Used 2017 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A) Consumer Reviews
Used RX 350 for sale
Very nice car except engine groan, trans hunts
John Bowling, Hickory, NC, 07/05/2017
updated 07/09/2018
Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
51 of 53 people found this review helpful
My wife's car, but I drive when we are together; about 75% of total miles. I am getting used to the engine groaning. The 8-speed transmission regularly upshifts when it can't maintain speed and shifts back down within four seconds, then repeats. It is the constant attempt to keep engine revs under 1,800 rpm for fuel economy that causes the groaning and very slight vibration. The engine is laboring, even under the light throttle of a gentle driver, the revs are so low. Downshifting manually a gear or two completely eliminates it, making the engine very smooth and quiet. The transmission is reluctant to downshift when speed drops on a hill with throttle still applied. When climbing a steep hill into our neighborhood, I must make a sharp turn. I feather the throttle to time my speed reduction to reach 6 or 7 mph as I reach the sharp corner, still climbing steeply. As I turn it gets steeper and I add throttle. The speed drops further because it's still in third gear. The torque converter sounds like it is being abused. The car slows to about two mph, slower than I want to go before dropping to second, but if I add enough throttle to make it downshift when it should it would surge ahead too strongly for the turn. It never selects first, which is what is needed. I now shift manually every time I climb any hill to prevent these problems. When I do, the engine is quiet, smooth, sounds happy at 2,000-2,500 rpm and of course there is no hunting. The transmission programming must have been done on flat land with fuel economy paramount. Positive effects are my gentle driving and their crummy programming have produced 25.5 mpg combined over many tanks of gas, which is well above EPA estimates. Beating EPA estimates by 15% is typical for me, but I can do it without such substandard transmission performance. One last transmission observation; when cruising gently, then deciding to pass, upon adding a lot of throttle suddenly the car does nothing for almost two seconds as it thinks, revs, drops several gears (all at once, to its credit) and finally takes off. Planning is required. Otherwise a great car. Very quiet, smooth riding, nice seat and steering wheel memory setup, 10,000 mi oil changes, very high quality materials with the luxury pkg. Lane Keeping Assist rarely works. Neither headlight system available, standard or optional, turns the headlights with the steering wheel, even though it is badly needed for curvy back road driving. Lexus incorrectly calls both systems "adaptive," which has always meant headlights swivelling with the steering wheel. Cornering lights with the optional LED headlights are very helpful when turning, but their light does not reach the light from the headlights and leaves a big dark area between them. Swiveling headlights would fix that. My BMW's truly adaptive bi-xenons with cornering lights that meet the edges of the high beams are far superior. Adaptive Bi-xenon means both low and high beams swivel. Wonderful for curvy roads, which is all we have around here. My tread depth gauge shows fast tire wear despite 98th percentile on gentleness. Power steering is easy at low speeds, as it should be. Overhead view with backup camera beside it can be selected to display automatically at 6 mph and below. It is terrific for parking. My wife loves this car. I like it a lot despite its flaws. Update Jan. 2018. Now back in Texas, our permanent home, the hills are gone and so are the groans and my dissatisfaction. The car shines in severe weather. The automatic seat heaters work great, the HVAC warms or cools the car quickly with less noise than thought possible and the seats are ultra comfortable (luxury package). The overhead camera system continues to satisfy. It is wonderful for parking straight in the middle of a parking space. Niggles - the cargo net came with a useless vinyl case that interferes with its function and I had to move it forward to the shopping bag hooks to get it out of the way and leave some room behind it for bigger things. Like every car I have ever seen, the spare is installed with the inflation valve facing down so that a very heavy wheel and tire (20") has to be lifted to air it up. It is so heavy I put it back in upside down and even though it cannot be bolted down. We both habitually select SPORT on the rotary transmission selector in front of the armrest, and arm the conventional cruise control which we prefer (hold button on end of stalk in for three seconds) every time we start the car. The transmission is much more responsive in SPORT and worth any small reduction in gas mileage. The adaptive cruise control is nice on a long trip, but it slows down so smoothly when coming up behind slower traffic that I don't notice, and interferes with my carefully timed passing plan. We love that the power windows slow down before stopping. There is no perfect car and this is a nice one.
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Unhappy RX350 Customer -2017
JTucker, Lenoir City, TN, 10/08/2017
Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
38 of 40 people found this review helpful
Please be sure to drive this vehicle in traffic and slow RPM. Has a shifting issue when you roll in and out of the throttle. Lexus says it is a "characteristic" of the vehicle. It is very frustrating to drive and has turned me into a Lexus hater. Shame on Lexus QC! Would not purchase another.!
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Lexus, please FIX drone noise and vibration issue!
viwami77, Lake Zurich, IL, 01/27/2018
Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
35 of 37 people found this review helpful
GOOD: Sharp design and nice looking inside and out. Quality interior materials. No squeaking noises. Roomy interior, luxury feel. Good base stereo. BAD: Second year in production, and common issue with annoying drone noise + vibration still not fixed! Hard to believe!!! Transition is set for maximum mpg and hardly forcing higher gears / lower rpm's causing drone noise and vibration coming from inadequately designed exhaust system while slow incline on higher gear/lower rpm's. Dealer said: it is normal characteristic of the new RX's. 2016 and 2017 are affected, no fix until now (end of January 2018). Illogical entertainment system, very confusing to navigate, not intuitive at all. No manual on/off controls for AC. Slow throttle respond. Slow acceleration. Slow rear gate. Heavy doors. Voice recognition does not understand me most of the time. Too soft power-steering, feels like a driver has no 100% control. Too soft suspension (my is 2WD not F-Sport model) feels unstable in curves. Transition shifting is strange, sometimes is not sure what gear should choose. Definitely not what I expected form Lexus and 50,000.00. Our other cars: 2011 Outback 2.5 is quiet and smooth like years ago while dealer delivery, and absolutely outstanding 2017 F-Pace diesel - pleasure and fun to drive with no single issue. If you just need a machine to move you from point A to B, than RX is for you, but if you are "car person" and having enjoyment while driving....look elsewhere!
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Not a high quality vehicle
ATLRX, Sanford, NC, 06/07/2017
Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
34 of 36 people found this review helpful
Disappointed with the vibration and noise issue at 1200-1500 RPM range also disturbed by the hesitation.
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Unhappy in the ATL
Peter Billings, Alpharetta, GA, 06/16/2017
Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
40 of 43 people found this review helpful
I have owned a 2002 1st generation RX300. Bought it as a CPO and loved it. Smooth, tight, solid in everyway. It had good road feel. This new 2017 4th generation is none of those things. Even though my wife bought this car for the luxury and comfort of Lexus, it only partially delivers on that. The feel of the steering feels so disengaged from the road. My 2011 Genesis had complaints about its electric steering but it is orders of magnitude better. The 12" Navigation works but it is a mess. Steep learning curve and it is difficult to manage while driving. You really need to pull over or futz with it at stop lights. But the biggest issue is the lousy buzzing feel we get through the pedal and floor board of the driver. Mostly when the engine is under load. Lexus is being very cagy about this. Sometimes there is an admission of the problem, and other times, you get an answer of "this is normal". Its' either an exhaust issue, tranny issue, or engine mount issue. This is at least the consensus on clublexus.com (be sure to read the over 60 page thread on this topic before you buy this car.) I wish I had.