Clarkson Hates Rx400h

[spizz oil]

See today's Sunday Times.

Now, is that good or bad?

[Steve]

who cares... we hate him.. so kinda equal :D

[eXOBeX]

Article's here.

The weird thing about Clarkson is that when you're reading it, you can almost hear him. The way he emphasises the last three words of every sentence, it's all going on - in your head!

[GAZMAN]

The ONE major thing he doesnt state is that people buy the RX400h as not only is it a hybrid but it is the worlds 1st high performance SUV !

Not even a mention from the Clarkson - I think he missed the point here.

Gazman :zee:

[adz]

The ONE major thing he doesnt state is that people buy the RX400h as not only is it a hybrid but it is the worlds 1st high performance SUV !

Not even a mention from the Clarkson - I think he missed the point here.

Gazman

Aren't the Porsche Cayenne and the AMG ML Mercedes high performance SUV's?

I'm sure there are performance versions of BMW's X5 and VW's Toureg as well.

He's still a :tsktsk: though.

I'd still watch him on Top gear though, he's entertaining (even though he slags off bikes/ bike riders because he's even more inept at riding them than he is at driving cars)

[GAZMAN]

The ONE major thing he doesnt state is that people buy the RX400h as not only is it a hybrid but it is the worlds 1st high performance SUV !

Not even a mention from the Clarkson - I think he missed the point here.

Gazman

Aren't the Porsche Cayenne and the AMG ML Mercedes high performance SUV's?

I'm sure there are performance versions of BMW's X5 and VW's Toureg as well.

He's still a :tsktsk: though.

I'd still watch him on Top gear though, he's entertaining (even though he slags off bikes/ bike riders because he's even more inept at riding them than he is at driving cars)

←

Actually meant to say "Worlds 1st High performance Hybrid SUV"

Gazman :zee:

[ColinBarber]

The ONE major thing he doesnt state is that people buy the RX400h as not only is it a hybrid but it is the worlds 1st high performance SUV !

Not even a mention from the Clarkson - I think he missed the point here.

Gazman  :zee:

←

It isn't the 1st high performance SUV. It's the first hybrid performance SUV.

He has a few correct points and in this country it is mainly brought because of the fuel issue but a diesel would be better. The RX, along with the GS and LS are really designed for the US market which is where the sell most of their vehicles.

[Bartierx300]

Typical Clarkson slagging off Lexus, has he ever said anything good about a Lexus, what is he talking about with his plastic looking Volvo Diesel getting more mpg, the fact that its a chug chug you would expect more. He's quite entertaining though, just don't take him seriosly.( XC90) what a poor choice.

[Kent]

I'd still watch him on Top gear though, he's entertaining (even though he slags off bikes/ bike riders because he's even more inept at riding them than he is at driving cars)

←

I agree. He's hugely entertaining but definitely a world class overgrown schoolboy.

[Fidgits]

The guy has a point...

you can slag him off all you want, but when i drove the RX300 a couple of years ago - i really wasnt impressed, and posted my review on here..

As for the 400h, yeah, great technology, but why buy a huge gas-guzzling SUV if your worried about fuel consumption - and if a Diesel equivalent is more economical, go that way, if you want something powerful, get the Cayenne Turbo...

Sure, I'm sure the RX400h appeals to some people, but that doesnt make it a good car... (just look at the vectra)..

[Easylife]

Brilliant, Jeremy Clarkson is a legend. His articles always make for entertaining reading and this one is spot on. I agree 100% with all he has written here. I enjoyed my RX 300 SEL but don't see the sense in the 400h. Clever but pointless.

I now have an X5 4.8iS, Jeremy is not a fan of this either but I still respect his views.

[kam05]

Clarkson has been shot at in Iraq, read it here:

http://cars.msn.co.uk/carnews/clarksonoct05/

[Bartierx300]

Clarkson has been shot at in Iraq, read it here:

http://cars.msn.co.uk/carnews/clarksonoct05/

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:o Blimey, must be quite a lot of Lexus drivers who don't like him, do you think the orders were shoot on site.

[Bartierx300]

The guy has a point...

you can slag him off all you want, but when i drove the RX300 a couple of years ago - i really wasnt impressed, and posted my review on here..

As for the 400h, yeah, great technology, but why buy a huge gas-guzzling SUV if your worried about fuel consumption - and if a Diesel equivalent is more economical, go that way, if you want something powerful, get the Cayenne Turbo...

Sure, I'm sure the RX400h appeals to some people, but that doesnt make it a good car... (just look at the vectra)..

←

Hi Fidgets, missed your review a couple of years ago, what was it you did not like about the RX300. Baz

[JohnRX400h]

I enjoy JC and I enjoy my RX400h. What people should not do, ironically, is take anything he says as an indication of how good the car is. He is a showman, a psudo celeb, and enterainer.

If you want to see what the RX400h is like go and drive one!

JC (the other one)

[Lexusjohn]

It would seem that the RX400h has not made the sales targets that lexus were hoping for, outside of london sales are low(according to lexus)clarkson is right to an extent but he is in a position to be spoilt thrashing cars of all sorts belonging to others, exotic car driving gives you a "look-down" attitude to lesser makes, couple this with a BOYS brain and you have clarkson. :shutit:

[sos10]

Clarkson missed the point here and makes mistakes many people make: comparing a hybrid to a diesel... exactly like comparing a petrol car to a diesel...

Yep, the diesel consumes less, but produces way more harmfull fumes and although they are getting better and better, they haven't got the same power, makes more noise, vibrates more.

And, most importantly, a diesel cannot run electric, like in town, in a traffic que...

He also talks about servicing a car that has 3 motors..... does he know how an electric motor looks like, how it works? Not really the same as a petrol motor. Or does he know how many problems the Toyota hybrids are having? (a hint: something close to 0)

He also forgets that the 400h is not just about economy but also about power; the 400h is not a Prius.

He then starts about solarpanels etc.. Does he know how heavy hale-proof solar panels are? (not to mix up with those solar driven cars that use very light weight, but extremely fragile solar panels)

Clearly he has way to much work to put a decent article together or spends to much time finding new one-liners, which I started to get bored of already some years ago.

If I would buy a new car now, I would go for the 400h, but since I bought a RX300 about a year ago, t'll have to wait a bit. Or maybe I get a Prius...

[LexusEdinburgh]

It would seem that the RX400h has not made the sales targets that lexus were hoping for, outside of london sales are low(according to lexus)clarkson is right to an extent but he is in a position to be spoilt thrashing cars of all sorts belonging to others, exotic car driving gives you a "look-down" attitude to lesser makes, couple this with a BOYS brain and you have clarkson. :shutit:

←

I am not sure where you are getting that from.

I can sell everyone that I get, quoting delivery now for the end of Jan.

The next big lift in sales will come when company car drivers realise that it will cost them 80% more in BIK to drive an X5 3.0d 2006/2007.

[fergy]

Must say I was a bit of a sceptic about the RX400...especially when I thought (incorrectly) it was going to be £5-6k more expensive....

Now after seeing the difference <£4,000 and better mpg than my RX300 and probably better residuals I think if I was buying a new car now it would be what I would get. Unfortunately with car being 7 months old and only having 5k miles there is no way I'll be swapping for some considerable time... :(

[Lexusjohn]

It would seem that the RX400h has not made the sales targets that lexus were hoping for, outside of london sales are low(according to lexus)clarkson is right to an extent but he is in a position to be spoilt thrashing cars of all sorts belonging to others, exotic car driving gives you a "look-down" attitude to lesser makes, couple this with a BOYS brain and you have clarkson. :shutit:

←

I am not sure where you are getting that from.

I can sell everyone that I get, quoting delivery now for the end of Jan.

The next big lift in sales will come when company car drivers realise that it will cost them 80% more in BIK to drive an X5 3.0d 2006/2007.

←

I am getting it from "LEXUS dealerships" the guys don't need to tell me lies I don't want one.

[sos10]

The 400H is selling incredibly well, not just in the USA, but everywhere in Europe. In italy you have to wait 6 months to get one.

Toyota just signed a deal with Hitachi for electric motors, first time ever Toyota will be using non Toyota parts. This to meet the increasing demand, more then excpected. (not just for the 400h of course)

Toyota is planning to make EVERY model from their catalog in hybrid versions in the next few years.

And you may have noticed that almost every other car maker in the world, inlcuding Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Audi have presented near production prototypes of hybrids.. they will be on the market in the next few years. Everybody seems to agree that hybrid is the way to go. Hydrogen is still to complex and will remain so for at least another 10 years.

Toyota and Honda have many years advantage and the fact that there are early adopters, like the ones that buy the 400h, will only strenghten the technology and make it better and more affordable for everyone.

[Lexusjohn]

The 400H is selling incredibly well, not just in the USA, but everywhere in Europe. In italy you have to wait 6 months to get one.

Toyota just signed a deal with Hitachi for electric motors, first time ever Toyota will be using non Toyota parts. This to meet the increasing demand, more then excpected. (not just for the 400h of course)

Toyota is planning to make EVERY model from their catalog in hybrid versions in the next few years.

And you may have noticed that almost every other car maker in the world, inlcuding Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Audi have presented near production prototypes of hybrids.. they will be on the market in the next few years. Everybody seems to agree that hybrid is the way to go. Hydrogen is still to complex and will remain so for at least another 10 years.

Toyota and Honda have many years advantage and the fact that there are early adopters, like the ones that buy the 400h, will only strenghten the technology and make it better and more affordable for everyone.

←

:winky:

Sounds good to me, about time manufacturers got a product that is both eco-friendly and apealing to buyers. some parts of the contry though are not suitable for this particular application.

[DieterML]

Hi,

So the way to go is Diesel hybrid i.e. start off with better fuel economy (than petrol) and improve it. Unfortunately this area is not Toyota's/Japanese makers strength and new systems such as MB 'BlueTec' system will come to fore.

"BLUETEC is a new exhaust gas purification technology that reduces nitrogen oxide (NOX) by about 80 per cent through selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Mercedes engineers developed a special piezo injection valve and a fuel system with a high pressure of 200 bar. The stability of the injection spray - one of the critical aspects of the process - is ensured by a special injection nozzle that opens to the outside and is activated at ultra-high speeds by a piezo crystal. This technology makes the "BLUETEC HYBRID" the cleanest diesel in the world, with the best natural fuel economy available".

It's good to see such healthy competition to reduce fuel consumption especially as power increases may also be gained (win/win situation).

Cheers,

Dieter

(More fuel efficient :winky: ML CDi 320 on order :tsktsk: )

[Lexusjohn]

Hi,

So the way to go is Diesel hybrid  i.e. start off with better fuel economy (than petrol) and improve it.  Unfortunately this area is not Toyota's/Japanese makers strength and new systems such as MB 'BlueTec' system will come to fore.

"BLUETEC is a new exhaust gas purification technology that reduces nitrogen oxide (NOX) by about 80 per cent through selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Mercedes engineers developed a special piezo injection valve and a fuel system with a high pressure of 200 bar. The stability of the injection spray - one of the critical aspects of the process - is ensured by a special injection nozzle that opens to the outside and is activated at ultra-high speeds by a piezo crystal. This technology makes the "BLUETEC HYBRID" the cleanest diesel in the world, with the best natural fuel economy available".

It's good to see such healthy competition to reduce fuel consumption especially as power increases may also be gained (win/win situation).

Cheers,

Dieter

(More fuel efficient :winky:  ML CDi 320 on order  :tsktsk: )

←

That to me sounds like the best of both worlds, My new A8TDI has Piezio injectors pressure 1600Bar, 7 injections per second, making for better cleaner burn, couple that to electric power and you have the answer, the power of diesels is getting closer to petrol now, these new A8TDI's hit 0-60 in 5.9secs thats quick. :winky:

[fergy]

but at what cost ?? All the extra money spend to get electric motors / batteries added could more than compensate for extra fuel used by a pertrol engine...

Unless you treat it as a performance upgrade..and then back to why not just go for petrol ?

And finally...allll that weight, diesel and electric...wow.. bet it would be crap in corners..