Spec question

[infernox]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting a Lexus UX as a daily driver and am a bit confused about the spec. Is the only way you can get Mark Levinson Sound System with the 10 inch infotainment screen to get the Takumi Spec or F Sport with Takumi Pack? If so, that's quite annoying since both are over the £40k list road tax increase. Takumi spec especially is annoying with it costing £40,150. Just £200 lower and it would be under. The F Sport with Takumi Pack is more expensive at £41,450 list price on configurator. I was hoping to get both without having the pay the extra road tax but guess I'll have to choose between either F-Sport spec (10 inch infotainment and 8 speakers) or Premium Plus Tech and Sound/Pro (regular infotainment and Mark Levinson). Any advice/help would be appreciated.

[Navnan2]

This seems to be a restriction with Lexus, options are restricted to certain packs. My wife and I test drove a UX for the first time and found it quite depressingly dark inside so having a sun roof became a top priority to let some more light in. We then were told we could only have the sun roof if we also had the Premium plus pack which annoyed us. Don't get me wrong there is some nice stuff in the Premium plus but to make it a pre-requisite seems a bit over the top. We agreed anyway. I later asked the salesman I fancied the 10 inch screen as my eyes aren't as good as they were and you can guess what the story was to get that! Our salesman convinced us the 10 inch over the 7 inch didn't buy you much so I backed off. Not sure if he was being honest or trying to avoid me baulking at spending a fortune on other stuff I didn't really need. Anyway, welcome to the Lexus world! Still waiting for mine to arrive after 4 months. Note I think I saw a UX with high spec like you are describing brand new in grey which may have all you require in Cambridge Lexus marked down at £39K in autotrader. Wonder if that avoids the tax issue? Cheers, Barry 

[infernox]

On 11/17/2020 at 5:05 PM, Navnan2 said:

This seems to be a restriction with Lexus, options are restricted to certain packs. My wife and I test drove a UX for the first time and found it quite depressingly dark inside so having a sun roof became a top priority to let some more light in. We then were told we could only have the sun roof if we also had the Premium plus pack which annoyed us. Don't get me wrong there is some nice stuff in the Premium plus but to make it a pre-requisite seems a bit over the top. We agreed anyway. I later asked the salesman I fancied the 10 inch screen as my eyes aren't as good as they were and you can guess what the story was to get that! Our salesman convinced us the 10 inch over the 7 inch didn't buy you much so I backed off. Not sure if he was being honest or trying to avoid me baulking at spending a fortune on other stuff I didn't really need. Anyway, welcome to the Lexus world! Still waiting for mine to arrive after 4 months. Note I think I saw a UX with high spec like you are describing brand new in grey which may have all you require in Cambridge Lexus marked down at £39K in autotrader. Wonder if that avoids the tax issue? Cheers, Barry 

I was wondering that too. Would discounts that bring it under £40k make it go into a different road tax bracket? I'm not sure. Hopefully someone here can advise more.

[AJ500]

My understanding is that if the original list prices exceeds the £40k,then the higher tax applies.This is regardless of any discount or secondhand price.

A J

[royoftherovers]

38 minutes ago, AJ500 said:

My understanding is that if the original list prices exceeds the £40k,then the higher tax applies.This is regardless of any discount or secondhand price.

A J

Correct AJ.

[infernox]

Lexus have confirmed that AJ is correct. However surprisingly they also told me that the Takumi Spec originally. Below is what the salesman told me:

Quote

When this model was launched, the OTR of the Takumi was £39100. Following the standard manufacturer price increase, today the Takumi model holds an OTR of £41500 and is quite likely to increase again in 2021.

I asked if it only applied to 19 plate or 69 plate models and the reply was:

Quote

It really depends on the model as there was a price increase shortly after the initial release and therefore there is only a few of the Takumi models floating around with the lower tax band.

The car he showed me with the lower tax band was a 19 plate so most likely only they have this lower tax band. Narrows my search by alot 🙄. The car itself was nice but I've never had a cream interior before so not sure about it.

[Grumps]

I have posted this previously regarding what is included in the OTR price for cars over £40,000. Car tax and first registration are not included according to the following DVLA Q & A. However it is dated January 2017 so things may have changed.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586800/ved-reform-webinar-q_a-10-january-2017.pdf?utm_source=LexusOwnersClubUK&utm_medium=ForumLinks

See item at 11.10,      Question 9 and 10

[infernox]

19 hours ago, Grumps said:

I have posted this previously regarding what is included in the OTR price for cars over £40,000. Car tax and first registration are not included according to the following DVLA Q & A. However it is dated January 2017 so things may have changed.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586800/ved-reform-webinar-q_a-10-january-2017.pdf?utm_source=LexusOwnersClubUK&utm_medium=ForumLinks

See item at 11.10,      Question 9 and 10

Very useful info on the link. Answers all the questions. Guess I have to look for these 19 plate Takumi spec cars then that were listed under 40k. According to this, the F Sport takumi pack cars were also originally just under £40k (33900 + 6000).

https://blog.lexus.co.uk/new-lexus-ux-uk-grade-structure-and-pricing/

I also found this which shows that the 2020 models had the price increase? https://media.lexus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Lexus-Price-List-Range-22.05.20.pdf

[EvilRacer329]

If it helps, I had the same problem when I was buying my car. I thought I really wanted the F-Sport and the Mark Levinson, and in the end had to compromise and just get the F-Sport with the premium 8-speaker system. Some time later I borrowed a base-spec car with the Mark Levinson and despite being a self-professed audiophile, couldn't tell the difference between the two. In fact, once or twice the audio processing on the Mark Levinson system did some really odd things with my audiobooks, so in the grand scheme of things I'm no longer upset that I missed out.

Your ears may be more discerning than mine, so I recommend trying both!

Nick

[infernox]

5 hours ago, EvilRacer329 said:

If it helps, I had the same problem when I was buying my car. I thought I really wanted the F-Sport and the Mark Levinson, and in the end had to compromise and just get the F-Sport with the premium 8-speaker system. Some time later I borrowed a base-spec car with the Mark Levinson and despite being a self-professed audiophile, couldn't tell the difference between the two. In fact, once or twice the audio processing on the Mark Levinson system did some really odd things with my audiobooks, so in the grand scheme of things I'm no longer upset that I missed out.

Your ears may be more discerning than mine, so I recommend trying both!

Nick

I'll definitely be trying them both to see when lockdown opens up. Might be hard to find both in the same showroom. Did you drive the takumi by any chance? Just wondering if there are any difference in the driving dynamics.

[EvilRacer329]

I think the version I drove was the base-spec model, so my F-Sport has slightly firmer shocks. I believe the Takumi has electronically-adjustable suspension, but given that my F-Sport is actually really good over bumps, I don't miss them.

I'm sure there are some members of the forum near your location who could give you a demo once we're allowed to share space with others again! 🙂

Nick

[infernox]

On 11/26/2020 at 3:53 PM, EvilRacer329 said:

I think the version I drove was the base-spec model, so my F-Sport has slightly firmer shocks. I believe the Takumi has electronically-adjustable suspension, but given that my F-Sport is actually really good over bumps, I don't miss them.

I'm sure there are some members of the forum near your location who could give you a demo once we're allowed to share space with others again! 🙂

Nick

I'm hopefully going to test drive one at the end of the week, not sure if my local dealer has both takumi and f sport available but I'll at least get an idea of things.

[Ian J. Parsley]

This is, fortunately or unfortunately, just how the Lexus brand works in Europe.

Essentially they give your four or five set packs/trims and you decide. The advantage from their point of view is it is easy to plan the vehicles, administer shipment and so on; the disadvantage is the lack of choice. That said, at least it is fairly clear what precisely you are getting (and this applies also if you are buying used).

[Dixgas]

11 minutes ago, Ian J. Parsley said:

This is, fortunately or unfortunately, just how the Lexus brand works in Europe.

Essentially they give your four or five set packs/trims and you decide. The advantage from their point of view is it is easy to plan the vehicles, administer shipment and so on; the disadvantage is the lack of choice. That said, at least it is fairly clear what precisely you are getting (and this applies also if you are buying used).

Ian, I think it's time you corrected your " Year of Lexus ", 2013 is the date of your IS 300h.

[infernox]

Just to follow up on this. I did see both F Sport Premium Plus and Takumi cars and evil racer was right. I couldn't tell any difference between the 8 speakers system and mark levinson system. I only got to test drive the Takumi which was pretty quiet and comfortable. Hoping to test drive the F Sport soon and see how the driving modes feel. My only other option is the Audi Q3 35 or 40 petrol but they're a bit too expensive and less fuel efficient.

[royoftherovers]

Just now, infernox said:

Just to follow up on this. I did see both F Sport Premium Plus and Takumi cars and evil racer was right. I couldn't tell any difference between the 8 speakers system and mark levinson system. I only got to test drive the Takumi which was pretty quiet and comfortable. Hoping to test drive the F Sport soon and see how the driving modes feel. My only other option is the Audi Q3 35 or 40 petrol but they're a bit too expensive and less fuel efficient.

...and less reliable.....and more to maintain.....and less Customer Service......and more conspicuous...????

[Navnan2]

H if you decide on a Lexus don't order one, pick one off the forecourt. Mine arrived on a boat on the 20th November then got lost in the system. After much escalation from myself they have found it and I MIGHT get it before Christmas. I'm not holding my breath.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[Mossbourne]

What is the expected delivery time of a factory ordered UX?

[Navnan2]

Hello Maurice, my experience is this. Order date 31/07/2020. I was told by my dealer to expect delivery at the beginning of October with the hope of some improvement. Actual date I will pick it up is 22/12/2020 assuming no further glitches. I'm not impressed, the vehicle arrived in Bristol harbour on the 20/11/2020 then disappeared up Toyota HQ in Derbyshire until now with me chasing both the dealer and Lexus UK customer relations on a regular basis to speed things up. May be I'm just unlucky.