likely, the type of tyre fitted? The Bridgestones that came on the RC from the factory have a very generous rim protector ridge, as did the Michelins on my CLS. I'm guessing the tyres aren't factory originals? 

[rayaans]

5 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Welcome to my world, the RC is the most attention grabbing car I've ever driven! Constantly being 'shadowed' by Beemers and Mercs, never mind the Police!

 

Is it the design of the rim or, more likely, the type of tyre fitted? The Bridgestones that came on the RC from the factory have a very generous rim protector ridge, as did the Michelins on my CLS. I'm guessing the tyres aren't factory originals? 

The tyres on the 4RX are OEM bridgestone dueler H/L. I believe some also come with Dunlop Sport Maxx 050. Anyway, I think it may be the tyres as they don't have any rim protection at all - I guess the manufacturers didn't think it was needed on 235/55 r20 tyres! 

But the spokes on each rim stick out further than the edge as a design feature so perhaps its a combination of both?

[Alps_RX]

@rayaans I picked up my 4RX on Friday and still getting use to the sheer size of the car - do you know if there's a way of enabling the parking sensors at the drivers request? Past vehicles have always had a button to activate the parking sensors but I can't seem to locate a button within the RX. Would like to activate the sensors when going through width restrictions etc.

The parking sensors on the RX only seem to come on when 'R' is engaged.

[steveledzep]

The parking sensors on my 3RX are permanently on, forward or reverse.  I would expect you to be able to achieve this in the 4RX too.  Sorry, don't know how to do it.

[Farqui]

22 minutes ago, Alps_RX said:

@rayaans I picked up my 4RX on Friday and still getting use to the sheer size of the car - do you know if there's a way of enabling the parking sensors at the drivers request? Past vehicles have always had a button to activate the parking sensors but I can't seem to locate a button within the RX. Would like to activate the sensors when going through width restrictions etc.

The parking sensors on the RX only seem to come on when 'R' is engaged.

If there's no obvious button then is the option hid away in a menu somewhere, like this http://www.lexomans.com/manguide-653.html

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, Alps_RX said:

@rayaans I picked up my 4RX on Friday and still getting use to the sheer size of the car - do you know if there's a way of enabling the parking sensors at the drivers request? Past vehicles have always had a button to activate the parking sensors but I can't seem to locate a button within the RX. Would like to activate the sensors when going through width restrictions etc.

The parking sensors on the RX only seem to come on when 'R' is engaged.

The parking sensor on/off switch is in the multi-information display in the speedo. 

The rest of the parking sensor customisation such as distance of when it will beep will be in "setup" through the main centre screen menus

They might be set to "Low Distance" in which case they won't pick up things unless you are really close to them - having said that the front ones will always be on unless in Park.

[Alps_RX]

Thanks all, checked the Park Assist options and found that it was set to 'Low Distance' - have changed the setting and tested, all working OK.

 

[Sandy42]

Are we sure that there is a "Low Distance" setting on the parking sensors? Isn't it just the colour of the displayed "bricks" in front or behind the car that are changeable.

I know it says "Distance" on the Settings menu but I think that this might really mean "Distance Indication Colour".

I'll do some checks myself in the next few days.

[chris_fletcher]

Suggest you check out page 379 of the user manual as it has the distances in it.  I tried to paste it in but copy from a pdf doesnt play nice with a text entry box, also in the Premium Nav manual it details the distances represented by the yellow and red horizontal lines.as below

The guide lines display points approximately 1.5 ft. (0.5
m) (red) and approximately 3 ft. (1 m) (yellow) from the
centre of the edge of the bumper.

[Sandy42]

Yes - p. 379 (2016 model) has the sensors "blinking slowly" at:

Front center sensor:
100 cm (3.3 ft.)
to
60 cm (2.0 ft.)
Rear center sensor:
150 cm (4.9 ft.)
to
60 cm (2.0 ft.)

For closer in the blinking speed goes up until it becomes continuous.

Nowhere do I see any reference in the manual to a sensitivity adjustment but I'll need to do some real world checks to verify my "colour theory".

I picked the following line from p388 of the 2016 manual (The section on the Lexus Parking Assist Monitor/Camera).

The line shows points approximately 0.5 m (1.5 ft.) (red) and approximately
1 m (3 ft.) (yellow) from the center of the edge of the bumper.

So, are we discussing two different things?

 

 

 

 

[rayaans]

On 8/7/2017 at 1:45 PM, Sandy42 said:

Are we sure that there is a "Low Distance" setting on the parking sensors? Isn't it just the colour of the displayed "bricks" in front or behind the car that are changeable.

I know it says "Distance" on the Settings menu but I think that this might really mean "Distance Indication Colour".

I'll do some checks myself in the next few days.

Yes there is. Its the same on all Lexus models post 2012.

When you go into the settings the displayed bricks are a different colour. If you choose the furthest one, the sensors will come on earlier (1m from the obstacle). If you put it on the one closer to the vehicle, they'll start coming on at 50cm from the obstacle. Ive just made the figures up to demonstrate the point but thats how it works.

[Sandy42]

Thanks Rayaan.

I'd better check what mine are set to and adjust them accordingly..

Still a bit surprised that there's no reference to this in the manual though.

All it says about the "Distance" control in the manual is 

Both the front or rear center sensors display and tone indication can be set.

Anyway, good to know something new.

 

[Sandy42]

Ah - Just found something on P742 of the manual.

Hardly the obvious place to look.

I'd better see what else is hidden away.