LiPhotoman

Drove these two '09 cars yesterday & having lots of trouble deciding which of them to get.

I liked the comfort of the Driver's Seat in the RDX much better than the RX, but the RIDE itself was more comfortable in the RX. But for passenger, RX wins by a large margin due to lack of lumbar support for passengers in the RDX. Another great convenience that the RX had was the auto rear hatch opener. I have arthritic shoulders, and opening the hatch on the RDX was difficult for me. Can't understand why Acura left these things out.

I much prefer the technology of the RDX to the RX, and even though it is a 4 cyl vs the RX 6, it feels like it would be peppier & better on the highway. How would the RX be passing & coming on from onramps? But which holds the road better at 75? WOuld one of them react better than the other to the wind forces from the large trucks passing on the Turnpike? Any experiences on the Nav systems in the 2 cars? I'm used to the Acura system from my '05 TL, and I understand it has been impproved. It SEEMS like the Nav is better on the RDX, but I think it takes significant driving to really get a feel for te Nav system. I do like the idea of the Nav built in - not an external device like a Garmin, etc. that is likely to be stolen from the car when parked.

Most of my driving is either very local, or on the NJ Turnpike & Long Island Distressway. I probably do about 12,000 mi / year.

I'm retired, so no kids, and almost never lug a lot of stuff, so cargo space & a 3rd row of seats not all that important.

What Is important is comfort for me & my passenger, safety, good sound, good technology. One big flaw with Lexus in this area is the XM radio is $1000 extra. I found that shocking - a luxury car like that but without satellite radio! Also, I was surprised to see that heated seats is in Option. Pay for heated seats? It seems like the RX keeps adding on charges, but the RDX has few options to add. The RX is already priced about $6,000 more than the RDX - and add another 5G if I want the hybrid. It will take me over 5 years of driving to recoup the gas savings for the hybrid, but I wonder if a hybrid will have a greater % resale value in 3 - 4 years, and thus help recoup it that way? While the Look of a car is not critical, it is important, and I much prefer the look of the RX, even though dated, to the RDX.

The Dealer is really not much of an issue - same dealer - only different locations. The Acura service is about 5 mins from me - the Lexus about 15.

Also, becase of all the options & packages available on the RX I am having trouble getting true dealer cost for that as opposed to the RDX, where the info is easier to gather.

Would appreciate any comments on my impressions, and any information I may have missed that might be helpful to my imminent decision.

Thank you.

brizey

I would think your bad shoulders would be a deal killer--I have made fun of cars with the tailgate lift because I think it is in general a frivolous add-on--but it sounds like you have legitimate need.

Really, I think the fact that you are considering the RX pretty much means you will not be happy with the RDX. It makes very conscious trade-offs for performance and price vs. luxury and comfort. The RX is much more a true luxury vehicle while the RDX is much more about sport (and price point). The new V6 in the RX should have plenty of power for basic on-ramp type of stuff.

mzhao84

i think the comparison between the RX and RDX has been beaten, brought back to life, and beaten again.

Most of us who own the RDX have cross shopped the RX and still went ahead and bought the RDX. I know I have. Also, My father in law has a 07 rx350 which is supposedly fully loaded and costs 49k (I'm not sure where the fully loaded is as I don't hear any special mark levison's speakers as well as not seeing any roof racks and sport running boards). The driving experience on the RX is numbing... LITERALLY. I get out of the RX and I feel relieved. Taking cost into the aspect, fully loaded RX350 will be about 10k MORE than the RDX. RX hybrid will be 15k more. personally.. 15k MORE?? for a numbing experience??? Maybe it's just me.. but I'd much perfer the driving experience.

Have you looked at a fully loaded MDX? More luxury than RDX @ the price of the fully loaded RX?

I've driven the MDX (cousin also owns a fully loaded mdx S) as well and honestly.. It still feels WAY better than the RX and feels WAY more luxurious than the RX.

Still I'd perfer the RDX over both, because of its sportiness. But for the money of RX, MDX is the way to go!

Well... that's my input. At the end, the choice is yours. Good luck!

shubysingh

I can help you out with the nav issue, in my family we have an 07 TL and an 08 ES350. The nav on the Lexus look a lot better, cleaner maps, the pictures are better etc, but the Acura nav is SOOOOOO much easier to use. Though i would like to have the best of both worlds, i would choose the Acura nav.

BUT in your shoes i would go with the RX because of your shoulder.

Soccer_playa1579

why not go for the more luxurious acura mdx??? that is more in line with the rx... personally i have many family member that cross shopped the rx and the mdx and went with the mdx due to the amount of amenities and tech you get at the price. oh and not to mention the mdx is a hell of alot nicer looking on the exterior side than the rx..

brizey

I agree with others on the MDX. It is about the same price as an RX, has more features per dollar, a power hatch, and is bigger and a little bit sportier. The MDX is not as fast or as nimble as an RDX, but it is not too bad for such a large vehicle.

ddb

Another recommendation to check out the MDX. The price of the Lexus seems outrageous to me, and as mentioned, the ride is SOOOOOOO DULL. You can get a loaded MDX (everything except the DVD entertainment system) with an MSRP of around $47K.

Leaving aside the feel-good/environmental impact issues of owning a hybrid vehicle, I'm still not sold on them. As you note, the "payback" period is pretty long, and that's without even factoring in the time value of money. Plus, who knows what the near-term future holds as far gas prices, reliability of hybrid engines, alternative energy sources, etc. I personally think it's still better to stick with the "standard" at this piont.

Regarding dealer invoice figures, have you checked the RX350 section at Edmonds.com? Appears to show both MSRP and dealer invoice for all available options.

- DDB

mzhao84

another point, price negotiating with an acura sales person is much much easier than a lexus sales person. I remember when I was trying to talk down the price on a RX, the sales person didn't even budge (well... a couple of hundred dollars) vs the acura sales person, I purchased it for 33800 (i believe RDX tech invoice is 33100? or something around there). ALSO, my father in law's best friend WORKS at a lexus dealership here in brooklyn NYC and he still had to pay close to MSRP....
I honestly believe the toyota/lexus saying is true: "we do not discount our cars".

LiPhotoman

I did briefly look at the MDX but it is really larger than I'd like - but I guess I'll go look at it again.

As for the Edmunds price for the RX350, the problem is that there are so many little options that it is difficult to get a true number. For example, I do not recall if it had heated seats with or without rain sensing wipers - each f those is an option & difft price. Cargo Net, Wjheel Locks, Mat, etc - each of thse things is an option on the Lexus that I wouldn't want to pay for, but they are all added to the invoice for cars tht already come equipped with those options - which mst do. And then there is the XM radio (a must for me) - yet another $1G. Withouht XM or the little things, the Edmunds invoice price is about $2500 less and the TMV is about $1,000 less than the dealer is offering me. By comparison, for the RDX the dealer is offering a price almost 2G over invoice and 1G UNDER the TMV.

Maybe even more important, I test drove the RX400, but not the 350. The salesman told me that they drive exactly the same. However, reading various boards I am seeing that they do NOT drive the same - the 400 is a beter, quieter ride. If that's the case, add another strike against the RX350 (And that salesman).

ddb

Well, if we ignore price for the moment, and also restrict the discussion to the RX and the RDX, there are three main differences:

Size: RX is bigger, from both a cargo-capacity standpoint and back-seat comfort standpoint (3 adults would be very uncomfortable in rear of RDX, while they could by okay in the RX). Does this matter to you? You cite a retirement lifestyle with limited cargo needs, so I suppose this doesn't matter. One nice thing about the RX is that this added size only comes with about 150lbs of extra curb weight.

Comfort: The ride of a Lexus (including the RX) is about the most comfortable thing on the planet - I liken it to a comfortable couch gliding down the freeway. The ride of the RDX leans toward the sportier side; more jarring over bumps, but hardly uncomfortable. This is a preference issue - some prefer the sportier (i.e. more connected) feel of the RDX, while others crave smoothness.

Performance: Having had the RDX for a few months now, I am totally blown-away by the performance of this small SUV. The cornering is simply remarkable, with very limited body-roll, tight-steering, and a very "connected" feeling. I would not have thought that this type of feel/handling would be possible in an SUV format, but Acura figured it out. Additionally, the acceleration allows you to safely/quickly overtake other cars at nearly any speed. Merging onto highways is a true joy, as the 40-80mph acceleration range seems to happen in the blink of an eye. The RX is also an excellent performer within its class (a class which includes the American-made behemoth SUVs), but pales in comparison to the RDX.

So if size and comfort are more important to you than sportiness and performance, then the RX is the right car.

But now introduce the MDX into the discussion. MDX is bigger than both RX and RDX, but doesn't sacrifice much (if any) fuel economy to the RDX. MDX closes the comfort gap, but the RX will still provide a "plusher" ride. MDX doesn't have the sportiness/performance of the RDX, but should still be more fun-to-drive than the RX. This is why many of us are mentioning the MDX as a worthwhile consideration.

Also remember, though, that those of us who purchased an RDX generally consider performance/sportiness to be one of the top priorities (if not THE top priority) in a vehicle purchase, so you're going to get skewed opinions here - we're just not part of the Lexus target market due to their gearing toward the luxury side.

- DDB

mzhao84

my advice, test drive all cars back to back. go to lexus and test drive the RX + RX hybrid and head straight to acura and test drive RDX and MDX (same day!). That'll give you a more concise answer as to which one is a better car for you.

LiPhotoman

THis is getting tough.
I did test drive the 2 cars again - back to back. same roads. I really prefer the ride of the RX350. Someone called it "boring." I guess I like boring - to me it equates to comfortable.
I also like the comfort of the 350 for the passengers.
BUT I like the TEch aspects of the Acura better, as well as the pricing. The Acura guy is going just slightly over invoice, while the Lexus dealer so far has only come down to $3500 over Invoice. I also know the service people at acura, and it is more convenient.

I have NOT seen the Nav system in the '09 Acura however - I've only seen the one in my '05, but the '05 is much better than the '09 350. BTW - many people have written that you cannot add or change a destination in the Lexus nav system while driving - you can in '09 (Either that or the dealer hacked the system to allow it - I can't conceive of a dealer doing that - this is a reputable dealer who has been around a very long time).

So as of now, leaning slightly to the acura, unless the lexus guy comes down considerably. I think the bottom line is that they both are nice cars that I will enjoy (Of course, won't be enjoying the Acura until it arrives in 3 - 4 weeks - Lexus there now).

johnny99

The RDX is a more sporty ride. It is one of the best handling SUVs on the market, but perhaps too stiff for drivers who don't want to power through corners.

The RX350 is more cushy. More of them are sold to middle aged women than to any other demographic group and Toyota knows how to design cars for their customers.

The RX is a taller vehicle, which could make it harder for some people to get in to and see out of. The options on the RX are confusing on the price sheet, but only certain combinations exist in real life. That simplifies your choices, but also means that if you want certain options, you may get stuck with others that you do not want.

CL6

The RX will have a smooth ride and have luxury with it. Do yourself a favor and buy a Certified Used RX330 and be done with it. Great buys on them. The RDX is very bumpy and not a luxury car.

brizey

Toyota (and Lexus) are notorious for having lots of complex options, then only actually building three or four different configurations. Go see what the dealer has and what he is getting. Ordering a car (to get a non-standard configuration) from Toyota is a lesson in patience and perseverance. They may just flat out tell you no.

ddb

LiPhotoman:

As you say, with the RDX you'd be choosing tech over comfort. Seems odd, because you can always upgrade/modify the technological features on a car, but you can't do much about ride comfort (well, I suppose you could install 16" wheels and a new suspension on the RDX!).

Also, I wouldn't get too hung up on your purchase price relative to dealer invoice - the question SHOULD be whether you are getting good value for your money, regardless of dealer invoice. If you found out tomorrow that dealer invoice on the RDX was actually $5K higher than you thought, would that suddenly make it a more valuable car for you?

Whether the RDX has a slightly better NAV system or not probably doesn't matter too much, as both cars have excellent systems. On the other hand, if NAV superiority is REALLY a priority, then skip the options altogether and get an aftermarket Garmin unit (mother just bought a Garmin 760 for around $400, and I was blown away by it after playing around with it a few days ago). I realize you mentioned this isn't ideal because of theft, but it easily detaches from the mounting unit and can be carried around in your pocket in one of the Garmin accessory covers (or stashed in the glovebox). If I were getting a new car today, there's no way I'd fork over the huge premium for a built-in NAV system.

I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but I really think you should give the MDX a test drive.

- DDB