Lexus Open Day

chip · July 18, 2003

Hi all.

Just attended at personel invitation to the latest Lexus open day at Firle Palace in East Sussex.

superb day 34 degrees and what fun.

Managed 1/2hr road test followed by 1/2hr offroad section of the new RX300. and for a v6 smooth and drives like a car on the road, but off road sounds very tinny in rear and centre console well nice but dont look at it while your driving(lets say thats what the big tyres are for when you hit the kerbs)

Next had to come the v8 4.3 SC430. wow wow wow, lottery win and i think oh yes ..the 0-60 can be done in less then 6secs...better then book and on an auto as well.

Well i also had to see what a brand new IS200 felt like compared to my 4yr old one.I would have to say all one colour interior feels very BMW / Audi, why no two tone any more and you cant hear that no rumble from straight six, deadened, suspension seems softened, and the piping around seat's whats this all about,i was not impressed, i asked the guys why the changes to an already perfect model, he said these changes have come about in an effort to reduce retail price.

And Secondly All models PAINT CHIPS Wheels RUST. think its a feature??

Other then this a great day and if you get invited then go, good food and drink.and a very nice setting, perfect to replace in .Thanks Lexus. :winky:

UKPulse · July 19, 2003

I went to the Firle Place Open Road event too! Was there from about 1:15pm thru to 16:45ish, and was looking out for LOC stickers but didn't see any (PS - If you saw a guy limping around the house, that was me!!)

I tried the SC430 at Squerry Court last year, plus the dealer let me have one for a couple of hours, so my first choice was the LS430! Talk about supreme comfort! Air-conditioned seats & a vibro-massage system in the back (oooeerrrrr). This model was also wired up for the PlayStation with LCD monitors fitted in the headrests.

Did both the on/off road sections in the RX300 - some serious potholes! What impressed me was that after throwing it thru everything for 20-25 minutes, back on the tarmac it was quiet as anything - not a squeak or a rattle! But did you notice that all the RXs were absolutely covered in fine scratches from the hedgerows??!! :o Only complaint is that the RX feels a little gutless on the open road... time for Lexus to make an RX430 I think :P

My fave ride of the day had to be the GS430 - that surge of power when you welly it

Paint chips? Yep, still seems to be a feature - got three or four since I got this car in March. Mind you, the way council resurface the roads round here doesn't help! Spray hot tar. Scatter huge quantities of gravel. Let cars do the rest!! Wheel rust? Supposedly fixed from early 2002 onwards, but I'll reserve judgement seeing as the wheels on my 2002 model actually rotted in just 8 months! :duh:

chip · July 19, 2003

My car was in for new sunroof surround as rattling and became to much, so was being replaced while i was at the open day. otherwise my baby would have been there,although the guys washing the cars with there dirty rags did put me off and i was glad it was at garage,

I felt that the v6 was ok it was the tinny sound on the off road section in the rear that put me off. maybe a rx430 to compete against the x5 4.4. certainly got the looks. and crap paint as usual. B)