First_Lexus

The The. Genius then. Still genius now.

Don’t get me started! Not just the monarchy, but the various religious organisations too. Lots of pontificating (no pun intended) about the poor and how society could be improved while sitting on billions of pounds/dollars/euros of assets that would go a long way to solving the very problems they say they’re so concerned about! Politicians are generally self-serving wherever they are as well, look at the EU-Qatar corruption scandal or the secondary earnings scandal just breaking in the UK. Leader of the LibDems with a private company for additional earnings in order to avoid tax, Labour politicians with huge payments from Trade Unions and Conservatives with inherited wealth or lucrative second jobs. The establishment - whether that be the monarchy, the ruling class, a military dictator or junta, big business, organised religion - will always look after itself. It will never change. Even revolution generally ends badly as one ruling class is simply replaced by a new one, eager to profit from power. I find it easier now just to ignore the news. It’s better for my blood pressure!

They were talking on the radio just this morning that there’s an initial proposal (at the drawing board stage) for people in certain cities to give up their driving licences and, if they do, they’d receive free public transport within their city…but as was pointed out, that doesn’t resolve their issue when they want or need to travel further afield and then they couldn’t even hire a car! I’m sure schemes like that will come eventually though, in one form or another.

To be fair, when I moved house in 2021 I looked at a few new builds and ended up buying one. All the ones I saw had proper EV chargers, and the one I eventually moved into has a PodPoint installed. My development is only 18 houses. All have a PodPoint and there is also one for visitor use at one end of the cul-de-sac. That’s pretty impressive imho, but still doesn’t solve the problem of charging when away from home given the (generally) restricted ranges of EVs when used at motorway speeds especially in Winter, or when competing longer journeys.

I registered to hear about the Subaru Soltarra a few months ago (the Subaru version of the Lexus RZ). They’ve been chasing me for a test drive, but I’ve declined as I don’t think an EV will suit me at the moment, mainly because I have a regular 200+ mile journey and have no confidence in a) public charging if needed and b) real life range at motorway speeds in Winter. Both of these issues are well known and accepted, and yet there are those - including on this forum - who claim there are “no compromises” in EV ownership. Sigh… Anyway, I’ve told Subaru I’m not interested, and they offered a substantial discount on list price. To me that can indicate only one thing…they can’t sell them. Likely for the same reasons I’m not interested. Anybody listening to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 yesterday would run a mile as Giles Coren and then Helen Skelton outlined their nightmares with EVs. A relative wanted to buy an EV as a company purchase. Last year he couldn’t get one without a huge delay and paying full list. He’s now ordered one with a BIG discount and virtually no delay. I think that tells a story. If this is going to work Government need to properly invest in infrastructure and prices for the cars need to reduce significantly. There needs to be confidence. Without confidence, early adopters can say what they like to try and convince the rest of us, but the market will determine the outcome. I’d say that either of the major political parties brave enough to kick petrol / diesel new car bans into the long grass would gain significant vote share…

I’m still baffled as this is so far from my own experience, the last of which was late November 2022…I don’t think any other members have heard of, or experienced, anything similar to this either. @Dazzle1983just to check - your UX was purchased new from Lexus and isn’t on a lease through a third party or anything like that?

My last NX was Mesa Red, albeit with a black interior. It’s a really beautiful colour when clean and in the sunshine… Many congratulations. The NX is a superb car.

Over the years I’ve come across a couple of companies that specialise in importing cars - mainly classics - from Australia and South Africa. The big benefit is dry and (generally) salt free climate. I assume that for a rarer 50s/60s/70s classic car the costs make more sense as good RHD examples are either very rare or non-existent here. At one stage a few years ago I was very tempted by a South African sourced 1974 Toyota Corona automatic from one of those companies.

Very surprised to hear no courtesy car being made available. Having owned three Lexus since 2017 all serviced at Lexus Swindon - and having included some warranty investigations - I’ve always been offered a car for as long as needed without question. I’ve also never been asked for any up front payment. This all seems very strange based on my experience. Service from Swindon and Reading (TBF only serviced once) has been exemplary.

One of the things that attracted me to my NX, and now my RX, are the looks - they are a bit ‘different’ (in a good way). I think rarity helps too, as the German brands are far more common (sorry, I meant popular!)

Lots of other people must have been ‘unlucky’ as well then. When mine was in for replacement the gearboxes were on back order as so many had failed…mine was fifth in line just at my local dealer. Understand it was so bad there were recalls in some countries but not in the uk…plenty in the press at the time. Never again! Should add that the Tiguan did me one BIG favour. Once it was finally fixed (the gearbox, anyway) I had decided to get rid. I’d chosen a Mercedes C-Class estate…but the Tiguan broke down (again!) when I took it to the Mercedes dealer for them to appraise - that time something electrical had failed and it wouldn’t start. While it was being fixed I saw the Honda Accord and decided to go Japanese from then on.

I’d had dreadful experiences with German cars - yes, all within the first three years - as had members of my family and friends. Various Audi gearbox failures, a VW DSG failure at 40k miles, Audi A6 needing not one but TWO new engines (!) and a Skoda Octavia that was broken more than it ever worked (that ‘brilliant’ DSG gearbox again!). I could add poor quality trim, wiper motor failures, transfer boxes and a sat nav screen failure amongst other things, but you get the idea…all low mileage too. Based on discussions with various dealers trying to fix the cars I’m not convinced we were that unlucky either! Unsurprisingly we all ended up driving Japanese marques, myself Honda. After three - an Accord and two CR-V - I fancied a change. Looked at a Mazda and the Lexus NX. Preferred the NX, had two and now onto my RX.

Agree with this. As I said earlier, in the UK particularly, the German brands are seen as ‘prestige’ at the expense of marques from almost everywhere else. The French long ago gave up the fight they tried to fight right up to the Renault Vel Satis and Peugeot 607. There does seem to be a big perception lag of what a Japanese car offers, and I’d guess if there was a poll of motorists it would stress reliability and value but not luxury or prestige. A few years ago Lexus did have a broader range with IS, GS and even a diesel. It didn’t seem to do them much good in volume terms - and it’s likely they weren’t even really chasing volume based on what I’ve read on this thread - so why not concentrate on what their core customers really want and buy and put more effort into those markets where they do shift volume? The question, for me, is whether Lexus really do want to be ‘mainstream’ in the UK.

^^ This. I assume you have an order form showing what you’ve ordered and the cost of that order. If what arrives isn’t what is reflected on your order form then I’d think you have every right to walk away - obviously depending on the terms and conditions you’ve signed up to as part of the order… In addition, the last two Lexus I’ve ordered - an NX and an RX - showed what I’d ordered and what was being shipped on the Lexus website. Haven’t you been given that?

Ah yes, the famous ‘cog’ advert. Unfortunately that was for the seventh generation. By the time my eight generation came along they’d pretty much given up, apart from a forgettable ‘skydiver’ advert…

I guess the LS is what I believe marketing types refer to as a ‘halo’ model intended to showcase the brand. I’m not a marketeer, so apologies if that’s incorrect. Funny story. Go back 15 years and I’d owned German cars, mainly VWs which were all unreliable. Needing to change a first generation Tiguan which had experienced the infamous ‘exploding DSG’ gearbox, I was looking around at options… One evening I was driving home and got stuck in a traffic jam outside the local Honda dealer. Needing to use the loo (!) I popped in. It was late in the day, but in the middle of the showroom was the top of the range Accord. The salesman moved in, I had a look and was impressed. I test drove it a few days later, and that was the first of three Hondas owned and a long attachment to a brand I hadn’t previously considered. Companies need to make sure customers know what they sell through advertising - the Accord by then had virtually none - but also have the range to entice a new customer as @Shahporsays.

Yes, fully agree. A few years ago I owned a Honda Accord, which I loved. I wanted a replacement but Honda had decided not to import the new version to prioritise SUVs instead. Sounds familiar. I spoke with the dealer and Honda direct. At the time I was a moderator on the HondaKarma forum, which had grown out of Accord Owners Club. Honda were clear that if sales had been good enough, they would have imported a new Accord - but simply the numbers didn’t add up for them to import a range for such limited sales. I guess it’s similar with Lexus. If they were selling enough IS then they’d surely import the replacement, but it’s a niche choice. On the other hand, it must be a bit ‘chicken and egg’ as if they don’t try… Perhaps a case of “If you build it, they will come.”

Let’s all just pause for a moment of quiet reflection before this thread becomes an inevitable twenty page argument about whether the 300h engine is powerful enough, or the pros and cons of saloons vs SUVs…😆

That’s a very interesting article, thank-you for posting. Personally I think Lexus, like a lot of Japanese brands, still struggles with a British car buying public who perceive German brands as the default ‘luxury’ choice. When I was growing up there was a broader range of ‘socially acceptable’ luxury choices, from Rover and Jaguar (or Armstrong Siddeley and Wolseley if I go back into the 1960s) to large French offerings such as the Renault 30 and Citroen DS, Volvo and Saab and, of course, Mercedes. At some point after the UK entry into the Common Market, and with European brands cheaper and easier to purchase, as a nation we seemed to become obsessed with the fact that Japanese cars were ‘cheap and nasty’ whereas German cars were reliable and indicative of status and success. This was at least partly true. I don’t think we’ve ever really moved away from those deep seated perceptions, and perception is reality as somebody once said. With sales as they are in parts of the world other than Europe and the UK, Lexus would be daft to prioritise our market at the expense of those where they are already a volume player imho. As long as they’re happy being a niche choice - a bit like Saab were - then I’m happy buying into a more exclusive and unusual brand.

When I was growing up in the 1970s, using a bicycle was pretty much limited to; - children, including newspaper delivery boys; - Policemen and Postmen; - those who couldn’t afford a car. There didn’t seem to be a ‘recreational’ element, certainly not in the Home Counties where I was. There were far fewer cars and bicycles on the roads, and fewer lorries too, thus less potential for friction between the groups.

I hope it has Dolby B at the very least…😆

For £300 I can only hope that the ‘bunch of stuff’ needed was a frame, pedals and two wheels! Good Lord, that’s a lot of money - my RX service at Lexus cost less than that!

Totally agree with this, and it’s very sound advice. As long as the car is clean enough not to be dangerous - windows, lights, number plates - you can do far more harm washing quickly and badly than not washing at all. Admittedly my RX has a pro applied GTechniq ceramic coating, but having washed it today for the first time in four months (due to a combination of the now lifted hosepipe ban, COVID, and grotty weather) it really wasn’t too bad. After a couple of hours with snow foam, a good mitt wash and finally some Gyeon Wet Coat it really does look as good as new. Gyeon Wet Coat is a Winter wash essential imho. Brilliant stuff and so quick and easy.

https://news.sky.com/story/nearly-100-000-catalytic-converters-stolen-in-three-years-data-reveals-12777355

The heated steering wheel in the courtesy UX300e I had a few weeks ago was noticeably warmer than the one in my RX, and more of the wheel was heated as well (not just the sides as in the RX).