Impressions After 1000 Mls With New Car

[scott]

I dont feel special. Maybe I am just too damn demanding, that is the cross I bear being a perfectionist.

Don't forget you're free car wash, newspaper and coffee (and sticky cakes if you're lucky) on a saturday morning :)

You're also probably get some golfing days and occasionally the odd pub crawl session (at dealer's expense).

I have to say that despite the shortcommings in my IS220d, Lexus Poole have always made me feel good about owning a Lexus.

[Eunos800]

I dont feel special. Maybe I am just too damn demanding, that is the cross I bear being a perfectionist.

Don't forget you're free car wash, newspaper and coffee (and sticky cakes if you're lucky) on a saturday morning :)

You're also probably get some golfing days and occasionally the odd pub crawl session (at dealer's expense).

I have to say that despite the shortcommings in my IS220d, Lexus Poole have always made me feel good about owning a Lexus.

100 mile exactly round trip to my dealer - to have some bloke with a jet wash lance blast my lovely paintwork...I dont think so never read newspapers - get all the news I need on the radio / tv

Golf is a good walk spoiled - not all lexus owners are golfers - some of us actually have more interesting and fun hobbies :D

Pub crawl - I dont do pubs - they stink, and the food is usually crap, and alchohol is overrated.

33k is very expensive coffee and cake :o

[fusion7]

I dont feel special. Maybe I am just too damn demanding, that is the cross I bear being a perfectionist.

Don't forget you're free car wash, newspaper and coffee (and sticky cakes if you're lucky) on a saturday morning :)

You're also probably get some golfing days and occasionally the odd pub crawl session (at dealer's expense).

I have to say that despite the shortcommings in my IS220d, Lexus Poole have always made me feel good about owning a Lexus.

100 mile exactly round trip to my dealer - to have some bloke with a jet wash lance blast my lovely paintwork...I dont think so never read newspapers - get all the news I need on the radio / tv

Golf is a good walk spoiled - not all lexus owners are golfers - some of us actually have more interesting and fun hobbies :D

Pub crawl - I dont do pubs - they stink, and the food is usually crap, and alchohol is overrated.

33k is very expensive coffee and cake :o

you sound like an interesting chap

[Eunos800]

cheeky b****r :-)

I am actually a very fun loving YAH 55 yr old. It is just that at the moment I am feeling deflated with my Lexus experience, and exhibiting all the signs of grumpy old manhood, in case you hadnt noticed :-)

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

you sound like an interesting chap

LOL.

So your diesels are experiencing gearbox problems now? And the handbrake is US ? And it seems that it is normal for the car to soak your clothes and seats after rain? Not hearing much to bring me out of my depression, 1 post here even claimed that he was given a glass of fine wine during his marvellous oval room handover experience, :duh:

You are misquoting me - my gearbox is possibly one of the few with issues - they happen on a new model, no matter how much testing and I have confidence it will be sorted - it is a minor issue. The dealer never asserted the handbrake was the owners fault, and they are reporting all faults to Lexus. The wine I was given is given to all customers and is in a presentation box, from the dealer principle along with the IS keyrings, the discount voucher book etc. They also operate the Saturday wash club which I won't use as I was my car meticulously myself with specific stuff - but I still appreciate it is there in the name of customer service and maintaining a relationship.

I am sure I am not alone in having a good handover experience and I don't apologise for having one.

At the end of the day - the sales side of a dealer is almost irrelevant when it comes to owning a car, as long as the car is good and the after sales is excellent - much more important to me. I'd buy my car from a car supermarket if I could gaurantee great after sales, even at another place. That is why I bought my car from the branch I did. They have not let me down. If they did I'd get over it and move on. Life is too short.

Brian.

[Eunos800]

you sound like an interesting chap

LOL.

So your diesels are experiencing gearbox problems now? And the handbrake is US ? And it seems that it is normal for the car to soak your clothes and seats after rain? Not hearing much to bring me out of my depression, 1 post here even claimed that he was given a glass of fine wine during his marvellous oval room handover experience, :duh:

You are misquoting me - my gearbox is possibly one of the few with issues - they happen on a new model, no matter how much testing and I have confidence it will be sorted - it is a minor issue. The dealer never asserted the handbrake was the owners fault, and they are reporting all faults to Lexus. The wine I was given is given to all customers and is in a presentation box, from the dealer principle along with the IS keyrings, the discount voucher book etc. They also operate the Saturday wash club which I won't use as I was my car meticulously myself with specific stuff - but I still appreciate it is there in the name of customer service and maintaining a relationship.

I am sure I am not alone in having a good handover experience and I don't apologise for having one.

At the end of the day - the sales side of a dealer is almost irrelevant when it comes to owning a car, as long as the car is good and the after sales is excellent - much more important to me. I'd buy my car from a car supermarket if I could gaurantee great after sales, even at another place. That is why I bought my car from the branch I did. They have not let me down. If they did I'd get over it and move on. Life is too short.

Brian.

Brian, I was not quoting you alone....Jamboo was suggesting that they need to look at his gearbox also, and it was jamboo who mentioned the dodgy handbrake also.

Who is asking you to apologise for your good handover? I am pleased for you, but it does go to show that dealer service and attention to detail varies considerably across the country. If lexus are so adamant that customer satisfaction should be tops, then maybe they should exercise better controls and standardization across said dealers. It is your opinion that the sales side of a dealer is almost irrelevant, but that is certainly not mine. Glad also that they have not let you down, but they have let me and others on this forum down, to the point where one regular and balanced individual was trying his damnest to return the car for a refund as he was so unhappy. I wonder if you would be so relaxed if you had NOT had the excellent experience you seem to have had, and be able to "get over it". Please dont tell me how short life is, having just suffered a deep personal loss, I know only too well thank you.

I do NOT want to get into a heated exchange, I am merely relating MY experiences to the forum, and have avoided getting personal in my remarks.

[Northern Boys Luv Gravy]

100 mile exactly round trip to my dealer - to have some bloke with a jet wash lance blast my lovely paintwork...I dont think so never read newspapers - get all the news I need on the radio / tv

Golf is a good walk spoiled - not all lexus owners are golfers - some of us actually have more interesting and fun hobbies :D

Pub crawl - I dont do pubs - they stink, and the food is usually crap, and alchohol is overrated.

33k is very expensive coffee and cake :o

I can understand your disappointment concerning your handover experience. However, you are doing the classic British thing of not complaining and just grouching about it to all and sundry. If we don't complain things will never get better (see food in pubs for example). I was unhappy with my first service experience and wrote a letter of complaint to the dealer principal and copied Lexus Uk in on it. I have to say the response was swift and extremely satisfying. They completely turned me around in my opinion of the dealership. In fact my wife, who works for Audi, was amazed at the lengths they went to - Audi customers would not have been treated as well.

You can't please everyone:

If they offer to wash the cars someone will complain they will scratch it.

If they offer free coffee and cakes someone will deem them an irrelevance and an expensive add on.

If they offer Golf days, non-golfers will moan.

If they offered free lap dances the eunochs would complain.

And alcohol is never overrated.

[Mr Morse]

You can't please everyone:

If they offer to wash the cars someone will complain they will scratch it.

If they offer free coffee and cakes someone will deem them an irrelevance and an expensive add on.

If they offer Golf days, non-golfers will moan.

If they offered free lap dances the eunochs would complain.

And alcohol is never overrated.

You're right there Geordie lad....

the Brit's don't complain enough! Get out there you lot....if you don't like it, then tell 'em! :o :D

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Brian, I was not quoting you alone....Jamboo was suggesting that they need to look at his gearbox also, and it was jamboo who mentioned the dodgy handbrake also.

Who is asking you to apologise for your good handover? I am pleased for you, but it does go to show that dealer service and attention to detail varies considerably across the country. If lexus are so adamant that customer satisfaction should be tops, then maybe they should exercise better controls and standardization across said dealers. It is your opinion that the sales side of a dealer is almost irrelevant, but that is certainly not mine. Glad also that they have not let you down, but they have let me and others on this forum down, to the point where one regular and balanced individual was trying his damnest to return the car for a refund as he was so unhappy. I wonder if you would be so relaxed if you had NOT had the excellent experience you seem to have had, and be able to "get over it". Please dont tell me how short life is, having just suffered a deep personal loss, I know only too well thank you.

I do NOT want to get into a heated exchange, I am merely relating MY experiences to the forum, and have avoided getting personal in my remarks.

My remarks were not aimed at you - the dealer should be the place of complaints. The above comments are the only ones related to particular people. Comments such as "1 post here even claimed that he was given a glass of fine wine during his marvellous oval room handover experience " are not helpful, but sarcastic. I have had some terrible customer service experiences over the years...I just try to put them behind me and avoid that dealer in future after complaining.

[scott]

If they offer Golf days, non-golfers will moan.

I've been offered a couple of golf days AND I don't play golf, but I do appreciate the sentiment. BMW offered me jack during my fours years of BM ownership.

[Ro1]

Eunos,

We all have our own niggles about the car, but I think most of us are looking for perfection. I have a rattle in the B pillar that annoys the hell out of me and the dealer made it worse. I'm nearly due for a service, so I'll get it fixed then. It was sitting outside in the pouring rain the day I picked it up, with two marks on the back seat. There was no water in their coffee machine each time I was there and I know more about the car than the salesman.

However, the more you drive this car, the more you will enjoy it. It's comfort and power are quite amazing. I've found it to be much more responsive with every few thousand km I put on it.

I have the basic sound system and it's excellent. I didn't go for the MM option because the map provider Lexus use does not cover Ireland well.

Even simple things like the auto gear box and the braking (I don't know how it does it, but it seems to know when I'm not braking hard enough!) are spot on. The adaptive lighting is great. I like being able to raise the rear window blind when the guy behind is picking his nose. The dropping side mirrors for reverse are a brilliant feature. The auto-dimming mirror is great for night driving and novel for me.

Passengers I've had who may not be used to luxury cars have been amazed. Take a few friends out in it. Not for a short spin, but for a long trip. Get their opinion. Don't ask for it; just wait - it will come!

Ok, I'd like an integrated Bluetooth telephone as standard, or at least a place to put the phone. I don't know why the passenger seat memory doesn't work when the vehicle isn't in Park. I'd like a proper place to store coins up front and somewhere to put the car keys! I wish the boot lid swung up and I'd love an integrated ipod (or better yet, a Creative Zen Vison M because I love mine). I'll live three years without these :-)

This is a wonderful car and one of the best I've ever driven. You will love it more and more the longer you own it. It is excellent value for money. Don't be in the slightest bit concerned you've made a mistake until you've given it at least three months or 6,000 miles....whichever comes sooner :-)

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

I'd love an integrated ipod (or better yet, a Creative Zen Vison M because I love mine). I'll live three years without these :-)

I'm picking up my Creative Zen 60Gb tomorrow night from a mate - is it good? :)

Brian [:)]

[NetOne]

Most people are unhappy is due to bad experience with the dealerships. They are the culprit and they are the one to blame not the Lexus Corporate. Dealers are working independently which Lexus has no control over it, if we don't like this one we can go to other one or complain to the Lexus head office if they did something bad to you. We got to think this way and enjoy all the good stuffs of the Lexus we own, enjoy the immense pleasant of driving it, looking at it, the luxurious and confort as we had paid for the prize and joy. If you have a chance to get in touch with the Lexus people (not the dealers) you will know how grateful you are for owning a Lexus because they are really nice and care for Lexus owners.

[Eunos800]

As notified in earlier threads, I HAVE complained to the dealer, and written to Lexus GB, over issues I experienced prior to collecting the car - way back in February in fact. I am NOT a person who just complains to all and sundry, yet not the management. Having spent over 30 years in the retail food sector, I think I know how to deal with complaints - from both sides of the table

I always complain in a professional, courteous, yet firm manner. I also ensure that I speak with the manager responsible, not junior staff. I, like others here believe that the vehicle has issues that are frankly not acceptable for a £30k+ car, and my own experience of pre-sale, and handover has been dissapointing.

My response to customer complaints during my working life was both immediate and relevant, believing that the the customer is indeed king, and did pay all our wages. The complacency and apathy that exists today amongst so called service industries is often disgraceful. I have worked harder to ensure a satisfied customer following a complaint about a measly tin of beans at 30p than lexus have for my complaints so far.

If satisfied owners object to me and others illustrating both sides of the story ( and yes I have said positive things about the car if you care to check my other posts ) then the forum will turn into nothing more than a lexus fan club.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

As notified in earlier threads, I HAVE complained to the dealer, and written to Lexus GB, over issues I experienced prior to collecting the car - way back in February in fact. I am NOT a person who just complains to all and sundry, yet not the management. Having spent over 30 years in the retail food sector, I think I know how to deal with complaints - from both sides of the table

I always complain in a professional, courteous, yet firm manner. I also ensure that I speak with the manager responsible, not junior staff. I, like others here believe that the vehicle has issues that are frankly not acceptable for a £30k+ car, and my own experience of pre-sale, and handover has been dissapointing.

My response to customer complaints during my working life was both immediate and relevant, believing that the the customer is indeed king, and did pay all our wages. The complacency and apathy that exists today amongst so called service industries is often disgraceful. I have worked harder to ensure a satisfied customer following a complaint about a measly tin of beans at 30p than lexus have for my complaints so far.

If satisfied owners object to me and others illustrating both sides of the story ( and yes I have said positive things about the car if you care to check my other posts ) then the forum will turn into nothing more than a lexus fan club.

At the end of the day, dealers are dealers. They are there to

1) Make money

2) Hit targets

3) ....erm....serve customers to make even more money

Probably in that order

I had "higher than received" expectations too... but I also hear from several people that they have a wonderful experience each and every time.

Jamboos dealer theory (for a bit of banter):

very few salesman have only ever sold a Lexus. They come from more humble marques - to name 3 - Ford, Vauxhall, BMW... so treat every customer as a cash cow

many dealerships (if not all) are owned by larger franchise holders - i.e. they also sell Fords, Vauxhalls, BMW...

The head therefore deals with customer bases with differing expectations and demands, but will no doubt drop to accepting an "average" across the board

So they get all defensive when you complain...and sometimes make you feel you're demanding the earth.

It'snot often you spend so much cash, knowing it'll be worth a fraction of that in a few years...just some humanity and genuine empathy would be good...

PS - I also agree with you that the "experiences of all owners" make it a more worthwhile place..and a very good forum!! I hope Lex take heed from here and listen to the customers...afterall without us where would they be?

[Eunos800]

As notified in earlier threads, I HAVE complained to the dealer, and written to Lexus GB, over issues I experienced prior to collecting the car - way back in February in fact. I am NOT a person who just complains to all and sundry, yet not the management. Having spent over 30 years in the retail food sector, I think I know how to deal with complaints - from both sides of the table

I always complain in a professional, courteous, yet firm manner. I also ensure that I speak with the manager responsible, not junior staff. I, like others here believe that the vehicle has issues that are frankly not acceptable for a £30k+ car, and my own experience of pre-sale, and handover has been dissapointing.

My response to customer complaints during my working life was both immediate and relevant, believing that the the customer is indeed king, and did pay all our wages. The complacency and apathy that exists today amongst so called service industries is often disgraceful. I have worked harder to ensure a satisfied customer following a complaint about a measly tin of beans at 30p than lexus have for my complaints so far.

If satisfied owners object to me and others illustrating both sides of the story ( and yes I have said positive things about the car if you care to check my other posts ) then the forum will turn into nothing more than a lexus fan club.

At the end of the day, dealers are dealers. They are there to

1) Make money

2) Hit targets

3) ....erm....serve customers to make even more money

Probably in that order

I had "higher than received" expectations too... but I also hear from several people that they have a wonderful experience each and every time.

Jamboos dealer theory (for a bit of banter):

very few salesman have only ever sold a Lexus. They come from more humble marques - to name 3 - Ford, Vauxhall, BMW... so treat every customer as a cash cow

many dealerships (if not all) are owned by larger franchise holders - i.e. they also sell Fords, Vauxhalls, BMW...

The head therefore deals with customer bases with differing expectations and demands, but will no doubt drop to accepting an "average" across the board

So they get all defensive when you complain...and sometimes make you feel you're demanding the earth.

It'snot often you spend so much cash, knowing it'll be worth a fraction of that in a few years...just some humanity and genuine empathy would be good...

PS - I also agree with you that the "experiences of all owners" make it a more worthwhile place..and a very good forum!! I hope Lex take heed from here and listen to the customers...afterall without us where would they be?

yes mate...you are correct I feel about the dealer scenario.

Why is it then that if lexus "the company" are so adamant that customer satisfaction is their top priority, they hand out franchises to such dealers. Surely they should better control who is the face of lexus in all parts of the world, with more exclusivity, and not just "the highest bidder / biggest players"?

I apologise for going on about this - as it obviously bothers some members that I am actually dissatisfied, but I thought I was buying into something special....and I just haven't had it

I am not saying that this is not a fine car - it is - but it just aint really special. I can only compare from experience of other cars I have "owned" and I am afraid that to date nothing has quite given me the feeling that I got the first time I drove away in my E300, many years ago. I know that merc have dropped in the league of late, but in those days. that 3 pointed star gave me the buzz. The car was bulletproof, it felt solid ( so does lexy ), everything worked every time, and no recalls were ever issued as far as know.

My car was always valeted thoroughly during service, courtesy cars were always available, I got offered a hospitality golf day ( which I actually attended and finally convinced myself that golf "clubs" were for snobs )

and all in all it just hit the spot for me.

I truly believed that, and wanted the Lexy, to do the same for me, and it hasn't.

Before you all say "then go buy a merc /beemer and stop moaning" - I have actually listened and watched what is said about these marques these days, and decided that Lexus based on reputation and survey etc was the one to beat. I accept that the real person to blame is probably me for not having insisted on having the car for a weeks test experience before falling in love - used my heart instead of my head !

I noticed recently that one manufacturer was offering such a test drive ( Vauxhall?? ) and with hindsight 1.5 hours, with a salesman in the back seat, driving around familiar roads was insufficient. I hate to say it, but I doubt I would have gone for it had I had a weeks trial. :o

[Koenardinho]

My impression after 7000km in 3 weeks :-) in my IS220D SE MM

Most of my remarks are issues which already appeared on this forum.

- the diesel engine : you have to get used to it. I find the 1st and 2nd gear too short. You can't really accelerate. 3rd (slightly short), 4th, 5th are perfect for me. But then i'm used to driving petrol, so I'm conquering two things at the same time: the diesel and the lexus-specific diesel :-)

- the "lag" in 2nd gear -> can be very dangerous when you really need to have some instant power available...

- vibrating rear-view mirror (caused by both vibrations in the ride and radio)

- not being able to operate the nav, phone, dvd, etc while driving (very very annoying!).

But the 7000km in 3 weeks proves that I love driving the car!

[its_a_doozy]

Nice trhead. I am a middle of the road customer, neither deleriously happy or very upset, yet I feel I have had more hassle with this car than any other I have owned, and my previous was a new IS200 Sport which I had for 3 years with only the alloy wheels giving me grief, and they were swapped under warranty.

I have just bought a 3rd car (partner already has a BMW Mini Cooper) because the Lexus offers no practicality. Sure it looks and drives nice, but I can't take the bloody thing on holiday. Off to Cornwall for a week and need to take 3 kids 4 bikes, camping gear and my girlfriend>!

Solution, spend £3k on a Toyota Estima Jap import. Do my holiday and sell on afterwards.

So I guess its about cars that are fit for purpose. The IS 2xx is fit for looking good, driving well, and above all else reliable engineering, mostly squeak and rattle free

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Good points made by all here - Eunos800 - you are entirely correct to complain about your service - and 100% correct that people are constantly treated badly nowadays.

I apologise if my comments seemed heavy handed - they were not intended to be. I hope the car suits you well and you get any issues resolved to some satisfaction.

Had my car in for gearbox - try No.2 - see the clunky gearbox thread. Also handbrake update.

Brian :)

[Eunos800]

Hi Brian, thank you for your reply, I was getting worried there that you I and were fallng out

As I said, it is a lovely car, and I guess / hope that time as usual will lessen my dissapointment.

Off to France, Belgium, Netherlands for a long weekend tomorrow, so you will have peace and quiet for a few days ....In THE OTHER CAR ! .....see linky.

PS we are guests at the Antwerp kit car show, otherwise we would have used Lexy honest :D

PS its one of the many other fun things this boring old fart likes to do instead of golf, and boozing. LOL

[spwolfx]

To be honest a couple of the lads who used to be active members on here are moving across to Mercedes now, in fact John, the lucky bugger, has a CLS350 on the way I think it is, and that is a stunning motor, IMHO blows all the new Lexus' L-Finesse designs out of the water!

Looking forward to seeing what she's like when he picks her up :D

I'd quite happily have a Merc :)

While Mercedes have improved their quality by miles recently, its still not up to scratch with Lexus at all. We've got a CLS, and to be honest, when we had a new IS as a courtesy car, my whole family agreed, despite the £30k price difference, the IS was the better built car. It also had better seats and had less wind noise (although that could be down to the CLS having pillarless doors).

Now I will agree the CLS is a gorgeous car - imho the best looking saloon car you can buy, and also poss puts a few coupe's to shame

this is probably the most interesting article here - IS better built than CLS, which costs twice as much.

A lot of people are simply expecting too much from Lexus, and hence end up feeling bad BUT at the end, when you compare the stats, Lexus is still better than other companies, by considerable margin.

And while 20-30k is a lot of hard earned money, in reality, all of these cars are mass produced vehicles. There are Toyota's these days more expensive than IS.

From being in business, although not in the UK, I can assure you that there is no other company that values theirs customers as much as Toyota, and that is only multiplied in Lexus. All day, all I hear is how customer is the king and from whatever they do, it is customer mentioned at #1 spot.

At the end, nothing is perfect and we are only but humans. All cars have its faults, there are crooked dealers, inexperienced mechanics, bad washers, but throughout the world Lexus seems to edge out everyone else. Its pursuit of perfection, not perfection itself.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

This is why, inspite of my previous issues, I still love the car.

I saved up for over 3 years to buy it and overall don't regret it now at all.

[Northern Boys Luv Gravy]

At the end of the day, dealers are dealers. They are there to

1) Make money

2) Hit targets

3) ....erm....serve customers to make even more money

Probably in that order

To be fair it is drilled into most prestige franchise salespeople now that if they:

1. Serve customers well, they will

2. Hit targets, and

3. Make money.

The bonus schemes are set up in such a way that good customer feedback and positive mystery shopping scores impact as much as sales targets.

[rap03]

This has been a very interesting discussion.

I have been a Toyota/Lexus for the past 30 years and have felt that the cars have always been good, sound purchases that have lasted me for years with good re-sale.

My previous Lexus was an IS200 which I had for 4 years and had NO problems with and always got service and after sales response from the dealership and hence now moved onto the IS250.

As with all of us, it is a ***** load on money for the new model and we all expect gold plated finish for this sort of money, but unfortunately, they are mechanical beasts.

I too have had problems like others with seat belts recalls, handbrake adjustments, squeaky seat replaced and a major rattle in the dash finally fixed but only to produce a smaller vibrating noise in the dash. After all, they did have to take the dash apart to fix the speaker rattle noise.

This all being said, I have just had a week away where I covered around 3,000Ks (just under 2,000Miles) and the car was a pleasure to drive. Crusie control set and sat there in comfort most of the time. Would have been even better had it had Active Cruise Control but only available on the Autos.

Currently running it on 98 Octane (when I can get it) and car seems to be now performing fabulously. Also achieve 7.5 litres/100Ks (nearly 38MPG) after take fill ups and on the open highways.

I found the road noise not there on certain roads and it was very quiet inside the car without any engine or gearbox nosie. Obviously this changes depending on the road surface.

All up, I have been somewhat disappointed that the problems that have been there and the dealership has given good service to try and rectify the issues, as well as lend me a RX350 to drive while the IS was being attended to. But after dealing with these problems, all they respond with is sorry and we hope that all goes well from here on and send me away with small amount of chocolates.

So, for me, this is the best car value around with the looks, finish and extras which you pay heaps for on the other big 3. Lexus here do there best to keep you satisfied (in most cases) and after hearing from friends with BMs, mercs and Audis, they all have there problems and poor dealership after sales service at times as well.

I am very satisfied with the purchase even given the faults and will keep working with Lexus until they are all resolved to my satisfaction.

p.s. watch out if they adjust the handbrakes too much. if you experience a vibrating feeling at higher speeds after doing this, it has been adjusted too much and should be taken striaght back to the dealership for adjustment. This happened to me and they have heard of cases (not the IS250) where the rear brakes have locked up and caused an accident.

p.s.s. As for the water dripping down, yes, this is very annouying and very poor design, but just have to keep the baby out of the rain.

[Eunos800]

p.s.s. As for the water dripping down, yes, this is very annouying and very poor design, but just have to keep the baby out of the rain.

I live in Wales - rain is mandatory.

have just retirned from 1200 miles trip to france / belgium / holland and back - in my Hawke Kit - Car.

It performed faultlessly, and was great fun to drive, as it always is.

Can't say why, but just wasn't particularly excited about getting into the lexus this morning for the shopping run....and I wanted to be

Can't put my finger on it....but it just lacks "soul" and I remain underwhelmed.

maybe doing a Scottish tour next week, and will take Lexy, so watch this space for a report :winky: