Good performance, comfortable, roomy, unique body appearence, decent quality. The dealer goes out of their way to kiss your ass, course for 42K they otta kiss other things to....

Yea, I must agree the CD player is almost as bad as in the trunk, almost useless insteads of useless. The Nav system is not all that intuitive, my Nav system on cd in my Audi without the screen is easier to use.
Its my wifes car, I'd never buy one its just not manly enough lol.
By the way, did I mention expencive.

Ok,,,
I started to read the reviews below, and decided that there must be a bunch of well heeled morons alive in kicking in Canada and the US.
Some of you state that this vehicle is the worst vehicle you have ever owned or whatever other mumbo jumbo you idiots stated in your reviews.
Lest I be ignorant, not everyone can afford a 40K automobile? And those that can, I would have thought would have researched that purchase somewhat before making it? It seems some of you must have purchased this vehicle sight unseen, or, because your wallet was as fat as your heads you bought to impress the Jones next store.
This is a lite duty SUV, or as Motor Trend puts it, a AWD camry. I read many articles I could find about the car, and found none that did not recommend it, including Consumer Reports.
Yea, it has a few minor irritants, typical of most cars, and in particular SUV's.
I have owned lots of High End automobiles, and none has been perfect, well my S4 is almost perfect.
So, take a breather, and if you can find your way past your over inflated heads and/or wallets, try shopping next time before you buy or buy the vehicle based on your intended use, and 4x4ing in the outback of Canada is not this vehicles forte. , must be a bunch of dotcom twits.
My wife loves this little SUV, and she is not a car fanatic, I am, and if she loves it, then Lexus has done something AOK in my books.
So 4 stars because this like all SUV's is over priced!
and 4 stars because the CD player piss's me off.

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Toyo 4 Runners, the 4runner was a Truck, We had both the 93 and 96, the 93 was a POS. The 96 was a vast improvement. Several Bronco's etc...You know your typical P/U disguised to look like something else, but, at least they are manly.

Smooth ride, nice design, fast and responsive. reasonable milage for a suv. nice ergonomics for control panel. Good passenger comfort. Lots of extras included. nice leather seats.

Horrid snow performace...I sometimes think the snow electronic traction control doesn't do jack sh*t even in low gear.. weak paint and super soft bumpers. Not enough cargo room. stupid airconditioner controls. cup holders suck. wheels too narrow for snow driving. Horrid turning radius.

Great car for city driving and light snow.....other than that, it just doesn't cut it. But overall, it is a great SUV...smooth, comfortable, reliable and fast!

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Landrover discovery, Toyota forerunner and Merc. ML430

Ride, Interior, Navigation System, Engine noise level very quiet.

CD changer in GloveBox, Factory Tires

Absolutely wonderful vehicle....I upgraded from a 2000 to a 2001 with navigation....this navigation system is GREAT! I decided to comment about it after reading some previous posts....my rx300 navigation system does in fact find nearest points of interests. If I want directions to an ATM or restaurant, park, etc...it will list the ones starting with the nearest to my current location. For example: to find the closest gas station you press the "POI" button and then the gas station symbol. It then lists nearest to farthest from your current position, and will guide you there with screen directions as well as voice commands. I live in metro Atlanta area and have found the nav to be very accurate and complete.

I do wish it had an in dash loading CD player. The 6-CD cartridge is located in the glove box and is somewhat inconvienent. I would also like to see some basic radio/cd controls on the steering wheel.

I would rather see Michelin tires as standard rather than the goodyear or as in my case Bridgestone tires.

I do recommend this vehicle unless you are into "serious" off roading.

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None

Wonderful, smooth, ride
Great front seat comfort
Quality fit and finish - beautiful paint job
Roomy rear seat
Should hold its value
Lexus prestige

Small gas tank
More highway noise than I expected from a Lexus
Radio and AC knobs are identical. Must look to see what I am adjusting.
No extra power outlets. I am using a two-plug adapter in the lighter
Few standard features for under $35,000 (I got the "leather only" model, which lacks CD player and other goodies)
Very much a city car. Taking it to my country place where there's a rocky road resulted in unsightly dings and tears in the rear bumper - should've gotten mud flaps!

I recommend this vehicle to those who drive in the city, who want a car-like ride and car-like capabilities with the ability to sit up tall in the saddle, and who want the image associated with Lexus. If you don't care about the image part, then get the new Highlander - basically a Toyota RX300 - or a Pathfinder, which is what I am considering.

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More comfortable and reliable than my '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though that vehicle served me very well for three years

Body design, interior space, great ride, super dealer support.

Transmission design (will not shift into OD while cold). Small fuel tank (under 300miles). Car tires (no traction in rain OR snow).

Great vehicle. Lexus missed the mark on the 1st model year. Repaired the damage in the next year....Oh why did I buy the 1st year (live & learn). Don't buy a 1999 (except mine, a great deal !!!).

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N/A

Nice ride, smooth idle, plenty of power. Leather adjustable heated seats are extremely comfortable.

Had a bit of windnoise at above 55mph. Shouldn't be for such an expensive vehicle. Bit uneven on potholes.

Bought this vehicle from a dealer in Arizona back in Summer of '99. Loved it dearly, was pearl white. Great vehicle all around with only minor complaints. However, this wasn't for me. I'm the kind of guy who likes to toss his car around. You know, zip to grocer, take a quick jaunt to the bank, etc. I like to climb in the car and just zip around town. This SUV doesn't do this. It commands a bit more attention than that, due to size. It's not nearly the size of the larger land crushers out there, but it fools you as to its actual size. I was always hitting curbs going around corners due to length and thought I'd get used to its extra length. I didn't. While doing cross-country travel on a typical interstate, I went to pass a semi pulling an empty trailer. Don't know whose fault it really was, but bottom line was that I thought I had room to pass and didn't. I clipped back bumper just a bit, but enough to spin car around and get pushed down the interstate, going 70mph, sideways for... oh... a football field or so. The RX300 handled the crash amazingly with no personal injury. It was a total loss, but most cars would have left their occupants in much worse shape. I am living proof that these cars are built really solid.

Bottom line, this is a longer car than your typical sedan. I now have a Subaru Forrester that is significantly shorter and much more confident to drive. Don't try to impress anyone with such a cool car if it's not your style.

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Best I've ever ridden, in the SUV category.

(Paid $63500.00 CND)
Very quiet, smooth ride with a very comfortable interior. The leather is high quality, the sound system is awsome, interior room is great including the rear space. The trunk is spacious. This is a perfect SUV in every way. This SUV was chosen a "BEST PICK" by the Insurence Institute for Highway Safety in crash test results.

The rear headrests are too small. I like larger headrests that can protect your head.

I would highly recommend this product. I have always owned German vehicles but I started liking Japaneese cars a few years ago. The Lexus in my opinion beats Mercedes. My lexus is lighter, it does't suck as much gas and it looks much better than a Mercedes.

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I traded in my 1998 Mercedes ML320 for the Lexus and what a difference!!!!

Great Ride. Nav System works great, not at all hard to use. Looks and Feels like a luxury car. Sound system is awsome (big sound). Breaks are typical Lexus (super). All Wheel Drive works very well on snow coverd dirt road, managed all grades and corners with no slip/slide motion (I am not an offroader, just tried it out). Lexus quality is evident (I own an ES300 also). New for 2001 20 gal. gas tank is plenty (got me all the way to Las Vegas, 300 miles, with 1/4 tank to spare. CD player in the dash is much better thatn the ES (in the trunk). High intensity headlights are cool and really brighten up the road ahead of you (especially on mountain roads). Wood stearing wheel feels realy cool (I didn't think I would like it but, I was wrong). Lots of room and storage for my needs.

Hard to find fault with this one. There is some road noise but, no more than I expected (it's still very quiet). I am very suprised at some of the reviews here since the things foud wrong all seem like things you might find on a test drive. I find none of them valid with my experience. I hope you all find your perfict vehicle, I have found mine.

Highly recommend this vehicle to folks looking for luxurious ride, feel and customer support from the dealership. Lexus goes the extra mile for thier customers. I have had nothing but excelent experiences with my two Lexus.

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Mercedes SUV, Not as comfortable, Nice Looking, Ride was not as smooth. Nissan Exterra, Not enough room for an adult driver, very poor ride, Not in the same class.
Acura SUV, Very Nice, Compareable in every way, Only picked the Lexus because of past experience (great car, great service).
Hyundi Santa Fe, Looks good, Rides OK, Great price, Not in the same class.

ride , handling ,power, build quality, Lexus service, gas milage(for this size SUV)

wind noise above 70 mph could be quieter for a lexus(It took me several minutes to think of this one semi-nit to pick)

This is our second RX 300 . There is a review of our first( purchased 8/98)here. We really liked the first one , but this 2001 is a much better driving car/suv. They are both AWD , but the new one steers,corners and rides better. I drove it to the beach last weekend to finish out the breakin and used old highways at 55 and 60 mph speeds. Since I drove the speedlimit, the trip computer said I got 24mpg average. I usually take I40 at 75-80mph and get around 20mpg. The bigger gas tank is nice as well as the new wood and leather steering wheel.
I traded the old 99 with 40,000 miles on it and $11000 for the 2001. That's hard to beat. Add that to the super Lexus service, and if you ain't a happy camper, you have too many issues to ever be satisfied with anything. IMHO

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98/99 RX300 - see review
Tahoes and Suburbans I have ridden in-not bad for trucks, but not even close to an RX in build quality, ride or handling--gas milage?

Style....Comfort....Handling....Mileage....Performance....Safety!!!

The ability to insert a single CD on the dash and wider more aggressive tires than the Goodyears.

So far the RX has been Great! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a quality product.The ride and handling are super. All the fit and finish is of high quality and what you would expect when paying almost $40 Grand.

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Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited more truck like and not the same quality as Lexus!