dutchie01

If you take German manufacturers off your wishlist as well as French and Italian only Japan and Korea remain. How about Infinity? or Genesis ( not sure if available where you live). And what about Kia? the Stinger?. If you lease quality is not such an issue as all faults will be restored and not on your cost. If you buy private depreciation comes in play and as always the rules of supply and demand. Lots of people want a MINI so you can sellit off easily at a good price. But an RC300H is so low in demand that it will be a challenge to resell. Depreciation will be big. If i would buy private i would never buy a new car let someone else take the hit. Why not look for a good 5 year old with warranty. If you choose wisely it could be a cost effective route to motoring. Jaguar XJ/XF ? or Volvo S90? and what about a 5 yr old LEXUS GS450H/300h/250 as private buy??

Love your expression Cris, The best alternative to Lexus is Lexus. Now say it with a deep dark whisky voice in slow speak. The Best Alternative To Lexus Is Lexus. I think you just found the new company slogan!

Interesting development regarding the buildquality (or lack of) of TESLA, which has been discussed on this thread. In the Dutch press yesterday. "disappointed Tesla owners taking Tesla to court". 2 owners started a foundation called Tesla Claim then made a pressrealease and 3 days later already 118 other owners joined the bandwagon. They are reporting inferior buildquality resulting in ; bumpers falling off, doorhandles not working, engines needing replacement, 90kwh engines only having 78kwh after measuring, driveshafts breaking, autopilot causing emergency stop at highway, and so on. They are currently putting all issues together and it is expected more owners will join. To me this means Tesla is mainstream. The Tesla earlyadapters/fanboys were accepting everything. The new customers coming from other brands dont. Welcome to reality.

To meet the 2030 climate goal it is calculated there should be 1.9 million EV's on the road. To make this possible 1.7 million charging points are needed. The installation as mentioned above is working towards this goal in 2030 ( only 9 yrs..). The 30 million is a contribution from the government to kickstart the project which is now in progress. The remainder of the funds will have to come fom third parties through tenders. Whatever it means it means but i am already able to drive an EV for company use. It will bring me where i want within the country and i dont even have to plan the route knowing there are already chargingstations enough.

In the Netherlands at the moment 50.000 EV charging points of which some 2000 high speed chargers. In June this year the government announced the automotive climate plan which is an investment of 30 million euro in expansion of charging points alone. starting 2021 there will be 75.000 extra chargers and from 2025 this will go to 200.000 more chargers per year. Most will go to inner cities or streets where people now have no possibillity to charge. Streetlamps will be fitted with EV points.

And now for the next test. Driving this thing in the centre of Amsterdam with countless bikes coming from all directions, 1000 pedestrians just walking about and absolutely nobody sticking to any rules whatsoever. I predict the hardware will melt within 10 minutes!

66 K euro means there is a LOT of choice. from 5 series to E class to A6.. From Audi Etron Quattro to Tesla to Evoque to Discovery to Velar and so on. I personally feel that price brings the ES into a segment it cannot compete with. It is just too much money for the car. With the IS disappearing in Europe the ES will fill that gap so i expect pricing to float to that level soon.

No worries David i expect you can run your beloved fuel burners for many years to come as long as you stear clear of city centres. Like you say Covid has accelerated this development. Temporay bike lanes that were started in the first lockdown are beeing made definite. In more and more city centres you are only allowed to enter with a full EV and several cities are transforming complete blocks into pedestrian zones. I guess in 15 years time a V8 will be a hobby like horseriding now!

To put things in perspective here. The automotive market is going through the biggest change in 70 years. The Co2 regulations have pushed manufacturers into hybrid and full UV development at a pace nobody thought possible. As a result the market will look dramatically different in 12 months time. For the manufacturers depending on EU sales there is only one way forward ... EV. Tesla has been pioneering this development since 2007 and turned into a carmanufacturer from beeing a software developer. The green movement caused governments to provide subsidies and tax benefits and the company car market was driven by this so Tesla ruled some markets. They pioneered with the chargers in the first years even given power for free. The Tesla network is still big benefit but in some countries this is already leveling out as chargers are appearing all over the place. Tesla still has an enormous advantage and i dont think they can be compared to Lexus at all, beeing a niche manufacturer. Tesla is now mainstream. In the netherlands Lexus sold a meagre 1039 cars last year and Tesla?... 30943. All manufacturers are rolling out EVs at an ever increasing pace. The VAG group invests 28 BILLION pounds in EV development and another 23 BILLION in hybrid technology. BMW want 25% of sales to be full EV in 2025. Mercedes is investing 10 BILLION in the EQ range alone and will offer 50 EV cars in 2022. And Lexus??? Toyota is a big powerhouse that is known for its conservatism. They seem to move from hybrid to plug ins and maybe in some years will have EVs. In the rest of the world EV is not such a big topic and i would not be surprised if Lexus would pull out of the European market in some years time all together.

What i will go for? AUDI Q4 E-TRON. just have a look at the Audi website.

sorry just realized you have the 200t but it does not change my view

Hi Linas, I find this story quite shocking. Wrecking pads and discs within 3000 miles and that on a hybrid?? What is the average mileage on discs or pads when dealers replace them? will all be logged. The Dealer should deal with this issue in a reasonable, honest and decent way and i just cannot find any argument that will justify rejecting this complaint. Trackdays.. Really? with a 300H?? I would walk into the office of the branch manager on mondaymorning with all invoices, papers etc and tell him you expect a solution to this nonsense. Dont go the paper route, take it personally!

I think the UX is way too expensive and the battery is too small with 54 kwh. I dont expect it to sell well at all.

Until now Teslas are selling because of fiscal stimulation of governments. In Norway and The Netherlands the model 3 was the best selling vehicle last year and guess why? Companycar drivers not having to pay tax or just a symbolic price. Cars were ordered from the website without testdrive. The Saloon car segment is truly dead as everybody wants a crossover or SUV. And the model 3 is the best seller... One only has to look to countries where Governments dont stimulate EV ownership like France, Spain to see that Tesla is nowhere to be seen. However, the EV market is heating up by the week with new models beeing pumped out to the market. The German 3 are coming on steam and that is a big threat to Tesla that until now beats them with their charging network and range. But for how long? I live in the Rotterdam area and to my surprise the council was replacing a lamppost in front of my house with a new one containig two EV charging points. a sticker was explaning all. The only thing lacking now is a Lexus EV ... ( or plug in but then the battery needs to be strong enough maybe the RAV4 Prime drivetrain?)

I am not familiar with todays Mercedes automobiles but maybe the dealer ( i take it a 19 car will be inspected by an official mercedes benz dealer) is correct. It could well be that all mercedes convertible models have doors that rattle a lot. Could well be within tolerance, why not. Last time i visited a merc dealership it was full with taxidrivers or criminals so nothing surprises me really..

Every one to its own.. I found the IS a wonderfully relaxed cruiser on the motorway but i guess it depends what you want from a car. When compared to a big diesel engine yes you will have instant torque without even downshifting when overtaking. Floor the throttle in the IS and we know what happens. The art is to NOT floor the throttle but adapt your drivingstyle, you cant hoon this car around. And on the roundabout? well i had a BMW 3 series with the 2 ltr 4 turbo and 8 speed autobox. Slowly creeping on the roundabout then flooring it as there is a hole was just not possible. From almost idle the turbo has to spool up then the automatic starts to look for the right gear and only then there is power. The lag can be so big the opportunity is gone so next time you look for more room to enter the roundabout. But hey, if you dont like an IS why buy it?

Great find, but.... No more Saabs?

This sounds like the legal department overruled the marketing department and bypassed the salesdepartment whilst side lining the after sales department. Lawyers talk. IF the unthinkable happens in the states toyota will have to fork out 100 million or so.....

Finally! i must have been looking for it for over 20 times last months gave up in the end. gold again! Potholeman 3000 haha

commercial for razer blades?

Didnt know it was that bad. The more powerful versions are pretty complicated machines i would never buy privately or drive without warranty. 4 cylinder petrol with turbocharger and supercharger connected to plug in EV. and some 400hp. nice when new but after 6 years?

AWD will eliminate the pulling sensation on the front wheels and torque steer. It is a more relaxed feeling and if no RWD available it can feel better than FWD. It adds weight however and the limited power of the car does not need it. ( and im not sure if it is full AWD or and assist system that adds power to the rear wheels in case of slip). anyway, its a personal choice ( except when living in Switzerland !)

I am currently driving a Volvo V60 T5 and before that drove an XC40 for a couple of months until i parked it on its roof on the highway.... All cliches are true, Volvos are very safe cars indeed! Good cars and full of kit but it aint a Lexus. Volvos are a bit rough, agricultural. heavy feeling cars and especially the new Geely cars are not without faults. For me Lexus is smoother, better finished and put together, higher quality materials and somehow has a more emotional appeal. I never sit in my Volvo admiring the interior or the way the glovebox opens and closes ( a bit nerdy but no joke!). I never look back when walking away and although the Volvo is a safe practical car i just dont feel attached to it. So, in that aspect Vince i do understand you!.

I have owned some 20 cars so far and i would have no clue whatsoever of the number of reverse or fog lights. I do remember the power ( or lack of), The way the brakes worked, or not. The steeringfeel ,or lack of. The color, leather or not and sometimes even the music i played or the person that was in the car with me at that time of my life. But the number of reverse lights?