Lexus RX 350 to Model Y

[RidgeRunner]

Has anyone upgraded their Lexus RX-350 for a model Y? Any reasons for doing so other than environmental? How does model Y compare after driving a while?

 

[glide]

Get ready for a rough ride in the MY.

 

[Berkshire1]

I have a Lexus RX 350 and a Model Y. Two entirely different animals. The Lexus is a smooth luxury car. The Model Y is a totally different experience. Yes, the ride is rougher but the handling and acceleration and the "fun" factor as well as no more gas stations make it my first choice. No going back once you own a Tesla!!

 

[InternetDude]

Upgrade? Ha ha not exactly. It depends what you want in a car, test drive the Y and you'll see. I drove an RX350 last week, well built vehicle with dependability and good service but wow these are not comparable vehicles.

 

[BrianBigNFun]

It's posts like these that make me glad I went from a Subaru Outback to a MY because I never got the taste of luxury vehicles prior and as a result most every aspect has been an upgrade for me- I miss Apple Play and sirius xm and that's about it
The bumpy ride isn't that much worse than my old Subie but the cornering and such is much better

 

[NudleBoy]

Went from an NX200t to Model Y. An upgrade in luxury? I wouldn't say so. Lexus was far superior in comfort, leather quality and feel. But as soon as I drove the Tesla, I knew I was willing to give that all up. Infotainment system, tech, driving experience, and acceleration all are something I find is an upgrade. Everything else, not so much. That being said, I'd do it again and again.

 

[annguye1]

We had an RX450 before the Y. I'd say the RX was probably more comfortable with its softer suspension, but the Y is better in almost everything else: acceleration, handling, convenience, utility, tech, sound system. We've been really happy with it so far.

 

[ssitu001]

I have a Lexus RX350 and taking delivery of the Model Y.

Both seats are soft but the ride is much stiffer, better handling, in the model Y

 

[Wingwinghello]

I have both. Love both. Miss the quality in the Lexus and service. I love the service exp at Lexus and really don’t mind bring it in. Tesla hate it, literally have to wait til multiple things are broken for me to bring it up.

 

[Exelion]

Like most everyone else says, and bears repeating - Can't really compare a Tesla Y to anything. The cost of a LUXURY CAR, weight of a MINIVAN, ride harshness of a JEEP, interior of an IKEA, power/handling of a SUPERSPORTS car, interface/convenience of the latest MOBILE PHONE, and the fit, finish, & paint of a homemade KIT CAR.

That being said, I still love it, best car I ever had.

 

[RidgeRunner]

thanks y'all for your feedback. We did take a test drive of the Y a year ago and for the short hour long drive of the Y seemed to be comparable in comfort and ride. however the hour was not long enough to adequately evaluate the things. most of the hour was spent learning the controls auto pilot etc. I probably should test it again and try to get it for a longer time. I will say though the cabin noise from passing cars and trucks on the busy interstate was terrible. maybe it has improved in the past year?

 

[Exelion]

Nope. It hasn't. Well, maybe just a tiny bit with the driver and front passenger glass being double pane. But most of that is because the car doesn't have a combustion engine that makes noise and drowns out the outside, no matter how quiet the engineers made it. This can be tested by sitting in a towed car with the engine off. It's really hard to make a silent car more quiet than an already noisy one. (That probably made no sense.)

But yes, if you didn't notice the harsh ride, you probably didn't have enough time with it-next time, take it around the industrial areas where there's plenty of railroad crossings, construction zones, manhole covers and steel plates. Oh, and where there's plenty of old steel bridges. The kind that make your car go kngkngkngkngkngkngkng for 10 minutes straight. That's where you really find out your car's suspension!

 

[TNIrish]

I have a 2012 RX 450h and maybe it's because my car is old but I feel like it is pretty noisy (I am constantly checking to make sure the windows are rolled up) and has a pretty rough ride. When I drove a Model Y for a day I didn't really feel like the noise and ride were that different. I am hopefully going to buy a Y when our local service center opens but will test drive again before buying.

 

[huno]

Prior to my MY (took delivery in March), I drove a Lexus GS 350 F-sport and my wife's car is a Toyota Highlander. Definitely night and day difference: the MY is absolutely a rough ride (rough enough that my wife and kids yelp any time we drive over rough roads, which they didn't do in the Lexus or Highlander).

I've read that Model Y has gotten double-pane windows since last year so you might notice less noise if you test-drive again. FWIW I think cabin noise is pretty minimal, save for wind noise at highway speeds. Noise when passing cars/semis doesn't sound bad to me; the only noise I usually notice is my out-loud laughter when I floor it and virtually teleport to an open spot in the next lane

Also: absolutely recommend test-driving twice, which I did—the 2nd time was when I really learned about its acceleration and ride handling. 1st time my wife was with me, so we spent some time learning how the screen works and drove over well-paved roads. The 2nd time I went alone; I intentionally drove over railroad tracks and on rough, beat-up roads. I realized that the handling was rough, but loved the acceleration and cornering.

All in all, comparing a Tesla to anything else really is like comparing apples and oranges: Tesla prioritizes acceleration, sports-car handling and their Silicon-Valley approach to the car's interface over mountains of buttons, plushy ride and post-delivery customer service.

 

[ocdbape]

I own both also. 2021 MYP and 2016 RX 350 with Luxury package. I usually drive the Y on weekdays, then the RX on the weekend. RX is more of a family car with wider seats, Y is more of a personal car. The bottom line is that i miss driving the Y when i drive the RX. But I dont miss the RX while drive the Y. You get the idea.

 

[RidgeRunner]

Prior to my MY (took delivery in March), I drove a Lexus GS 350 F-sport and my wife's car is a Toyota Highlander. Definitely night and day difference: the MY is absolutely a rough ride (rough enough that my wife and kids yelp any time we drive over rough roads, which they didn't do in the Lexus or Highlander).

I've read that Model Y has gotten double-pane windows since last year so you might notice less noise if you test-drive again. FWIW I think cabin noise is pretty minimal, save for wind noise at highway speeds. Noise when passing cars/semis doesn't sound bad to me; the only noise I usually notice is my out-loud laughter when I floor it and virtually teleport to an open spot in the next lane

Also: absolutely recommend test-driving twice, which I did—the 2nd time was when I really learned about its acceleration and ride handling. 1st time my wife was with me, so we spent some time learning how the screen works and drove over well-paved roads. The 2nd time I went alone; I intentionally drove over railroad tracks and on rough, beat-up roads. I realized that the handling was rough, but loved the acceleration and cornering.

All in all, comparing a Tesla to anything else really is like comparing apples and oranges: Tesla prioritizes acceleration, sports-car handling and their Silicon-Valley approach to the car's interface over mountains of buttons, plushy ride and post-delivery customer service.

thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. yep, Ive read that the double pane did not help nor the extra seal kits. was previously determined to get the model X for the more storage space and the air ride suspension. However the Test ride on the X exhibited the same cabin noise. most of the test ride was consumed with looking for the poorly marked off different drop off spot in a crowded shopping area Woodlands mall Texas. In the end I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a car.
Do you get to use auto pilot much? and how do you like the map on the screen and the audio driving directions? I've given up on gps maps in both vehicles and just use the phone's map.

 

[RidgeRunner]

I have a 2012 RX 450h and maybe it's because my car is old but I feel like it is pretty noisy (I am constantly checking to make sure the windows are rolled up) and has a pretty rough ride. When I drove a Model Y for a day I didn't really feel like the noise and ride were that different. I am hopefully going to buy a Y when our local service center opens but will test drive again before buying.

Thank you for your response and comparison. Did you get a whole day for the test drive?

 

[huno]

I do make use of Autopilot; it doesn't really work well on city streets, but on highways it's pretty great. I don't always like auto-steering; it requires that I tug at the steering wheel every so often to let it know I'm paying attention, and more often than not I pull too hard and wind up disabling it. The times I do use auto-steer, though, it's pretty good about staying in my lane.

Traffic-aware cruise control, however, is especially great: it will drive at your designated speed, slow down when you approach a slower car or if a car enters your lane (and will actually come to a complete stop if the car in front of you stops as well) and speed back up once you change lanes or the car in front of you leaves. You can easily adjust its speed and following distance using the left steering wheel knob and it feels very intuitive. On our first family trip I drove 150 miles without ever once tapping on the gas or brake, and TACC worked well, even as we entered and exited traffic jams along the way.

The Tesla's navigator and on-screen voice prompts are pretty good. I never used the Lexus' GPS, preferring my iPhone: IMO the Lexus Nav system is pretty clunky—on my 2013 GS, it was cumbersome to input a destination and its on-screen prompts were hard to understand at a glance. Tesla's is really easy to use; so much so that I don't use my iPhone anymore. The UI that presents your route and intended lanes is easy to understand at a glance; the large screen helps as well. The Tesla voice sounds eerily similar to the voice from the Lexus... same voice actress maybe? Whomever she is, clearly she's getting work

EDIT: one especially awesome feature, if you have an iPhone (this might also work on Android): if you're looking at a restaurant or address on Yelp or Maps, you can hit the Share button and send it directly to your Tesla, which will then automatically start navigation. I don't know if other cars have this but this feature alone is worth buying a Tesla

 

[everydaychris]

I have an RX 350 F sport and a MY LRAWD.

I drive the Y maybe 3 out of the 5 days and the RX the other 2.
When I drive the RX, it feels like I'm on a boat and I'm sport+. The handling is horrible, body roll, no control.
The steering wheel is gigantic and thin and doesn't feel good in my hands.
The UI is outdated and horrible. The control pad to control it isn't good either.
Power is horrible.

The seats are comfy. I love the 360 pano view monitor. I surprisingly don't miss the HUD as I'm always driving on Autopilot.

Build quality in the RX is great. Everything is lined up, no gaps, it's perfect.

But I always miss being in the Y when I'm in the RX and don't even want to go back to the RX when I'm in the Y.

The RX is bigger though.

 

[garrett5688]

used to have a 2010 RX350...BORING. Rode smooth, but I think the Y seats are more comfortable. The RX seats were too soft and not supportive enough on road trips. Maybe the newer ones are better.