2 months in - new owner impression

[Etyw]

So 2 months in with my 2020 RC300h F-Sport Takumi, enough time to get to know it and find the things it does well and the few little things I’d want to change.

For context my comparisons/previous cars were:

- ‘08 Alfa Brera 2.2 Prodrive.  Fantastic car, lovely to drive, felt special inside and incredibly reliable, zero real trouble over 5 years, right up to 14 years old and 150k miles (moisture in one rear light was the worst it ever did).  Post-covid return to office had me wanting more creature comforts and tech for the motorway commute, especially in winter.

- ‘15 Merc E400 convertible - bought in spring 2023 with 38k miles to replace the Alfa - gave me the creature comforts and tech I wanted plus a taste of a bigger engine.  Ultimately a reliability nightmare and a disappointment.  Off the road for 7 weeks in 1 year with almost £2k of warranty work required.  Mechanical breakdown and constant sensor/electrical issues.  Lovely engine (when it worked) in an uncharismatic and dull car.  Lost all confidence in it and wanted rid.
 

After the Merc, reliability was a major consideration, hence the Lexus.  Many said I’d be frustrated at the downgrade in performance but actually having all that power in the Merc caused more frustration at how few opportunities you’d get the stretch its legs and you could never thrash it without doing silly speeds.  You’d get so frustrated stuck behind dawdlers, knowing you had all that power, so it probably made me a more aggressive driver too.  The Lexus has the right amount of performance to keep up on normal roads and leave you happy to chill when things are busy and congested.

so, 2 months in:

Positives

- Great ride and very well judged sport/Sport mode that firms things up but still useable on badly surfaced British roads.  The Merc sport mode was far too firm and almost unusable on backroads.

- Enjoy the steering and general feeling of solidity when on a nice winding road - maybe something amplified by coming from a soft top that had developed a couple of rattles.

- Happy to be back in something different with a bit of style but not ostentatious.  
- After the last couple of cars I’m loving how rarely I need to fill up!

What I’m not loving:

- Auto high beam is totally feckless.  The Merc had fantastic full matrix and cornering LEDs so this does feel a big step back (although better than the halogen tealights of the old Alfa).

- Heated seats are anemic, even in September.  Highest level should be borderline scalding for those grim winter mornings that’ll be coming.

- Missing a couple of little perceived quality niceties.  I know that perceived quality ≠ real quality but some really easy things could go a long way.  The key is the cheapest nastiest one I’ve ever known, the door close lacks that good solid thud, some of the plastics around the cabin and things like unlined (and tiny) door pockets.  I know in the grand scheme of things these are negligible but they’d also be a very easy thing for Lexus to have given a little more quality feel.

- The only time I miss the E400s power is when trying to overtake on an A road, if Lexus had sold the RC350 in the UK I really do think that would be the perfect car for me.

Overall really enjoying the car, love how smooth and easy it is, but in Sport plus it feels nice and tight on a good road without the temptation to do licence losing speeds.  Very happy to be back in something a little bit different and in some ways the steering/suspension in Sport + reminds me of my beloved Brera which I still miss.

Already toying with the idea of a late RCF as a next move in a couple of years…