The handling of the car is excellent. You are able to drive it normally, without the sluggish feel of the bigger models (the Volvo, especially).Like a few of the other folks who've reviewed this car and other SUVs, the catalyst for buying it was the impending arrival of a baby. With the needs for space and comfort when carting around baby & baby gear, you have to upsize your car.
When we starting looking around, I initially thought we'd try to limit our spend to the 35K mark for a new car. A few of the new models fit, and I thought that we'd be able to get into the new Nissan Murano for around that price. We test drove the following cars: the Murano, Volvo XC90, Infiniti's FX35, and the Lexus RX330.
We were able to rule two of these models out straightaway. These two were also the biggest and widest cars we test drove.
The Infiniti was way too much car for my wife. It had a big engine (even the FX35 has a 280hp engine) and it was really quick off the line and through turns. I rode in the back with the salesman and was really quite terrified. Thankfully, my wife is not a speed freak, or else I'd have more gray hair now than I already do.
The Volvo was even bigger than the Infiniti. The space was great, but it had a strange design quirk that made it untenable as a choice. Because the Volvo is so wide, the designers had to put extremely large mirrors on the side of the truck. These mirrors were mounted on the door. In front of them, there is a small triangle of glass where the door molding would be on any other car. This viewfinder is supposed to help you with the massive blindspots created by these extra large mirrors. I'm sure that this is an elegant engineering solution to the problem, but it just didn't work for us. We were very aware of the blindspot, and didn't want to have to rely on that small windowpane.
This left us with two choices, the Murano and the Lexus. At first we thought that the Murano would be the clear winner, as it was much cheaper and basically the same inside as the Infiniti, though not as wide. It was also very powerful with a 245 hp engine. It didn't seem to be the street machine that the Infiniti was, and both of us were very comfortable driving it. When we configured the vehicle the way we wanted it, however (the SE with All-wheel drive), the price inched over the 35K mark, and we decided to price out the Lexus as well.
When configured, the Lexus topped out at 38, and we were able to find a salesman who worked with us to get the price down to 37. We were also able to get good value for our old VW Jetta (named Greta the Jetta), so we went with this model. In addition, I think that the color of this car, the blue slate grey is really pretty cool.
The Lexus was adequately powered at 230 hp. It is nowhere as fast off the line as the Inifiniti or even the Murano, but it's enough for us. Unlike the Infiniti or the Volvo, this car doesn't come with the option of a third seat -- which wasn't something that we needed anyway. The cabin of the SUV is similar to the Lexus 330 car, as it's built off the same chassis. As my wife says, "You feel like you're in a car, but higher."
The back of this model is about 4 ft wide and can easily handle a baby stroller and packages. The second row of seats fold down with one hand after popping a lever to make them convert. You're able to take all of the row or 60% or 40% of the space fold flat, which is great when you have a baby seat in the back, but still need extra storage.
The best feature for a young parent is the automatic fifth door. The hatchback can be controlled from the keypad and can automatically open for you... excellent for those times when you only have one hand (or less) to manuever with.
In addition, the Homelink system lets you open the garage door and perform two other radio controlled functions from inside the car. This is invaluable for the New England winter.
As in all Lexus's (Lexi?) the car has the ability to remember your specs and adjusts the seat and mirrors to your liking. The only mirror that needs to be hand adjusted is the center rearview. The seats for the leather and wood panel packages have seat warmers -- and this is the one weird design quirk of the car... the passenger's warmer is on the center panel behind the gear shift.
The blindspots of this car are minimal, the advantages to busy young parents are legion, and we feel safe driving it. I heartily recommend the Lexus RX 330!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 36500
Condition: New Model Year: 2004
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