RX 5th Gen Test Drive

Malc1 · February 23, 2023

7 minutes ago, GSLV6 said:

which doesn't have a speedo. It's more like a Tesla inside, with one giant screen where everything is accessed and very few buttons except the usual steering wheel controls. It stopped working after 12 weeks and left her stranded because although she could start the car, she had no speedo, no fuel gauge, no satnav, no heater controls. It had to be towed for another fault anyway! It was with Mercedes several weeks

Paul, my sympathies now lie with all Lexii owners trying desperately to improve their " experience " and at some quite staggering cost . say £70 - 100k when all one really needs for supreme comfort, reliability, durability, ease of maintenance and street cred with a V8 4 ltr is simply an older steed of Ls400 vintage

No wonder the prices of these are escalating ...... to discerning drivers wanting a more " sensible " Lexus no doubt

I don't have a jealous streak in me so far as cars are concerned, I'm donkeys years past that ........ and a very long term driver of an Ls400 of course 😇

Malc

Spock66 · February 23, 2023

42 minutes ago, GSLV6 said:

It's more like a Tesla inside, with one giant screen where everything is accessed and very few buttons except the usual steering wheel controls.

I predict there will be many insurance claims for these giant screens, whenever my son gets in the car usually his mobile comes flying out of his hand / pocket like a missile.

GSLV6 · February 23, 2023

I agree with both of you.

Compared with the cost of a new RX, I would FAR rather have a V6 GS300 SEL and be prepared to throw £10K at it replacing sensors, seals, suspension, attending to any auto gearbox issues and minor bodywork and ECU reflashing etc. My old GS300 V6 was hands down the best car I ever owned and to drive, I much preferred it to any of the newer models. Lighter, nippier, smoother, more compliant suspension, quieter, more comfortable and festooned with more buttons that Cadburys packs into one if it's chocolate packs. If I remember rightly, there wasn't enough space on the dash to accommodate everything so I had a drop down compartment to the right of the steering wheel, low on the dash that presented what looked like a remote control with more buttons to operate things like the rear rising window blind. It was a supremely luxurious car in every respect of the word and I often regarded it as the fastback V6 version of the LS with better road manners.

I reckon you could by a good example with moderate miles for under £6K these days and invest another 6 to 10 K and have a car that would see you proud for another 10 years. I may just look into doing just that.

Mr_Groundhog · February 23, 2023

Is this 2.5 engine you guys mention (with & without the turbo) the same as in the IS300h?

talaipwros · February 23, 2023

OK, managed to get into one.

Too similar to NX, quality of plastics and interior - in my eyes - a click or two inferior to RX4 takumi.

Also one of them wouldn't start, Battery was flat or it couldn't recognise the key.

So not sure about it.

February 23, 2023

5 hours ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Is this 2.5 engine you guys mention (with & without the turbo) the same as in the IS300h?

I would have thought the same as the ES, I believe the ES engine is different to the IS although the same size

Spacewagon52 · February 23, 2023

8 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

I think it's the same across the range with the newer models. A friend just bought a new Mercedes GLA which doesn't have a speedo. It's more like a Tesla inside, with one giant screen where everything is accessed and very few buttons except the usual steering wheel controls. It stopped working after 12 weeks and left her stranded because although she could start the car, she had no speedo, no fuel gauge, no satnav, no heater controls. It had to be towed for another fault anyway! It was with Mercedes several weeks and eventually they had to replace the whole screen. This is everything that's wrong with the way things are going with in car controls. I'm old and grumpy enough to realise that my next car will be my last in all likelihood as I tend to keep a car a long time. My RX is now 8 years old and I'll probably have it another 4 or 5 years. When I change, it will not be for some Euro6 compliant tinny overstressed disposable engined box, nor for electric and nor for a newer Lexus. I'll look for the lowest mileage RX4 I can find and that will have to see me out. It will be a nice under-stressed reliable V6 petrol....with buttons and manual controls (as far as they have them).

Yes! I have made a mistake! Too late!

why did you not post this a month ag?

RadicalCoupe-Fuji · February 23, 2023

I still cant get my head around why BMW deleted oil dipsticks from some of their engines, now you have to rely on the infotainment screen to tell you how much oil you have & to be telling you the truth & if your infotainment breaks at some point you cant even tell if you have oil without getting it repaired.. & i thought replacing the reliable handbrake with an electric switch was silly.

Spacewagon52 · February 23, 2023

20 minutes ago, RadicalCoupe-Fuji said:

I still cant get my head around why BMW deleted oil dipsticks from some of their engines, now you have to rely on the infotainment screen to tell you how much oil you have & to be telling you the truth & if your infotainment breaks at some point you cant even tell if you have oil without getting it repaired.. & i thought replacing the reliable handbrake with an electric switch was silly.

They call it progress, supposedly!

Spottedlaurel · February 23, 2023

I thought of something today, with the adoption of electronic, non-mechanical door handles (inside and out) across new models. The new NX has them, as did the RX I tried.

Leaving aside them not seeming to work in an intuitive way (maybe that's just me), what happens if the 12v Battery goes flat? Is there any sort of mechanical override? As I assume Lexus are contnuing with small 12v batteries and no option to draw some charge from the hybrid Battery, that seems to be a risk.

When we were at the showroom on Saturday there was an NX being delivered to the workshop on a recovery truck. It was completely immobile and they were having to skate it off the truck, and I heard mention of it being due to a flat Battery after a month or so of inactivity. Didn't seem like it was first occurence either....

I also read about NX owners having an issue with not being able to get in their cars when it was cold weather, and having to heat up the button somewhow.

Lexnew · February 23, 2023

On 2/22/2023 at 9:37 AM, GSLV6 said:

I won't be changing my V6 RX3 in any particular hurry. The driving differences between it and a newer RX4 are minimal to non existent. I wouldn't contemplate changing the silky smooth V6 for the newer Euro compliant 4cyl RX5 models, especially at the current pricing which seems to have taken new costs well beyond the means of those bar the wealthy but if the used price of the last of the V6 RX5's comes down sufficiently within the next 4 years I may have a look then. I don't feel hard changed or at any disadvantage at all. They have prettier interiors and a little more space but I dislike intently touch screens in cars and all eggs in one basket with LCD screens mean if they go wrong, you're stuffed. Much prefer physical buttons and real dials.

I totally agree with your comments. I own a 4th generation RX, and I must say that it is quietest most refined/comfortable car that I have ever owned. In terms of ride qaulity I cannot see that the 5th generation RX is gong to be an improvement over the 3/4th generation RX. Having seen various road test reports (RX350H), several negative comments have emerged, firstly the touch sensitive controls mounted on the steering wheel which control the media/cruise controls etc seem overly sensitive. The touch sensitive controls work in conjunction with the HUD, the controls are not user friendly and appear difficult to operate,(a distraction for the driver).The second issue seems to be with the electronic door locks, they just seem to be overly complicated. The electronic door locks used on the RX are the same as fitted to the NX. Several NX owners have reported that during freezing conditions they are unable to enter their vehicle due to a malfunction of the door lock. Lastly, I cannot see that a 4 cylinder power plant will ever give you the same smoothness of power delivery as a 6 cylinder power unit, it is just not possible. The RX deserves a 6 cylinder power plant. The quoted fuel consumption figures for RX5 hybrid might be hard to achieve in the real world, as the smaller 4 cylinder engine will be working a lot harder than the larger more graceful 6 cylinder unit. The RX5 comes with touch screen controls/electronic door locks, and a whole host technological gadgets. I think that sometimes this new car technology works against the driver, please just keep it simple!

I will be keeping my old fashioned RX, with its push button controls, and big analogue dials for some considerable time.

Andy B · February 24, 2023

11 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I thought of something today, with the adoption of electronic, non-mechanical door handles (inside and out) across new models. The new NX has them, as did the RX I tried.

Leaving aside them not seeming to work in an intuitive way (maybe that's just me), what happens if the 12v battery goes flat? Is there any sort of mechanical override? As I assume Lexus are contnuing with small 12v batteries and no option to draw some charge from the hybrid battery, that seems to be a risk.

There is indeed a mechanical override should the Battery go flat. Instead of pushing on the handles with your thumb, there is a lever that you need to pull on twice to open the door.

As an aside - I find the new fangled handles very intuitive and easy to get used to. In fact, I find myself trying to open doors in other cars the same way 🙄

John Walker · February 25, 2023

Had a go in the 500h and…hated the seats, were squeezing my back too much. Definitely not a fan of the touchscreens in cars, i much prefer the dash of the RX4 (maybe because i own one). The controls on the steering wheel are rather annoying to use.

For someone who wants an RX5 probably the 450h+ is a wiser choice if you drive a lot in the city and you have a socket at home to charge it. I personally wouldn’t get that either because the fuel tank is 55 liters only and considering that the RX4 has 65l but never managed to fill in more than 56l even on red i would think that the 450h+ won t take more than 46-47 liters and all together makes me think that it will have a small range for my long trips.

So the 350h might be the smartest choice for a lot of people considering the price and the bigger fuel tank (65l)

Btw does anyone manage to get in their RX3 or 4 more than 440 miles range? I always had between 400 and 440 miles which is a bit annoying for a big cruiser (especially if you drive long distances in Europe)

John Walker · February 25, 2023

On a positive note the new RX is probably the most beautiful SUV on the market (exterior wise) and hopefully i m not very subjective. The 500h it is or at least it feels very fast, the way it corners is suberb compared with my RX4 and the suspension handles the potholes extremely well even with 21” wheels. It s more insulated and refined than any other previous RX.

It s mostly the interior that I didn’t like but maybe that s just me. The steering wheel buttons and the way you see them on the HUD it s just…not on my taste. And the electric operated doors, how is that making anyone’s life better?

I just fell like everything that was bad in the RX4 it was improved in the new model and everything that was good in the RX4 was taken away.

Spottedlaurel · February 25, 2023

1 hour ago, John Walker said:

Btw does anyone manage to get in their RX3 or 4 more than 440 miles range? I always had between 400 and 440 miles which is a bit annoying for a big cruiser (especially if you drive long distances in Europe)

I tend to fill up a little bit before that, but that's what I'm usually getting as my range after the majority of a tankful has been used up. It tends to start off around 450-460 at present, but last summer I was getting trip + range to equal 480-490+, but it's dropped since then due to winter use. I'm on 34.8mpg overall.

Back on topic, interesting to read some more thoughts on the 5th gen model.

On the tank size, wouldn't 40 miles or so of full electric use cancel out most of the 10-litre difference? I presume they limited the capacity to offset the weight of the bigger Battery?

John Walker · February 26, 2023

9 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I tend to fill up a little bit before that, but that's what I'm usually getting as my range after the majority of a tankful has been used up. It tends to start off around 450-460 at present, but last summer I was getting trip + range to equal 480-490+, but it's dropped since then due to winter use. I'm on 34.8mpg overall.

Back on topic, interesting to read some more thoughts on the 5th gen model.

On the tank size, wouldn't 40 miles or so of full electric use cancel out most of the 10-litre difference? I presume they limited the capacity to offset the weight of the bigger battery?

Well the 40 miles range on electric probably it will be more like 20-25 at highway speeds. And imagine you re driving long distances you can t just stop and wait to fully charge your Battery so you can make the most of your plug-in car. Where with 10 liters of petrol you can drive 70-80 miles so again I think the plug-in is good for short distance driving but not as great for long ones.

I understand they are trying to save weight but also they are wasting a lot of weight on gizmos that nobody needs.

And now most of the people seem to be driving a big SUV just for the school run or groceries so i don t think the fuel tank would be a problem for most of the customers.

GSLV6 · March 2, 2023

On 2/25/2023 at 8:56 PM, John Walker said:

Had a go in the 500h and…hated the seats, were squeezing my back too much. Definitely not a fan of the touchscreens in cars, i much prefer the dash of the RX4 (maybe because i own one). The controls on the steering wheel are rather annoying to use.

For someone who wants an RX5 probably the 450h+ is a wiser choice if you drive a lot in the city and you have a socket at home to charge it. I personally wouldn’t get that either because the fuel tank is 55 liters only and considering that the RX4 has 65l but never managed to fill in more than 56l even on red i would think that the 450h+ won t take more than 46-47 liters and all together makes me think that it will have a small range for my long trips.

So the 350h might be the smartest choice for a lot of people considering the price and the bigger fuel tank (65l)

Btw does anyone manage to get in their RX3 or 4 more than 440 miles range? I always had between 400 and 440 miles which is a bit annoying for a big cruiser (especially if you drive long distances in Europe)

I never run mine down much past 10 to 15 litres in the tank but on average in the hilly Cotswolds only ever see 375 miles before I top up so if I drove on until the warning light perhaps I could squeeze 420 miles to 430 miles from a tank max. I'm not heavy on the right boot, advanced driver trained and mine averages over a long run on A roads around 35mpg, if predominantly motorway and at a true 70mph (77 indicated) I get no better than 32mpg. Local trips of up to 15 or 20 miles sees closer to 27 to 28mpg, about the same as my old V6 GS300, although that was way better on long runs. I once came back with a full car from a family holiday in the lake district and with a roof box fitted and still returned 43mpg.