450H Just Gone In For Valve Springs....

MrShades · February 21, 2011

Well, I've just dropped off my 450h for the valve spring recall. Dealer has very kindly given me a brand new RX450h demonstrator (60 plate) and even popped out to put fuel in it for me as it was quite low. Can't complain so far, except it appears to be an SE rather than SE-L.

The RX doesn't exactly appear to be frugal - driving in my normal style along the M4 this morning (about 80mph ish) it has been averaging around 26mpg. Not great - was expecting more... especially when the official combined figure is 44.8! Certainly no "Hybrid PWR" button to make life better! (the only options appear to be Eco or Snow).

I went to see a CT200h at the weekend, and much like the RX it has an "EV mode" - which seems pretty pointless. It appears to allow battery-only driving (as long you're doing less than about 30mph). Above 30mph it wont switch to EV mode, and if you exceed 30mph it turns EV mode off. Waste of time IMHO, in the GS you just use light throttle below 30mph and it use Battery anyway.

Also - similar to the CT, it has the "mouse pointer" navigation, menus, etc. (Someone could have told me that before I sat in the CT and started stabbing my finger at the screen whilst it did nothing). Seems to work quite well, but not as quick/easy to use as full touch-screen display (though, whe the screen is as far away as it is in the RX and CT it makes sense!).

Anyway, will hopefully get a (cleaner) GS450h back on Wednesday or Thursday this week - and interestingly (for LS owners, not that any will read this) the dealer (Swindon) told me that they now have special tools that mean that the valvespring replacement can now be performed on the LS without taking the engine out (special tools and all that!).

As long as I get a clean car back, and some champagne in the post I'll be a happy chappy.

Shades