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Road tripping with the Lexus RX350 ~ a gentleman’s SUV

July 7, 2019 by Mr. S No Comments

Make no mistake about it, THIS is a GENTLEMEN’S Sport Utility Vehicle. With no trucky grunt of a usual SUV, it is all refinement and class.

I had the opportunity to spend a week driving the Lexus RX350. So, of course, a road trip to Key West was in order (along with a Duval Crawl).  While we live in South Florida, getting to the southernmost point of the United States is a six-hour drive. We drove straight through, much of it a single highway, with beautiful views on either side as we traversed the Keys from Homestead to Key West. I was surprised that for a large SUV this car zips right along, and when we arrived at the new Margaritaville Key West Resort, I got out of the cabin totally refreshed. There wasn’t the usual neck ache and none of the back pain that I get from sitting in one place for such a long time. I chalk this up to the perfectly positioned 10-way power seats that can be set to any position that you need. I am 6’1″ and my wife is 5’1″ and we found that BOTH OF US travel comfortably in the driver’s seat.

The Exterior

The exterior style is at once beautiful and aggressive at the same time. An “in your face grill” dominates the nose The rest of the body is sexy angles of metal and steel. A touch-free power rear door opens to a spacious trunk (with cargo net), and with a press of a button to close…you’re off.  This is the car that other SUV’s have copied, and the knock-offs are so much less distinct than the real deal of this Lexus.

The Interior

As for the interior, it is everything that you’d expect, with beautifully perforated trimmed leather seats that are both heated and ventilated, with a luxurious matte linear dark mocha interior trim. Wood look knobs and with a commanding feel make the drivers perspective absolutely stunning. The focal point of the dash is an almost computer sized monitor that functions as the command center for your GPS, backup camera, Sirius/XM/HD radio with iTunes availability and climate control, all controlled by touch and a well-positioned mouse by the center console. For a moment I felt like Captain Kirk on the Enterprise as I accessed the Lexus App Suite.

The sound system pulses in the background with its 9 speakers, giving front and back the same audio experience. But, it’s the RIDE that’s KING in this SUV.  With no road noise and an outstanding drive, this car seems to glide easily over rough patches and rough roads.

Safety Features

Ten airbags, a back-up camera, are just a few of the safety features in an SUV that gives the impression of a rolling vault.

The Options

I have to say, that of all of the options, I like the one that was least expected. The automatic wipers that sense the first drop of rain, are great in Florida’s rainy season. We had a cacophony of rain, drizzle, heavy rain, and more rain, and having the windshield wipers react as needed was incredible.

Is this Lexus worth the money?

The main question is, is this SUV worth approximately $54,000 (the model that we tested with all upgrades). With so many SUV’s in the same class, it is difficult to know, but I’ve tested my share of them and I believe that it is the best that I’ve tested so far.

We had the pleasure of using the Lexus RX350 for a week in order to do a #LexusRoadTrip. We had a BLAST. This post is strictly our opinion about the car.

  • To learn more, find a dealer or build your OWN Lexus RX model visit: Lexus.com

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Our summertime gift guide

July 6, 2019 by Mr. S No Comments

It’s time for fireworks, cookouts and summer fun as we celebrate the Fourth of July in style. Enjoy our collaborative gift guide created with a slew of great bloggers for some great summertime gift giving.

Click on the rectangle in the lower right-hand corner of the gift guide for a FULL PAGE view.

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Cars

2017 Toyota Highlander review

by Mr. S No Comments

The 2017 Toyota Highlander is NOT an SUV…it is an SEV – because it does EVERYTHING so well.

My wife is an SUV kind of woman, while I love my sports cars. Funny that she fought me tooth and nail when Ben was young about having a larger car that could handle car seat, friends, sports equipment, and all of her over-the-top shopping sprees (it is THOSE times that I wish she had that old Fiat Spider that she drove when Ben was in Kindergarten). Now that it’s just the two of us, she realizes how much she loves sitting high up above the road (she claims she’s 5’1″, but I secretly know that she’s shorter), and while she prefers reviewing the little cars, I love driving the larger ones. So, it was with that in mind that I stepped into the 2017 Toyota Highlander to give it the workout that it deserves.

With 4 captains chairs and the 3rd row flat!

The first thing I noticed was that with its 3 seats UP, it is the perfect vehicle for dropping the kids off at soccer practice. With the seats down it has plenty of room to make a Home Depot run, making this the car for families, DIY’ers, and yes…even for my wife’s shopping sprees. When loaded up, it seats 7 in comfort and has great lumbar support for comfort during long drives.

This is not a demure SUV

The ambiguous exterior gives way to a leather encrusted interior. All of the usual Toyota features are here including Toyota’s Entune Premium hub with 8″ touchscreen display and backup camera (that I just ask my wife to run because she’s so much better at figuring out new systems than I am). All of the controls are within an easy reach for the driver (but I love that she gets a little annoyed every time I ask her to do it for me). There are LOTS of USB ports, and while I’d probably only use one to charge my phone, it’s a HUGE plus when carting around a car full of teens or adults that need to stay connected.

Everything you need at your fingertips

A torquey engine married to a smooth transmission offers the driver and passengers the smoothest of rides. The steering is lite and easy for around town driving and tightens up a bit when I headed to do a little highway driving…making it easy to keep between the white lines. Surprisingly this SUV is on the larger side, yet has a combined MPG of 23. This is truly an SUV that you can drive with confidence.

Zippy’s command central

The safety features are what you’d expect from Toyota, including Toyota’s Safety Sense P, that includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, plenty of airbags to protect your precious cargo (8 in all), a blind spot monitor, dynamic cruise control, and automatic high beams.

Can fit 2 Big Gulps!

All things being equal, this lesser expensive version of the Lexus RX350 does everything its big brother can for a fraction of the price. If you’ve got your heart set on a Lexus, but your wallet says NO, NO, NO , the 2017 Toyota Highlander would be an excellent choice.

We had the use of a Toyota Highlander for a week in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are strictly our own.

  • Head to your local Toyota dealer and take this SEV SUV for a test drive.
  • For more information visit: Toyota.com
  • With the new 2018 Highlander out now, you can find GREAT deals on this car….or why not just upgrade to the 2018?

 

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