68 Plate SE Plus 3 Month Review

[Superjim82]

So, officially had the car 3 months now and have a few observations, maybe basics i'm missing as new to the Lexus brand.

1) TPMS system not standard? Unless i'm missing it (quite possibly) doesn't seem to come as a standard feature?

2) Standard audio system: sound quality isn't great, quite tinny in my opinion

3) Clunky interface with Nav/phone etc: Seems a long process to enter destinations in Nav, also phone doesn't seem to pull through address book details in call history menus (Iphone X, possibly a compatibility issue)??

 

Overall, i love the car, fast, responsive and a great tax break. Be interesting to hear others thoughts/comments? 

[rayaans]

8 hours ago, Superjim82 said:

So, officially had the car 3 months now and have a few observations, maybe basics i'm missing as new to the Lexus brand.

1) TPMS system not standard? Unless i'm missing it (quite possibly) doesn't seem to come as a standard feature?

2) Standard audio system: sound quality isn't great, quite tinny in my opinion

3) Clunky interface with Nav/phone etc: Seems a long process to enter destinations in Nav, also phone doesn't seem to pull through address book details in call history menus (Iphone X, possibly a compatibility issue)??

 

Overall, i love the car, fast, responsive and a great tax break. Be interesting to hear others thoughts/comments? 

I would assume TPMS is standard as its illegal not to have them on a car registered after 2014. The standard audio system is tinny because it only has 6 speakers. Most likely a compatibility issue with the Iphone 10 as the system is quite dated now.

[colin79666]

It has tpms but just a warning light if one or more tyres are low. It doesn’t let you get the current pressures in the display like some other models. 

Nav interface is poor, like other Lexus models. It pulls through the address book and call history fine with my Iphone 7. 

[MadJam250]

I have recently acquired a 2014 Advance Sport and too thought I didn't have TPMS but eventually found the reset button near the pedals (as described in the handbook).

For me the standard 6 speaker audio sounds good. A bit of adjustment to the bass/treble settings may improve the sound for you. I had a Mark Levinson system in my 2006 IS250 which was great but only really improved with extra bass. 6 speakers for me, personally, is fine.

I know what you mean about the infotainment/navigation. It's not the best but once used, to me, it's fine, in my eyes. My 2016 Samsung mobile syncs fine/quickly/automatically although occasionally calls' audio goes to mute and I can't get SMS to work (which is again fine as having used this before in previous cars it's an unsafe distraction).

How are you finding the MPG so far and overall quality/refinement levels?

[Superjim82]

1 hour ago, MadJam250 said:

I have recently acquired a 2014 Advance Sport and too thought I didn't have TPMS but eventually found the reset button near the pedals (as described in the handbook).

For me the standard 6 speaker audio sounds good. A bit of adjustment to the bass/treble settings may improve the sound for you. I had a Mark Levinson system in my 2006 IS250 which was great but only really improved with extra bass. 6 speakers for me, personally, is fine.

I know what you mean about the infotainment/navigation. It's not the best but once used, to me, it's fine, in my eyes. My 2016 Samsung mobile syncs fine/quickly/automatically although occasionally calls' audio goes to mute and I can't get SMS to work (which is again fine as having used this before in previous cars it's an unsafe distraction).

How are you finding the MPG so far and overall quality/refinement levels?

MPG I must admit i was expecting better, however given the car is so new, i suspect the current figures will even out after a bit of use. Refinement wise, having come from the Audi dark side, I have to say i'm pleasantly surprised. only issue i have is with the raod noise from the standard tyres, but i must say, i have zoned out of it. All in all, really delighted with the car.

[MadJam250]

Having owned a few German brands to me there is no comparison with Lexus.  Japanese wins hands down, especially for overall refinement and reliability.

[me140]

I have had my SE-L for 2 1/2 years.  Been totally reliable.  I reset the mpg the first day and my average over my ownership is 53.6 mpg. I had a Mercedes C220 diesel for 2 years before that and average was 43.3 mpg. 

Car has tyre pressure warning not monitoring so just a warning light comes on. 

Sat nav is slow to set up and the update is an arm, leg and kidney as it is an early 2011 so dealer only.

After my second puncture I bought a spare off eBay for £80. The rear box in the boot needed modifying to get it in.

Has the Mark Levison upgraded audio system. 6 cd's and can copy hundreds of songs onto the hard drive. 

I love the look people give you when you nearly run them over as they don't hear you. 

 

[Beduffshirl]

On 11/15/2018 at 8:53 AM, Superjim82 said:

 

1) TPMS system not standard? Unless i'm missing it (quite possibly) doesn't seem to come as a standard feature?

 

I've had mine since August. The TPMS light seems to come on every morning the temp drops below approx 3c

Any days it's above that or later in the day the light never comes on. Is this a common issue?

[i-s]

50 minutes ago, Beduffshirl said:

I've had mine since August. The TPMS light seems to come on every morning the temp drops below approx 3c

Any days it's above that or later in the day the light never comes on. Is this a common issue?

It's galled the Gay-Lussac Law. 

Pressure is proportional to temperature - temperature drops, pressure drops. 

Pump  your tyres up to the required pressure when cold and TPMS won't come on. 

[Nico72]

Hi everyone,

Since my car is back with Lexus to do minor works (Refurbishing my alloys) this week as part of the recent purchase agreement, Lexus (In Edgware Road) kindly lent me for a few days a 2018 CT200H and I wanted to share with you my thoughts about this car (day 2 driving it):

I have read a few negative comments from various journalists and car magazines that CT200H is a bit dull to drive, which kind of put me off in the past but I am actually really glad to be driving one in all honesty. It is a brilliant car and I suspect that the negative comments referred to the Hybrid being perhaps too silent for the journalists who are too accustomed with the German cars - I have driven for years quite a few Mercedes cars and more recently a BMW series 5 (F10 for over a year and half) and I have to say that Lexus is on another level (and above) with the genius hybrid engines. Having driven my GS450H for over 2 weeks since I bought the car, I have become aware of the Hybrid function and how this works etc. It has influenced my driving (for the better) by being more aware of my driving style and I really think Hybrid is a good solution to reduce pollution and contribute for the environment. The CT200H is a perfect city car, nippy enough (with sport mode) to drive around and I actually love driving in ECO mode. The driving and handling is very good (if not better than Mercedes and BMW), the suspensions were a bit harder than my GS but nevertheless, it is a brilliant car to drive around. I love the fact that it starts silently and when you put it in Drive mode, it is quick to drive off. The dashboard clearly laid out giving a lot of of information and it was equipped with lane assist, collision detection, cruise control, has a good sat nav, Bluetooth, media with USB ports, radio. It is a very well equipped car for small value and much better value than many similar cars in its segment. I feel really excited to be part of the world of Lexus and to know that we are driving in the future reducing CO2 (no diesels!)... It was such a positive experience that I felt I had to share this with you about this car, that quite frankly deserve far better recognition from the press. Long live Lexus!