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Don't forget that the Toerag is a Porsche Cayenne in drag. That makes it a very competent vehicle and has two excellent engines: either the 3.0TDI engine or the petrol V8. I think you just made your choice a little more complicated! ;)

Its more than that, you will have to determine what use you have for the vehicle and how you intend to drive it. Then test drive according to your needs. Its great to have choice - its making the right one thats tricky! Between the two I don't think you can go wrong, as both are more than competent for most people and their daily uses and do exactly what they say on the tin. You will be satisifed with either :)

Quite right, the Blues'n'Twos are part of the warning equipment - which by definition means they are there to alert others that an emergency vehicle is coming, please be on your guard. Warning equipment is there to warn others...not bully them.

Sorry, what I meant to say was that the 400h is over-balanced and tail happy when hitting bends at speed. The rear 'driven' wheels only come into being when the vehicle detects a spin...sometimes it does not and it is possible to push the tail out before it will correct itself. The extra weight of the batteries the 400h carries does make it imbalanced because unless there is the need for the rear wheels to kick in, it remains a front wheel drive only and as the batteries only drive the rear wheels, so it follows that unless the rear wheels are being driven, the batteries are just dead weight. The rear wheels are only driven on demand - and if you do happen to nail it, there is immense torque steer that can make the vehicle less than surefooted. In comparison, the 350 remains better balanced as it is not only lighter but being AWD all of the time, it offers surefooted acceleration in a straight line and in bends (OK so its not as quick as the combined hybrid drive train). The 400h has its uses, for say company car drivers who need to pay less in tax etc. - but I do believe too many people have been taken in by the slick Lexus marketing on this vehicle. Each to their own I say.

Please don't mck me...but I don't think its that bad? But then again I don't have an IS :P

You will have to test drive both to get an idea for which one you like and how each handles. I'm not a fan of the 400h: overweighted, poor-balance, not sure-footed in bends, huge torque-steer and above all expensive. If you prefer to have a more competent 4x4, then you wont beat the 350 (IMHO) and if you buy smartly, then you can save a packet on the 350 and use it to offset the higher running costs.

I would be tempted to check eBay for a replacement set. Failing which, fork out for a Reub. from a reputable company as the finish should be what it should have been from Lexus when new.

Not quite. There is no 'safe' place to stop at the side of most roads. Can't do it on a Motorway; can't do it on a Dual Carriageway, single lanes are the same, usually demarked with single (or double) yellow lines. In town traffic its not always possible to stop safely either. Anytime you have a stationary vehicle at the side of the road, it is inherently unsafe - thats why Police patrols are given specific training in staying visible and proper parking when conducting stops ;)

I think it is a whole dash out job - but I stand to be corrected!

Lexus seem obsessed with Nannying their owners :P It can be more dangerous for the vehicle to be stopped at the side of the road for access to be re-enabled than using it on the move.

I don't understand why you're struggling with this issue? If you paid Lexus for the 'fix' then I'd take it straight back to them telling them that the fault has re-occurred. If however they didn't charge you, but say they fixed it, then again I'd be telling them the fault had re-occurred and ask for details of what fix they applied and get them to resolve it.

I would be inclined to ask your Dealer to measure the discs in front of you and then show you what the Lexus suggested replacement thickness is :) That way you can be assured you are getting good advice.

I think its brave of you considering a 220d at all :) Have you read all the threads on the forum about the experiences people have had with their cars? Ranging from EGR valves, to gear ratios and 5th injectors :) And thats while these cars are under 3YRS and 60K (which is the factory Warranty) ... and you want to buy one outside of Warranty? Brave man :)

Sometimes Lexus Dealers can offer some very good deals - so buying from them is about doing your own research. If the figures add up, then why not buy from them? But you really do have to do your homework. Same goes for any 400h you may be looking to buy. Draw up a shortlist, test drive as many as you can and then see if the 400h suits your driving style and use. I always suggest to people to consider the 350 instead of the 400h, as it is a more competent vehicle and with the savings over the Hybrid, you might wish to consider. Either way, P/X or not, its about doing your homework. Good luck!

I would agree with that, the 350 is a very good car and without the added wieght of the Hybrid dive system handles better too ;)

I've never had any complaints with genuine brakes on my RX - could it be your driving style? The other thing is, who is telling you they are 70% worn? I would try to check for myself as you will be a very good judge of how worn they are yourself...garages are notorious in suggesting brakes need replacing when perhaps they do not ;)

Its a shame that Lexus didn't appear to take into account reversing in low light conditions and how useless that reversing camera can become. It defies belief how manufactures (like Lexus) can spend millions on developing a product and forget about basic functionality like this. Still the camera is useful to have, very difficult to go back :)

Have you called other Dealers for a price on the sensors? I'm sure there will be one who wants your business. But (on a personal note) I have never found a use for front sensors...then again my mind boggles when I see cars like Aygo and FOX with rear parking sensors.

Then you should have come across Lexus Hanley who offer the lowest Service prices around. if you want to know how well the quote your local dealer has given you, compare them to Lexus Hanley :) As for the service package, you have to play around with different services and combinations to determine which work out cost effective. Be creative, play around with the variables to find the best mix. Just make sure that if you do opt for a service plan, it is a Lexus GB one and not a Dealer one. With the Lexus GB one you can go to any Lexus dealership while dealer one locks you to that dealer group...and any individual dealer can go bust. I have written in great details about service plans and my experiences of using them - hopefully you should find those posts/experiences useful. Oh and just because you bought your vehicle second hand, does not preclude you from buying a Lexus Service Plan :)

I think the 350 is the logical evolution for the RX. The 3L V6 always felt stressed to me in most conditions. It is a good engine, but one that was never suited to RX in the first place. The 3.5L V6 however is better suited to hauling the RX and offers better MPG, smoother power delivery and better torque delivery making it for a more relaxed drive. However, the thing to watch out for with the 350 is that any 350 sits in the highest RFL tax band, while the 300 is capped at the lower rate. There are other considerations, make sure you ask all questions and look very closely at both vehicles.

I wouldn't neccedssarily view going to a 400h as an 'upgrade' - I rate the all petrol version of the RX higher than the hybrid for many reasons. Many people assume the Hybrid will be better, I would extensively test drive one and then a 350. You might be surprised!

Have you run a forum search? :) Different dealers calculate labour rates differently and have different unit costs so prices do vary. Always haggle on price, no mater what they quote. Also phone round a couple of dealers and don't be afraid to play one off against the other.

Brake pad wear is very subjective TBH. The RX is a very heavy vehicle, especially when towing. Before we bought our RX (MKII 300) I did read reports about some eating their brakes too quickly. however in my experience, our RX was good enough: pads every 20K and discs changed at 55K (bought as an AUC with 33K and first pad change recorded at 20-something K). I can't say we drove it gingerly ;) - but brakes were good enough. One of the first things to check is to see what brakes you are running: Genuine? OEM? Third Party Crap? I've only ever run genuine brakes in all my cars - doing th work myself - and the genuine Lexus stuff is very good.

Many cars over their lives have had some sort of damage repaired. Of course some have something more substantial than others - but even Dealer prep'd cars have had a panel (or bumper) replaced at sometime. Sometimes unknown to the dealer themselves. In this instance, I think it is to the Sellers credit for admitting that the car has had some accident damage repaired - remember something like this would not be recorded anywhere. However what would concern me would be the quality of said repair as it is not Lexus. Bodyshop quality varies greatly - as do the parts used. I would enquire a little more about which bodyshop did the work, any evidence that they used genuine Lexus parts etc. etc. - but at the end of the day, if you are having doubts, walk away...

I doubt Lexus will invest further in diesel, but rather focus on hybrids as that is their vision of the future. They cannot compete with the Germans on diesels. Plus, with Lexus pushing Hybrid, it makes sense they will push that - also outside of Europe, there is no real demand for diesel. With Lexus focused heavily in the US, hybrid will sell better for them too.