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Lexus RX 350 to Model Y
- Thread starter RidgeRunner
- Start date
I have a Lexus NX200t and a Model Y. The Lexus is a few years old and WAS my favorite car for long trips - comfortable although a little cramped since I'm 6'2" (the NX200t is small). We now only take the Y on trips. I've done about 7,000 miles of highway driving in the Y. I feel a lot better after a long trip with the Y for two main reasons:
A few other advantages for the Y: The maps are much better. The large screen is easier to see and use. The cost of the trips is much cheaper (the Lexus requires high octane gas). One pedal driving is awesome. It can be really fun to watch the sentry videos...
One big disadvantage is the Y is very aggressive at stopping/slowing down when autopilot thinks something is in the way. I hear a lot of grunting from the passenger seat when that happens...
I still like the Lexus but the Y is my favorite car.
- The lumbar adjustments in the Y are better
- I have less tension in my shoulders after using Autopilot (FSD upgrade)
A few other advantages for the Y: The maps are much better. The large screen is easier to see and use. The cost of the trips is much cheaper (the Lexus requires high octane gas). One pedal driving is awesome. It can be really fun to watch the sentry videos...
One big disadvantage is the Y is very aggressive at stopping/slowing down when autopilot thinks something is in the way. I hear a lot of grunting from the passenger seat when that happens...
I still like the Lexus but the Y is my favorite car.
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I can send directions from my iPhone to a Lexus NX200t but it's very clunky/difficult to do (you have to do it from the Enform app). The Tesla way is awesome - I use it all the time.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
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Thank you for your comparison, it is very helpful and encouraging. The "One big disadvantage of the Y" you mention is a concern I have , not from the passenger but more importantly the cars behind me on a congested interstate. How much of a problem is it really? Is there an adjustment for the aggressiveness of the collision avoidance?
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I have a 2016 RX350 F Sport and a 2020 MY. The Lexus drives like a boat and floats over pavement disturbances whereas the Tesla lets you feel the road (literally). The Lexus Safety System uses the "pong" version of lane-centering (bouncing from one lane marking to the other) whereas the Tesla Autosteer is rock solid in the middle of the lane and a joy to use. The Lexus heated steering wheel is as good as my Tesla, which doesn't have one. The Lexus has perfect paint and 2 stone chips after 5 years; the Tesla has 9 (not counting the rear fenders, which got sandblasted after the first Canadian winter: don't wait to get the PPF and mud guards). The only thing sporty about the Lexus is the seats: count to 2 before the transmission downshifts. I still am surprised at the instant acceleration of the Tesla! All this being said, the Tesla is my favorite vehicle to drive by far!
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There is not an adjustment. This issue changes with every new software release. I think it's gotten better the last couple of releases, it doesn't happen much anymore. I too am very concerned about getting hit from behind but so far there has always been enough distance behind me.
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I own both the 2010 RX350 and 2021 Mercedes GLE450. I agree with what most have said here. The RX350 is boring BUT it's so reliable and it just works! The Mercedes is 10x more comfortable and the interior is so much nicer. Being a bigger car, it's so much easier to drive and park mostly due to the 360 degrees camera and for some reason the turning radius is smaller. However, the Tesla is faster and the autopilot is 10x better than the Distronic on the Mercedes. It would be perfect if both cars could have a baby.
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Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
I kept my Mercedes AMG E Class after purchasing my first Model X. I kept it thinking I would miss the roar of the exhaust and the firm ride. I soon realized I was never driving it. Even though it had more perfect panel gaps, my Tesla became my go to drive in all circumstances.
Sold the Mercedes for a huge depreciation loss. Learned my less lession on what really was more important to me.
Sold the Mercedes for a huge depreciation loss. Learned my less lession on what really was more important to me.
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New Model Ys have heated steering wheels. Mine was built January 26 2021. Not sure the exact include date was.
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I also went from the RX to the Y. After almost a week with it.
- Bounce around like the first gen Acura RDX. Hard suspension but it settles quickly. The good kind of hard suspension. The RX sport mode is no where near as hard.
- Disabling of regenerative braking is a big mistake. The feature to set it to low was on the demo we test drove last year. That was perfect. It’s brutal to adjust and it feels unsafe. A lot more work with the pedal. Quite counterintuitive to pushing for driver doing less work. Driver should have the option to choose between range and comfort. Let the people decide.
- Rattled and cabin noises galore compare to the Lexus. I’ll have to spend time hunting them down. I hate to say it but I’ve sat in cars costing less than $20K with better cabin ambient.
- Interior layout and ergonomics are just as good as the Lexus
- Driving dynamic blows the boring Lexus out of the water. The feeling while powering out from mid corner reminds me of my Cayman.
- Despite being a heavier car you cannot tell that it’s a beast compare to the RX. The steering feels just right in Standard and is way more responsive than the RX.
- I know people rave about the Tesla sound system but it’s nowhere near the Levinson in the Lexus. I bet it has a lot more to do with the interior insulation.
- The doors...ooh god the doors. It sounds like a 1990 Honda Civic when you close. It bothers me more than the interior rattles. I have the Basenor kit on the way.
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thank you gfoo. lots of things to consider. my short test drive a year ago revealed the same negatives you mentioned. Frameless doors may be the responsible for all the noise problems Are you sorry you got it?
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I held on to my old gasser for about a month until I knew my Tesla was sorted.
It was really disheartening hearing my old gasser's engine scream and do ~nothing.
It was really disheartening hearing my old gasser's engine scream and do ~nothing.
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Nope. Love everything else about the car. There are lots of smart people out there, they'll come up with products for the car. Tinkering is part of the fun.
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Tiger
Active Member
If you need more room, you should consider S or X. We have a 3 and it is too small, but in our part of the world we don't yet have access to the Y so I cannot compare. So 3 is best bang for the buck for us at the moment, see how a year goes.
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You might start fighting over who gets to take the Y.
(Then you might have to buy another Tesla. This isn't uncommon in Silicon Valley.)
(Then you might have to buy another Tesla. This isn't uncommon in Silicon Valley.)
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I wish I could be a baller like that! Trying to decide if I should balance having a sporty car or a sporty CUV along with the RX. I don’t “need” the space (I’m not super outdoorsy) but I’ve got kids and we’re considering having more. Honestly it’s the ride height that’s doing it for me so far.
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