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Well I've owned my Subaru now since June and covered 4000 miles. Firstly the downsides. Car has just had 2 urgent recall notices and is booked in for these and a winter check at nearest dealer in Swindon. Secondly I enquired on the cost of the next intermediate service. This is £400 which is dearer than Lexus. I enquired about cost of front discs and pads and was amazed that it is a £500 job. My 2015 RX was £330 I recall for front brakes. Good points. A week in Cornwall made me realise the Subaru is a better vehicle for steep and narrow lanes and offroad. A sat nav guided trip into Polperro would have been a disaster with the RX as even with mirrors folded in the XV would only just squeeze between the houses. Full Time Four wheel drive is superb and the eyesight safety system likewise. Headlights are superb. Seats are very comfortable. Fuel consumption averaging 31mpg but main road driving from Bodmin to Gloucester tank to tank achieved 37mpg. I will report on my dealership visit after my appointment early December. I find it interesting that Subaru and Toyota are so different and yet they are jointly linked in projects and finances.

Eh bah gum Ed, whatever tis this world comin too 🤣. I recall volunteering in 1972 for the Adult Literacy Scheme, teaching adults the rudimentary elements of the English Language. I taught them all I knew, Needless to say they soon overcame that disadvantage 🤣

^^ We do need to be careful not to see things through rose tinted spectacles. Whilst I share the sentiment, having grown up in the 1970s I can say that standards were already declining fast even then. Society is better now in many ways than it was in previous decades, but behavioural etiquette certainly isn’t one of them. If I can add another (related) moan to the thread, it is the lower expectations that the current education system seems determined to propagate. I have a real issue with education being turned into training - in my opinion education should be for its own sake, at least until the age of 14-15. The national curriculum hasn’t helped, simply allowing politics to get in the way. I volunteer at a University, supporting young adults who - although clearly very bright - haven’t always been given the tools they need to succeed by the state system. It’s really sad that such support is needed, but it says a lot. Students from fee paying schools don’t suffer in the same way, and it’s not just because of resources. I find it’s mainly because they’re educated rather than trained - they know how to write, how to express themselves with confidence - they’ve been taught the basics. People used to strive to better themselves through education. Now too many strive to better themselves despite education. I also mourn the loss of Received Pronunciation in public life - the BBC for instance. It’s my opinion, and I know not everybody will share it, but I believe a public broadcaster should present the best possible view of a nation. We seem obsessed with doing the exact opposite.

You have opened a rich vein of potential moans there, Philip. And you have rightly identified the results of making air travel more accessible. I can just about recall when it was regarded as something of a privilege and you smartened up. Now many travellers dress down and behave with contempt for fellow passengers and crew, fuelled by quantities of cheap alcohol. But they’re mainly reflecting the general decline in behaviour that has affected society in general. As an aside, aircrew used to moan about other airlines too, you know. Here I can reveal that the airline names were mainly acronyms and were much more descriptive of their standing in the industry. BOAC = Better On A Camel / Britain’s Only Airborne Circus BEA = Back Every Afternoon TWA = Try Walking Across / Teeny Weeny Airline PanAm = Pandemonium Scareways Sabena = Such A Bloody Experience, Never Again Alitalia = All Landed In Tehran And Luggage In Accra Lufthansa = Let Us **** The Hostesses And Not Say Anything Air France = Air Chance Quantas = Q***rs And Neurotics Training As Stewards I do hope these revelations haven’t offended anyone. 🙂

Had a test drive of the EV6 today - a GT line S with RWD. Got to say I was impressed and it is a stunning looking vehicle that has a presence on the road. Acceleration is fantastic, road and wind noise minimal resulting in an almost silent drive. It feels solidly built and panel/trim fit was excellent albeit I don't think it's quite upto Lexus standards in terms of interior materials. Interesting that a battery heater is being recommended as an option (£900) to help to maintain range. It appeared to be quite frugal with the range only dropping significantly when the air con was switched on. It certainly is a serious contender in the market place and would certainly win my vote as the best looking EV on sale at present. An order placed today for a GT Line S AWD with metallic paint and battery heater is being quoted for April delivery. I will test drive the 450h+(I have an option on one) before making a final decision.

Firstly I suspect the petrol engine will run up every now and then for most people unless they go out of their way to make sure it runs in EV only mode. However you will receive a dashboard warning message if the petrol engine hasn't been used for a long time: and they make a point of warning the owner in the manual: For plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, fuel may remain in the tank for a long time and undergo changes in quality depending on the how the vehicle is used. Refuel at least 20 L (5.3 gal., 4.4 Imp.gal.) of fuel every 12 months (refuel a total of at least 20 L [5.3 gal., 4.4 Imp.gal.] over a 12- month period), as this may affect components of the fuel system or the gasoline engine. With regards to the GPF - another message will also appear when necessary on the dash: I'm not sure why there is so much negativity here - Toyota has displayed enough engineering skills over the years, with a reputation for reliability, for them to be given the benefit of doubt that they have considered such things.

I have to say that I'm stunned and amazed that John (@royoftherovers) hasn't given you a virtual slap upside the head and pointed out that if you'd have read the owners manual, none of these would be a surprise to you

Although I am a member of the LOC I have never actually owned a Lexus branded car as they were both JDM imported Toyotas as the Lexus brand was not available in Japan until 2006 so every model was Toyota badged. From my experiences the Japanese Toyota equivalents have much better specifications and options than Lexus ever offered at the time, for example the 1994 Celsior had factory fitted Sat Nav probably a world first for any manufacturer. Times have changed and economies made but even my 2004 model year Celsior has options never made available to Lexus LS430 buyers outside Japan.

Having married an ex-BOAC Stewardess (that would be me Philip, not you) I can confirm that one cabin crew's moaning passenger can also be one poorly served passenger. The Flight Attendant who takes several minutes to respond to the Call Button could have been occupied sorting out the lunches, or clearing up the mess they've just made on the galley floor - or they could be busy flirting with the First Officer! The great advantage of being crew rather than, say, a waiter, is that your customer can't just walk out.

^^ TBH I’m more shocked that the Express had an article that wasn’t about Meghan Markle, Princess Diana’s death or the weather…

Interesting how these days it's all about "feelings" forget Old fashioned ideas such as evidence, facts, proof, etc.

In the last 12 months I have had two sets of windscreen wiper blades on the car. The first were Bosch conventional and the others were the aero style. Both sets were noisy and tended to judder across the windscreen, even after using glass cleaner on the screen. I have just fitted a set of genuine Toyota wipers and the difference is remarkable. They glide across the screen in complete silence. They cost £39.01 including p & p from Lexus Parts Direct. As far as I am concerned it is money well spent.

I certainly hope not. Off track antics aside, it has been brilliant watching the two of them battling it out. My missus ask me in the car today who I thought would win the title, and for the first time in a long time, I told her I genuinely had no idea!

Here's the latest offering from the Scheissewagen graveyard. I'm wondering whether the cameraman is concentrating on cars from the former Third Reich, or whether the Ford is being seen as a challenge for Regional Sales Managers for Photocopier companies?

For the first time, (and a racing certainty - the last time!) I introduce a 71" x 41" (Note - a proper measurement system!) oak table (legs unbolted!) into the car without any difficulty. At that point, when turning off the ignition, the driver's seat would normally return to default position (furthest back) - which would have caused a problem - for there was insufficient clearance behind. A simple touch on the 'Forward' switch on the side of the seat, prevents the return to default without upsetting the memory settings for normal (sans load) driving.

I have parked LS400 for several years about 6 months per year both summer and winter. Dry garage with +7C to 25C or so. Always with 55% humidity or less. Average probably 45% Driving out of garage 5 meters and running varm and braking and running stuff about every 1-2 months. No issues at all so far. Hope these cars will last forever.

You are correct! Just came back from Germany with our last carfull, it is somewhat of an issue if you're not careful.

They were fitted as standard to the 2020 models in the US. Mine came from an American dealer and was shipped by a relative.

Seeing that the EV6 is fitted with a vehicle to load plug, I wonder if I can fit our heat pump dryer in the back. Multi tasking, washing dried and car and occupants nice and warm.

I felt much the same about the RC when Lexus dropped it from the range. I had settled comfortably into the belief that future editions of the car in whatever forms might then be available would remain my first choice for the rest of my motoring and hopefully natural life. However, if I now want to stay with Lexus, my choices are limited to an ES or an NX, both of which are nice cars but, apart from not being entirely suited to my needs, don’t really excite me. Mainly because my usual dealership, which has never given me cause for complaint over many years, also sells Toyota, I would certainly look at the Camry and, less enthusiastically, at the RAV before committing to either of the two Lexus models. But, then again, I haven’t lost sight of the fact that the Germans make coupes that are almost as nice as the RC.

I may well be wrong, Colin, but I wondered if you may have fallen victim to the dreaded autocorrect software? I suspect you actually typed ‘particulate’?

I sometimes wish I was back in the MR2 Spyder when driving the CT. Not often.

No

I didn't hear him mention a participant particulate filter at all? Not sure they even have them on US models (certainly the F vehicles don't as they kept the 470+ bhp when the European versions decrease to 450+ bhp because of the added filter) - they have only been fitting them in the last few years to European models to meet Euro 6d regulations so how they perform and long term issues are unknown at the moment.

Agreed. Unless you are going to do a long distance then only fill between 1/4 to 1/2 full. There is then the benefit of not carrying around so much weight.

BOAC 😊 What a name that was Len! When flying was a civilised mode of transport and not for the hoi-polloi. That is my moan del dia, making flights more accessible to Spain set in motion such a decline in standards of manners, dress, consideration for others, I could go on but won't as I may upset the horses in the field next door 😎

Paul, absolutely no problem with that at all .......... I would do so too for sure All I'm trying to determine is a little more about all this, it's intriguing for sure ... just settling the mileage issue would be good to know ... this garage selling an " upmarket " car with a genuine low mileage is fine BUT now looking at the website on their Autotrader advert it seems to be a Milk Float Selling business with a different phone number ! There's sure summat strange going on with all this and looking like there's some skulduggery somewhere Being honest and upfront for an established garage business is usually a " given " these days with Trading Standards etc ... otherwise it falls into the category and trading ethos of Dudley Man Malc

I said that before - about 3 years ago I sat in one garage (direct comparison) Camry that cost about 32k euros and in ES with the price 43k euros, even though some design cues are similar, like dashboard lines, switches design etc but the difference starts as soon as you open the door and sit in the car - the door opens on ES plusher and feels heavier, the seats are nicer and comfier, the more time you spend inside the more you see where these extra 10k gone. Saying that, I do not think Lexus ES as plush inside as 5 series but much better then any Toyota, even though underneath it is a Toyota. Wrt to NX, i saw a video from Carwow, I actually attached it to another thread, and was unbelievably surprised when Mat moved central console with his hands, my GS wouldn't have that! I know it is not a real test or anything but on some much cheaper cars he did it and it was solid! I like how someone above said - if you drive a Lexus you don't feel like it is Toyota, if you drive Toyota you do wish you were in Lexus. 🙂 Current Toyotas made a massive step in a right direction with the exterior design and the quality of interior materials! Only if they were quieter I would consider one.

This does raise another consideration, albeit a minor one. Even in a closed system like a car’s petrol tank, stored petrol degrades as its volatile components evaporate out. By some accounts it has a ‘shelf life’ of about 6 months at 20C and this decreases as temperature rises. This results in reduced performance and - ultimately- difficult starting. Of course you can easily improve matters by topping up with fresh petrol. But this does suggest to me that such frugal use of petrol - or diesel, for that matter - may not be such an altogether good thing as might be supposed.

No, and it is top of range 3rd Gen so I think it unlikely this happened with this Gen. In fact until I tried it, that is what I thought pressing the small external rear button, the subject of my post, might be for. Thank you Peter for taking the trouble to find it in the on line manual, at least it confirmed my tailgate is operating correctly, and hopefully will continue to do so.

Welcome Trev

My Indi mech got me into the brand in the first place I used to take my BMW to him with the same old recurring faults & there he had a IS200 with about 200k on the clock with everything sweet.

Using the 450h+ mainly on battery power would mean the GPF not getting clogged anywhere near as much in the first place. I would imagine that once it gets to a certain level the system will force the petrol engine to run and get up to temperature - it does this to a certain extent with the current hybrids (UX, NX etc).

Thanks for the reply, Ahmed. I think I will remove my existing and see what I might be able to achieve, albeit I can already see the first hurdle, i.e. printing in glass!

Had Scabbard fish and banana when in Madeira last week. Bit apprehensive, but was yummy.

^^ In my head I can hear Sid James saying that, and then laughing…😆 A former Mrs. First Lexus had a vegetarian phase. I snuck some ham into a stir fry she was making. Suffice to say she wasn’t impressed… The last Mrs. First Lexus went vegan, and actually it was pretty easy for us to eat out with most restaurants catering for every option in recent years. Choice is a good thing. This sketch has always made me chuckle though…

Have fun trolling through the menus! I was told by the sales people my 2016 didn't have the proximity sensing tailgate opening. It did but wasn't switched on in menu. HUD heads up display is nice with speed limit sign shown next to actual speed. It is a great car but my 2005 LS430 is smoother, quieter and cost 32000 pounds less!

I really like the idea of the Toyota Mirai and hydrogen fuel cells. Unfortunately I just don't see the UK getting a hydrogen infrastructure in place even though there is already a petrol/diesel one that you would have thought it would be easier to piggyback onto that adding a whole new electric charging one. With such short-sighted non-technical governments (of any persuasion) the country is IMHO being led forward by ill-informed pressure groups. But back to Lexus vs Toyota...!

I purchased my IS 300h as a follow on to many years of German (mainly BMW) cars. I wanted something different as I had become "bored" of BMWs so was looking for something left field with a notable on the road different look - something a bit more "unique". However, reliability was also a key feature (as I use my car for business too) which ruled out a few of the other left field choices. The idea of a hybrid had also appealed to me for some time as well. After a day test drive, the IS 300h fit the bill perfectly and I bought one the very next day. I had also considered many other brands (including Toyota) but IMHO the IS 300h was much more than the sum of its parts. This is a difficult thing to put into words but I just didn't feel the same about the other cars I considered even though many of them had some appealing features. However, in buying Lexus it did swing my thoughts when my wife needed a new small car (mostly local use whereas my car does long distances for business and family outings) and we purchased a Toyota Yaris for her - yes, we could have gone for the CT 200h for example but in her case the Yaris was the better fit. So, IMHO it's all about horses for courses. When I come to change the IS 300h, given there is no natural Lexus replacement, I will be taking another look at what is on the market again at that time and will choose the best fit for my needs at that time. After 5 years and 70K miles I have been mightily impressed with the IS 300h which has certainly lived up to and even exceeded my expectations (being more than the sum of its parts) - so much so that I don't want to part with it at the moment especially given the lack of a natural Lexus IS successor. On paper (or even in the head) a Toyota would make good sense when I change (for many of the reasons we purchased the Yaris), but I just don't get the vibes from any current Toyota I had for the IS 300h. Will Lexus have something that ticks all those boxes again when I change, time will tell... Buying a car can of course be a completely rational pros and cons exercise - after all they all get you from A to B, but sometimes the heart also needs to have a vote which if allowed can lead one down a different path that can't so easily rationalised...

I bet next season that 5 place penalty will be changed to a 10 place one.

You are going to have to change your user name - or really you should have done 4 years ago . Congrats on the new RX

Well the image below is taken from that website and is of a GB-plated car and I have to say they don't look out of place at all; in fact I think they look great:

Oooh never thought of that 👍 We did consider going down the formal complaint route but decided life is too short, plus at that moment in time we just didn’t need the hassle.

Last week my ns mirror stopped dipping down when reverse was selected but with some adjusting in every direction to full extent it sprang back to life! 👍 Looks like a possible cure has been found for these mirror problems, although it may be only a temporary fix. 🤞 Ant

What did the car read out? Pump calculation for me is off by 1 MPG compared to car.

Well yes... a PHEV by nature is a compromise in having to carry two power units, the internal combustion and the electric batteries. Either or will result in the carriage of dead weight Given there is only a 40-60 mile electric only range for the 450h+ on a long journey you will never get the benefit of the electric, though it will slowly recharge over time (reports are the internal combustion engine can recharge the battery), but otherwise you are hauling around a large heavy battery pack which isn't being used. If you're using the PHEV for trips to the shops, work etc which is generally or just over the electric range, then the benefit is more clear. The anecdotal reports from the US for the RAV4 PHEV were saying that for most of the above use cases, they were either on the original tank of petrol or the 2nd after six months/1 year. The UXe suffers a little from being a conversion from an existing hybrid (non optimal main battery placement) but again if you're doing the shortish journeys within the designed range, would work fine. I'd see the NX PHEV as optimal for my use case where it's mostly around town to the shops, school runs, short day trips etc, but still have a car that be taken long distance if needed. Yes, I'm hauling a large battery which doesn't do much in this case. Conversely I don't have to worry about having to make stops for charging, and I don't need to have/hire another car just for long trips,

Plug-in cars are good for short daily trips and nightly recharge, so to use them as an electric car, while for longer journeys they work like a thermal engine car. At least, NX as PHEV works like a real Hybrid and has mpg like NX... Different topic is UXe, it is an electric URBAN suv, and using it for long trips is not its mission, and the range for urban use is adeguate. Both solution have to be considered if proper for costs accordingly to planned use; in my opinion they are at the moment too expensive.

My thinking was along these lines: 1. The EV6 is much better-looking, especially in the metal. In fact I think it's one of the best designs on the market. Realise that's subjective! 2. Too many build quality/quality control problems in the Model 3 to ignore. EV6 has flawless paint and Lexus-like panel gaps; & no delivery issues (touch wood). Realise that Tesla supposedly improving. 3. Don't like the Model 3/Y control ergonomics - too much controlled through the touch screen (okay in the showroom, not so good on lane 3 of the M1 in heavy spray at 70 mph) and speedo too far from line of sight. 4. EV6 800V architecture means faster charging than Model 3/Y (though admittedly not many 350kW chargers around yet; banking on that improving). 5. A local dealer to deal with rather than remote Tesla service. 6. Better driving position (for me) than Model 3 (haven't seen a Y) and hatchback practicality. 7. Similar performance and range (M3 LR has longer WLTP range but in most tests Kia have come closer to achieving WLTP range). Ultimately the only area where Tesla had a clear lead was the Supercharger network, and it wasn't enough. On price, no discounts on EV6 (Kia are building a long waiting list) but similar price to M3, and cheaper than comparably equipped Model Y.

Thanks, still early days, haven't recharged yet. So far, impressed by the ride quality and handling, and the extraordinary acceleration. Motorway wind and road noise is about the same as my NX. There are a few finishes which aren't up to Lexus quality, but overall build quality is on a par, and much better than I'd expected.

It's unfortunate that car makers usually fit the inferior type of calipers even on their top models nowadays. Pistons operated from one side only and dependent on sliding pins are not going to work as well as one or more pistons pushing directly against the disk from both sides, as fitted to high perfomance or brake upgraded cars. I suppose it's a matter of cost saving. Even my 1967 MK 2 Humber Sceptre had opposed pistons on it's front discs, so we seem to have gone backwards in this respect.