Bill Dawes

I should also add for accuracy that coasting will also produce heat from mechanical friction and electrical energy but coasting most efficient I would have thought (i'm a mechanical engineer not electrical I hasten to add) Bill D.

With experience gained with my Niro, the lexus I assume uses a form of KERS so on overun the electric motor is turned into a generator, braking increases this regeneration as you can see if there is a gauge on the Lexus similar to the Niro. However remember that braking creates a lot of heat, a form of energy that is lost into the atmosphere so not so efficient as just coasting, not always possible of course as traffic conditions sometimes dictates the need for braking. So coast where you can is the rule as well as eco driving techniques like any other car, no lead foot on accelerator or brakes. Bill D.

Ship Virgo Leader I have been tracking was due at Livorno port at 08.00 today, seems to have been hovering offshore all day, strange thing is Livorno port expected arrivals does not show Virgo Leader. Supposed to be at Portbury on the 12th so its got to go a bit to do that, can a 200m long Ro-Ro ship get up on the plane!!! Sea route calculator I found said an average speed of 23 knots to get to Portbury by the 12th., no chance. Might be wrong ship anyway but it's been an interesting exercise. Bill D.

My forthcoming UX Takumi will have run flat, anyone had a new UX recently with run flats and how are you getting on. Bill D.

200 mile round trip! I thought I had a fair journey, about 50 miles to Lexus Bristol. Bill D.

See Darrell's post on shipping times. Bill D.

Wow Darrell, 67.2 mpg that's pretty impressive, If I can get anywhere near that I will be dead chuffed especially bearing in mind that all the reports and road tests I have read nearly always talk about 30's to 40's but then having read road tests for many decades I always take fuel consumption figures with a pinch of salt, they all drive with lead boots. I am sure you won't get that all the time (sometimes you will get more on a short run with battery well charged) but at least you know that's achieveable. All the best. Bill D.

Is the small 'Starting battery' issue just on the 300e or the 200H as well. The reason I ask is I am waiting for delivery of my UXH but my current car a Kia Niro hybrid has a '12V battery' button. I had a similar problem a couple of years ago after not using the car for a while (lockdown) when I came to start it nothing worked, consulting manual it said press 12V battery button, I assume the 12V battery is charged from the traction batteries. Is there not a similar feature on the Lexus. Bill D.

Well guys, just found on the Portbury site vehicle carrier Virgo Leader is due in 12 June from Nagoya. Tracking it on website it is on Suez canal not far from Port Said, apparently then on to Livorno. Of course it might not be the one with my car on at all. Bill D.

My app shows order being processed and being built both ticked, left the factory not ticked even though I had email saying as such on 15th May. I'm hoping it's well on it's way now as handover is still scheduled for early July. App doesn't show much relevance to what is actually going on it appears. Darrell hope you are still enjoying your car. The 43mpg I thought a bit disappointing but after 3 years of Niro hybrid ownership I have got used to the quirks of a hybrid car. As an example where I live in Somerset I am about 4 miles from an M5 junction, the other day I got 88 mpg between home and M5, today about 40, it all depends on state of charge of the battery at time of start up. A hybrid is at its most frugal on short trips around town where the battery input presents a much bigger percentage of the energy used. On a longer run it will settle down but still better than an equivalent ICE engine only. 150 mile trip today I got 61.6 mpg. Not expecting the same of the Lexus as it is a bigger engine and heavier car. Be interesting to see what you get after you have done a few more miles Darrell. Bill D.

BX? wasn't there a Citroen BX back in the olden days? Bill D.

Yes got adaptive cruise control on my Niro, first time I used it I thought I had a power problem driving down M5, it suddenly started to slow down and then I realised I was approaching a truck and the cruise control was was reducing my speed to keep a safe distance, weird sensation at first. Bill D.

Looks really smart Darrell, I thought you were picking it up on Sunday, enjoy. Bill D.

As has been said on here many times, the Lexus website is a shambles and I dont't just mean the order progress section. When I first started to look seriously at a Lexus just before Christmas (how time flies) the website was a mess, bits went misssing, sections overlapped so they couldn't be read properly, the colour pallete disappeared, to name but a few that I can remember and now as I said yesterday the progress chart on my car has gone backwards. Never mind let's hope the car is better. Bill D.

Well my current car, a Kia Niro is quite nice to clean, wheel design expecially easy. But then what is an SUV, does my Niro fall into that class, mini SUV, SUV type, crossover? Incidentally read the other day that the latest wheeze from some of climate warriors is they will target 'gas guzzling SUVs' and slash their tyres, I wonder what they class as an SUV. There are many other more car looking vehicles that guzzle gas. Bill D

Lexus website gone weird again, my car now back to showing in build, not left factory in accordance with email I had a few days ago. Lexus really do need to get information process sorted out. perhaps they need to appoint a 'Takumi' to apply their forensic attention to detail to look at the Lexus publicity machine. Bill D.

Thanks Darrell, not long to go for yours now. Bill D

Thanks Kevin, where did you get that info from? Bill D.

Well to me 3 to 4 weeks suggest the car had been at sea for a couple of weeks. Will have another go at seeing if I can find a vehicle carrier ship that's just left or about to leave port. Would be great if they told us what ship and times, not everybody wants to do that of course. I'm a bit forensic about such detail. Bill D.

Like: Don't know yet Dislike: Haven't got one yet!! Bill D.

Oh boy I got into hot water on here when I complained about absence of auto fold mirrors on the premium plus trim originally ordered,as well as absence of seat memory, any way that's in the past, swallowed hard and changed order to a Takumi spec. Bill D.

ELVIS has left the room, well ok not Elvis but had email today stating my car has left the factory!!! Still not really sure what this means, is it that the car literally just left the factory or is it at the docks or actually on a ship. The reason I say this is because if you look at the App, the text that enlarges on the headings seems at odds with what the heading actually suggests, eg 'In transit' suggeststo me that it is at sea but the text says almost ready to collect. Anyway,another step closer. And good news Darrell. Bill D

My dealer is Lexus Bristol, now in Cribbs Causeway, (that big shopping centre just past the M4 turn down the M5) so about 10 miles from Portbury docks! Still it's getting nearer, hope you are pleased with yours. Looking forward to getting mine with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, I am always like that with a new car, even worse this time, it's the most expensive car I've ever bought, frightened to park it anywhere in case it gets damaged, parking spaces are impossibly narrow these days, I always try to find a spac that's surrounded by empty spaces, impossible I know in a busy car park but even when I do I very often find someone parked next to me, why do they do that? Bill D.

Great news Darrell, mine was ordered on 6th Jan but no sign of it yet, latest I have from dealer is that it is still scheduled for end June for collection early July. Guess my Takumi spec is holding it up. Bill D.

I seem to see differing reports about cars going to Derby or direct to dealers, did yours have to have extras fitted Kevin? Bill D.