-Handling and fuel economy - considering it's an SUV.
-Appearance, Comfort, Quiet (see below)
-Reliability (Except for fire - see below)

It Caught on Fire! (see below}
-Noisy with the moon roof open and/or the windows down.
-I would prefer the ease of a single CD player instead of the changer.
-A third seat in the rear would be nice

We were extreemly pleased with our 1999 RX300 until it caught on fire.

I was driving at night when the vehicle began to loose power. When I noticed a glow coming from under the hood, my 3 passengers and I jumped out of the car. The car burned for over 15 minutes before the fire department arrived and extinguished the flames.

The fire was contained to the engine compartment, which was completely destroyed. I was very impressed that the rest of the car, including the passenger compartment, was untouched.

We were treated well by both my Lexus dealer and insurance company. In exchange for the generous settlement from Allstate, Rallye Lexus provided:
- A new 2000 RX300
- An extended warranty
- A rental car for the 3 weeks It took to get our new vehicle
- All registration fees and expenses

The fact that the damage was confined to only the engine compartment, was a major factor in our acceptance of another RX300. I would strongly recommend the RX300 - unless the fires become a trend.

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Audi, Volvo

none

no low range,
very bad LCD display
sun roof noise
very bad custom service
ABS always failing (ABS system was replaced 2 times already)
drive like a Carmy, no driving excitment

Very bad SUV, in fact, the worst car or SUV I have ever owned.
Lexus does not stand behind its produdct.
Feels like a Camry, not worth $38,000.
I think I will switch to Acura when the MDX is ccoming out.
DO NOT BUY A Lexus.

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Volvo 940SE, Toyota Camry, MB E-class

Nice Ride
Car like handling
Unique Interior design
Suspension soaks up bumps with ease
Nice engine sound and acceleration

No major off roading ability
Rear seats a little low
Rear visibility
Noise from the sunroof

This vehicle is very nice overall, if your not doing any major off roading and want a nice car/SUV to get around in it is the perfect car. Nice performance from the V-6 and the mileage is respectable. The luxury level is up to par with some luxury cars. I paid roughly 37k for a fully loaded one in 99. Very nice vehicle overall and highly reccomended to anyone who dosnt do major off roading.

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96' Jimmy- Cant compare them, Jimmy was rough and unrefined...the Lexus is very smooth and quiet

Good looking, good power, great on-road handling, good fuel economy for an SUV, excellent stereo, extremely comfortable rear seats, great awd for bad weather on paved roads, Lexus reputation for quality (my last car was a Volvo and needed a lot of dealer attention)

passenger seat needs more adjustment, armrests on front seats suck, goofy LCD readout (not bad once you get used to it), small gas tank, ugly automatic transmission selector, needs low range 4x4 selector, not much of a true offroader.

We had a Volvo sedan but my wife decided that she had to have an SUV after we started having reliability problems with the car. We testdrove a lot of vehicles and she fell in love with the RX300. It drives better than the ML320, 4runner, Pathfinder, and Explorer and gets acceptable gas mileage for an SUV. A big selling point was the Lexus reliability reputation. The dealer has assured us that we will not have any problems and if we do, Lexus will take care of everything.
I have a 4x4 pickup truck for any serious off road situations and the lexus offers a great ride and good bad weather traction for rain and snow. Other owners have assured me that their RX's go like gangbusters up snow covered roads to the ski areas here in northern New Mexico. The power is definitely a plus, the stereo is fantastic, and I must emphasize its road manners, they are wonderful. The reclining rear seats are great and the rear leg room is the best in its class. THe RX feels much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. We have taken several long trips in the LExus and it is a very comfortable cruiser.
The passenger seat needs to have the same adjustments as the driver's seat, the armrests on the front seats are ridiculous, the LCD screen is a little hokey for me but it is easy to use once you get used to it, and the steering wheel needs to have the radio controls on it (The Volvo spoiled me with that).
The RX is a great compromise vehicle, it is not a serious 4x4, it is not a fast sports sedan, and it doesn't have the room of a, dare I say it, mini-van but it has a good awd system for bad weather, it cruises very well, and it has more room than any car in any class. All in all, it is highly functional and very comfortable.

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Mercedes ML320 - my wife (principal driver)preferred the RX300
Toyota 4runner - a Limited with Leather costs as much and is nowhere near as comfortable and does not have near the power.
Ford Explorer - Nowhere near as comfortable.
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Give me a break, even Jeep dealers won't buy them until the reliability issues get worked out.

Smooth Ride, Peppy Acceleration, comfortable seats, quiet interior, great sound system, nice styling, ultra-safe. Outstanding value--best in class!

Small cargo room, excessive sunroof wind noise, can use more horsepower/torque

Best SUV right now in my opinion. Smooth, classy vehicle! Great for cruising and around-town driving. Not really for off-road use--but how many SUV owners really do that?! Super safe....got broad-sided 6 months ago by a Honda at 40mph!....walked away without a scratch!.....my Lexus had only a door and part of the frame damaged but the other car was a wreck! Can use a little more hp/torque, though. Also the Nakamichi stereo option is not worth it...I heard it and it's not any better than the standard radio.

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Grand Cherokee, M-B M Class, QX-4

Safety, Reliability, pleasant looking and comfortable
Easy to drive both on road and off road

High petrol consumption with
small oil tank limits it range.

This vehicle combines the best of both world. It has the Safety, Quality,Reliabity and any good features associated with Japanese products. With the additional benefits of what Ammerican like, e.g Comfort,Spacious,drivability and handling both on road and off road.
I bought it for almost US$ 100,000 in Singapore and still find it value for money as it 'protect' you as you go 'anywhere', be it Physically or Socially. I have driven it up to neighbouring country like Malaysia's National Park and it passed the punishing jungle track with flying colours.
Strongly recommended as it lives up to its promise.

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MB ml320 and BMW X 5

Very nice ride, powerful engine with good acceleration, excellent fit and finish, attractive interior. Excellent overall quality.

Gas tank is too small (17 gal./ should be 20 gal.) Arm rests are not adjustable or wide enough. CD player does not pause when the phone is used. Mute button does not gradually increase volume. Installing Lexus phone in center console eliminates front cup holders. Seat bottoms could be longer. LCD display should show audio volume level and compass heading. Ideally, this car should have 2WD/4WD option. Hands free phone is hard to hear at highway speeds, because of poor speaker placement. Open sunroof/wind deflector is noisy. In cold weather, the LCD display is hard to see until the car warms up.

I've put 48K miles on my RX and am very happy with it. I have a few quibbles (see above), but overall this is a superbly engineered car. Keep in mind that this is a release 1.0 vehicle - which means that some of their refinements, [arm rests, fuel tank size, audio system] could be better. Nevertheless, the Lexes is still best of breed. Would I buy another one? Not just yet. For close to $40K, I think Lexus should smooth out the rough spots I mentioned above. Hopefully their 2001 model will address my concerns. Then I'll buy one for my wife, even though she has kidnapped this one.

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I tested against all in the class (Durango, Explorer, Cherokee, Mercedes, 4Runner, Pathfinder, Passport). Lexus is (hands down) best in class.

A very spacious interior, good command of the road, smooth powerful engine, secure stable ride, lots of room for rear passengers and easy adjustments for rear seats, very good in inclimate weather: rain, snow, etc. A huge step up from a Honda CR-V.
Service has been excellent in Ottawa (Bel Air - top notch) and in Regina. Very smooth ride, comfortable on long trips.

Wind buffeting noise at highway speeds when the windows are open. Glove box lock rattles. Other than that just nit picking. Some trim levels not up to standard, but the dealer fixed this. Thin plastic coating on rear bumper, easily chips. Turning radius is a bit long. Heated seats could use control settings. No cup holders for rear passengers.

We've had the RX300 for 9 months and have almost 24,000 km (15,000 mi). It's been across Canada, across the plains and through the mountains without skipping a beat. I wouldn't trade this for an ML-320, Volvo V70 (near SUV) or BMW X5, no matter how good they may be. Regular maintenance service has been first rate. With the sevice we get on this vehicle combined with the quality of the RX300, it rates full value. We don't have any complaints with the performance or comfort of the RX300. If you're not planning on any serious off-roading and like to spend hours on the highway in comfortable surroundings, then this set of wheels may be for you.

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ML-320, Volvo V70 Cross Country, Jeep Grand Cherokee

It's extremely smooth, true to Lexus cars. The handling, performance, and comfort, is well above and SUV of it's class.

The roof rack makes a lot of noise at hwy speeds as well as the wind buffeting others mentioned with only the rear windows open. The gasoline mile is poor based on the quote on the sticker. Typically you can achieve the mileage or even exceed the rating with normal driving. Well in LA, the city rating is down to 14 MPG and the highway rating is only 19. Granted when there's any open highway to drive on around here, locals will drive around 80! The only way to get the 22 MPG is to drive under 70 on the highway, or be going down hill! Otherwise, serves me right to want all of the bells and whistles and AWD in sunny Southern California!

The list was around $40K w/ the Nakamichi Sound System, but the lease was $353/month w/$5K down with a 15K/year cap. I think it's a damn good deal. Just picked this up at the year end clearance.

My wife was hesitant about going from an Accord to the RX300. She now loves this car and could only think of getting another one when this lease is up. Maybe Lexus will offer a sportier package and a Navigational system by then.

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Grand Cherokee, ML320, Discovery II, Exploder XLT...

None compare to the build quality, ride, performance, reliability, and value, of the RX300.

Superb sound system. Sleek lines. Very accommodating interior. Handles amazingly for an SUV. Powerful engine for such a size SUV. Handles like a dream for any SUV. Rides very smooth with excellent pickup speed. Has an excellent value for what you get and what you pay. Good fuel economy.

The LCD control dash looks a little unusual, but you get used to it quickly and it's easy to use. It makes a popping sound from the wind with windows open at higher speeds.

I would highly recommend this vehicle. It handles the road like Lexus sedan, and handles pot holes with ease. I had the Range Rover, and don't get me wrong, it was a very fine vehicle, but I enjoy this even better. The reason is this is much more practical, it's great because you can jump over curbs if you must and handle pot holes very easily. (Most sedans can't handle the curbs and such) I also find it more practical because I never needed the legendary Range Rover because I, unlike 9 out of 10 SUV owners don't find myself climbing the Rockies, and therefor don't need an offroad machine. Everything is intelligently layed out. I enjoy this greatly and highly recommend this vehicle to those looking for an SUV, just not those, who I said, are looking to climb the Rockies.

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95' Range Rover. This has a much better ride. With speed of RX300, you can ride circles around the big slow Range Rover. And does much better than the Range Rover's abysmal fuel economy.