2 potential GS450h cars I'm interested in.

[Farqui]

Just now, Spacewagon52 said:

This club and forum are a mine of useful information! So pleased I joined trhe Lexus club!

Ditto, me too 

[Guest]

Do these latest lexus sat nav updates not cover the 2014 RX450h,can't seem to find it on the link.?

[ColinBarber]

14 minutes ago, Eame64 said:

Do these latest lexus sat nav updates not cover the 2014 RX450h,can't seem to find it on the link.?

It uses a hard disk based nav system, not a DVD. Upgrading is performed by your dealer which unfortunately costs a little more than a disc because you have to pay for their time to perform the upgrade :(

[Guest]

Ok cheers for that .

 

[mrdoofa]

According to the screen it says version '08-'09. I haven't actually taken the disc out of the drive though.

It has to be said that the more you drive this car the more you like it. The interior seems more sumptuous and less plasticky than the LS400 I had a couple of years ago. Another thing is I drove the 100 miles to the dealer in the insignia and got out of the car and my back was hurting, when I did the exact same trip in reverse in the Lexus I got out and felt fine!!!

The Battery actually went down to the purple segment today and I thought for a minute that the petrol engine wasn't going to kick in but then it did and I soon had it back up to 90% full after a couple of down hill runs.

[Farqui]

The GS seats are comfy, glad to hear they are an improvement for you.

The car is full of surprises, enjoy them all.

[tonyricha]

Spot on re comfort! Drove my new to me 450h from Cardiff back to Huntingdon then realised I was so comfy hadn't stopped for coffee or even moved in the seat. I have a spare nav disc set but the same age as yours, at least yours allows input on the move unlike the original would have been in it.

[mrdoofa]

I just wondered what typical MPGs you guys are getting? I averaged 38-39 coming home yesterday on the A1 and it's gone down to about 32 now that I've been doing more urban around town trips. Does this sound about right? If so I'm more than happy with that when you think what the car is and how powerful it is.

I showed the car to my mum today and she likes it too, especially the reversing camera!!! She just said that it's too easy to go fast and its very deceiving because it doesn't feel as fast as it is. I just wish my dad could've been here to see this car, he would've loved it.

[mrdoofa]

6 hours ago, Farqui said:

Martin, my DVD was out of date too and I opted for a version from LatestSatNav which included all the EU countries we frequent on one disk.  The cost is also less than the official DVD's which come in 4 disks.  Take a peek here; http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/75892-satnav-update/#comment-982538

I think I might order one of those, £25 isn't a bad price to bring it up to date, I was surprised to see that the system accepts postcode search, does the new version retain this feature? According to my loading screen it looks like a gen 5 which this disc supports.

[Farqui]

Yes, the postcode search is still there and your Gen5 is the same as mine. Definitely worth a punt at the price.

I tend to get 40mpg+ on a run and around 36mpg average tank to tank. So your round town figures are about right. Once you've got more familiar with the car, then I'll reckon your mpg will improve too.

Your ma is right, it's deceptive how fast your travelling.

[mrdoofa]

I've taken a punt and ordered the sat nav disc.

I think my fuel economy will improve as I get more used to it, also I've been enjoying the rapid acceleration which probably impacts the fuel economy!!!

[cruisermark]

Hi Martin did you ever have an ls430? If so how does the ride and cabin noise compare - if not how does it compare to the 400?

[mrdoofa]

40 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Hi Martin did you ever have an ls430? If so how does the ride and cabin noise compare - if not how does it compare to the 400?

Hi Mark,

I've had both an LS400 and LS430. The ride in the GS is a bit firmer than both the 400 and 430, cabin noise is almost nonexistent in all 3 although I'd say the LS400 just has it. The GS is more like a smaller LS430 when it comes to tech and gadgets and overall feel. As great as the LS400 is I personally think it is starting to look and feel a bit dated now.

[Upex]

On 2017-5-15 at 5:42 PM, Farqui said:

... you should also be able to coast gently on batteries up to about 35mph...

What impacts whether engine kicks in or not?

I often think my engine kicks in far too soon. Drive same commute every day, often on the same flat road, I'm using very little throttle just to move along with traffic, and engine kicks in at 5-10mph. But now and again, I get up to 25-35, once upto 40mph before engine kicked in, but 85/90% of time it's walking/jogging speed when she turns on. This is always with a good charge in batteries, always get to that point in green top 2 bars, so not kicking in early due to low power.

I think it's why my mpg is rubbish (I struggle to get 30, can get 32 if gentle during a longer run on a constant dual carriage way). 

Welcome and enjoy Martin, they lovely and I felt same as you, cracking bit of kit for the money.

[royoftherovers]

6 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

I've taken a punt and ordered the sat nav disc.

I think my fuel economy will improve as I get more used to it, also I've been enjoying the rapid acceleration which probably impacts the fuel economy!!!

Never been able to exceed 499 miles to the tank of fuel.That is, miles covered plus miles remaining according to on-board computer (OBC).If I can ever achieve 500, then 500 divided by tank capacity would give me 35 mpg overall. Now, I don`t think that is unreasonable for a car which breaks 6 seconds to 62mph and has a top speed limited to 155mph.

Regards

John

[Farqui]

@Upex/Robert, its easier to coast on batteries when gradually easing down the speed and then holding e.g. down to 30mph through a village. Use very light throttle but you can still keep with the traffic flow. Try to keep the car flowing and moving as much as possible, coming to a stop will use more energy to get moving again.

It's more difficult to use batteries from a standing start for long as anything other than light throttle will kick in my ICE. If the batteries have 9/10 bars charge then I can use more throttle on batteries and keep the ICE off.

On a quiet road try just letting the car gently accelerate, it'll be slow but you'll find out how much throttle can be applied. Speed can be built gradually.

There are also other factors to keep the ICE off, like engine temp being fully warm, cabin temp being set to an middleish 21c (less ICE warming and less A/C cooling needed), set the recirculation switch to auto, etc and I'm sure there are more.

Also consider that any uphill effort often kicks in the ICE. Conversely, downhill can be used to kill the ICE.

As said earlier the temptation to press the throttle and enjoy the power will soon sap your average mpg. Control is the key grasshopper!

[Spacewagon52]

4 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

. As great as the LS400 is I personally think it is starting to look and feel a bit dated now.

You cut me deep Martin! 

 

I do understand your thoughts, mine is nearly 20 years old but interestingly I am now not that  bothered about gadgets. My main enjoyments when driving the car are the comfortable and quiet ride - the effortless acceleration on tap at any speed and the sound system. I rarely use any of the 20 year old gadgets I have on the LS400. I think I might be turning into my Dad! A bit worrying, as I remember selling him my 5 speed Galant and a couple of months afterwards, while driving with him I asked, "Why do you not put it in 5th gear?"

"Has a got a 5th gear?" was his reply!

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Spacewagon52 said:

You cut me deep Martin! 

 

I do understand your thoughts, mine is nearly 20 years old but interestingly I am now not that  bothered about gadgets. My main enjoyments when driving the car are the comfortable and quiet ride - the effortless acceleration on tap at any speed and the sound system. I rarely use any of the 20 year old gadgets I have on the LS400. I think I might be turning into my Dad! A bit worrying, as I remember selling him my 5 speed Galant and a couple of months afterwards, while driving with him I asked, "Why do you not put it in 5th gear?"

"Has a got a 5th gear?" was his reply!

And I bought my late dad many years ago, a cd player and after a couple of days he told me it had broken down.I went round to investigate and discovered that it was  in perfect working order........he had been turning the disc over at the end of play and could not get it to work !!

And I am now my father David. Lucky old me.

 

Regards

John

[cruisermark]

well im a perfect example of premature aging!

I havent hit 40 yet and and i have been driving LS for the last 8 years ! lol

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, cruisermark said:

well im a perfect example of premature aging!

I havent hit 40 yet and and i have been driving LS for the last 8 years ! lol

The minority are often the best informed Mark.

Regards

John

[Britprius]

10 hours ago, Upex said:

What impacts whether engine kicks in or not?

I often think my engine kicks in far too soon. Drive same commute every day, often on the same flat road, I'm using very little throttle just to move along with traffic, and engine kicks in at 5-10mph. But now and again, I get up to 25-35, once upto 40mph before engine kicked in, but 85/90% of time it's walking/jogging speed when she turns on. This is always with a good charge in batteries, always get to that point in green top 2 bars, so not kicking in early due to low power.

I think it's why my mpg is rubbish (I struggle to get 30, can get 32 if gentle during a longer run on a constant dual carriage way). 

Welcome and enjoy Martin, they lovely and I felt same as you, cracking bit of kit for the money.

One thing that really does impact on fuel consumption is the tyres you are using, and the pressures you run them at. Few people bother to find fuel efficient tyres yet the correct choice can add 5 mpg over the wrong choice. This does not require spending more money on tyres. With my Prius the more fuel efficient tyres paid for themselves in fuel saving over the life of the tyres.

So my advice check the tyre lable when buying, and buy nothing that has a rating below "B" for economy.

John

[mrdoofa]

11 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

You cut me deep Martin! 

 

I do understand your thoughts, mine is nearly 20 years old but interestingly I am now not that  bothered about gadgets. My main enjoyments when driving the car are the comfortable and quiet ride - the effortless acceleration on tap at any speed and the sound system. I rarely use any of the 20 year old gadgets I have on the LS400. I think I might be turning into my Dad! A bit worrying, as I remember selling him my 5 speed Galant and a couple of months afterwards, while driving with him I asked, "Why do you not put it in 5th gear?"

"Has a got a 5th gear?" was his reply!

The LS400 is and always will be a great car, perhaps dated is the wrong word maybe classic is more appropriate!!! I loved mine and when I sold it I almost immediately regretted it!!!

I'm so pleased with the GS450h now though, the more I drive it and get used to it the more I like it. I do like lots of toys and gadgets on my cars too and I like the more modern feel of the GS.

[bobmc]

23 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

According to the screen it says version '08-'09. I haven't actually taken the disc out of the drive though.

It has to be said that the more you drive this car the more you like it. The interior seems more sumptuous and less plasticky than the LS400 I had a couple of years ago. Another thing is I drove the 100 miles to the dealer in the insignia and got out of the car and my back was hurting, when I did the exact same trip in reverse in the Lexus I got out and felt fine!!!

 

I travelled from Middlesbrough to Kent to buy my Lexus, did the trip down by bus so only had to drive back. I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh I felt when I got home, not what I was expecting. The wife thought I was bonkers travelling all that way 'just to buy a car' but it was worth the effort. Just over a year now and still loving the driving experience. :)

 

[mrdoofa]

20 minutes ago, bobmc said:

I travelled from Middlesbrough to Kent to buy my Lexus, did the trip down by bus so only had to drive back. I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh I felt when I got home, not what I was expecting. The wife thought I was bonkers travelling all that way 'just to buy a car' but it was worth the effort. Just over a year now and still loving the driving experience. :)

 

It's always worth the effort to travel to get the right car although this one is the furthest I've been for a car at 100 miles, before that it was 80 miles for a Jaguar X-type I bought in Blackpool. Lexus really are the best cars, I could drive mine all day long!!!

[royoftherovers]

Have driven from Wirral to near Hannover in 2 days, three times.........an absolute breeze in a quality motor car.

Have driven from Wirral to Andalucia in 4 days in an old Merc twice each year for the past 12 years...... again an absolute breeze.

The secret is to select a quality vehicle, take your time, enjoy the scenery and listen to the wind!!

Regards

John