Test drive Lexus RX 2004 - 2008 SUV

They are not looking for good from good

The idea of \u200b\u200bacquiring a parquet all -around in our conditions is very attractive. You get an all -weather car for every day that is not afraid of broken and snowy roads. At the same time, it is practically not inferior to a regular passenger car in sled qualities, in terms of ease of use of minivan, and in operation it is much cheaper than a real jeep. No matter what side you look at a continuous benefit.

If you are interested in a mid -class SUV, there is something to choose from the secondary market. But the tribe of prestigious SUVs is still very young and very few of his representatives have passed into the category of three -year -olds. For example, Lexus-RX300 of the previous generation, which appeared in 1999.

Not many manage to love Rex at first glance. Clearly focused on an American buyer, in the eyes of Europeans, he does not look thoroughbred and prestigious. Therefore, if you want to make friends with the RX300, you must immediately drive. You will find that this Lexus is built around the driver so convenient from the process of landing in the car before the wheel. It seems as if someone for a long time shot you with a hidden camera and, having analyzed the shooting, created the car specifically for you. Moreover, the convenience of the RX300 is noted by people of different complexions. Only particularly tall drivers complain about the insufficient range of longitudinal adjustment. However, this is characteristic of almost all Japanese cars.

Passengers also do not complain. The right front chair is convenient for a copy of the driver’s, and a separate rear sofa with the adjustment of the longitudinal position and angle of inclination of the backs offers a huge supply of space.

The quality of the finishing materials and assembly of the salon is consistent with the requirements of an expensive Japanese car, and the opteston backlighting of the devices (a black hole that flashes neon light) leaves no doubt that you are in Lexus. By the way, after the 2001 restyling, the interior became even more noble.
   
In terms of convenience, the RX300 salon is practically not inferior to good minivan

 

In addition, the RX300 deck has two more strong trump cards magnificent smoothness and noise insulation. Even by passing standards, the car conquers sled comfort, and among the SUVs for this part it is perhaps the best. So it is definitely worth a closer look at Rex.

Don't go to the fool, America

Contrary to popular belief, all Lexus models are produced in Japan, and not in America, although the lion's share of cars is really sold on the other side of the Atlantic. And you will probably buy a car brought from the USA or Canada. At European prices in the secondary market and the current euro RX300 from Germany or Switzerland, it becomes uncompetitive.

But what's the difference, where did the car come from? If we talk about the engine, there is a difference. The enthusiastic reviews of the owners about their RX300 largely concern the well -known Toyota reliability. If the car is manufactured in European specifications and is served from the very beginning according to European standards (that is, it is brought used from Europe or bought new from the Russian official dealer), there are almost no problems with motors even in our conditions. Another thing, a car from America.

On the RX300, a 3-liter V6 from Toyota-Kamri is installed. According to the European standard, its power is 201 l. p., and according to the American SAE 223 liters. With. (In fact, power in both cases is the same). The motor itself is very reliable and unpretentious. Of the possible malfunctions, it is worth noting only the failure of the air flow meter and, from our poor-quality gasoline, a/F-sensor. But all these are trifles. If you fill in high -quality oil and change it in time, you can not wait for major troubles from the European machine.

In the American specification, another fuel system is applied. Tired for very strict environmental requirements and local gasoline, which differs in composition from European, it is too capricious. As a result, on the dashboard of Americans, the Check Engine light lights up for any reason (check the engine). For this, the slightest failure in the ignition is enough (from our gasoline, the candles are constantly hacking), a loosely closed gas tank plug and even gas stations at a gas station with a working engine.

In principle, this is not a problem. If there is no real malfunction, the light bulb will be repaid in the corporate service in one minute. But for this, you first need to diagnose. Yes, and it is unpleasant to ride with a burning check.

Even worse that the Americans are on the mass of their spitting a car. Even in modern high -tech engines, they fill the cheapest mineral oil and do not observe the terms of its replacement (this does not happen in Europe). As a result, after 34 years, a real solidol is formed in the engines of many cars, which only lubricate the door loops.

It would seem, what are the problems? Pour flushing, then good oil and roll to health. In no case. Even just high -quality oil with good washing ability can raise old deposits, and they will clog the oil highway. And from aggressive flushing, a strongly coined engine will probably knock. There were such cases.

How to proceed? It is necessary to change the oil of American varieties incompatible with our gasoline. Mechanics of the branded technical centers recommend that you pour a sparing therapy into the engine of Castro-pofomanes, after 2000 km, replace the oil filter, and after 5000 km oil with a filter (a conventional semi-synthetic or synthetic castration designed for the European market is re-poured). But even in this case, the risk of ruining a strongly contaminated motor remains. Therefore, before buying an American, you need to at least open a mashed plug and see the condition of the oil. It is even better to spend money on removing the valve cover. If it is black resin under it, say goodbye to the seller and consider that you have saved more than you spent. Alas, this is an American specificity

Motor in operation

The V6 engine is very reliable and inexpensive in maintenance. The only time -consuming operation (1.4 of the Normal Council), which has to be performed quite often, replacing the spark plugs. On our gasoline, they serve an average of 10,00020,000 km. But, for example, timing videos usually change only with a second replacement of the belt (200,000 km). And the gaps in the valves, which are regulated by the washers and are checked after 100,000 km, almost never require adjustment during the first check. In addition, in our conditions, in planned operations, you can enable the cleaning of injectors after 40,00050,000 km. No more regulatory work. Even radiators, which on most machines regularly clog in fluff and dirt, are almost always clean on RX300.

Of the probable failures, it should be noted the failure of the air flow meter and the A/F-sensor (measures the coefficient of enrichment of the mixture), which is installed in the exhaust pipe in front of the catalyst. The latter breaks due to poor-quality gasoline. The oxygen sensor (lambda-zond) may also suffer from it, but this happens extremely rarely.

Another point that the owner of the RX300 should be known to replace the fuel filter. It is installed in a gas tank along with the fuel pump. According to technology, the filter changes after extracting the pump from the tank, which takes a lot of time. If you change the filter to the touch, as garage masters often make, it will be faster and cheaper. But with this method, the sealing ring almost always jumps up, pressure drops in the fuel line and the motor stops pulling.

What is the price

Replacing the spark plugs $ 160 Furniture of timing belt without rollers/with rollers $ 150/325 Air replacement $ 165 A/F-sensor replacement $ 365 Oxygen sensor $ 240

Parking agent is not a jeep

Lexus-RX300 is equipped with an automatic gearbox with an additional winter mode (ECT Snow button) and a constant all-wheel drive with the distribution of the moment between the front and rear wheels in a ratio of 50:50. The center differential is partially blocked by Wyskoft. Such a drive scheme provides the most stable and predicted behavior on a slippery road.

In addition, since 2001, a system of dynamic stabilization of VSC has appeared on some restyled machines. In addition to its basic functions, it helps a lot on the off -road, imitating partial blocking of inter -long differentials.

With normal operation, the RX300 transmission is absolutely trouble -free. The owner requires only regular, after 40,000 km, oil replacement in all units and compliance with recommendations for oil use. For example, the machine is not poured into a regular dextron, but a special Toyota oil with the T-4 index.

You can ruin the transmission (in particular, the gearbox) only on heavy off -road, for which this Lexus is completely unsuitable. After all, the RX300 is not a jeep, but a SUV built on the Kamri platform. You will not climb on a passenger Toyota into a fragmented arable land or deep rut. And all the advantages of the RX300 above the passenger car are reduced to the presence of all -wheel drive and a slightly increased road clearance. He has no special off -road weapons.

This is vitality!

The previous generation Kamri has a phenomenally hardy chassis. And since the design of the suspension, brakes and steering RX300 with minimal changes in inherited from Toyota, the result was quite expected. Even despite the fact that the RX300 is almost 400 kg heavier, the survivability of the pendants is excellent. The average life of the chassis parts that you see in the table are fair for those cars that travel on our roads from the first kilometer on the odometer. At the same time, the figures are more than 150,000 km say that these details due to the natural wear of the mechanics have never changed!

The only weak place in the suspension that RX300 inherited from the early Camrei knocking the upper supports of the front shock absorbers. But if the knock is discovered (it does not happen on all cars), it is enough to put the supports of a new sample once and you can forget about the problem. If on a mileage up to 150,000 km the front hub bearing will buzz, you probably once caught a strong blow.
 
Low suspended muffler and thin rear suspension levers warn: do not stick on the off -road!

The front suspension RX300 is as reliable as that of Toyota-Kamri, from which its design is borrowed
 
 

The steering is reliable. The pumping power pump and the steering rack have not yet flowed. And if a knock appears in the rail (it is not found by the owner, but a mechanic), he is eliminated in 15 minutes by adjustment.

The brake discs withstand on average three sets of pads, and if the brake calipers begin to wedge, usually there is enough cleaning and lubrication of the guide fingers. Sometimes the ABS wheel sensors refuse from road salt. If the ABS symbol caught fire on the dashboard, most likely you need to change one of the sensors. All. No more trouble.

There is no alternative

I think now you understand why the owners are so flattering about RX300. It turned out to be not only very convenient and comfortable on the go, but also surprisingly reliable and hardy. If you do not take into account possible problems with Americans, the car is almost impeccable. And the car from America should not cause serious trouble if its motor was not initially ruined with oil resin.

Therefore, if you are served in an unauthorized Toyota workshop and buy original spare parts in small shops, where they are about 20% cheaper, Lexus-RX300 will not be burdensome in operation. The car breaks extremely rarely, and the timing of the main consumable elements of the chassis parts is such that you can buy a three-year-old from America and leave for another 23 years, without stopping the suspension in a large way.

What other alternatives do the Buyer have RX300? Of this class, only BMW-X5 is presented from the Parnis of this class in the secondary market. There is also a Mercedes-Benz-ML. True, according to the off-road abilities, the M-Class can no longer be called a parkingese. And yet it is usually not bought for off -road.

If we take into account the difference in the price between the new machine and used, BMW and Mercedes is clearly more profitable than Lexus. For three years, X5 3.0 and ML320 fall in price from $ 75,00085,000 to $ 40,00043,000. While RX300 from $ 53,000 to $ 35,00037,000. But if you start from the price of a three -year -old car and the cost of its subsequent content, there is no alternative to Lexus . BMW and Mercedes are more expensive, spare parts are also not cheap for them, but they break ... If you do not believe it, read our column more often for three years not age.

Is there any reason?

Creating RX300, the Japanese were guided primarily by the States. And there they also bought front-wheel drive machines with a 4-cylinder engine of 2.2 liters. Sometimes they appear with us and are, of course, cheaper. But what's the point of buying inferior RX300?
 

Source: Magazine "Limousine" [04/04]