diarmaid

32 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

Apologies for hijacking your thread, but as someone who is expecting their Stinger to arrive soon, I was wondering if you could elaborate your thought of it?  Thanks.

It was a great car. Best looking car I ever had - and I’ve had a lot. Mine was a 2018 car - the 2.2 diesel. The engine was ok but not great. The V6 suits it much better. It has all the equipment you could ask for and rides very well although not the quietest car.  There was a rattle from the sunroof which was very common. I’m sure Kia have sorted it by now. Other than that you couldn’t fault it.  

No Genesis here yet. Had a Stinger before. Great car but discontinued here. 

Yes, it is a pity. It pretty much rules it out for me.  

Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments. I had a good test drive today. I thought it drove very well and looked great. Also the Pioneer system seemed fine if a little too front biased. The infotainment system wasn't a patch on the iDrive in terms of ease of use but it was ok and I'd say you'd get used to it. But there was one thing that has put me off - the driver's seat was far too high for me even at the lowest position. My head was close to the roof and I was looking through the top of the windscreen. I'm 6'3'' and I like to sit low. I just don't think I could get used to that driving position unfortunately. Everything else was good.

Getting a test drive tomorrow in a Dynamic version in Sonic Platinum - a new colour for the facelift. It only had the Pioneer stereo so I’ll be sure to give it a good checking over and report back!

Thank you for that most comprehensive reply. Unfortunately the only way to get the ML here in Ireland is by buying the Premium spec version which is €13k more than the Dynamic. I want the MK for sure, but not that badly!

Thanks for all the helpful comments and info. I must say I’m very tempted. 

22 minutes ago, PDM said:

Not an ES driver (RX and NX) but just to say that if you want great audio you should consider the Mark Levinson system. The audio quality is excellent.  Perhaps compare the ML and non ML systems at your dealer?

Paul

The ML isn’t an option unfortunately.  

Thank you for your reply. I do remember that my GS was a lot of fun and very fast but that economy wasn’t its strongpoint!

13 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Why are you thinking of changing from the BMW Diarmaid ?

I have a 530e and unlike previous diesel 5s that I had, I find the ride in this one on bad surfaces very hard. I think they stiffened the rear shocks to handle the Battery. Also the boot is small. The electric range is about 20 miles, once that runs out you’re using the petrol only and it’s quite heavy on it - due to the extra weight of the Battery I suppose. In many ways, particularly the whole iDrive system, it’s very good. 
I like the look of the ES and I heard that the ride is very quiet and smooth.  Unfortunately I don’t have an opportunity to drive one at present.  

I’m thinking of changing from my 5 Series to a new ES300h in January. I have a couple of questions I’d really appreciate help with:

1. Is the Pioneer stereo any good? I’ve read about problems with no sound coming from the rear. 
2. Is there adequate overtaking power?

3. How economical is it? I had a GS450h years ago which was good fun but not economical. Does it immediately go over to petrol as soon as you go above 10mph?

4. How is the multimedia system to use - usb and Spotify in particular? I assume you can split the screen and have a map and music info showing at the same time and that music artwork is displayed?

many thanks in advance!

While sitting still in traffic with engine well warmed up, I hear an intermittent buzzing noise coming from somewhere in front of me. It's not a rattle. It sounds electronic. Comes and goes every few minutes. Any ideas?

I believe it can be done by going into settings using the buttons on the right of the steering wheel and then scrolling down to meter settings. There you can select what is shown on the small info screen in front of you.

I have a 6 mile trip to work every morning. I have been getting about 26-27 mpg on each occasion. The temperature has been cold 1-2 degrees and the seat heater has been on. Is that mpg what is to be expected or is that bad?

Does anyone know how to get the trip computer to display data from start of trip? My screen shows Mpg from reset and also Mpg from refill. How do you get it to show Mpg/time elapsed/distance travelled, since starting vehicle?
Thanks.

I'll have to work on that!

My voice command doesn't seem to understand a thing I say - when I say 'radio' it starts calling my brother's phone! Do other people find it works well?

15 hours ago, Ten Ninety said:

I doubt you're doing anything wrong with the auto high-beam. It's fundamentally flawed technology, answering a question nobody was really asking and managing to get the wrong answer anyway. A human driver sees the 'glow' of approaching lights and dips their beams before the car comes into view, to avoid dazzle. The computer has to wait until its camera 'sees' the actual oncoming lights, by which time you've already subjected the other driver to your own high beam. Before I'd got the GS, I'd noticed an annoying trend for oncoming vehicles being 'slow' to dip their lights or not dipping at all. I'd put that down to an increase in general inconsiderate behaviour, but I now suspect it might be more to do with this useless 'feature' being fitted to more cars. 

In my experience, the system in the GS doesn't even manage to work as 'well' as that flawed theory. It actually fails to dip at all in about 10% of cases, yet also has a wonderful habit of dipping unexpectedly for no apparent reason whatsoever which can be entertaining on an unlit, unfamiliar corner. In that respect, it's not unlike the equally hopeless auto wipers which routinely fail to come on until the windscreen is completely obscured by rain yet also regularly manage to turn themselves on randomly to squeak across a bone-dry expanse of glass.

The GS is in many respects a magnificent car and one which I enjoy owning immensely. However, one suspects that all the technology R&D went into the hybrid drivetrain and not into the driver aids, sat-nav or connectivity! 

I agree!

1 hour ago, NemesisUK said:

What do you like about the car?

The exterior, paint finish, 19'' rims, interior with the dark rose leather, the driver's seat is ultra comfy, the stereo is excellent, the adaptive cruise.

Also the heated seats aren't that hot are they? The cabin heater isn't too hot either.

Cheers. I think the system is working but I don't like to think I'm causing a nuisance on the road!

On 18/11/2016 at 5:11 PM, rayaans said:

 

On 18/11/2016 at 5:11 PM, rayaans said:

1) Yes it can be muted. Go on setup > Navigation and it should be there

2) No, the music won't mute or quieten when the voice guidance is being played.

3) No setting for that either

Thank you. Coming from a Merc, I have to say there is a certain lack of logic to the Lexus set-up. Maybe the Germans just pay more heed to the small details.

Was driving in the dark a tonight. Had the headlights on with Adaptive High-beam System. Several cars flashed me. I thought this system was meant to ensure that other drivers were not blinded. Am I doing something wrong?

The ambient lighting under the door trim strips is almost invisible - is there a way to turn it up? I have the dash lighting at max.

Thank you!

I have a couple of question re my new GS300h - would be very grateful for any help!

1. How do you mute the navigation voice guidance?

2. If you're listening to music and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that mutes the music so that you can hear the guidance?

3. If you're on a phonecall and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that stops her giving guidance while you're on the phone?

Many thanks.

Thanks - but what do you mean?