Spacewagon52

I drive in both camps - saloon and SUV. The two BIG advantages of an SUV is the high driving position and the practicality for moving various loads when you have a family. For a retired couple a saloon makes sense. If you have a largish dog then an SUV type vehicle is essential. No way would I let my Labrador get into the back of my LS 400 even if the back seats were covered in hard plastic! Choice of cars for, lets call us, "car enthusiasts" is much more than just practicality. Style, comfort, power, design all play a part in our car choices. Peeps on this site are very discerning customers. However, practicality has to come into the mix for everyone - including the run to the local refuse re-cycling centre. My father always bought cars with a large boot - very few SUV's to speak of in the 1960's - because we had camping holidays. He did not like estate cars because he felt they were too noisy and you had to cover anything valuable in the back - I don't remember retractable covers for estate cars back then? The bottom line is that our choices are personal but also to some extent a compromise, especially on cost. The answer is a large practical car that gives excellent mpg, has a large gutsy engine, comfortable ride, and lots of toys for people who want them.............. what fits that bill? RX 450h ?

Garages are sometimes very reluctant to fit a new battery if the screw is worn. If they mess up the key, they are then liable to supply you with a new one. Lexus have refused to replace my battery and I believe that to be the reason. I just use the lock, not as convenient but nothing that I can't live with on both my cars.

A very good choice as you know the history! ENJOY!

I prefer low mileage Lexus cars. Less wear on ALL components. Just my opinion but my THREE examples confirm my position. Having said that, look at condition FIRST and service history. A lower mileage car does not necessarily mean a well looked after car. V8orbust has a car for sale with a higher mileage but it has been very well maintained. Mileage on these Lexus cars is not everything ..... it is how well they have been looked after. Even a low mileage example can be rough. Look first at the overall condition, number of owners, mileage, service history and then decide.

Yes go to Lexus if you need a new battery. Cost is very reasonable - well it used to be! Get a quote

Is that the car on AutoTrader for £7500?

Regarding the central locking. Does the central locking work by turning the key in the driver's door lock? If the fob battery is dead the central locking will still work on the door lock. If not, then as Herbs suggested, it may need programming or simply a blown fuse. I very much doubt all the solenoids have blown - like my father-in-law's Citroen !

Wow! What a find! Did it mention this in the handbook? Love the colour combination .............. drooling with envy! ENJOY!

Eliminate the battery as a cause first. Can you put another battery on temporarily to see if it makes any difference?

Wow! Thank you Peter! A response from you Linas? Can I help? "Sorry I was mistaken, I did not understand what average means."

As Dell Boy would say, "You know it makes sense!"

I think we now agree Linus! Though you have not redacted your dubious statistic of average motorway speed! However, I think we are closer to a concurrence!

It does look like a case of owners testing out the cars software for Tesla. If you buy a Tesla I would highly recommend READING THE MANUAL!

The Toyota wins for me, even though I am a little nervous about hydrogen. My science lecturer mixed pure oxygen and hydrogen in a small plastic bag, then ignited it. The noise from the explosion was terrifying! I predict the hydrogen fuel cell will be the one to replace diesels for long distance travel - vans especially. It would be interesting to know the costs in producing each car - i.e. fuel cell vs large battery? That will be the main factor for how successful the fuel cell will become. Even if the hydrogen powered car costs more to run, it will be down to the initial price of the vehicle I feel. What make of hydrogen car does the Met police run? Toyota ?

Excellent result!

You have made some very valid points regarding the difference in engine efficiency, which I must be honest I had not taken into consideration. I presume you mean that the CVT gearbox is far more efficient than the 5 speed one on my RX 300. It has been stated on here that the 2.5 litre engine, used in the 300h, is an older design and hence why the more modern 3.5 litre hybrid can come close to its mpg as a hybrid. I concur with you Linas that hybrids are far more efficient in town driving compared with ICE cars. However, I am reluctant to concede that they are totally inefficient at Britain's motorway legal limit. I challenge your statistic that the AVERAGE speed on a motorway is 82 mph! Sorry Linas but you are not getting away with that one! Our differences on this subject are small but I can't let you get away scot-free with dubious and inaccurate statistics! I rest my case M'Lud!

Very interesting. What is the availability of hydrogen in Holland?

Those two reading were done tank to tank John but your warning about over optimistic computers is duly noted!

The "BEST" mpg I have had on a long motorway run in my RX 300 was 28 mpg In the 400h I achieved 36 mpg. With lockdown my experience with the hybrid is limited but I found it more economical on a long run than a straight 3.0 litre RX. What does surprise me is that NX 300h owners do not seem to get much better mpg than RX 450h owners - 2.5 litre vs 3.5 litre?.

Quote:Instead of "hybrids are only good for cities and lower speeds" I probably should have said "hybrids only excel/are most beneficial at cities and lower speeds". Does that make it better? I am not sure that is the case, it is complicated and hard to generalize, but from, I admit, my limited hybrid experience, they are still more economical than a petrol at "reasonable" motorway speeds. Sorry, have you owned a hybrid Linas? Are you speaking from experience or statistics?

Quote:The reality is that hybrids are only good for cities and lower speeds (under 65MPH ~100km/h). Anything above that and they become just heavy petrol cars with a baggage of batteries in the back. I am afraid I have to disagree with you sir! Provided you are not driving in excess over 70 mph, the consumption of my hybrid is a very reasonable 36 mpg. The faster you go over 65 mph then the fuel consumption will dip and probably significantly more in a hybrid for the reasons you gave. I do not consider a hybrid to be just a town car.

If you drive like a Formula One driver, you must expect Formula 1 consumption! There are threads on here that explain the driving technique for a hybrid. I did a short 5 mile journey on A roads the other day, with cruise set at 50 mph. At the end of the short journey the computer stated 44 mpg - but I do not get anywhere near that on my normal journeys. Whenever you brake in a normal ICE car you are wasting fuel/energy. However, with a hybrid you are getting some of that wasted energy put back into the battery. The battery then supplements the ICE. With a very careful right foot in town you can run on electric only. My 400h is probably the least efficient hybrid Lexus have made but compared to the consumption of my RX 300 the hybrid gives far better mpg. The driving technique for good mpg in a hybrid is only slightly different from a normal ICE for good economy. The difference is that you tend to WANT to drive it economically. It suits the engine and the gearbox. Thrashing a hybrid makes the CVT gearbox whine loudly and that is probably why people complain about the CVT box. I think the CVT box is wonderfully smooth with no detectable gear changes. Try your NX at 70 mph on cruise and then at 50 mph and you will see the obvious difference. If you are concerned about mpg then adjust your driving style to the hybrid method, it will not adjust itself to you! Let us know how you get on. The engineering on these cars is amazing!

Photos are always welcome - congratulations! You went to Manchester to buy it?

There are much cheaper options. These are tailored to fit the vehicle and good value. I bought the heavy du https://www.carmats4u.com/tailored-car-mats/lexus-car-mats.htmlty rubber set for my RX 400h

Brilliant!