DanD

So, after one year, what are your likes and dislikes?

I ran a 400h for over 3 years and a 450h for over 1 year. I would say that the difference in running costs is not important enough to worry about. The two deciding factors would be resale value and also the fact that things are more likely to go wrong with an older car. From a consumption perspective I use to average 28mpg in the 400h, and now 31mpg in the 450h (mine is pre-facelift model and I believe that the post-2012 cars - with DRLs - are a little better), so not much difference. I am not too sure how people manage to attain lofty figures like 37mpg, but I would argue that my driving style is pretty much representative of the average driver. While I don't have a very heavy foot, I put enjoyment before economy. I would recommend buying from a dealer: they offer a cast iron warranty that should take care of any problem during the first year of ownership. Like others on this forum, I have had very few issues with both cars, and all were sorted under warranty. You may also want to consider an extended warranty - again from the dealer (there are several threads on this) and remember that servicing costs at a main dealer is cheaper for cars over 5 years old. To put things into context, both RX have been cheaper to run than my previous Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 due to breakdowns, less than accommodating dealers and flaky warranty. I'd say go and test drive both cars and make sure you can fit baby seats and buggies in!

Hmmm... you ought to take it back... the steering wheel's upside down! :-) Seriously though, nice car.

Personally I am a bit wary of auctions, but I work in Risk Management... so what do you expect!? I came across an app called Vehicle Smart recently, which you might find useful. Once you have downloaded and installed the app (IOS or Android), all you do is enter the vehicle registration number and make and it pulls out some useful info such as a car full MOT history, including past failures and advisories.

I agree that is sounds like the battery. Shouldn't be expensive though... just the cost of a replacement battery. I would get it changed soon though, as the colder weather will shorten whatever life it has left in it!

And switching your rear fog lights too. There are a few endless threads discussing reversing lights on the RX... do a search and sit comfortably...

Have you checked the manual for FAQs? - You might be lucky and find that it is something simple that you can sort out yourself. I know it's a long shot but... fingers crossed...

Does not look shabby at all. Actually, I have always thought that this colour suits the "old" IS best

I will stay with Lexus. I know the cars are not perfect, but the comfort, quality and Lexus customer experience more than compensates for that in my opinion. I also like the fact that the cars are less common than their German competitors. After 2 RX, I will move to an NX as I no longer need the larger car, and although I love the new RX I find it a bit too big. I will also consider replacing our second car with a CT and join the two-Lexus household club! EDIT I would go for NX Premier, Sonic White (pearlescent), with panoramic roof and saddle tan interior, but would change the wheels to the Sport's of F-Sport's as I don't like the ones currently fitted to the Premier.

I am only going by the date of the post your provided the link to...

No exhaust tips... but it looks to me that the rear fog lamp has migrated down to within the bumper: compare the silver inserts on both sides, and the one on the left appears to be red.

It's a shame Lexus has not thought of downloading the manual to the car so you can access it from a menu within the ICE/SatNav system

The recall you are referring to is 2015.

Very tempting indeed, although I think that my next car will be an NX rather than another RX as I no longer need the extra space.

With regards to the air suspension, are you sure your car has it? - Only the SE-L variant has air suspension...

Can you please provide additional info with reference to the recall you are referring to? What model(s)? How did you find out about it? etc... Any info gratefully received!

Yes, thank you. All sorted with minimum fuss. The only hardship is that I had to drive a new RX450h Premier for two days. :-)

£1000 excess!? Had a brand new RX450h Premier for a couple of days while my own was at the dealers and the excess was £250! I think you should ask for some accessories - mats, cargo nets - as compensation for the hassle...

I too would pick the GS, because it is larger and better equipped. It is also quieter and the suspension is more forgiving than that of the IS. Also, it has a much bigger satnav screen. On the other hand, the image of the GS, in particular the pre-facelift model you are looking at, is far less trendy than the IS and the looks rather bland. Great car to travel in though. There are far fewer GS on the road than there are IS. Most probably because it is harder for the car to compete against the BMW 5 series and the Audi 6s that it is for the IS to compete against the BMW 3 series and the Audi A4.

You also need to consider implications on warranty and insurance.

Bluetooth works fine for telephone calls, but I have never managed to use it to listen to music from an Android phone... and I have tried various ones. If someone has managed to get this to work, I'd be glad to hear from them. It may work with Apple devices... Can't comment on that one.

I like it. Besides, it should be great for catching pheasants and pigeons.

A lot of focus is placed on fuel consumption, but you really need to put it in context and work out the difference in cost over a whole year, bearing in mind the difference in price between unleaded and diesel and cost (and frequency) of servicing. Unless you do a lot of miles, you might find that the difference is not really worth worrying about and is compensated by the refinement provided by the Lexus.

The SE-I model does not have a hard drive... you need to aim for the SE-L/Premier. There is a USB port which works with iPods/iPhones, although I have not managed to get it to work with Android devices.

I had the use of a new RX450h Premier again last week, while my own car was in for some warranty work (radio unit being replaced). With the evenings drawing in, I had the opportunity to drive the car at night over 45 miles of B-roads across country. I was blown away. I had been impressed previously by the Auto High Beam function available on some Lexus models, which automatically and efficiently manages the switch between low and high beam, but the Adaptive High beam System in the new RX is something else and is just outstanding. The system does not just automatically switch from low to high and high to low beam, but provides various degrees of lighting in between, varying the intensity and range of each of the 3 pairs of LEDs depending on traffic and road conditions to optimize visibility. As you follow another vehicle on a dark country road, you can see the range of the lighting stretch all the way to the car in front and also expand sideways, without switching to full beam. As you get closer, the beam retracts accordingly. If another car comes towards you, you can see the beam from the right-hand side reshape itself so as to not blind the oncoming driver. And of course, when the car does switch to full beam, the level of brightness is just incredible with a very long reach both in front and sideways. It is just like driving in daylight. While the system does not provide swivelling headlights as of old, it has small, but very bright LED cornering lights imbedded in the bumper, next to the fog lamps. They are so small, you barely notice them when looking at the car, however whenever you drive around a corner or switch the indicators on, they brightly illuminate the road at a 75 degree angle far better than the old AFS system. In all, this new system makes driving at night a lot more relaxing and far less tiring.