EvilRacer329

No problem! I've spent way too much time playing around with engines to not pick up a thing or two. Maximum power in a piston engine is generated at a richer fuel/air mixture than is chemically ideal, so if you ask most fuel injection computers for too much they'll richen the mixture to give you that extra 10%. Whether Lexus do the same in their Atkinson engines I don't know, but I've noticed the same behaviour in every vehicle I've driven/ridden - accelerate slowly and you'll use far less fuel than if you nail it. Nick

I realise that I'm reviving an old thread here, but in case it proves useful to others I thought I'd post my findings after 5,000 miles in my UX. In general, speed doesn't make as much of a difference as how quickly you accelerate in the UX. I've confirmed that a motorway run in good conditions with cruise set to 70mph averages around 50mpg. I've also found that I can return very similar numbers on my 60-mile round-trip commute, which includes high-speed dual-carriageways, 60mph A-Roads, a mixture of B-Roads and even some stop-start town driving. Eco mode doesn't seem to help me much vs Normal mode, and as some posters have commented can actually hurt economy when you press your foot down harder to get the acceleration you want and overshoot. Ultimately, the trick to good economy in the UX is to keep the throttle indicator in the "Eco" section as much as possible, and ideally, keep it within the electric-only range whenever you can. Putting your foot down to build speed quickly spends extra fuel for the sake of immediate power, and means the hybrid system only ever gets to work its magic as a glorified stop-start system. I encourage everyone to try driving with the recent economy display on, and the average mpg readout on the dash. You'll quickly get an idea for what sorts of behaviours trigger the petrol engine, and as a result, hammer efficiency. One quick squirt can put a serious dent in your average economy, and over time that all adds up. Now, I chose my UX because it also has 180bhp, can get to 60 in just over 8 seconds, and can actually be thrown around a tight set of bends surprisingly well. But when I put myself into 'Sport' mode, I also don't expect to get much more than 40mpg. That's my choice to make. As for range...a rough guide is that 45mpg equates more or less to ten miles per litre. At 43 litres, you're looking at 430 miles. That also means that more careful driving could easily put you over 500 miles' range - bearing in mind that the reserve is 6.4 litres, according to the internet. You should never run a tank completely dry, of course, but that's more than 60 miles of range, and quite a bit more than the trip computer's pessimistic estimate. I hope that helps! Nick

This is exactly why I didn't even consider BMW/Audi/VW/Mercedes. Plenty of people question why I worry about reliability when all new cars come with warranties, but that's not the point - I don't want to have to use the warranty in the first place! Plus I tend to keep my vehicles for far, far longer than the factory warranty lasts and I've seen the ridiculous bills that german cars seem to accumulate with alarming frequency once the original warranty is up. The priority is wowing the new buyer with fancy tech, not impressing the second or third owner with iron-clad reliability and build quality. The other piece for me was the dealership experience. I'd visited a few different manufacturers when helping friends and families shop, and so far only Mazda, Toyota, and Lexus have impressed with their pre-sales experience. I've also had incredibly impressive after-sales experience with my parents' ancient 2002 Lexus IS300. It didn't matter that they didn't buy a new car there and were just picking up parts or getting an MOT on an older model, we were always treated like royalty. So far, my own ownership experience hasn't been quite that rosy; i'm still chasing an elusive rattle, at one point my dealer forgot to plug in a cable behind the dash when they reassembled it, and I once got it back with a massive scratch that another customer had caused by hitting it while it was parked up. In all cases, even when it wasn't their fault, the service team have been incredibly apologetic and helpful, and genuinely seem to want to help me get everything resolved. Nick

I'm very much enjoying my UX and chose it over the IS because the car was clearly very old tech, both in-car and under the bonnet. If the new IS had been coming to the UK, that could have been a serious contender. I'm afraid the ES is just too big - it's more car than I need and I'm not a fan of how the Lexus styling works across those larger areas of sheetmetal. Shame. Nick

I walked in to my Lexus dealer with the intention to choose a brand new vehicle, when I baulked at the cost of my chosen specification the salesman pointed out that the almost identically-specced demonstrator was available to buy. I've never purchased a vehicle on PCP before as I tend to buy to keep, but Lexus were offering very competitive interest rates on their used vehicles at the time. Usually, PCP interest rates on used vehicles are very high, making this an unpalatable option, and thereby encouraging customers to buy new instead. Nick

Don't forget that every Lexus model has different hardware in the entertainment system. For some models, the entertainment hardware was changed during the model's life, which is why for some models only some years are upgradeable. Newer hardware just needs updated software to add CarPlay functionality. Older hardware would need physical upgrades, and few manufacturers go to the trouble of developing after-market upgrades for old vehicle designs. The CT200h is a 2011 vehicle that's being discontinued in Europe this year, and was culled in the US in 2017. The good news is that third-party companies have stepped in to fill the gap. Nick

Sounds like the "BRAKE!" warning you get when the car thinks you're going to hit something and wants you to either change direction or brake. I get it sometimes threading through town and nipping around parked cars. The radar doesn't know I'm going to turn in a half-second and panics, throwing up the warning on the dashboard (and the HUD if you have one) and blaring a warning note. I assume if you continue to ignore it the emergency brake system kicks in and slams on the brakes, but I haven't opted to test it... Nick

All fair points - and I think that if you can afford it and your requirements fit within the limited range then go for it. Mazda is taking a similar tack with their new MX-30, as is Honda with the E - the arguments that smaller batteries make for lighter, better-to-drive cars with a reduced environmental impact from battery manufacture stand up, but only if you don't need to drive very far. My UX250h is the biggest car I've ever owned, so to me the idea of using one as a city car seems ludicrous, but that's just further proof that everything is relative. 😉 Nick

Not done too much driving in my car since getting it back, but on the last couple of commutes the courtesy UX developed some horrendous rattling/buzzing from first the passenger and then the driver’s door. You could make the door card plastics creak by flexing it using the arm rest/door handle, and once the car interior warmed up after half an hour or so of driving the noise became almost constant. I think that might be why my dealer struggled to replicate my issues - temperature is a component, and while it doesn’t take long for the climate control to warm up/cool down the air in the cabin, it takes longer for the physical materials to do the same. Mechanic test drives probably aren’t long enough... Nick

Floor mats are standard, though rubber replacements are an option on (I believe) their adventure pack. I normally like sunroofs, but I have to say the one in the UX did nothing for me. Lexus mounted it so far back that it’s almost beyond your head, adding very little light to the cabin. But your mileage may vary. Nick

That makes sense - until someone told me to change the gearbox mode I'd given up on the paddles because the engine kept ignoring me! But yeah - plan ahead while driving and you can get down most hills using the brake pedal but without ever putting pad to disk. It's a great feeling to cruise all the way through the next town using electricity you captured by feeding the batteries all the way down the last hill! Nick

I was thinking about this again yesterday and remembered that I had discovered a workaround, of sorts. I noticed that the cruise control seems to be able to use more regen than the driver is, so I did some experimentation. If you set the adaptive cruise control to the lowest speed it will take (around 15mph I think), it will attempt to slow down quite aggressively using the regenerative braking whenever you let off the throttle - far more than the default "engine braking" effect. Of course, this only works if you never touch the brake, as that cancels cruise control entirely. But in certain circumstances it might be useful! Nick

I've been in a courtesy car with the 7" and having had the 10" in my car it does seem small and cramped. The larger screen allows you to split-screen multiple pieces of information, and the bezel looks awfully large with a smaller screen filling it. If you've already committed and couldn't find a content pack that gave you the bigger screen I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker though. I love the engine modes - Sport is great for sharp response when flinging the car through twisty roads, and combined with the manual gear mode and F-Sport paddles make for a fun car. Eco really damps the throttle response to the point where you can get caught out pulling into roundabouts or junctions - you end up having to put your foot down hard to get the engine to begrudgingly give you some power. Normal mode is what I end up using for normal driving, and what Lexus recommend. Fuel economy across the 5,000 miles I've own it has been a shade over 50mpg across very mixed driving - and that's measured at the pump. The trip computer is pretty accurate though! What colour/spec did you choose? Nick

I think part of the problem is that they only seem to show up after the car has been driven for a while and the internal plastics have warmed up with the climate control. The demonstrator/courtesy UX250h I've been driving has now developed far worse rattles from both doors than mine has, and you can even replicate it by grabbing the arm rest/door handle and pushing/twisting slightly. It was driving me crazy on my commute. I'm hopefully swapping back to my own car today, so I'll let the dealer know and we'll see how mine behaves. I'd be curious to know if any other owners have experienced similar issues... Nick

This is all very exciting. Has anyone tried this on a UX yet? Do the likes of Waze/Google Maps use the dashboard pop-up display for turn-by-turn or is it limited to the main infotainment screen? Nick

It really is odd, my guess being that they've decided they'll sell enough of them to fund the continuing R&D. You've got to believe that there's a second-generation electric drivetrain in development over at Toyota/Lexus - even hybrids won't save them when European & UK governments ban sales of ICE vehicles a decade or so from now. The UX300e isn't for me, and it sounds like it isn't for you. I considered the Kia E-Niro and Kyundai Kona as well as the Nissan Leaf, but ultimately I do a lot of long-distance driving and wanted a premium vehicle. Current electric offerings are all either expensive to buy but from non-premium brands, with the exception of the really expensive offerings from Tesla, Jaguar, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. But you know what, there are probably quite a few people who would be buying a UX as a city car to keep dents off their RC or LC, and an electric version would be a fun novelty that would perfectly suit their limited-range needs. In a couple years' time we'll be able to buy a 300-mile electric UX for not dissimilar money to a petrol/hybrid today - the current version is for early adopters. Nick

Welcome! Definitely seeing more and more of these on the road, at least compared to my partner's Honda CR-Z. She wins the exclusivity competition... The UX has no "B"-mode, and there's no way to crank up the engine braking - a mild frustration, but a real one. Instead, even on very steep hills, I basically use the brake pedal to increase engine braking, careful not to push it beyond the indicator on the regen and so apply the actual brakes. It works pretty well, and means you can modulate the engine braking just like you modulate regular braking, while putting all of that energy back into the battery. Alternatively, you could put the "gearbox" into Sport/Manual mode and then pull the shifter down through the artificial ratios, keeping the engine higher in the rev range. It'll keep your speed down just like in a regular car, but you'll be turning all that potential gravitational energy into noise and heat rather than electricity, so Lexus don't recommend it as the most efficient solution. Hope that helps! Nick

That really is bizarre. I've had zero issues on my iPhone 7 or my iPhone SE2, though I haven't tested it with the latest iOS 14 update. I'll do so when I get my car back from service and let you know! Nick

I've got the Bridgestones on my F-Sport and the ride is fine - just a lot of road noise on rougher/worn surfaces. I compared it to a non-F-Sport with the (theoretically) softer suspension before purchasing, and found that bump compliance was pretty much the same - the standard car just wallowed for longer afterwards. I'm not sure what AVS is, I'm afraid! If it's the name of Lexus' automatic suspension I can't really comment, although as mentioned above stiffer springs don't really affect road noise or bump compliance in every-day driving. The NX almost certainly has more noise dampening material installed, making it a quieter car. Nick

Just called my service department, this was all news to them, but they're going to investigate. Somewhat worrying, the adviser I spoke to was under the impression that only 2020-on models could be retrofitted, contrary to what I was told and read elsewhere... Nick

This is fantastic news! I made my dealer promise that I'd get the Apple CarPlay upgrade for free whenever it was released, as my ex-demo 2019 model lacks the feature. It's in for service right now, I'll give them a call and ask them to do the upgrade for me while it's with them!

Ever since I purchased my ex-demo UX250h in July it's been back to the dealer half a dozen times to try and track down and eliminate what can be some very irritating distractions. I know I'm being perfectionist about this, but you expect the interior of an old Peugeot to creak and rattle - not a nearly-new luxury car. The rattles were most prevalent on rougher roads, where the vibration would seem to resonate with whatever it is that's rattling in the car. I was able to trace the worst of the two down to the cowling that covers the dashboard, possibly where it was rubbing against the blanking plate where the HUD would be installed on higher-trim models. Dealer told me they kept installing more and more insulating foam and tape, and I think it's mostly gone now. The other source was the driver's side door card, starting out as what sounded like a ticking or tapping noise in response to rough or broken road surfaces. After a few rounds of investigation and repair the noise is much less frequent and quieter, but it's still there. I'm hoping to pick the car up again later this week, but the dealer has admitted that they're struggling to identify the source or even replicate the issue driving around their local roads. Thing is, I've noticed a similar door-card rattle on the loan car they gave me, and the service manager expressed that he'd driven a couple other UX250hs and actually found them to creak or rattle more than mine. I know the UX is Lexus' entry-level offering, but it's still a £30k-40k car! Are my expectations simply too high? Is Lexus' build quality actually far worse than I was led to believe? Do any other owners have similar issues with their cars? Nick

I'm curious; why the need for all-wheel drive? I know people sometimes want it because of a perception that it helps in the snow, but the fact is that an ES with good winter tyres will stop, go, and turn far better than any AWD vehicle on all-seasons. I've road-tripped through snowy Germany in an MX-5 on winter tyres, zero drama. Not judging, of course, just genuinely curious... 🙂 Nick

Before I purchased my UX I went in expecting to drive out in an IS300h. In the end, the IS' interior and tech was a noticeable drop after test-driving the UX, and you could tell that it was an old platform in serious need of a refresh in order to remain competitive. When I then found out that it was being discontinued, with a new car about to be announced for other markets, I wasn't surprised either. Saloon sales are down, especially in the UK, and homologating an EU-spec version with right-hand drive for just one questionable market probably didn't make commercial sense. Still, it's a same. Given the choice between a slightly jacked-up hatchback and a saloon, I'd take the saloon every day. But I'm still very much enjoying my UX, and there are advantages to the hatchback form factor that I'm enjoying. As for the CT...I can't say I was impressed with the one I had as a loan car for a week. Putting performance aside for a moment, the technology and interior really date the car, and a refresh was long overdue. An easy solution would seem to be lowing the UX and getting rid of the black plastic cladding - that's about all it would take to turn it into a regular hatchback! 😄

Huh, that's really interesting. Is it a sudden change? If things like gears in the transmission are wearing together more slowly that might explain a looser or smoother feel, but unless there's an electronic trigger at a set mileage I can't explain a sudden change... Nick