My wife drives the RX 350 and when I do drive it I'm usually driving around town. Last weekend, we drove to Montreal through Vermont and the Green Mountains and I seriously hate the 3.5L V6/8-speed combination. While the V6 is very smooth and refined, it has no torque and with the programming of the 8-speed, the transmission constantly hunts gears going up long grades at highway speeds.
If you want to maintain 75mph going up a long hill the moment you hit 75 and back off the accelerator even just a little bit it upshifts. You then start losing speed and if you tap the accelerator just a little bit, it again downshifts until you reach 75mph, just to upshift again and lose speed again. This behavior also happens with cruise control. Generally speaking, it behaves fine around town.
I also hate the 8-speed because there is a shutter when in drive and not moving that all RX 350s have from day one. If you put it in park or neutral the shutter goes away but the second you put it in drive it's back. It is significant enough to rattle change in the cupholder and can be felt through the brake pedal, steering wheel, and shifter knob.
This is the best Toyota could do for its best-selling Lexus and an engine/transmission found in a majority of its vehicles? I'm just glad I don't drive it FT. Ok...rant over!
If you want to maintain 75mph going up a long hill the moment you hit 75 and back off the accelerator even just a little bit it upshifts. You then start losing speed and if you tap the accelerator just a little bit, it again downshifts until you reach 75mph, just to upshift again and lose speed again. This behavior also happens with cruise control. Generally speaking, it behaves fine around town.
I also hate the 8-speed because there is a shutter when in drive and not moving that all RX 350s have from day one. If you put it in park or neutral the shutter goes away but the second you put it in drive it's back. It is significant enough to rattle change in the cupholder and can be felt through the brake pedal, steering wheel, and shifter knob.
This is the best Toyota could do for its best-selling Lexus and an engine/transmission found in a majority of its vehicles? I'm just glad I don't drive it FT. Ok...rant over!