Lexus Open Road This Saturday

knitware · June 29, 2011

As the title says.

I missed out last year and thought I'd register for this years event. I'm earmarked to drive the Ct, Rx and ISF. It looks set to be good weather and it should be fun. If your going what are you hoping to take for a spin. Will there be an LFA there, mmm..

Parthiban · June 30, 2011

I've signed up to go to my local one tomorrow, but only if I get time. I've also been told that I will be able to see (and more importantly hear!) the LFA so that's the main reason I want to go down!

Annoyingly you have to be 30 to test an IS-F so they won't let me drive one (despite the fact I've already tried one at my dealer )

knitware · June 30, 2011

I've signed up to go to my local one tomorrow, but only if I get time. I've also been told that I will be able to see (and more importantly hear!) the LFA so that's the main reason I want to go down!

Annoyingly you have to be 30 to test an IS-F so they won't let me drive one (despite the fact I've already tried one at my dealer )

I'm looking forward to the ISF drive, I'm over 30, I've not driven anything like that before! Been in a mates RS4, that was rather quick! I hope this venue gets the LFA, don't suppose i'll know until the day.

Do Lexus provide food and drinks?

Parthiban · June 30, 2011

I'm looking forward to the ISF drive, I'm over 30, I've not driven anything like that before! Been in a mates RS4, that was rather quick! I hope this venue gets the LFA, don't suppose i'll know until the day.

Do Lexus provide food and drinks?

You'll enjoy that, it's a strange experience as in normal driving it's very docile, to me felt no different to an IS250. Then get it over about 3.5k revs and it goes insane, the engine sounds incredible!

I believe there's only 1 LFA around so can obviously only be in one place at one time, but assuming there's only 1 open road per day they must be moving it from one location to the next.

My invite says refreshments will be provided all day so there will be something available, have booked in for drives of the CT, GS and LS but not too fussed about those to be honest, more interested in hearing the LFAs glorious V10 so hoping I'll have the time to pop in for at least a short while :)

steve2006 · June 30, 2011

I've been there and done it! Today at the Open Road Event at Staunton Harold Hall near Ashby de la Zouch I drove the CT200H ( there were loads of these) and I could have driven one immediately on arrival but prefered to wait the extra four hours to take it out with Kylie Minogue as my passenger :D

In the meantime I drove the ISF without any problem because I am grey haired and over 50 ( Kylie obviously noticed these defects but was very polite and said nothing). With the ISF you have to be accompanied by a qualified race trained driver who takes the car out and shows you what it can do!!!!! and then you change places :D The route was a mixture of country lanes and A roads and the best I could do was around 80MPH.

As a passenger the push back in the seat effect was amazing.

I also took out the LS600H L again this was an accompanied drive and at over 100K I can see why, this has around the same power as the ISF but the ride quality of the LS.

What was amusing was the reverse parking on the return to the venue as all the cars had marked bays, it reminded me of a driving test centre car park with plenty of forward and reverse movements before finally getting it right ( not me of course) and there was the guy I noticed when being given instructions in the LS600 to apply the brake pedal before starting the engine used his left foot to do so,pleased I wasn't driving behind him!

Plenty of food available but no LFA present there was however an Audi R8 in the car park.

All in all a very enjoyable afternoon.

Thanks to all the Staff at Lexus Derby :D

knitware · June 30, 2011

Sound like an excellent day out! I'm looking forward to it now!

Wozza · June 30, 2011

Nice to see the pics. Lucky for me the local Open Road had the LFA. I managed to drive all the cars (except LFA) and the IS-F twice (second time around managed to persuade the driver to go off route onto a dual carriageway for a real demo! Boy did it move and roar! over 4k revs it goes insane! When I drove the LS600 it was without a driver maybe changed there minds after a few events drove really strange in comfy mode so glad I found the sports mode :-)

knitware · July 3, 2011

Had a really good day on Saturday, good food and coffee too!

I drove the ISF, an amazing car, the noise was very addictive, yes, I wan't one. I also loved driving the RX450H. This is the first 4x4 I have ever driven but it only took 10 mins to get used to the size. The engine is excellent and the ride superb. This could well be my next car, or the new GS.

I drove to CT too. Horrid car. From the previous two rides this was like stepping into a really bad non Lexus car, from China or India. It took 50 meters to realise I hated it.

The road in the grounds were a little bumpy and it banged the cars suspension all the way out to the main road, I was doing about 10mph. When I got onto the smooth duel carriage way I could still feel the undulations of the road through the seat. Noisy and very uncomfortable.

The interior is cheap, the seats don't go down low enough and the steering doesn't have enough adjustment. An odd thing with the interior door pull too. There is one on the passenger side and non on the drivers side, odd.

This car starts at £25k, this is expensive it should be better or cheaper, in fact it shouldn't have the Lexus badge. A Focus would be a better drive and have a larger boot. The CT way well produce 50mpg + maybe, but I think I'd rather sacrifice a few mpg and buy a proper Lexus. Sorry CT owners but I think that the CT should have been a lot better, unfortunately Lexus may have cheapened the brand.

Apparently the new GS will have two hybrid engine ranges, a 250 and a 350. The 250 hybrid will go into the new IS. Also the next GS will benefit from a step up in quality compared with the mk3 GS. I think the current GS is excellent. I thought that when driving home after the event. Being in a Lexus is a nice feeling, unless of course you drive a CT.