Spent some time in the new RX, didn't like it.

ganzoom · March 17, 2016

I had the chance to spend 24hrs in a RX hybrid recently.

Now I thought our IS300H felt luxurious, this thing took it to the next level. Everything was soft touch materials, there was a stupidly big 10inch sat nav screen, panoramic roof, lane keep assist the list was pretty endless….

To be honest it felt great, and I was starting to see why the RX is Lexus’s biggest seller, the list price is high £50K, but I suspect with a bit of bartering you could get that down to £45K without too much trouble….and for the amount of stuff you get it’s not a bad deal. Even my wife was starting to ask about prices etc….Until we pressed the ‘on’ button and the combustion engine kicked in.

Any illusion this ‘hybrid’ was any different to any other large petrol guzzling SUV evaporated almost straight away. I suspect because the RX is massive the combustion engine kicks in pretty much all the time. At least the IS300H can play at been a fake EV car a few miles on flat roads and rolling traffic. So instead of thinking about discount/prices the thought quickly turned to…

’For the same money we can get a Model S’.

A quick glance at the trip computer was the final nail in the coffin, 26mpg.…That’s M3/M5, so why would anyone with buy this thing over a Tesla Model S or X. The same type of trips in our IS300H returns 40mpg+. The Toyota hybrid system was cutting edge back in the late 1990's, but now it's about as relevant as mini-discs were in a world that had been introduced to MP3 player.

If Lexus puts a full EV drivetrain in their cars I'll buy one without a second thought, but until than the IS300H is likely to be the first and last Lexus/Toyota we ever buy.

C Mclean · March 17, 2016

My wife would like the RX, but with me being a tight git I'm opting for an NX. Handbags at ten paces to decide...

rayaans · March 17, 2016

I get 35mpg in my RX on a long run. And 30mpg in town. Engine won't turn on unless it's got no charge and I can actually run it longer in EV more than the IS which struggles to pick up speed as fast in EV

The model S has a crap interior quality worthy of a £30k car though doesn't it? Like genuinely worse than a C Class. Id rather spend time in a superb interior than worry about fuel costs

DanD · March 18, 2016

Surely if you are willing to spend £50k+ on a car, petrol consumption is not your primary motivator!!??

To get a true representation of the car's capability you need to test it in a variety of environments and conditions and yes, the engine will kick in more or less straight after starting the car and until everything gets up to running temperature.

I hear you about full EV, Tesla etc. All very well but still very restricted in terms of range.

To me, Lexus offers the best of both worlds... although a plug in hybrid would complete the range nicely.

stevet · March 18, 2016

Isn't the Tesla with a decent Battery more than £80k

ganzoom · March 18, 2016

Fuel costs aren't a concern to me, I use to have a 335i that struggled to hit 25mpg around town. It's the antiquailty of the combustion engine that I just cannot get use to anymore.

The IS300H is my wife's car so it's mainly her choice, but for me, sorry just cannot bring my self to buy another combustion powered car again. For what it's worth the RX was nicer than the Juke loaner I got from Nissan when the Leaf went in for its £99 dealer stamp :).

steveledzep · March 18, 2016

4 minutes ago, ganzoom said:

For what it's worth the RX was nicer than the Juke loaner I got from Nissan when the Leaf went in for its £99 dealer stamp :).

That's condescending !! "For what it's worth", I'll avoid your future posts because I'm fed up of reading you harping on about Tesla !!

Martin F · March 18, 2016

You guys don't half test drive some boring cars. :P

Was trying this one out a couple of Fridays back....

Very nice car. Took some practice to use the throttle in a refined fashion, but was surprised that it didn't feel as quick as my Supra.

rayaans · March 18, 2016

I can't bring myself to buy an electric car. Just doesn't make sense to me at the moment. Maybe when it has a 600 mile range and makes a cool noise like the Audi R8 e-tron. There's no sense of speed when entering turns on a B road in an electric car whatsoever

ganzoom · March 18, 2016

40 minutes ago, Martin F said:

You guys don't half test drive some boring cars. :P

Was trying this one out a couple of Fridays back....

Very nice car. Took some practice to use the throttle in a refined fashion, but was surprised that it didn't feel as quick as my Supra.

Funny enough the most interesting car they had at the dealership was the new GS-F, have to say it's a very nice bit of metal, 12 months ago I would have been drooling over it.

ganzoom · March 18, 2016

13 minutes ago, rayaans said:

I can't bring myself to buy an electric car. Just doesn't make sense to me at the moment. Maybe when it has a 600 mile range and makes a cool noise like the Audi R8 e-tron. There's no sense of speed when entering turns on a B road in an electric car whatsoever

I'm now just the opposite, but wouldn't it be boring if we all liked the same thing. Apparently a 100kWh Battery pack is on the way for the Model S which should equate to about 300 miles of real life range on a 90% charge which means for my usage I'll only have to charge up overnight two/three times a month. Not sure I'll be able to resist ordering one.

If Lexus did an full electric drive-train for the GS for £70K I'll buy one tomorrow, but sadly the only company that sells a full Battery EV with decent performance that can be used a full combustion car replacement at the moment is Tesla. There really isn't anything on the horizon for the UK till 2018-2020, and that just far too long for me to wait.

Deadloak · March 19, 2016

Petrol/Electric converts are as committed as Smoker/Former smokers. There is a lot of passion and flag waving. We just all need to understand nobody is right, as said it is personal choice. Like a lot of people, the more you push a point, the less likely the others will swing in that direction way.

David.

rayaans · March 19, 2016

1 hour ago, Deadloak said:

Petrol/Electric converts are as committed as Smoker/Former smokers. There is a lot of passion and flag waving. We just all need to understand nobody is right, as said it is personal choice. Like a lot of people, the more you push a point, the less likely the others will swing in that direction way.

David.

I would say its like that.

Id say its more like smokers going to E-cigs. There's no hard evidence of E-cigs actually being more beneficial in the long run. Trials have begun but out of like 20, there's only 1 with results!

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=e+cigarettes&Search=Search

dutchie01 · March 19, 2016

its comparing apples with pears isn it? i do have thesame feeling that electric propulsion is the way forward. i recently was in a taxi a merc s-class with 6 cyl diesel engine and for the first time i felt that car was really old school and maybe even somewhat irrelevant. back to topic. the RX is nor an electric car and will compete with the volvo xc90, bmw x5 and so on. the tesla is a 100% electric car and at the moment is king in its own empire. all major brands are working on 100% electric cars including porsche so more choice within 12 to 18 months. thr RX is one of the best selling SUVś and the new one will continue that for sure. The Tesla is really only a best seller in markets where there are tax breaks for electric cars like in Norway ( best selling car some months last year!!!), Holland ( tesla taxis at schiphol airport). and even then it are companycars and not privately owned machines. Please dont romanticize the Tesla dream as there are quite some issues with batteries and cars breaking down. all under full warranty but nevertheless. i personally would never buy one myself but as companycar ok. apparently Lexus is also not going for a plug in version as they dont see the advantage ( but prius has?). when fuel prices will eventually go up again the electric market will be more interesting again for customers. I am sympathetic towards electric cars but feel they need more time and a breakthrough in batterytechnologie creating a bigger range.

the competition for the RX is others large SUVś and i feel the new Volvo is the biggest one. The fact that you prefer electric cars does not change anything to that.

ganzoom · March 19, 2016

20 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

the competition for the RX is others large SUVś and i feel the new Volvo is the biggest one. The fact that you prefer electric cars does not change anything to that.

I very nearly put down a £4K deposit on a Model X, but after seeing one in the metal in LA last month found it quite underwhelming. As a SUV the RX is probably the most pleasing on the eye compared to most other competitors.

The problem for me is now I'm hooked on the EV drive train, the sub 80 mile range of the Leaf is good enough for me 90% of the time so the 200 miles+ range of the S is fine for my use. But going back to a combustion car would be like asking me to swap my current Iphone for a old Nokia. It wouldn't kill me, life would carry on, but I just cannot bring my self to do it.....The really sad thing is despite the Model S been on the market since 2012 the nearest competitors from VW group/BMW etc are probably not due for another 4-5 years. It's even more frustrating that Toyota/Lexus are not even bothering to look at Battery EVs.

So like an addict with no choice, when the time comes to shift the Leaf on, the option on the table for me is a Model S.

dutchie01 · March 19, 2016

and how about the BMW I 3? carbon tub low weight. the model X starts with 2500kg and the D version goes over 3000 kg. not really clever engineering ?

ganzoom · March 20, 2016

^^ I've tried the i3, ironically the use of uncovered carbon fibre and recycled materials made it feel very cheap. There is a lot more interior noise compared to the Leaf, and at the moment the i3 is still only a 70-80 mile range EV just like the Leaf.

The P85D Model S I test drove last year distinguished it's weight well - I suspect that's because of the AWD and the instant acceleration.

BMW have said they are increasing the Battery capacity to 30-35kWh this year, that's still less than half of the 70kWh pack in the cheapest Model S, and 1/3 of the 100 kWh pack Tesla is rumoured to have developed.

So sadly the only EV on the market with decent range remains a Model S.