Sat Nav updated by dealer had a UX as a loan car, thoughts.

[Bounce75]

When I picked my new IS 300h up a few weeks ago I noticed after driving it home & playing around with it that the Sat Nav was out of date.

I contacted the dealer I purchased it from & was told the update was free as it should have been done before I picked it up, problem was the purchasing dealer is nearly 200 miles away.

I contacted my local dealer who was brilliant, arranged for Nav to be updated for free & also programmed my windows to ope/close on remote.

They lent me a top of the range UX whilst this work was being done & I must say I am glad I bought an IS.

The UX to me seems to have a lot more plastic on the interior & seems like a downgrade, the seats I found were not as comfortable, the dash layout I also found not as appealing as the IS, but the biggest drawback for me was the look, I personally do not think it is a very nice looking car (sorry to those that own one this is my opinion & is not meant as a put down).

The big plastic wheel arch surrounds look out of place & the body shape is not too great either, too futuristic for me.

I parked it next to my friends Merc GLA at work & a few of us were comparing them & the GLA won hands down.

I am so glad to be back in my IS, the way the seats hug me, the driving position & the controls are where I want them, I love it.

Here is to many (I Hope) happy years of IS ownership.

Have a good weekend everyone.

[royoftherovers]

http://In the medium term I`m sure that the Merc will come 3rd in the 2 horse race !

[paulrnx]

You’re comparing an SUV like vehicle with a compact sports saloon and you clearly like your compact sports saloon. It doesn’t surprise me therefore that you prefer your IS. Someone else might prefer the UX to an IS for the opposite reason. No right or wrong here, just opinions. As you’ve said though so I’m not disagreeing with you. I haven’t driven a UX yet but I am looking forward to trying the latest generation of hybrid powertrain in the UX.

[Bootleg]

On 2/26/2021 at 8:13 PM, Bounce75 said:

When I picked my new IS 300h up a few weeks ago I noticed after driving it home & playing around with it that the Sat Nav was out of date.

I contacted the dealer I purchased it from & was told the update was free as it should have been done before I picked it up, problem was the purchasing dealer is nearly 200 miles away.

I contacted my local dealer who was brilliant, arranged for Nav to be updated for free & also programmed my windows to ope/close on remote.

They lent me a top of the range UX whilst this work was being done & I must say I am glad I bought an IS.

The UX to me seems to have a lot more plastic on the interior & seems like a downgrade, the seats I found were not as comfortable, the dash layout I also found not as appealing as the IS, but the biggest drawback for me was the look, I personally do not think it is a very nice looking car (sorry to those that own one this is my opinion & is not meant as a put down).

The big plastic wheel arch surrounds look out of place & the body shape is not too great either, too futuristic for me.

I parked it next to my friends Merc GLA at work & a few of us were comparing them & the GLA won hands down.

I am so glad to be back in my IS, the way the seats hug me, the driving position & the controls are where I want them, I love it.

Here is to many (I Hope) happy years of IS ownership.

Have a good weekend everyone.

I had the same reaction with a courtesy UX. I realise it's an SUV, but it didn't feel like a Lexus, it had no character, it was just average. Shame the IS300h is discontinued.

[Linas.P]

1 hour ago, Bootleg said:

 but it didn't feel like a Lexus

Because it is not Lexus. I have driven Toyota C-HR and UX... and they feel exactly the same. I then driven Lexus CT (Toyota Auris) and UX back-to-back and I can say that at least UX feels 10 times nicer to drive than CT, but in no way on earth it is Lexus... Top of the range Toyota... maybe, better than CT.. indeed. But it is not Lexus and comparing it with proper Lexus car is pointless. 

Besides I can say same about Lexus ES (Toyota Avalon) - I drove IS and ES back-to-back... IS despite being much older design feels so much better built and solid.. ES just feels like fancy Toyota. Looks nice, but everything you touch feels plastic and cheap (at least relative to Lexus).

Don't get me wrong CT, UX, ES are still great quality cars, but they are distinctively Toyotas, not Lexus.

[Bootleg]

8 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Because it is not Lexus. ... Top of the range Toyota... maybe, better than CT.. indeed. But it is not Lexus and comparing it with proper Lexus car is pointless...

Don't get me wrong CT, UX, ES are still great quality cars, but they are distinctively Toyotas, not Lexus.

Thanks for clarifying. To be honest, driving a Lexus badged car off a Lexus forecourt, it was an easy mistake to make.  

I guess it's economics, but at the risk of diluting the brand.

[Bounce75]

I can now understand why, I didn't realise it was virtually a Toyota( not a bad thing), but certainly didn't feel as nice as my IS.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said no character.

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Bounce75 said:

I can now understand why, I didn't realise it was virtually a Toyota( not a bad thing), but certainly didn't feel as nice as my IS.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said no character.

All Lexus vehicles are Toyotas. The NX is a Rav4, the GS is a Crown, the IS is a Mark X etc. They are all built from a Toyota platform and use a Toyota drivetrain.

Seems you don't like the newer Lexus styling and interiors. It's a complaint that many people have of the newer generations coming from older ones.

[Linas.P]

49 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

All Lexus vehicles are Toyotas. The NX is a Rav4, the GS is a Crown, the IS is a Mark X etc. They are all built from a Toyota platform and use a Toyota drivetrain.

That is partially true. When it comes to Lexus what matter is degree to which they have improved over Toyota cars from the same platform.

NX is surprisingly well build and uses good materials compared to RAV4, similar story when it comes to RX.

For last coupe of generations LS, GS and IS were just loosely based around same platform, but the materials are night an day. I do not believe Lexus RC or LC has equivalent in Toyota range.

Compared to UX, ES and CT... the difference is significant. Because later just feels like no attempt was made past sticking different badge.

Another thing - we do not have Crown or Mark X here at least. Whereas we do have Toyota CH-R and we did have Auris, and when you try both cars it is obvious it is same car past few style elements.

@Bootleg - I don't blame you, I just been disappointed myself after trying these cars, and having access to same Toyota models I knew how little difference is between them.. shameless really.

[Las Palmas]

12 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Don't get me wrong CT, UX, ES are still great quality cars, but they are distinctively Toyotas, not Lexus.

Like the Prius when needing a taxi. Driving it is not really funny.

Have been driving the Auris and it may be the platform for the CT, but if that is true, then suspension, steering system and almost everything else has been modified, not just a little, and the extras that are in the CT (at least the one we have) is making it a completely different car than the Auris I have tried.

Only Toyota I have ever really liked were the 2 MR2 cars we have had. The first MR2 (1985) was the better driver’s car when it was made.  Go-kart like and fun even though engine could have been a bit stronger. Had a Supra 3.0 at the time (only half a year, too many problems with it, soft and granny-like) changed it to a Nissan ZX, much more fun. The MR2 Roadster was also a nice ride, but more due to having a hardtop to take off and drive around in the hot nights here with fresh air, did put adjustable suspension in it and plus tailormade light wheels 15" and still was not as go-kart like as the first generation. Second generation of the MR2 was a design-failure, did not like the look of it and was never in it.

Must try a real Lexus one of these days to see what you mean with that.

[Las Palmas]

On 2/26/2021 at 8:13 PM, Bounce75 said:

The big plastic wheel arch surrounds look out of place & the body shape is not too great either, too futuristic for me.

Do not like the look of these either. Must be made for parking in garages with too little space for the car.

Many garages in older supermarkets were built for Fiat 500.

[Linas.P]

6 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

Have been driving the Auris and it may be the platform for the CT, but if that is true, then suspension, steering system and almost everything else has been modified, not just a little, and the extras that are in the CT (at least the one we have) is making it a completely different car than the Auris I have tried.

Are we comparing it with 2nd Gen Auris hybrid? Because in my experience they are very similar, little bit softer materials in the interior on Lexus, but I actually preferred Auris infotainment and navigation.

[Las Palmas]

3 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Are we comparing it with 2nd Gen Auris hybrid? Because in my experience they are very similar, little bit softer materials in the interior on Lexus, but I actually preferred Auris infotainment and navigation.

Do not know. It was 5 years ago. Did not like the car. Felt it could be useful as a taxi and nothing else. Sound in it was nothing compared to the sound in the CT. Do not need infotainment. Have all the music I need. Several hundreds of gigabyte.

[Linas.P]

maybe it was the estate then? Because not so much use of hatchback taxi 

[Las Palmas]

9 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

maybe it was the estate then? Because not so much use of hatchback taxi 

No, not the estate, here on the island you can even see the smaller Toyota as taxi.

[Bounce75]

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

 

Seems you don't like the newer Lexus styling and interiors. It's a complaint that many people have of the newer generations coming from older ones.

Yes I am sure that is it, I am not really a lover of SUV's anyway.

I had a Volvo V40 D4 previous to the IS & it was a nice car, but I hated the XC40 that replaced it. I still can't really understand why so many people now want an SUV?

[First_Lexus]

I’ve had a UX, RX, RC, GS and IS as courtesy cars, as well as owning two NX. Agree that the UX doesn’t feel as well made as the others, but at least it’s a good drive. Unfortunately I consider it too expensive for what it is, especially when compared with the NX, and it is tiny in the back. At least current pre-reg discounts are high, making it more competitive.

1 hour ago, Bounce75 said:

Yes I am sure that is it, I am not really a lover of SUV's anyway.

I had a Volvo V40 D4 previous to the IS & it was a nice car, but I hated the XC40 that replaced it. I still can't really understand why so many people now want an SUV?

^^ Speaking personally - and I think a lot of people are the same - the height makes access much easier in an SUV. Friends with young children have moved to an SUV specifically because they find the height easier to get children in and out of child seats, and the ‘hatchback’ style boot much easier to load with stuff as it isn’t as height restricted as in a saloon. I live in a very rural village, and to have a RWD car here would be brave as the roads are usually caked with mud. When I had the GS it was particularly tricky at times...

The other factor is residual values. As more people want an SUV, residuals are stronger. When I was at Lexus having a new Battery fitted last week, I couldn’t help but notice nearly new ES vs NX, with similar list prices, saw the NX with a monthly PCP cost almost £100 cheaper, driven by the predicted residual value difference (can’t see any other reason for the difference, anyway!).

 

[Linas.P]

1 hour ago, Bounce75 said:

want an SUV?

I don't understand that as well. But I think the reason is that not many people actually cares about handling of the car. Where for me that is like most important thing and then I can make compromises, for most people I know handling and performance doesn't even come in top10 important things about their cars.

Besides there is no punitive tax on SUVs in UK, so people get them because they can.

[Dealkent]

On 2/26/2021 at 8:13 PM, Bounce75 said:

When I picked my new IS 300h up a few weeks ago I noticed after driving it home & playing around with it that the Sat Nav was out of date.

I contacted the dealer I purchased it from & was told the update was free as it should have been done before I picked it up, problem was the purchasing dealer is nearly 200 miles away.

I contacted my local dealer who was brilliant, arranged for Nav to be updated for free & also programmed my windows to ope/close on remote.

They lent me a top of the range UX whilst this work was being done & I must say I am glad I bought an IS.

The UX to me seems to have a lot more plastic on the interior & seems like a downgrade, the seats I found were not as comfortable, the dash layout I also found not as appealing as the IS, but the biggest drawback for me was the look, I personally do not think it is a very nice looking car (sorry to those that own one this is my opinion & is not meant as a put down).

The big plastic wheel arch surrounds look out of place & the body shape is not too great either, too futuristic for me.

I parked it next to my friends Merc GLA at work & a few of us were comparing them & the GLA won hands down.

I am so glad to be back in my IS, the way the seats hug me, the driving position & the controls are where I want them, I love it.

Here is to many (I Hope) happy years of IS ownership.

Have a good weekend everyone.

I had a UX as a courtesy car recently. It feels much cheaper inside . The interior lights were awful , no light at all . Door panels look cheap . My current IS300 has the cream leather interior and the door panel inserts are cream leather , looks very smart . My only complaint is getting out of the car, the IS 300 , it feels so low down and you have to pull yourself out . I would like an SUV next time , but the NX 300 is really holding its price very well , so not cheap to buy . Maybe when new model comes out . 

[Bounce75]

3 hours ago, Dealkent said:

I had a UX as a courtesy car recently. It feels much cheaper inside . The interior lights were awful , no light at all . Door panels look cheap . My current IS300 has the cream leather interior and the door panel inserts are cream leather , looks very smart . My only complaint is getting out of the car, the IS 300 , it feels so low down and you have to pull yourself out . I would like an SUV next time , but the NX 300 is really holding its price very well , so not cheap to buy . Maybe when new model comes out . 

As a has already been mentioned the UX is a different type of car to the IS, but to me the IS feels so much classier & a lot better place to be it.

I do find the driving position a lot lower than my previous Volvo V40, but I quite like this as you feel more in the car.