paulrnx

👍 I remember that well! 😀 Mine was Hillman Hunters and Fiestas mainly. The points would close up very quickly and it would be a regular task to reset them.

Done a number of European road trips in the past. This year we were going to do the North Coast 500 in Scotland but have now decided to do a complete tour round the coast of Wales. Three stopovers planned, each of two nights. Can’t wait, should be great. In September to avoid the busy school holiday period. Hotels booked. Hoping we’ll be able to go what with Covid.

Thanks. By drawing an analogy with Betamax I meant it in terms of it being the one that was expected to be adopted but something else won the day for other reasons.

Thanks 👍 I think my expectations, based on what I’d read in this part of the forum, were low and I expected it to be poor. I think what I then experienced was a feeling of it being much better than I expected. I’d happily find a way to live with a UX because it’s a genuinely fun car to drive. As great as my NX is it is not a fun car for me. That said, I’m keeping mine anyway. Whether we get a UX250H for my wife in the future is probably the more likely scenario.

Difficult

Good luck, hope you get it resolved!

Lexus hybrid engines are in a fairly low state of tune and this, together with the brain of the car deciding never to rev the engine beyond certain limits, means that the engines are never stressed. Pretty sure this has something to do with how clean the oil stays. I agree though, the oil always looks in good nick.

There is every chance that EVs turn out to be another Betamax scenario. They are just one of the options. There is every chance that Hydrogen fuel cell or synthetic fuels become the future. EVs might then only be a stopgap solution. Looking at used EV values and GFVs on PCP agreements, the trade would appear to lack confidence in the future value of EVs. This may have something to do with the batteries or it may be down to other things. I do have a feeling that the motor industry is struggling to sell every EV it makes. I might be wrong but there does appear to be a lot of cars that are immediately available.

I tend to agree. Negativity or reluctance means the same in this particular context. There’ll also be many people that will never want to drive an EV due to the added complexity of the whole range, charging points, charging process, operation perspective. There are plenty of people who have zero interest in cars and only see them as a means of getting from A to B and barely want to stop to put fuel in every now and then. Planning journeys around charging points and unplugging the car outside before every journey and plugging it back in at home after a journey will never be acceptable to people like this. Early adopters of tech will love them. People who are not into tech and just want basic things will not love them and may well view them as a pain.

Cheers. Lexus Cheltenham has a Hunter setup so I’m happy for them to do it.

I just can’t see it being the case on the Atkinson cycle engines used in the hybrids though. Might be wrong but they are in such a low state of tune. I’m sure they would be in the non hybrids.

None of this is quoted from the internet, it is what I’ve read in car magazines and hopefully correctly remembered so go easy on me if not 😀

The difference between E5 and E10 is only the amount of bio-ethanol in the fuel. 5% or 10%. Octane ratings should be the same when comparing like for like fuels, eg standard Shell unleaded E5 or E10 should have the same octane rating.

I think there is no difference in the octane rating between E5 and E10 fuel. They’ll each be available in 95, 98 or 99 octane. Or at least theoretically they can be. If comparing say E10 95 RON fuel with E5 98 RON fuel, there will be a difference in octane rating. Supermarket 99 RON fuel is 95 RON fuel with some additives added to increase the octane (RON) rating. With the exception of Lexus cars like the ISF, GSF, RCF, LC500, etc, I don’t think there will be any benefit in performance from filling up with higher octane fuel. It only benefits engines where the ecu is capable of continually adjusting the mapping to allow the engine to take advantage of the higher octane fuel being much more resistant to knocking/pinking. With higher octane fuels it’s possible to run more advanced timing than with lower octane fuel which adds performance. All Lexus hybrids have one goal in common - to eke out as many miles as possible from a gallon of fuel. They are not designed to give as much performance as possible. I’ve had quite a few reasonably quick cars and there was a noticeable difference between 98/99 and 95 RON fuel on these. Not seen it any Lexus hybrid I’ve had though. In fact I’m pretty sure that the ICE runs rougher on 98/99 fuel than it does on 95. I’ve noticed this in all four hybrids I’ve owned and I’ve noticed it enough to make me think this is the case. Impossible to do a back to back test but it does feel this way. There are other claimed benefits for fuels such as BP Ultimate, Shell V-Power, etc, in terms of the additives they put in keeping engine combustion areas much cleaner. Some independent bodies have done some research to back this up. I’ve just never felt it was worth doing in a Lexus hybrid and each time I did try it it felt worse rather than better. I might well try some Millers or similar on my NX300 because it did only do 18k miles in its first 4 1/2 years. Might be worth it. It would be hard to quantify mind so maybe more a peace of mind thing perhaps? That said, touch wood, there appears to be nothing wrong with mine.

Had a free wheel alignment check last Friday and no adjustment required, all in tolerance. I asked for it to be done as part of the service and having four new tyres fitted at the same time.

Yeah agreed. It’s called brake hold for a reason- it holds the brakes on. So, just like sitting there with you foot on the pedal is the same as sitting there with brake hold on. I don’t find it that helpful when manoeuvring mind.

I feel exactly the same about the C-HR 👍

Some good finance deals on offer by the sound of it. Don’t forget the total cost to pay though. This often gets hidden amongst the “same monthly payments” highlight. Many won’t be bothered but it’s always worth bearing in mind.

A very nice looking car!

Yes I think so too. A great combination.

All good thanks John. All went well at Lexus Cheltenham as it always seems to do for servicing. Parking is a bit difficult at times mind. Had all four tyres replaced at the same time. Fronts were down to 2mm and all four tyres being nearly 6 years old were way past their best and I’d eked them out a little. Did a Blackcircles fitted quote on-line (£499) and asked the dealership to match which they did. Now have Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 all round and the difference is astonishing. New tyres always feel good but there is night and day difference in terms of road noise between these and the OE fit Yokohamas that came off. Had the tracking checked but no adjustment was required. MOT also done and no advisories. And of course the hybrid healthcheck. One amusing thing was when ringing up to book in. I was mistakenly quoted £525 instead of £625. They honoured the £525 figure without any pressure from me. All in all a pleasurable experience and I got to drive around in an almost brand new UX for just over a day which I really enjoyed. Parted with a lot of money for the service, tyres and MOT but this has to be set against the fact that the tyres will last a long time and I’ve got the big one out of the way. For those wondering about what documentation you get for the Relax warranty. It is a line item on the service invoice stating you now have a 12 month Relax warranty from date of service. Yes it’s slightly inferior cover compared to the extended warranty (which expires on mine later in July) but I don’t care. I was looking to have to pay a further £795 for two years extended warranty but I can now have the free Relax warranty instead. I had been questioning the wisdom of paying for a warranty so to get one for free is quite something I think. I’ve drivelled on a bit. All good, a happy customer and one who is happy to stay in the Lexus fold.

No experience of any rattles or creaks from a current UX loan car I have. It feels every bit as tight and quiet as any other Lexus I’ve ever driven.

My NX wasn’t ready last night so I collect it this morning. Fine by me, I get to drive the UX for an extra period of time 😀

The bag goes in first with the club heads in towards the corner behind the seats with the base of the bag just clear of the tailgate. The trolley then goes into the large space between the club heads and the tailgate. The trolley just clears the parcel shelf, just. Then there is room left for my shoes. My IS and a previous Jaguar XF were better but it does all fit in my NX.

I’ve had a UX250H as a loan car today whilst my NX300H has been in for a service and MOT. I’m so impressed with the UX. It feels like a quality car to drive, so much nicer than a CT. It goes very well and the powertrain is so much more responsive than an IS300H and an NX300H with a much more linear relationship between throttle and get up and go. No rattles, doors feel solid, and it all feels nice. Comfortable seats. Quiet, refined and a very nice place to spend time. I’ve been exploring the performance on offer and yet still recorded 52 mpg. I love it in fact. A surprising amount of performance from a 4 cylinder Lexus hybrid and the best I’ve experienced this side of a GS450H. Downsides? The centre console feels a bit hard against the outside of my left knee. There is no padding or soft feel materials here. I also can’t get my golf clubs and trolley in the boot without dropping one of the rear seats. The latter is probably a deal breaker for me because it means my clubs would always be on display. As has been said by many, the boot is quite poor. What a great car though and a genuine small Lexus. I can see why so many are buying them. The spec of the one I’m driving is, I think, a standard car with the premium pack. It has blind spot monitoring, premium nav and leather. Some gorgeous 18” wheels too, at least I think they are 18”. Didn’t have my glasses so couldn’t read the small numbers on the sidewalls. Bridgestone tyres and they are runflats and the ride is fine, absolutely fine, and I can be quite critical of that in cars. Above all else, it is a fun car to drive around in. Seemingly endless grip and it goes very well. An idea is forming to swap NX for UX with my wife driving the UX. I then buy something with a V8 under the bonnet. Had two and want to scratch that itch again. Watch this space! The UX is a cracking car in my opinion. If you can manage the smaller boot then it’s a very fine car.