Rx400h Versus Rx 300.....advice Please.!

[DELTA]

Hi all

I have had my eyes on the RX400 since June2005 and took one for a test drive today/joined this club today which I never knew existed. ( GREAT CLUB ! )

I have an RX300 SEL WITH ICE AND WOOD PACK and have always wanted the full works on a great car (LEXUS). Unfortunately lexus has done away with wood pack in 400h...why??? (old fashioned I guess..??)

Well with the advent of the 400h and my struggling to get 20MPg on my 300, I am thinking of going the 400h way.

My main reason is fuel economy as I am doing a minimum of 22,000 a year and frankly can really do with getting 34.9MPG.....

CAN SOMEONE/PEOPLE HELP WITH THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS THAT WILL INFORM MY DECISION...?

A) HAS ANYONE GOT THE MANY QUESTIONS/LOOKS/ENVY THAT U SHOULD GET ASKED BY PEOPLE APPRECIATING YOUR 400H. ? Sounds vain i know but if you must spend that much on the car, it should be appreciated and you should get an opportunity to give a lecture on the hybrid technology once in a while ( WOW FACTOR !!!)

1). Can I always really get at at least 30mpg while driving withinn the city in a gentle way..?

2) 400h has a smaller tank (65 litres )...Is there a down side to this which may even out with the larger tank (75litres) on the 300sel..?

3) .Is there anyone who had a 300 before and changed to a 400h last year and can confidently tell me that I wont be spending a £50-100 PER week on fuel..?.i.e does it save fuel cost ?

4) . Now we all love performance....has anyone given the V8 engine group/owners a run on the motorway before ( Its power nears V8 performance isnt it ? )..?

5) .Does the 1st and second and subsequent servicing cost more than the RX 300..?

6). Are there any things anyone has notice that is a down side to the 400 ?

8 ) has anyone had to part exchange a car with a Tracker device installed before and how did you get around negotiating with lexus to add the cost of your tracker to the one you were trading in..?..Trackers are not transferable and i just had one installed in my 300SEL. 9Bugger !!)

7. MY MAIN REASON FOR WANTING TO CHANGE IS THE FUEL ECONOMY...IS IS WORTH IT..?

[SJT]

What about LPG!

I had my series 1 converted about 3 months ago. Gas at 38p vs petrol at 91p soon generates a huge saving.

The payback period is about 15,000 miles at current fuel prices.

In money terms i'm now getting 50 to 60mpg......... Its now cheaper to run than the Wife's VW polo.

SJT

[DELTA]

What about LPG!

I had my series 1 converted about 3 months ago. Gas at 38p vs petrol at 91p soon generates a huge saving.

The payback period is about 15,000 miles at current fuel prices.

In money terms i'm now getting 50 to 60mpg......... Its now cheaper to run than the Wife's VW polo.

SJT

How do you get an RX300SEL converted to run on lpg../...

how much will it cost ?

where can i have this done and how does this affect the perfomance ?

Does yours now run on petrol and LPG or just on lpg.........where do you get lpg to buy as I would imagine you cant just buy it in a any filling station..?....please shead some more light as i am keep to do anything to get best deal on fuel with and Rx...........So its now GET RX400H OR CHANGE TO LPG...????

[jaroph]

Hi all

I have had my eyes on the RX400 since June2005 and took one for a test drive today/joined this club today which I never knew existed. ( GREAT CLUB ! )

I have an RX300 SEL WITH ICE AND WOOD PACK and have always wanted the full works on a great car (LEXUS). Unfortunately lexus has done away with wood pack in 400h...why??? (old fashioned I guess..??)

Well with the advent of the 400h and my struggling to get 20MPg on my 300, I am thinking of going the 400h way.

My main reason is fuel economy as I am doing a minimum of 22,000 a year and frankly can really do with getting 34.9MPG.....

CAN SOMEONE/PEOPLE HELP WITH THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS THAT WILL INFORM MY DECISION...?

A) HAS ANYONE GOT THE MANY QUESTIONS/LOOKS/ENVY THAT U SHOULD GET ASKED BY PEOPLE APPRECIATING YOUR 400H. ? Sounds vain i know but if you must spend that much on the car, it should be appreciated and you should get an opportunity to give a lecture on the hybrid technology once in a while ( WOW FACTOR !!!)

1). Can I always really get at at least 30mpg while driving withinn the city in a gentle way..?

2) 400h has a smaller tank (65 litres )...Is there a down side to this which may even out with the larger tank (75litres) on the 300sel..?

3) .Is there anyone who had a 300 before and changed to a 400h last year and can confidently tell me that I wont be spending a £50-100 PER week on fuel..?.i.e does it save fuel cost ?

4) . Now we all love performance....has anyone given the V8 engine group/owners a run on the motorway before ( Its power nears V8 performance isnt it ? )..?

5) .Does the 1st and second and subsequent servicing cost more than the RX 300..?

6). Are there any things anyone has notice that is a down side to the 400 ?

8 ) has anyone had to part exchange a car with a Tracker device installed before and how did you get around negotiating with lexus to add the cost of your tracker to the one you were trading in..?..Trackers are not transferable and i just had one installed in my 300SEL. 9Bugger !!)

7. MY MAIN REASON FOR WANTING TO CHANGE IS THE FUEL ECONOMY...IS IS WORTH IT..?

Changing the RX300 for the 400h in order to save money on fuel does not make economic sense. It will be many years before you can recoup the difference in price. If LPG is a viable solution that does not invalidate any warranty on your existsing car, and saving on fuel is your main objective, then that would definately make for a better decision. On the other hand if you are seeking more power for no extra fuel costs and a better auto box, then the 400h is tempting !

Good luck. :D

[SJT]

It will cost about £1800+VAT to convert. Availability of LPG is no problem, in fact there seem to be so many outlets here in Somerset that you are able to choose the best price!

A useful website is www.go-autogas.com but I can recommend the Company which I have used. They have recently converted a new Bentley and new American V10 Trucks. They seem to know what they are doing so if you send me a PM I will gladly give the details.

In answer to your question.... The car is now Dual-Fuel so it has the original petrol tank + an additional tank for the gas. So if you run out of gas it automatically switches over to petrol without you even knowing about it!

SJT

[fergy]

I'd guess that the warranty is invalid if you turn your car into dual-fuel ?

[Lexusjohn]

What about LPG!

I had my series 1 converted about 3 months ago. Gas at 38p vs petrol at 91p soon generates a huge saving.

The payback period is about 15,000 miles at current fuel prices.

In money terms i'm now getting 50 to 60mpg......... Its now cheaper to run than the Wife's VW polo.

SJT

SJT, who did your convertion and how much boot space have you lost? :)

[SJT]

SJT

SJT, who did your convertion and how much boot space have you lost? :)

No boot space is lost because the gas tank is where the spare wheel used to be. The spare is left at home and is replaced with one of those aerosol things...............although personally I have never had a puncture in the last 20 years of driving.

I will PM the contact details of the conversion Co which I used.

SJT

[jaroph]

SJT

SJT, who did your convertion and how much boot space have you lost? :)

No boot space is lost because the gas tank is where the spare wheel used to be. The spare is left at home and is replaced with one of those aerosol things...............although personally I have never had a puncture in the last 20 years of driving.

I will PM the contact details of the conversion Co which I used.

SJT

Are there any issues with getting onto a Ferry with an LPG tank?

[SJT]

Are there any issues with getting onto a Ferry with an LPG tank?

Yes...... My regular stints on Eurotunnel have had to end because they will not allow any LPG on the train.

Ferry is ok though I think!